“What’s going on?!”
Unlike the security rooms of ordinary schools, Saint Lian Girls’ Academy, being an aristocratic institution, boasted a much higher security level, and its guardhouse was considerably more ‘luxurious’. It wasn’t a mere single-room hut of concrete or even pre-fabricated metal panels, as one might find in a typical school, but rather a sturdy, two-story building. The first floor housed a lounge and a duty room, accessible via front and back doors, while the second floor served as the monitoring center and storage for riot control equipment.
Immediately after the teleportation concluded, the security guards stationed there sensed that something was amiss. Half of them, following their contingency plan, proceeded to the kindergarten department to reinforce security. However, the other half, who remained behind, were the first to fall victim to the attacks of parasite hosts, drawn by the lure drones activated by Salome. They were swiftly and utterly overwhelmed.
Subsequently, Salome, having arrived at the location, eliminated the parasite hosts lurking in the vicinity. She then activated the guardhouse’s internal backup power supply and reconnected the surveillance equipment. Afterward, she instructed her subordinates to close the doors and windows on the first floor, then had them welded shut from the outside. This ensured that, apart from Salome herself, who could perform short-range spatial teleportation, anyone wishing to enter would have no choice but to violently dismantle the reinforced metal doors or walls.
The recent explosion, it seemed, had originated from the direction of the welded-shut back door.
Was it an accident? No, absolutely not! Even before the explosion, upon hearing Cassandra recount her premonition, Salome had already dismissed such a possibility. Though she harbored resentment towards her mother, Salome had gleaned many lessons from her, caution being one of them. Before entering, she had meticulously investigated the surroundings of the guardhouse, confirming there were no flammable or explosive materials, nor any gas pipelines in the vicinity.
More importantly, all primary routes leading from the surface to the guardhouse were under the surveillance system’s coverage. Aside from a few blindly wandering giant insects and infected students, nothing suspicious had appeared on the monitoring screens. This implied it was equally improbable for anyone to have transported explosives from the ground. Therefore, the only logical explanation was…
“Alright, Mother. Now I understand why you exchanged your eyes for a rocket launcher!”
Salome muttered, rising to her feet. Indeed, this time she had erred: she had underestimated her mother’s deductive reasoning, failing to anticipate that she would pinpoint her location and dare to launch a subterranean surprise attack from the surveillance blind spot. Precisely because she hadn’t prepared for such a scenario, after entering the guardhouse, she had dispatched her subordinates to patrol the areas outside the school. Now, besides Cassandra, Salome was utterly alone.
A few seconds later, Salome heard a rapid succession of footsteps echoing from the stairwell. Then, accompanied by two shotgun blasts, the wooden door lock of the monitoring room was effortlessly shattered.
First to burst in was a tall, robust girl wielding a double-barreled shotgun, her physique reminding Salome of her eldest sister, Anastasia. Following her were a slightly shorter, excited black-haired girl; a golden-haired girl with an impressively voluminous mane; and a somewhat introverted, brown-haired girl sporting a rather rustic braid. Bringing up the rear were a petite girl with glasses, and… her mother.
“Well hello there, Miss Salome,” the excited black-haired girl greeted first. “Oh, and who might this young lady be? A friend of yours?”
“She is the third among our sisters, my younger sister Cassandra,” Salome stated with an unperturbed expression. “No, that’s not quite right. Strictly speaking, she should actually be tenth or eleventh in line. Unfortunately, my other sisters were all ‘disqualified’ and eliminated by my dear mother. And I was the one responsible for dissecting them, for analyzing the reasons for their ‘disqualification,’ you see.”
“Enough! We don’t have time for your mad ramblings!” the strong, athletic girl retorted. “The people in this school are facing immense danger to their lives because of you! Therefore, we’ve decided to confiscate your weapons and equipment! Hand them over immediately, and we might consider pardoning your transgressions!”
“You want weapons? They’re all over there.” Salome spread her pristine white wings, shielding the anxious Cassandra behind her, then gestured towards a massive pile of items nearby. Within it lay school security batons, riot forks, and shields, alongside dozens of various firearms, rocket launchers, and ammunition, even including two chainsaws. “If you want them, I can give them to you… but you’ll have to pay according to my rules.”
“I’m afraid not today, my dear daughter,” the black-haired girl waved a dismissive hand. “How dare you ask an elder to pay? Has no one taught you about filial piety?”
“Huh? Daughter? Elder?” Salome paused, momentarily stunned.
“Is that not so?! Since you claim to be Shirley’s daughter, then by extension—no, no extension needed—you are effectively the daughter of I, Fujiwara Ason Shijō Yurizumi! I am your elder!” The black-haired girl, utterly consumed by her chuunibyou delusions, twirled a fish-gutting knife in her hand. “It is only right and proper for juniors to show filial respect to their elders!”
“In short, while taking things by force is generally frowned upon, given the critical situation and your unreasonable terms of exchange, today we shall be engaging in a ‘zero-dollar purchase’.” Ji Bingyao reloaded her double-barreled shotgun, aiming it squarely at Salome. “Hand over the weapons and ammunition, and we can guarantee your safety.”
“Ha! Mother, this was all your idea, wasn’t it?!” Salome suddenly flashed a twisted smile. “I knew it! You would reveal your cunning side eventually!”
“This can hardly be called a trick,” Shirley countered, shaking her head. “We are simply acting in self-preservation, Miss Salome. I only hope…”
“You won’t succeed, my dearest Mother.” Salome’s voice was frigid. Immediately afterward, her white wings began to emanate a faint, ethereal glow. While these wings did not grant her true flight, they served as a catalyst, channeling the formidable power of Li Hentian, a force from beyond this world.
“Now, my dear Mother, behold the new power I have gained over these past few years.”
“What?!” Just as Ji Bingyao’s finger settled on the shotgun’s trigger, a shimmering rift materialized before her, then abruptly snapped shut—and with it, both barrels of the weapon vanished directly from her grasp!
“Isn’t that fascinating? My teleportation portals have not only become more precise, but they can now also be used for cutting, you see—Do you know why I dared to stay here alone, without any guards? It’s because I have absolute confidence in my ability to protect myself with this honed power,” Salome cradled the severed shotgun barrels in her small hands, a joyful smile gracing her lips. “Of course, this trick has other uses…”
“P-please, spare Mother’s life!” Having anticipated her sister’s next move, Cassandra tremblingly clutched one of Salome’s wings. “I beg you—”
“Alright, alright, I won’t let her die before my sisters and I have a chance to repay her.” Salome muttered with a hint of impatience. Immediately afterward, no fewer than four spatial rifts simultaneously appeared around Shirley’s arms and thighs!
Then, these rifts all closed at the exact same instant. Everything they touched—skin, muscle, nerves, and even bone—was instantly severed.
“Shirley!”
“Damn you, what have you done?!”
The moment her limbs vanished, Shirley plummeted to the ground like a heavy sack… only to be caught by Ji Bingyao, who, in a nick of time, prevented her from suffering the tragedy of her head hitting the ground directly. However, this alone was clearly insufficient: even those without medical training could discern that the massive arterial bleeding caused by the simultaneous loss of limbs could only signify one outcome…
“Bastard!” Yurizumi immediately drew an arrow to her bowstring, taking aim at Salome. The latter, however, merely wore an expression of serene indifference.
“My dear lady, I strongly advise you to think carefully before you act.”
“What is there to consider?!” Eileen, equally enraged, raised her air pistol. “A world without Shirley is meaningless! I’ll kill you now and then take my own life!”
“Eek!” Cassandra, hidden behind Salome, flinched in fright, burrowing even deeper behind her sister. Salome, however, merely shrugged. “That’s precisely why I despise people with extreme ways of thinking… Fools like you, if I didn’t intervene, would probably bore Mother in no time and then be discarded. Who told you my dear Mother would die here?”
“But…” Yurizumi, who was about to draw her bow, slowed her movements.
“Didn’t my dear Mother want weapons and ammunition? Conveniently, she just paid for 16 lives with her own flesh and blood… which happens to be the price of the hidden grand package I prepared.” Salome snapped her fingers, and then, a massive spatial rift, over two meters long, abruptly materialized behind her.
A rumbling entity emerged from within it.
This behemoth stood two and a half meters tall, supported by four thick mechanical legs, somewhat resembling a hybrid of a Golem from ‘Pokémon’ and a Dragoon from ‘StarCraft’. Yet, it was far cruder and possessed a more formidable, oppressive presence. Attached to the torso where the mechanical legs connected was a vast, dark silver metal cockpit, covered in old wear and tear. Upon reaching the group, this immense contraption slowly hunkered down and opened the purplish-red outer shell of its spherical body, revealing its contents.
Innumerable pinkish, worm-like strips, reminiscent of the villi in a herbivore’s digestive tract, writhed and extended within. A strange, sickly sweet odor, like that of rotting fruit, emanated from it. Though none had ever witnessed such a thing, everyone present was overcome by a profoundly unsettling premonition.
“What is that?!” Yurizumi recoiled two steps, once again raising her bow and arrow.
“It’s the new home I’ve prepared for my dearest Mother—should she choose to reside within it.”