Chapter 45 The Phantom Troupe Leader of Meteor City 45 The Shadow

Vlad's gaze was fixed on March, as if he wanted to pierce her through.

He forced out the words through clenched teeth: "Little girl, what do you mean by this?"

Machi didn't reply immediately, but simply stood in front of Ayana.

She raised her chin, her gaze unwavering, her eyes resolute: "I've changed my mind."

"Trusting someone like you, making a deal with someone like you, is like asking a tiger for its skin," she analyzed coldly. "Even if I really help you, you won't let me and Salazar off easily afterward, will you?"

"Besides, we are both residents of Meteor City, why should I trust an outsider?"

Ayana looked up at Machi and thought to herself, "Just as I thought."

From the very beginning, she was acting, letting Vlad off the hook.

Otherwise, how could her wicked uncle and his men have easily restrained her?

She did it on purpose, wanting to test Machi's attitude.

Vlad straightened up and scoffed, "Ha, I thought you were a smart kid, but it turns out you're just a naive fool. You think you can change anything by suddenly turning against me and playing the hero?"

"Since you've chosen this path, then I'll grant your wish. You can die with her!" He suddenly roared in fury, ordering his men to point at Ayana and Machi, "Seize them!"

As soon as Vlad gave the order, the shadowy figures that had been watching them intently no longer hesitated. Like hyenas that had smelled blood, they surged out of the darkness, their targets clearly aimed at the two girls.

“Go hide over there,” Machi said in a low voice. “I’m the one who dragged you into this. You don’t have to do anything, just hide.”

But to her surprise, the next second she saw the girl jump out of her spot and rush forward like an arrow, at an extremely fast speed.

Machi's eyes widened suddenly, and she said incredulously, "Are you crazy?"

[Special ability [Strong School Amplification] confirmed activated. Host, please be aware of safety.]

A tremendous force surged into her body in an instant, and Ayana felt that her speed and strength had reached their maximum.

Therefore, although those people were already very fast, they were still not as fast as Ayana was now. In her eyes, their speed seemed to have been deliberately slowed down, and she could easily see through their weaknesses.

Ayana seized an opening and delivered a vicious kick, striking an enemy squarely in the back of the knee.

"Snap!"

A chilling sound of bones cracking rang out, and the enemy screamed as he collapsed, clutching his twisted leg.

The entire warehouse was momentarily frozen in place by this scene, with everyone's eyes focused on the girl who was slowly pulling her legs back.

The girl stood still, her once clear and innocent eyes now sharp and piercing, her body seemingly surrounded by an invisible aura.

“You…” Machi was speechless for a moment, staring at the scene before her.

She could sense that the girl in front of her was completely different from the one she had just seen.

Vlad's sneer froze on his face, then faded slowly as he stared at the girl with surprise and doubt.

Although his subordinates were not top-tier, they were all seasoned and experienced fighters. How could they be so easily defeated by a seemingly weak and ordinary little girl?

"Attack her together and kill her!" Vlad suppressed his unease and shouted sternly, "Anyone who dares to be careless again, I'll kill you all when we get back!"

He refused to believe in superstition, convinced that the subordinate had simply underestimated the girl and been careless, leading to this outcome.

The remaining assassins held nothing back and no longer cared about the pink-haired girl, pressing straight towards Ayana.

[Host, please be careful.]

Even as the system notification sounded, Ayana didn't slack off in the slightest. She dodged the swinging fist to the side, then clenched her fist and punched someone in the chin.

She ducked to avoid the attack from above, then kicked another person in the stomach and followed up with several punches.

The two men instantly lost their offensive power and retreated while clutching their sore spots.

Immediately afterwards, a man swung a steel rod at Ayana.

She retreated repeatedly, dodging the man's attacks while desperately searching for his weaknesses.

She finally found it.

Ayana leaped up and appeared behind the man as if by teleportation, delivering a merciless chop to his neck.

The next second, the man collapsed heavily to the ground, clearly having lost consciousness and completely passed out.

In just a few dozen seconds, three of the assassins who had been so aggressive just moments before had fallen.

"Want to come again?" Ayana asked coldly, glancing at the others.

She didn't mind at all; she considered it a good workout.

Moreover, more real-world experience can actually raise her physical fitness level.

Vlad's composure and mockery vanished completely. He stared intently at Ayana and asked, "You...who exactly are you...?"

He didn't understand.

How come the girl who used to be bullied by him, who had no chance to fight back even after her parents were killed by him and she was sold to an auction house, has changed so much now?

"What's wrong with me?" Ayana's gaze passed over the groaning body on the ground and landed directly on Vlad.

She raised her hand to wipe away a drop of blood splattered on her cheek, her voice calm and each word exceptionally clear as she asked.

"Uncle Vlad, if you don't run, you'll be next."

Vlad's facial muscles twitched violently, and he was about to speak again when he saw the girl slowly take a step forward, seemingly towards him.

The light footsteps were unusually loud in the deathly silent warehouse, as if they were walking on Vlad's heartstrings. This single step completely shattered Vlad's psychological defenses.

"Trying to run away?" The girl snorted coldly, making a move to give chase.

The moment she moved, Vlad was terrified. He didn't even dare to turn around. He scrambled open the warehouse door and fled in panic, with the assassins following him.

Looking in the direction Vlad had left, Ayana did not actually chase after him.

"Why didn't you chase after him?" March looked at her and asked, "You should know that someone like him will never let you go easily. He will definitely come back, and then it will be a lot more troublesome."

Ayana turned to look at Machi: "I know he'll come back, but I have my own plans now, and I can't kill him right away."

After all, she still remembered the mission the system had given her: not only to kill her, her adoptive uncle, but also to investigate the truth behind her parents' deaths.

If Vlad is killed, the mission cannot be completed.

“But thank you, Machi, for ultimately choosing to stand by my side,” she added, changing the subject.

Machi was silent for a moment, then avoided Ayana's gaze again and looked at the three people who had been knocked down on the ground: "You were hiding your strength very well. I didn't expect you to have such power."

“Same to you.” Ayana smiled knowingly.

She was referring to March's superb acting skills and her betrayal at the crucial moment.

Machi didn't say anything more, but she seemed much more relaxed than before.

"So who is your friend? Was she threatened by my uncle?" Ayana thought for a moment and then asked.

“Yes, that was a thing of the past,” March said in a deep voice. “I’ve rescued her now, and we’ve found a hiding place. We should be safe now.”

"Unless that person specifically comes looking for us, we shouldn't be able to find them."

Ayana nodded, but then thought for a moment and said, "However, you should also be careful about what you just said, because that person will definitely come again. I estimate that he will not only come looking for me, but he may also come looking for you."

Machi seemed to have expected this, and gave a soft "hmm".

"Now that it's in this state, how can we possibly sell it?"

She sighed, got up, picked up the bag of potatoes, feeling a little regretful, but there was nothing she could do. Just as she was about to leave with the potatoes, she suddenly heard Maggie say behind her.

“I really do have a way to sell these potatoes.”

Ayana turned her head in surprise and met the girl's gaze.

The girl stared straight at her, her gaze unwavering, and said in a deep voice, "I have a way to connect to the outside world."

Moonlight streamed through the hole in the ceiling, casting a silvery glow on the girl's serene face.

There was no hint of joking in her eyes as she repeated, "I have a way to connect with the outside world and sell these potatoes."

Machi seemed to suddenly remember something, paused for a moment, and then emphasized again: "It's not a trap."

She glanced around the ransacked warehouse, walked towards the door, and whispered, "It's not safe here. Let's leave first."

Ayana suppressed her doubts, nodded, picked up the potato, and followed Machi. The two quickly left the abandoned warehouse.

As a resident of Meteor City, Machi was probably abandoned by her biological parents when she was very young and was thrown into Meteor City. She has lived in Meteor City ever since, so she is obviously very familiar with the living environment of Meteor City, both inside and outside of Meteor City.

She led Ayana through the intricate ruins and alleyways with nimble and light movements.

About ten minutes later, the two of them arrived at another building.

The building looked rather dilapidated, as if no one had been there for a long time, and it was covered in dust. However, it was indeed more concealed than the previous warehouse, and I reckon very few people would find it.

“It should be safe here for now.” Machi closed the door, leaned against the wall, and looked at the bag Ayana was carrying. “Meteor City isn’t as closed off as people outside think. There are always people who need things from the outside, and there are always people who can take things out of the inside.”

She paused, then continued, “There is a path that leads to the outside world, to trade with people outside, but those who come here to trade are very cautious. They only trade with a few people they trust, or those who can provide some special value.”

"Those people will exchange things from the outside with the people inside, mainly medicine and food, but occasionally they will also accept some rare items that cannot be found outside. You can try it."

Ayana nodded, lowered her eyes in thought, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "How did you come into contact with this?"

Machi paused for a few seconds before simply replying, "Sometimes you need certain things to survive, and you can only turn to them."

She didn't specify exactly what she needed, but Ayana could guess that it was something like medicine and food.

After all, getting injured is commonplace in Meteor City. Although they generally don't take their injuries seriously, they still need to be careful about serious injuries occasionally.

“Okay.” Ayana made her decision. “I trust you. How do I get in touch with those people? What do you need me to do?”

Machi pried a small piece of gravel from a crack in the wall and drew a few crisscrossing lines on the ground. Although it was very rudimentary, it could still be considered a blurry topographical map.

“This is it.” She pointed to a marked intersection. “On the outskirts of Meteor City, near the largest abandoned church on the west side, there’s a small path behind it that’s almost buried in garbage. Walk to the end of it and you’ll get there. Wait around there and you’ll see people.”

She looked up at Ayana: "You can try your luck tomorrow during the day, but be careful."

Ayana nodded in agreement.

Without saying another word, the two tacitly chose to leave in different directions.

As night deepened, Ayana didn't rush home until late at night and opened the door.

She didn't want to disturb anyone, so she opened the door very gently, but she didn't expect to see a blurry black figure standing in the pitch-black living room as soon as she opened the door.

What is that?

A ghost?

Ayana almost couldn't catch her breath.

“Ayana,” the shadowy figure spoke first.

Ayana was almost scared to death.

But when she heard that familiar voice, she breathed a sigh of relief and, using the faint moonlight filtering in from the window, tried to make out the figure's expression: "Kuroro? Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Kuroro did not answer.

He slowly emerged from the shadows, the faint moonlight gradually outlining the young man's facial features. His unfathomable black eyes appeared exceptionally deep in the night, quietly gazing at Ayana.

"I'm waiting for you," he said succinctly.

The air suddenly became thick and sticky.

The boy took a few steps closer to Ayana, allowing her to smell the unique, cool scent emanating from him and to see more clearly the furrowed brows on his face.

“Ayana, you smell of blood.”

Kuroro's gaze swept over the girl's slightly disheveled hair and clothes, then fell on the dried bloodstain on his cheek: "You're injured? What happened?"

Noticing that Ayana seemed to be injured, Kuroro's voice suddenly changed, as if he had become tense. He made a gesture as if to reach out to see what was wrong with Ayana, but the girl dodged him.

The girl subconsciously turned her head to the side, trying to cover the bloodstain on her cheek, and casually brushed it off, saying, "It's nothing, I just encountered a little trouble on the way, but it's been resolved."

"And I'm not injured, this...this isn't my blood." She stretched out an arm, trying to flex her muscles to show her strength, and added, "Look, I'm perfectly fine!"

Kuroro took another step forward.

Now, he had completely closed the distance between the two of them.

The two of them were so close that Ayana could almost feel Kuroro's breath on her face.

This made her face flush. She wasn't used to being so close and wanted to take a few steps back to create some distance between them, but unexpectedly, Kuroro suddenly raised his hand.

The boy's fingertips, slightly cool to the touch, gently brushed across the tiny bloodstain on Ayana's cheek.

Ayana froze.

She felt as if an electric current had surged through the small area the boy had touched, making her heart skip a beat.

"Small trouble... will there be blood too?" As if worried about waking others, the boy deliberately lowered his voice, but for some reason, there was a hint of grievance in his tone, "Ayana, you don't trust me at all."

"You didn't tell me anything." He seemed to be accusing someone.

Ayana looked up and met the boy's gaze, which was almost touching hers.

She opened her mouth, wanting to come up with a reason, but found herself suddenly speechless under the boy's gaze.

“I…” She lowered her eyes, avoiding the boy’s gaze, “I’m really fine, I just encountered a little danger, but I don’t think it’s a big deal.”

Although she avoided the boy's gaze, Aiana could still feel Kuroro's eyes lingering on her face, never leaving it.

After a moment of silence, the boy finally withdrew his hand, seemed to sigh silently, and then said...

"Alright, Ayana, I won't press you about what you did, but I'll be worried about you."

But this sentence carried more weight than any direct question, like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples in Ayana's heart.

The burning sensation on her cheeks grew stronger, and she secretly rejoiced that the darkness of the night concealed her embarrassment.

“Mmm…” Ayana responded, feeling her voice rise to the sky, “I understand, thank you.”

Kuroro finally took a few steps back, widening the distance between them that had been making their hearts race.

He added.

"Go and rest, you must be very tired."

Ayana felt as if she had been granted a pardon, but for some reason, she felt a faint sense of loss.

She lowered her head, carrying the potatoes, and hurried towards her room.

Only after closing the door and leaning against the cold door panel did Ayana finally let out a long sigh of relief, feeling the heat on her face gradually subside.

[Detected that the good boy [Kuroro]'s affection level is 70%.]

[The current instance has reached 80% progress. Host, would you like to unlock other worlds?]