473 Chapter 473: School Night II (1/2)
Seizing the opportunity to fly through the gaps of their victim's defenses, the Swarm Bats plunged in, their drooling fangs seconds away from sinking into soft flesh.
That was when Ji Yan panicked, screaming as she threw down her chain and sickle, raising her hands helplessly to defend herself. Wow…number one rule in combat. Never panic. She really was an amateur. And now she was about to suffer a messy and ignominious death at the claws and teeth of tiny, rank F Swarm Bats. I told you those little critters couldn't be underestimated.
The Swarm Bats never bit her.
A white scabbard came whistling through the air, striking the lead bat-type monster's head with such force that it was sent careening to the side. The remaining horde were either blown apart by the following sonic boom or forced to scatter as they were buffeted by invisible waves of wind. Zhao Yan, who had thrown the sheath, leaped and cleared the distance between her and her twin in a single elegant bound, swinging her sword and slashing most of the offending monsters into pieces.
”Ji Yan, are you all right?”
Keeping her eyes on the enemy in front of her, Zhao Yan issued a question out of concern. Ji Yan, whose legs had gone wobbly, sank to the ground, perspiring from fear. But she managed a slight nod.
”Yes…”
Her blue eyes tracked her sister's movements, and she was no doubt thinking, ”Did Zhao Yan save me?” No, you bitch. The Swarm Bats got batted off course by themselves. Your sister was aiming for you when she threw her scabbard. Duh.
Neither of them was able to sense my sarcasm, or was even aware of my presence, so they continued to confront the enemy.
”Ji Yan, be careful.”
As Ji Yan remained sitting on the ground, still in shock like the pathetic idiot that she was, Zhao Yan narrowed her eyes and drew her sword back, ready to unleash an iai, or a sword draw. Lunging at the approaching Swarm Bats, she drew her sword and slashed a devastating swathe through the horde. As I watched her graceful movements, impressed, I noticed that Zhao Yan had the sense to at least tie her long hair back into a ponytail to minimize any impediment to her eyes. She was so unlike the other three, a professional hunter in contrast to her…moronic teammates. Honestly, she was being dragged down by the other three.
”Ji Yan, stay here. I'll finish these guys up quickly.”
Wanting her twin to stay in what she believed was a safe place, Zhao Yan leaped into the thick of battle, her sword flashing silver against the shadowy throng of Swarm Bats. Hey, hey…you just triggered a death flag for your sister, you know? She's going to get exposed to the insidious schemes of whoever was behind the Swarm Bats, and eventually end up as a hostage!
Speaking of which, why the fuck were the Swarm Bats swarming all over a deserted park in the middle of the night? That made absolutely no sense. There was no one for them to attack here, no victims for them to feed on. What reason would they have to attack an empty park when there was no one around to assault? If, like Kai Lin suspected, there was some sort of scheme behind their raid, then why did the mastermind choose to attack an empty space during a time when no one was around? What exactly was he or she thinking?
Hell, in the original story, they were attacking the school. In the middle of the night. When there was no one in the premises to attack. Look, I know the original author wanted a setting for a vampire story with hunters in it, but you really need to think this through!
However, having read the original manhua, I already knew poor Ji Yan's fate. Like I said, she was going to eventually end up as a hostage.
Well…given the pathetic manner of surrender Ji Yan was descending into, meekly sitting there and doing absolutely nothing but watch as her comrades finished off the Swarm Bats without any contribution from her, I would say that she deserved it. I almost believed that she was good at everything, but as it turned out she was only proficient at studying and not as adept in combat.
Not like her Mary Sue twin, who was perfect at everything, able to top the school in test results, and still somehow had energy to spare to be the most efficient, skilled and powerful fighter in this motley gang of four who mostly seemed more interested in showing off the latest fashion than fighting. Even Kureha Franklin wasn't this overpowered. Given how kind, gentle and patient Zhao Yan was toward her sister, I bet she had the personality of an angel as well. Was there anything Zhao Yan couldn't do? Any freaking flaw at all?
She was so flat and perfect she might as well have no character at all. I couldn't help but prefer Ji Yan for some reason. She might be whiny, bratty and pathetic, but at least she had room to grow and develop as a character, unlike Zhao Yan, who was already perfect from the beginning. If she was flawless from the start, then where do you go from there? There was no space for character growth or development.
That didn't mean I like Ji Yan, though. I still disliked her. Sorry, but that's the harsh truth. I'm not a saint who loves everybody.
”Huff!”
The three of them were working hard to eliminate the last of the Swarm Bats, their exertions evident from the perspiration dripping down their obviously powdered faces. Jeez, did these guys undergo plastic surgery or something? Why would you even bother with makeup and manicure right before you go into battle? Camo paint was one thing, but makeup?
However…
A monstrous cry echoed from the opposite direction. Even as the final Swarm Bat fell to their feet, the three warriors spun around to stare at the source, only to freeze from shock.
A second wave of Swarm Bats had emerged from a cluster of trees further down south of them, and was heading right for the school!
Damn it, how did I miss them?! I was so focused on watching the battle that I didn't deploy my Corvus properly to watch out for additional enemies. I was naïve…too naïve. And to think I was mocking the three amateur hunters for their fashion sense and impracticalities. I was making the same sort of mistakes as them, letting my guard down and being complacent!
”Shit! Kai Lin, you're right! It's a trap!”
Yi Shen cursed colorfully under his breath as he redirected his aim and began firing off wildly with his dual revolvers. Even as his shots disappeared under the overwhelming numbers of Swarm Bats, he yelled at the single girl sitting dumbly in front of the school.
”Ji Yan, get out of there!”
As I said, Ji Yan was still sitting on the ground, frozen in shock at the sight of the incoming Swarm Bats. It wasn't just Swarm Bats – there was a trio of much bigger Blood Bats shepherding them from behind, malevolent intelligence shining in their blood-red eyes. Ji Yan was staring at them, completely immobilized from fear. She was right in the path of the monsters, a sitting duck that would contribute to satiating their voracious appetites. From the trajectory of the soaring monsters, it was clear that they intended to start off with her as the appetizer.
”Ji Yan!”
Zhao Yan shouted anxiously and she began lunging toward her twin in a desperate attempt to snatch her away from the path of the approaching monsters. But she was too far away, and the monsters were too close and too quick. She would never reach Ji Yan in time before the massive cloud of Swarm Bats engulfed her.
It was a good thing I happened to be nearby then.
Jumping to my feet and deactivating the stealth device as I powered up my spell, I stepped out of the trees and placed myself squarely between Ji Yan and the monsters. The four from Guang Zhi Yi Sect stared at me, dumbfounded. Then Yi Shen broke the silence with a single stupid question.
”Who are you?”
I ignored the guy. There was a massive threat in the form of Swarm Bats coming straight at your comrade, and you wanted to know who I was? Aren't your priorities messed up, man?
”Get out of the way! You'll die too!” Ji Yan cried.
As much as I would love to run, I knew it was futile. Both Ji Yan and I were too close to the Swarm Bats. They were also moving at an incredible velocity, and from the calculations splayed across my lenses, I knew that it was impossible for us to outrun them. They would catch up and devour us before Zhao Yan could reach us.
Besides, it didn't matter. I had sworn to follow Dad's ideals and become an ally of justice (nah, not really). If Dad was here, he wouldn't hesitate to put his own life on the line to save Ji Yan. I admired him for those ideals, and wanted to emulate him. Villains were one thing (and I couldn't care less if they were kids, age did not excuse murders and rape), but I had sworn to protect the innocent and save the helpless from monsters like these.