The Weapon Girl? Extreme danger?
These cold words echoed through the empty factory, but Xiang Lie's brain processed information differently from most people.
He didn't think much of it.
He only saw the silver-haired girl who had just been discussing the mysteries of the "Throne" with him, now trembling like a leaf, her eyes filled with despair that could drown everything. He only knew that she was the first—and only—student he had taught who could understand his philosophy.
That was enough.
Whether she was a weapon or a tool, he knew that his student couldn't endure such suffering!
"Don't be afraid!"
Xiang Lie growled, no longer hesitating. He bent down, his muscular arms suddenly wrapping around her, lifting the frail girl into his arms.
Light, too light. Light as a handful of feathers without weight.
The girl stiffened in his arms, seemingly surprised by his actions, but then clung to him like a lifeline, burying her head into his rock-solid chest.
"Bang!!"
Almost at the same moment, the rusty iron gate of the factory was violently smashed open from the outside with unimaginable force! The twisted iron sheets curled inward, emitting a piercing screech.
Several agile figures dressed in black combat gear and wielding strange firearms entered like cheetahs, quickly spreading out into a tactical formation.
"The target is at two o'clock! Moving upward!"
"How fast! What kind of monster is that?"
"Reporting to the boss! The target is a civilian who looks like a student. He's holding the 'Weapon Girl' and running upstairs!"
Their communication was brief and efficient, but their tones betrayed a hint of unmasked astonishment.
In their eyes, the young man, bare-chested and carrying a person, was running at a speed akin to a hundred-meter dash. Each step he took on the dilapidated stairs echoed with a heavy, muffled thud, like an unstoppable, rampaging rhinoceros!
Xiang Lie, holding the girl, didn't even glance back. He channeled all his strength into his legs, sprinting up the abandoned staircase.
The wind whistled past his ears, and the girl in his arms let out a faint whimper from the violent jostling.
"Hold on tight!" Xiang Lie barked in a low voice.
He felt his blood boiling, not out of fear, but out of a pure, primal anger and urge to protect the weak.
"Warning! Civilians above! Stop immediately! Put down the weapon-wielding girl in your arms, or we will take forceful measures!" The loudspeaker below sounded again, as cold as ever, but with a hint of urgency.
Xiang Lie ignored it and sprinted up to the third floor.
However, this seemed to be the end of the abandoned building. Ahead was a corridor blocked by bricks. To the left was a cold concrete wall. To the right was an empty window without glass.
They had been cornered.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
Steady, rhythmic footsteps echoed from the stairwell. Seven or eight men in black formed a semicircle, slowly encircling him and the girl against the wall. The black muzzles of their guns were all aimed at him.
The leader was a man with a scar on his face. He did not point his gun at Xiang Lie but instead scrutinized him with a piercing gaze before speaking in a deep voice:
"Student, don't act impulsively. This has nothing to do with you. She is not human. Hand her over to us, and you can leave safely immediately."
Not human?
Xiang Lie looked down at the girl in his arms.
The girl, overcome with fear, had curled up into a ball. Her moonlit silver hair was scattered across his arm, and her long silver eyelashes were still adorned with sparkling tears. Aside from her unusual hair color, what made her different from a normal person?
"Don't come any closer!" Xiang Lie pulled the girl tighter into his arms and took a step back, his back already pressed against the cold windowsill. "If you come any closer, I'll jump from here!"
From a three-story height, jumping with someone in his arms would either kill them or leave them crippled.
He was using the only method he could think of to make the most direct threat.
The scar-faced man furrowed his brows, clearly not expecting this student to be so "stubborn."
The men behind him seemed ready to step forward, but he raised his hand to stop them.
"Student," the scar-faced man said patiently, speaking again, "you have no idea what you're holding. She's an out-of-control 'weapon,' the ultimate danger! You're courting disaster!"
Xiang Lie didn't believe him at all.
He only believed what he saw with his own eyes—that the cold, trembling girl in his arms was the only one who could understand his "throne."
"I don't care what she is!" Xiang Lie's voice was hoarse with anger. "You scared her! You also scared my Azuo and Ayu! Now, get out of here immediately!"
"Azu? Ayu?" The scar-faced man froze, completely confused by what he was saying. One of his teammates whispered urgently:
"Boss, what should we do? This big guy doesn't seem very smart. We can't communicate with him."
The scar-faced man's eyes hardened as he made a decision: "Use the stun guns! Control the power output—don't harm the 'Weapon Girl'! The big guy doesn't matter, but the Weapon Girl can't be harmed!"
"Yes!"
Upon receiving the order, several black-clad team members immediately holstered their weapons and pulled out oddly shaped stun guns from their tactical pouches. The blue arcs at the muzzles crackled with a "zizzing" sound, emanating a dangerous aura.
Are they serious?
Xiang Lie's heart sank. Though he was simple-minded, he wasn't stupid. Those stun guns were clearly no ordinary weapons. If hit, he would instantly lose the ability to move.
At that point, the girl in his arms would be completely defenseless.
No! Absolutely not!
In the blink of an eye, Xiang Lie made his decision. He lowered his head and whispered to the girl in his arms in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Listen, I'll jump down from here. I'll cushion your fall. I'm tough, so you should be fine. When the time comes, take advantage of the chaos to run away and hide somewhere. Don't let them catch you again."
His tone was eerily calm, as if he were discussing the most ordinary of matters.
"I… can only help you this far."
After speaking, Xiang Lie raised his head, facing the black gun barrels and flickering electric arcs, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
It was a clean, pure, even radiant smile.
Just like the smile he had when they first met, when he thought he had found a kindred spirit and wanted to greet her, filled with sunshine and sincerity.
The young girl slowly raised her head.
She looked at the young man before her, who was clearly in danger himself yet was still making arrangements for her safety.
Wait, I have an idea.