Chapter 28: The Corridor's Enigma

Kiana charged into the school with her dual guns drawn, leaving Li Huan stunned.

"Wait, did you just rush in without thinking?"

He couldn't comprehend the sheer audacity of storming the enemy's stronghold without any plan.

Kiana's confidence in her abilities was off the charts! Was she not worried about an ambush?

Li Huan, feeling a surge of frustration, took a deep breath to calm himself.

"No choice, let's go after her. Tom, let's move!"

Shaking his head in resignation, Li Huan grabbed a baseball bat and ran after her. Tom, the cat, nodded and somehow pulled out a wooden stick, following suit.

When Li Huan and Tom finally caught up inside the school, they found Kiana standing still in the middle of the entrance.

"What happened?"

Seeing her standing there, Li Huan thought something had gone wrong. He tightened his grip on the bat, ready for trouble.

"Nothing much," Kiana said after a moment, holstering her guns. "Looks like we've saved ourselves some work."

"What do you mean?"

Li Huan stepped beside Kiana and surveyed the corridor. It became clear why she was unconcerned.

The hallway bore the scars of a recent battle. Scorch marks were everywhere—on the floor, walls, and ceiling—evidence of a fierce fight.

"Someone's already been through here, clearing out the entire floor of undead," Kiana noted, crouching to feel the residual heat on the ground. "The heat is still lingering, meaning the fight happened not too long ago."

Kiana stood and dusted off her hands. "Seems like we're not the only ones after the Herrscher of Thunder. Someone else is on the hunt too."

"That's not necessarily a good thing," Li Huan frowned, looking around warily. "We have no idea if they're friend or foe."

"If they're from Schicksal, they might be allies," Kiana said, drawing her guns again. "But if they're from Anti-Entropy, then they're likely enemies."

"Schicksal? Anti-Entropy? What are those?"

Li Huan pretended not to know, though he was well aware of the two organizations.

"I don't know much," Kiana admitted, cautiously moving toward the stairs. "I heard bits from my stubborn old man. Schicksal is a secret organization that fights the Honkai, and he used to be one of their warriors…"

"As for Anti-Entropy, he didn't explain much, but he mentioned they also fight the Honkai, though they have a strained relationship with Schicksal. If we encounter them, a fight is almost guaranteed."

"Why's that?"

"Apparently, Anti-Entropy methods are quite ruthless. And since my old man was with Schicksal, that makes me at least half Schicksal too. If we run into them, it'll likely end in a brawl."

As they walked down the dimly lit corridor, Li Huan tried flipping a switch to turn on the lights, but nothing happened.

"Don't bother," Kiana said, pulling out a flashlight. "This area is directly beneath the Herrscher of Thunder, so it's likely the entire building's electrics are fried."

She turned to Li Huan and Tom. "Stick close, especially you," she pointed to Li Huan.

"Are you planning to use me as a meat shield?" Li Huan narrowed his eyes.

"You catch on quick," Kiana smirked. "Who told you to be so tough? Protecting a lady is the gentlemanly thing to do, isn't it?"

"Sorry, I'm from Shenzhou, we don't have that 'gentleman' nonsense."

Despite his sarcasm, Li Huan dutifully moved closer to Kiana.

When it came to defense, he was indeed far more capable than her. If he had promised to help, he had to do it right, even if it meant putting himself at risk.

The two of them, along with Tom, cautiously advanced up the stairs. The second floor showed the same signs of combat, with no enemies in sight.

"Whoever passed through here is strong," Kiana said, scanning the area. "I bet they've already taken out all the undead in this building. We should hurry before they get to the Herrscher first."

"Got it."

Kiana and Li Huan continued up the stairs, but as Tom was about to follow, his ears twitched—he heard something.

Tom turned toward the end of the corridor.

A flash of lightning illuminated the hallway, revealing a small figure at the far end.

It was a girl—or rather, a young girl, a loli. She looked to be around ten years old, quite short, with silver hair styled into spiral twin-tails, giving her a somewhat unconventional appearance. Her clothes were simple and plain, without any distinguishing features.

But there was something very strange about this girl.

She wasn't standing on the ground. There was a small gap between her toes and the floor.

The girl was floating in mid-air.

The lightning illuminated the hallway for just a moment before darkness returned.

Tom rubbed his eyes, trying to confirm what he had just seen.

Another flash of lightning, and the girl was still there at the end of the hallway.

But this time, a monstrous, terrifying figure loomed behind her.

Tom gasped in horror and let out a loud scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!"

His scream was so loud it instantly caught the attention of Li Huan and Kiana.

The girl at the end of the hallway seemed to react as well.

Tom didn't stick around. After a brief moment of shock, his fur turned completely white—like clothes soaked in bleach—before he dashed up the stairs and clung tightly to Li Huan's back, his claws digging into Li Huan's clothes.

"Hey, Tom, what happened? Did you see something downstairs?"

Tom nodded frantically, burying his head into Li Huan's back, trembling.

"What's up with this cat?" Kiana asked, coming over. "Why did it scream like that?"

"How should I know? It looked like he saw something—maybe a ghost."

Li Huan quickly headed down the stairs and shone his flashlight toward the end of the hallway.

Nothing.

The girl Tom had seen was gone, as if she had never been there.

A heavy silence hung in the air, filling the corridor with an eerie stillness.