Pick me Up – Chapter 262 – How to Kill an Insect (2)
The smell of blood filled the room.
I frowned and looked down. The bed, sheets, and blankets were soaked in red.
It was clear what had happened to the person there.
"How many now?"
"Eight."
Katio frowned and scratched his head.
Eight in three days. Including the casualties from the first attack, nearly fifteen heroes had died.
Moreover, the corpse in front of us was not a combatant.
He was just a rookie working as a kitchen assistant, responsible for preparing ingredients in the dining hall.
All the dead so far had no connection to the fight.
They were murdered just for being in the same Lobby as me.
'They want me to hand over what I have.'
Their intention was clear.
If I didn't want more people to die, I had to hand over the Book of the Inverted Sky.
Even though Anything detected the assassins' infiltration and reinforced surveillance, it was useless. We tripled the surveillance personnel, deployed patrols, and Katio cast detection spells, but the deaths continued.
If they had attacked openly, we could have fought back.
But after the first attack, they vanished without a trace, killing one or two Lobby members at a time.
'Despite their feared reputation...'
For Anything, this must be frustrating.
We couldn't identify the infiltrators. There was no way to know when it would end or how far they would go.
"Who is it? No one detects the traps or detection spells!"
Katio erupted in anger.
It was understandable. A high-ranking assassin could perfectly conceal their presence. Taonier's barriers, traps, and spells couldn't stop them.
They only revealed themselves when they were about to kill.
Maybe, with a higher-level Lobby, we could stop them, but Taonier's facilities were insufficient.
"What do they want...?"
"They're after me."
I ran my fingers along the hilt of my sword.
They wanted me to see it.
"Tell everyone to lock their doors at night and report anything suspicious. No one should be wandering around at dawn. Send guards to patrol the assistants' areas as well."
I left the room.
These measures were probably ineffective.
'Do I just have to endure?'
Until Yurnet noticed the situation?
No. The fact that they took the ring implied they were already counting on reinforcements. If they detected the intervention of another force, they could trigger a large-scale terrorist attack in the Lobby.
Dozens or hundreds of people could die at once.
'This doesn't look good.'
They surely had an aircraft waiting for us outside. But we couldn't locate it.
This was a hunter's style. Like a spider, trapping its prey and letting it die slowly.
I didn't expect to be the prey.
If they had attacked me directly, I would have had a chance to counterattack.
But they focused solely on the people around me. Even if I didn't hand over the Book of the Inverted Sky, they would soon start attacking the combatants. The first targets would be Belkist, Jenna, or Kishasha. If anyone from the first group died, the strategy would be severely affected.
I couldn't afford to wait.
There was no way to capture the assassins.
Then...
'I have to expose them.'
I looked up.
The sky was covered in a gray mist. Anything wasn't connected.
Even if it was, it could only watch without doing anything.
This was a problem I had to solve myself.
Handing over the Book of the Inverted Sky wouldn't be the end. They would probably kill me after obtaining it. Betrayal was basic in PvP.
I crossed the plaza at noon.
The usual bustle of passersby had disappeared.
Only heroes armed with grim expressions remained.
'Let's see.'
My weapon was... Their desire to obtain the Book of the Inverted Sky.
That should be enough.
I opened the door connecting to the aircraft hangar.
The hangar, usually busy with repair work, was empty.
I headed to the Lucette aircraft, parked on the left.
I checked the aircraft's status on the hangar panel.
Repairs were complete, and the fuel tank was full. The automatic navigation system was ready.
I could depart for any destination by simply entering the coordinates.
I jumped several meters, grabbing onto the metal railing, and then jumped again onto the deck.
I went to the cockpit and configured the navigation system.
[Master, starting the mission.]
[Heroes sent – Han (★★★★★), Jenna (★★★★★), Belkist (★★★★★)]
[Destination – Dimensional City Beta (144...***)]
[Type – Unknown]
[Duration – Indefinite]
[Attention!]
[This mission is an 'Automatic Mission' voluntarily undertaken by the heroes. If you do not wish this, disable the autonomous action function in the settings tab.]
Sorry, but this time I have to make an exception.
Bang! I pressed the ship's acceleration button.
Uuuuuuum!
The Lucette lifted into the air and shot towards the dimensional vortex.
The change was instantaneous.
[Dimension 1535 – Taonier]
Just behind, an infinite tower rose.
The dense, suffocating air surrounded me.
I stepped onto the deck and spoke.
"Stop hiding and come out."
Rustle.
From behind a column, a barrel moved.
At the same time, someone rolled onto the deck.
They stood up nimbly.
"Did you know I'd discover you?"
Jenna smiled mischievously.
It was obvious; the automatic mission showed it.
I got straight to the point.
"Why did you board? I didn't ask you to."
"You wanted to enjoy the fun alone. I couldn't just stand by."
"Fun?"
Jenna cleared her throat.
"In a major crisis, I can't stay still. I have to do something! Right, Bel?"
I looked to the side.
Belkist was slowly climbing the stairs.
"That's right."
Belkist responded in a serious voice.
"I don't know what you're planning, but at least you won't be alone. It's good; I was bored."
"......"
"We will be useful to you."
Belkist leaned against the cabin wall.
I clicked my tongue. Unwanted guests had joined the party. It seemed they had spied on my preparations in the aircraft yesterday.
"Come on, don't be like that. We came to help you."
"It's my problem."
"Your problem is our problem. We're comrades."
"It's strange to hear that from you, Bel."
"Do you want to die?"
Jenna smiled and looked at me.
"Anyway, if there's a thief in our house, we have to kick them out. Let's do it!"
Jenna raised her fist.
In her usual carefree tone.
If the Book of the Inverted Sky was the cause, I didn't want to involve these guys, but...
'There's no turning back now.'
They had already realized the situation.
I sighed deeply.
"So, are we leaving the Lobby?"
"We would only waste time if we stayed."
"Ah, it's because of the serial murders, right? I've patrolled a lot, but I haven't seen any trace of them."
I nodded.
Fighting in the Lobby wasn't a good idea.
It would be like fighting with nearly a thousand hostages.
Even if we engaged in battle, we would inevitably suffer significant losses.
'Then...'
Let's change the battlefield.
I walked towards the railing.
And took out a thick, leather-bound book from my pocket.
"What's that book?"
"It's what they want. It's worth a fortune."
Though it's no longer useful.
I waved the book's pages in front of them.
"Take it."
I threw the book over the railing.
From below, a whitish mist rose.
'There they are.'
Before an invisible hand could catch the book, I moved my fingers.
Crackle! A dark red lightning wrapped around the Book of the Inverted Sky, and the book returned to my hand.
I smiled.
"If you can take it, sure."
Uuuuum!
The Lucette emitted a blue flame from its rear.
We initiated acceleration. With a roar, the aircraft headed towards the field's edge.
"Where are we going?"
"To Dimensional City Beta."
The place for a six-star ascent.
"We've leveled up enough; it's time to ascend."
"They're following us."
I looked back.
An aircraft painted entirely in black was chasing the Lucette. At the front of the aircraft, a skull was painted. They finally decided to move.
"It's time to deal with that too."
The distance was about 100 meters.
Too far for them to board the aircraft.
It wouldn't be easy for them to follow us. The Lucette is a small aircraft designed for quick maneuvers. It doesn't lag behind in speed against any other aircraft.
<……Damn.>
A voice distorted by noise.
But their anger was evident.
<Do you want to die? Bring it here now.>
Uuuuuum!
The Lucette emitted more flames from its engine.
<What if I kill your companions when I return?>
"Do as you wish. They won't die in vain. You're giving me time."
<Do you think I'm joking?>
"Could you do it?"
I smiled.
"The Book of the Inverted Sky is in my hands. If you leave, you'll do me a favor. I can flee to any other place. What about you? If you run out of hostages and time runs out... Who do you think will arrive?"
They knew who I meant.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have stolen the ring.
<.......>
The communication cut off without a word.
And the enemy aircraft accelerated furiously.
'I won the nerve game.'
If I escaped to Niflheim, they would never retrieve the Book of the Inverted Sky.
The Lucette didn't have enough fuel to reach Niflheim, but they couldn't know that.
"......The Book of the Inverted Sky."
Jenna murmured.
She had probably heard about it during her training in Niflheim.
"The key item for a seven-star ascent, right?"
"Yes."
"And you have it."
"By chance."
"We must not lose it!"
Jenna rolled up her sleeves.
"The Book of the Inverted Sky?"
Belkist squinted.
It seemed it was the first time he had heard of it.
"Well, that's fine. It's been a while since I last trained."
"Don't attack first if you see them."
Dimensional City Beta is a corporate area.
A place crowded with masters, heroes, and NPCs, with a common rule.
'No PvP.'
Not that they would follow that rule.
They would seek any opportunity. Even if not, the more time passed, the better.
In a week, Niflheim would react.
They are in a hurry; I am not.
'Of course...'
I had no intention of asking Niflheim for help.
I planned to solve this myself.
I couldn't detect their movements or follow them, but I could make them come to me.
If they attacked in Dimensional City, our retaliation would be in self-defense.
And numerous pursuers would launch themselves at them.
Fighting on favorable ground.
It's the most basic.
"......"
On the side of the enemy aircraft, a cannon appeared.
It seemed they planned to shoot down the Lucette...
"That won't happen."
Jenna prepared a steel arrow on her bow.
Bang! The cannon fired.
At the same time, Jenna's hand moved like lightning, and the string vibrated.
Tatata-tatata-tang!
Continuous shots like a machine gun.
The cannonballs flying towards the Lucette collided with the arrows.
Boom! Boom!
Red explosions bloomed in the sky.
Amidst the flames, Jenna raised her bow.
Thump! Every time she fired, an enemy cannon went out with an explosion.
'Their defense is pathetic.'
If there were archers or mages, they would have defended or counterattacked, but it seemed there were only assassins on that ship.
Soon, all the cannons were disabled.
With this, their long-range firepower was exhausted.
"Ugh."
Jenna wiped her forehead after completing her task.
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