Bang—
With a loud explosion of sound and a shout, Gu Lian rushed forward the moment she kicked the door open. She delivered a flying kick that sent the fake clerk—who was fiddling with something in front of the bound employees—flying with a heavy thud.
With a crash, he slammed into the outer casing of an air conditioner, denting the metal inward. The bound clerks opened and closed their mouths, unable to speak for a long time.
The timers hanging from the ropes on their chests emitted the electrical buzzing sound Gu Lian had heard earlier. There was no doubt that these things were explosive.
This scene unfolded far too quickly. From the moment she kicked the door to that shout of “FBI,” and finally to the fake clerk being kicked away, the total elapsed time was only two seconds.
The kidnappers in the room were stunned, and even the real clerks were a bit dazed. Only one thought occupied their minds—’What on earth is this?!’
“This skill… it’s a meddling Hunter in plain clothes. Get her!”
A man in a suit wearing a professional kidnapper’s mask drew a dagger from his lower back. The sharp blade reflected a cold, bright light under the dim illumination.
Facing the man’s attack, Gu Lian’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint surfacing in them as she struck like lightning.
With a smack, Gu Lian’s slender hands gripped the man’s knife-holding hand like iron pincers. The man grinned, raising his knee to strike, but Gu Lian tilted her head slightly and snapped his wrist.
“Argh!!”
With a thud, the man fell to his knees. The dagger slipped from his hand, but Gu Lian’s other hand caught the hilt with precision. Pivoting her body, she slung his arm over her shoulder and slammed him down with all her strength. The man’s palm was almost pressed against his wrist as Gu Lian held him in mid-air.
With a dull thud, the man was pulled down by Gu Lian, crashing onto a masked man who had just rushed over to attack her. They were both knocked to the ground. Gu Lian stepped on the masked man’s head, let go, and spun around.
Gu Lian leaned back, channeling all her strength through her arm and into the dagger’s hilt.
With a crack, the hilt of the dagger slammed hard into the jaw of a shirtless, burly man. The force sent vibrations through his brain. His head snapped back, his eyes rolled into his head, and his feet left the ground by several centimeters.
Lifting her foot from the masked man and the man in the suit, Gu Lian pivoted on her right foot, using the momentum to swing her right leg and kick the burly man across the face.
With a thud, Gu Lian stomped her foot on the ground and patted her hands together. She didn’t even give the man a second glance as she walked toward the bound clerks.
A dull thud echoed as the burly man collapsed onto the other two. His twisted, broken nose was particularly striking.
“Abababa…”
“This…”
The bound clerks were shocked by the sequence of movements. It was fast, precise, and without any wasted motion, like a precision instrument that had been practiced countless times.
In addition to gratitude and surprise, a hint of fear appeared in the eyes they cast toward Gu Lian.
‘Terrifying!’
This was the clerks’ first impression of Gu Lian. No one could help but feel afraid of a machine-like person with such ruthless methods, even if she had just saved them.
“I haven’t moved like that in a while; my body is a bit stiff.”
Gu Lian rolled her wrists. Under the wide-eyed gazes of the clerks, she walked up to them and cleanly cut their ropes with the dagger. The ropes, along with the timed bombs, fell to the floor.
As for the timers wrapped in the ropes that hadn’t been fully set…
“Thank you for sav—”
“Shh!”
Gu Lian pressed her index finger to her lips and pointed toward the kicked-open door. The five clerks sensibly shut their mouths and supported one another as they walked out of the employee breakroom.
Looking around, Gu Lian walked to the window and tore down the curtains. She then entered the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and filled the sink. Using the curtains to wrap the bombs, she tossed them into the water-filled sink and used the excess fabric to wedge them in place.
Gu Lian walked to the fake clerk who had been kicked into the air conditioner, grabbed him by the ankle, and dragged him over to the other three. She crouched down, grabbed their ankles, and slowly walked outside.
The moment Gu Lian stepped out of Dami Home, a burst of fire erupted from the breakroom, but the flames were merely a brief flare.
Thud.
Dragging the four men onto the street, Gu Lian glanced at the surroundings amidst the frightened clerks and onlookers, then let go of their ankles.
With a heavy thud, the four men hit the ground. Gu Lian sat on them nonchalantly and pulled a lollipop out of her jacket pocket. This was something she had bought on her way to Computer Street. Having basically been eating dirt for the past few days, she had been craving the taste of sugar for a long time.
“Benefactor, are you waiting for someone?”
One of the rescued girls approached timidly. She was a bit afraid of Gu Lian, but she couldn’t help it.
Gu Ye’s movements while taking down the four thugs earlier had been far too beautiful—as beautiful as a dance. An… intimidating dance of total suppression.
“Yeah, I’m waiting for someone. If my calculations are right, they should be here soon.”
“Eh? Are you waiting for other Hunters?”
The girl scratched her fishbone braid. She had subconsciously associated Gu Lian with the Hunters. After all, outside of the Hunters, people with such skill were as rare as phoenix feathers.
“Why else? I’m waiting for the reward money. I’m in desperate need of cash right now.”
Gu Lian yawned. The girl was stunned. Because Gu Lian had deliberately lowered her voice and the crowd was noisy, almost no one but the girl could hear her.
“Please make way, citizens. The Hunter Force is performing official duties. Please cooperate.”
At the sound of the deep voice, the crowd immediately split to form a path. Most people held the Hunters, who guarded their peaceful lives, in high esteem, so they cooperated smoothly.
From the parting crowd, a Hunter in combat gear with messy hair ran up to Gu Lian.
“Hello, I am Eric, a member of the Twenty-first Squad of the Nanjiang Branch of the Hunter Force. I have a general understanding of what happened. I would like to sincerely thank you for your contribution to Nanjiang City.”
The Hunter, Eric, straightened his back and thumped his right fist against his chest with a muffled thud.
This was the standard salute for Hunters. Whether toward civilians with extraordinary abilities who made contributions or toward superior Hunters, they were obligated to salute. It was a sign of recognition for a warrior.
Without a doubt, someone who could quickly subdue four armed terrorists with bare hands had been classified by Eric as a “wild” Awakened hiding among the populace.
Awakened. Perhaps that was the true name for Hunters. Hunters who had not yet been ranked were called Awakened.
These civilian Awakened might lack the discipline and organization of the Hunters, but they were still a force that couldn’t be ignored.
This was because most of the current Hunters in the Hunter Guild originated from the people. Without the people, where would the Hunters come from?
Naturally, there was no such thing as Hunters looking down on wild Awakened. After all, who would look down on their past self?
Crunch.
Biting down on the lollipop, Gu Lian looked up at Eric. Eric stood tall, his eyes sparkling with spirit.
The onlookers fell silent for some reason. Even the girl beside Gu Lian covered her mouth, her cheeks flushing slightly. This eye contact was far too heart-pounding!
Just when everyone thought Gu Lian was about to say something like “I like you” or “It’s what I should have done”…
Gu Lian smacked her lips, swallowed the crushed candy, and said gloomily, “How much of a reward are these thugs worth? I’ve been a bit short on cash lately.”
The girl: ???
Eric: ???
Onlookers: ????????