Chapter 53 – Peace Out

White Li held the last hinge in her hands after removing it.

It was already night.

There were no lights in the solitary confinement cell, but the hallway light filtering through the door crack was enough for her to see the metal piece in her hands.

It was a heavy metal piece, rusted at the edges, and slick with her sweat.

She gently placed it in the corner, stacking it with the two previous ones, then looked up at the iron door that was now slightly loose.

The gap in the door was a finger-width wider than before; she could even see the pale hallway light outside.

White Li’s nose tingled.

It had only been two and a half days, but she might never forget this period of her life.

No sunlight, no fresh air, no hot steamed buns.

Only the cold concrete floor and the sound of patrol footsteps passing by every fifteen minutes.

And if she stayed a few more days, she might be forced into labor.

“I really am suited to being a spy,” she muttered.

“At least I can live a decent life.”

She pressed her eye to the door crack and looked left and right.

The hallway was empty, no one there.

She then pressed her ear to the door, closed her eyes, and listened carefully.

After confirming there was no one, she carefully gripped the door edge and started pulling it toward herself.

‘Thankfully I left my phone and stuff back in the rental room,’ White Li calculated inwardly as she pried the door.

‘Otherwise I’d have to go find them once I’m out. What a pain.’

She felt pleased with her foresight.

Clang.

A muted thud—not too loud, not too soft—and the door lost its last support, falling inward.

White Li reacted quickly, catching the door with both hands, slowly turning it aside and leaning it against the wall.

The sound of metal scraping was a bit harsh in the quiet hallway, but fortunately it didn’t attract anyone.

The hallway light stung her eyes, but White Li had never felt so excited.

Air named freedom filled her lungs, making her take a deep breath.

Although it was the same air she had breathed in the cell, right now it smelled unexpectedly sweet.

She stuck her head out and looked around.

“But that yellow-haired guy was captured too, right? Where was he locked up?”

White Li stared at the empty corridor in front of her, hesitated for a second, then shook her head vigorously.

“Forget it. It’s his own fault for not trying hard enough. He didn’t rescue me and got himself caught instead. I can’t even take care of myself, so why would I go save him?”

She stepped out of the cell, her bare feet on the cold tiles, her tail swaying gently behind her.

Just then.

Boom!

A huge explosion came from the bottom of the building, shaking the entire structure.

The ceiling lights in the hallway shook violently, flickering on and off, while dust and debris rained down.

White Li steadied herself against the wall, a grin spreading across her face.

“Heaven is helping me!”

Without another thought, she dashed toward the stairwell.

Alarms and overlapping shouts surged up from below, like a pot of boiling porridge.

She didn’t know what was happening, but she knew this might be the only chance she would ever get.

The stairwell was right ahead.

White Li took the stairs two at a time, pushed open the fire door, and started running upward.

One step, two steps—the rooftop’s iron door was right in front of her.

…

Earlier, in the shelter’s basement.

The yellow-haired monster opened his eyes.

In those eyes, the instincts of a beast were awakening.

His muscles began to swell.

The alloy straps on his body emitted a piercing screech as metal deformed, the sound echoing in the room.

The researcher stumbled back several steps, dropping his tablet.

The screen shattered on the floor.

“N-No… Impossible…”

His lips trembled.

“The magic suppression facility is running at full power. There’s no way he still has strength.”

Lin Du stared at the swelling figure and frowned.

This wasn’t magical energy—it was pure physical strength.

Those alloy straps weren’t broken by magic; they were snapped one by one by raw force.

The yellow-haired monster’s muscle density had already far exceeded the human range, even surpassing that of ordinary strange people.

The magic suppression facility was meaningless against him.

He didn’t need magical energy at all.

“Get out of here!”

Lin Du grabbed the researcher by the scruff of the neck and dragged him out.

Then he slammed down the locking button on the metal door.

The door behind them let out a loud bang.

Bursting out of the basement, Lin Du pushed the researcher toward the end of the corridor.

“Go find a safe place to hide!”

“W-What about you?”

The researcher’s voice cracked.

“I still have something to do. I’ll be right back.”

Lin Du turned and ran in the opposite direction.

He rushed into the stairwell and raised his right hand.

“Transform!”

Flames erupted from the wristband, instantly covering his entire body.

Silver-gray armor formed and fastened amid the blaze.

At the same time, an explosion sounded, and the ground cracked open.

The yellow-haired monster emerged from underground.

His body was even larger than before.

He punched through the corridor wall, sending two containment team members who had rushed over flying.

Alarms, shouts, and gunfire blared into a chaotic mix.

Bullets bounced off him harmlessly.

Panting heavily, he raised his hand to kill the fallen team members.

The Knight rushed forward and kicked away the yellow-haired monster’s claw, sending him stumbling away from the team members.

“I’ll take it from here,”

Lin Du said, blocking the yellow-haired monster without looking back at the containment team members.

“Go lock down this area. Don’t let anyone out.”

“Understood!”

The team members recognized who had arrived, quickly acknowledged, and then helped each other evacuate.

The yellow-haired monster roared and lunged at Lin Du.

Lin Du sidestepped, punching him in the ribs.

Flames burst from his fist.

The monster stumbled two steps, then turned and swept his tail.

Lin Du leaped to dodge and, midair, fired several fireballs.

The monster couldn’t dodge, so he took the fireballs head-on.

Several patches of his skin were scorched.

Seeing he was at a disadvantage in the fight, he turned and climbed up the wall.

His claws dug into the gaps in the wall, climbing vertically like a gecko.

He moved incredibly fast, shooting up two or three meters with each burst of effort.

Lin Du was slightly taken aback.

Why was he climbing to the rooftop?

What was up there?

Without time to think, he gathered strength in his legs and leaped upward.

The silver-gray figure used the wall to gain leverage, chasing upward while firing fireballs from his palm at the monster.

Whoosh—

The scorching fireballs kept hitting the monster, blasting off one of his arms.

A stream of purple blood gushed from the stump.

But he didn’t stop.

Using his remaining three limbs, he continued climbing, speed increasing rather than decreasing.

Lin Du gritted his teeth and accelerated his climb as well.

…

Rooftop.

White Li had been waiting on the rooftop for a while.

She stood on tiptoe, leaning over the railing to look down.

Below, flames soared into the sky, explosions, crashes, and metal scraping mixed together, making her heart pound.

It was the Blazing Knight and the yellow-haired monster.

She hadn’t expected the monster to be heading to the rooftop too.

Why was he coming to the rooftop?

Had he received a notification too?

White Li was frantic.

She tried to summon the magical energy inside her, but it was useless.

Even though the rooftop had no magic suppression barrier, she still had the collar around her neck.

Right now, she was just an ordinary Fox Clan girl who couldn’t even defeat a chicken.

With no other choice, she huddled in the shadows of the rooftop, trying to stay inconspicuous.

The sounds of fighting below grew closer.

Bam!

The rooftop’s iron door was knocked open by something.

The door panel flew off and slammed into the railing.

The yellow-haired monster crawled out of the doorway.

He was covered in blood, his body swaying as if he might collapse at any moment.

The Knight followed closely, leaping out of the doorway and landing on the rooftop.

His visor lit up, his right foot already charged with flames.

The firelight turned the entire rooftop bright as day.

He was about to end this with a Knight Kick.

“Time to hit the road.”

Flames exploded.

Lin Du leaped high into the air.

Just then, a pitch-black wall rose from the ground, blocking the space between him and the monster.

Lin Du’s Knight Kick landed in the shadow, giving him only a hollow feeling like stepping into cotton.

He sank into the black shadow as if into a swamp.

On the other side, the monster’s body began to sink.

Something in the shadow seemed to be dragging him down like a giant hand.

White Li lifted her head from the shadow, her eyes lighting up.

It’s Martha!

Martha is here!

She dashed out from her hiding corner, running toward that patch of shadow, her steps so fast she seemed to fly.

Lin Du pulled himself free from the shadow, looked up, and saw that silver-white figure running toward the shadow.

“Wait—!”

He rushed forward and reached out his hand.

White Li glanced back at him.

Moonlight fell on her face, and stars reflected in her azure eyes.

“See you next time~”

She leaped, diving into the shadow.

“…Blazing Knight-sama~!”

Her silver-white hair traced an arc in the air, and her figure sank into the shadow—silent, vanishing without a trace.

…