Chapter 49: Smile

The next day, the sun rose as usual.

Because she needed to submit her job-transfer paperwork in advance, Liz remarkably did not travel with the main group, taking personal leave to remain at the base.

During lunch, Turan asked Liz, "Do you feel like the base's security has been a bit looser lately than before?"

"A little, but ground security was never the core strength of the base anyway," Liz replied while eating. "Whether it's loose or tight probably doesn't matter much."

"It's still really annoying," Turan frowned. "Today, two people slipped into the base from somewhere and used a loudspeaker in front of Miss Valentina and the others' office building demanding we release people. It was so noisy."

Liz suddenly remembered what Ms. Molly had mentioned—the United Government and AHgAs fighting for the custody of Hesta. This was precisely why the base could not openly continue to investigate and deal with Sean.

Yet, as time went on, the external clamor had not subsided; instead, it seemed even more turbulent than before.

...She wondered what Ms. Molly and the others had actually been doing this whole time.

What happened to "solving the problem" as promised?

"Did you see Jane this morning?" Liz suddenly asked.

"No, she probably has class," Turan answered. "What's wrong, are you looking for her?"

Liz remained silent for a moment. In the middle of last night, Jane's emotions had undergone a very violent fluctuation, but because the system classified it as a nightmare, it was not flagged as an emergency at the time. She had only seen it this morning when reviewing information out of habit.

"It's... nothing much, just figured it's lunchtime now, and wondered why she wasn't around—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Liz's phone suddenly emitted a piercing pulse alert. She quickly picked it up to check.

Turan leaned in as well. "What's wrong?"

"It's Jane..."

Liz frowned and opened the newly received alert message. Just like the last time Hesta pressed the fire alarm, this message was an automated warning triggered under emergency circumstances.

However, after reading the contents of this alert, Liz was momentarily stunned.

Was she... getting into a physical fight with someone?

Liz had no time to explain. She dropped her cutlery and dashed swiftly toward the scene of the incident.

...

In the first-floor hallway of the student dormitory, Mrs. Ravitt's screams echoed through the entire corridor.

"Fighting... there's a fight—ahhh, oh god... stop it, children—waahhh... help—"

She screamed out of breath, looking on from a distance while continuously glancing toward the entrance of the apartment.

Mrs. Ravitt had already made all the phone calls she could, but in less than half a minute, the two people wrestling with each other had moved from the middle of the corridor all the way to the end of the hallway.

A battered Sean had nowhere left to retreat. His left eye had turned a purplish-blue and was slightly swollen, with an unstoppable stream of nosebleed flowing down—a bloody scene.

These warm droplets of blood were also smeared across Hesta's knuckles. Her fists fell like rain upon Sean's forehead, cheeks, jaw, and chest.

Sean raised a hand to wipe his face, bracing himself against the wall as he tried to stand. Five bright red bloody handprints were pressed onto the wall, but before he could muster any strength, Hesta kicked him down with a single strike.

"Where is my key?" Hesta growled in a low voice. "Give it back to me."

Hesta's face was reflected in Sean's pupils—her cheeks were splattered with dots of blood, anger gushed from her blue eyes, and red veins crawled all over the whites of her eyes. Her face was distorted by rage and hatred, making her a completely different person from the silent and indifferent girl of the past.

Looking at Hesta, who had fallen into madness before him, Sean smiled mockingly.

"Look at you now, Hesta... What? Do you... really want to kill me?"

Sean made no attempt to fight back at all. He spat a mouthful of blood to the side, then grinned and tilted his head back, exposing his neck. "Mrs. Ravitt is watching."

Hesta grabbed Sean's collar, hauling the teenage boy up from the ground.

Her head lowered slightly, and the bangs on her forehead blocked her eyes.

"I'll ask you one last time... Where on earth did you hide my key?"

Sean gave a weak, mirthless laugh and muttered under his breath.

"Speak up," Hesta said coldly.

Sean beckoned gently toward Hesta, signaling her to lean in close to him. Once Hesta drew near, he spoke with a trembling smile.

"Guess... if I'll tell you?"

Hesta's pupils abruptly constricted. She let go, straightened up, and took half a step back. Her breathing once again became calm and steady.

For a moment, Sean, who had been watching the spectacle play out, actually felt a slight chill. His combat instincts keenly captured some unusual change, and he looked at the person before him with a hint of suspicion.

"...Hesta?"

Hesta raised her head slightly. In the dim lighting of the hallway, half of her face was plunged in shadow.

Yet, that face no longer held any anger. All expressions of confusion, humiliation, and hatred had vanished, replaced by... a smile.

A smile...

Sean thought he must be seeing things.

Her eyes still carried a scorching, burning gaze, but the lower half of her face was indeed smiling.

Hesta's upper and lower lips brushed lightly, and she uttered a few soundless words. Sean no longer had the heart to ponder what she had said; he instantly entered bullet time, dashing like an arrow released from a bow toward the nearby window to escape.

The moment he pushed off to jump, Sean felt something firmly grab his ankle. Instinctively, he knew it was Hesta's hand.

But that was impossible; there was no way she could catch him in this state—

The next instant, he completely lost his balance and was violently slammed onto the ground.

He suddenly realized what Hesta had been saying just moments before.

"As you wish."

The entire world plunged into silence. Before Sean could even process how all of this had happened, the aura of death closed in. His mind went entirely blank, leaving him no time even to feel fear.

"Jane!"

Liz's voice suddenly pierced through the air.

Sean turned his head. Liz had appeared behind Hesta at some unknown moment, wrapping her arms firmly around Hesta's body from behind.

Everything moved in slow motion. Hesta's bangs fluttered up and then fell back down, resembling a drowning person surfacing in the water.

In the distance, Mrs. Ravitt was already crying in terror, pressing both hands over her mouth as she stared with tear-stained cheeks at the reserve-trainee conflict that finally seemed to have reached its conclusion.

Hesta collapsed entirely into Liz's arms, unmoving.

"...Jane?" Liz released her grip, her voice trembling slightly. "Jane?"

Hesta's expression was one of agony. She kept her eyes closed and gave no answer. Soon, her body gave a sudden convulsion, and a mouthful of blood spewed out.

Outside the apartment, the base security personnel who had received the alarm finally rushed in, bursting into the corridor. "What on earth is happening here—"

Liz turned her head back. Her arms were covered in the fresh blood Hesta had just coughed up.

"Quick... save her, quickly."