Chapter 62: Lifting the limit

The elevator door slid open, revealing a tall figure—not the strange girl from earlier.

She had long emerald hair, now tied in a neat ponytail, wearing an Academy staff skirt suit, holding a delicate pistol.

“You… who’re you again?” Xia Yin said.

Clearly, he knew her.

“Ze… something… Oh, Zena! Right, you’re Zena, the principal’s assistant.”

Xueqiu had seen Zena Volmer, the principal’s assistant, on the morning of the entrance exam.

But why was Zena, the principal’s aide, here at the underground archive elevator instead of with the principal?

Zena smiled, pulling out a glow stick for light, her movements graceful as if on stage.

“Principal Ling tasked me with checking the underground archive’s safety. You’ve held it secure. On his behalf, I offer sincere thanks.”

“Thank us?” Xia Yin blinked. “Tell that old man to lift the Contract restriction already—or at least crank it up a notch, like a fan with gears. It’s ridiculous only we can’t use Contracts while intruders can. Is this a school or a public toilet?”

“Senior… can you… let me down?” Xueqiu whispered.

She was still trapped between Xia Yin and the wall.

Maybe his loose clothes or her shrinking since that day made her realize how much taller he was.

In those seconds he shielded her, she felt like a rabbit lifted off the ground, pinned between him and the wall.

Even stretching her toes, she couldn’t touch the floor.

The glow stick outshone the flashlight. Set down by Xia Yin, Xueqiu could now see the underground passage clearly.

Ahead, odd noises came from the elevator, but nothing was visible. Behind her was the archive.

By the archive, the silver-haired young man remained pinned to the wall, a dagger through his shoulder, silent, staring coldly at the three.

“Oh, almost forgot, we’ve got an injured guy. Shame, Mr. Poker Face, you might bleed out staying here. Still so stoic on death’s door?” Xia Yin said.

As if prepared, Zena pulled gauze from her pocket, approaching Hishiro Nagi. She removed the dagger from the wall but left it in his shoulder.

“Don’t pull it out yet, or you’ll bleed out. Let me bandage it first.”

Xia Yin, with his dead-fish eyes, watched, then pulled Xueqiu aside, whispering: “Use your healing on him, but be subtle. Just stop the bleeding, don’t let him die, and don’t let them know you can use your Contract.”

His voice was barely audible. Xueqiu nodded and complied.

Hishiro Nagi stayed mute throughout.

“Principal Ling will lift the Contract restriction in five minutes,” Zena said, finishing Hishiro’s bandage.

“Five minutes? What about the Shadow Ghosts and Antidote? Hishiro, say something! Still playing cool? Who was that girl? Where’d she go?” Xia Yin ranted.

“From what I know, Antidote’s leader isn’t closely tied to this invasion,” Zena said.

“Not tied? No way. Xueqiu and I have been here half a day and already ran into a guy with ‘King’s’ mask, and that girl was clearly ‘Queen’!” Xia Yin argued.

“Per student and Investigation Team reports, the wanted ‘King’ left their headquarters. Last night, our Pivots saw him in Qingtan City,” Zena said, helping Hishiro up as he stared at the floor.

Xueqiu froze.

She knew Qingtan—she was from there. It was at least a six-hour drive from Ting’an.

Unless they took a bullet train or plane, but Qingtan had no airport, and ‘King’ taking a train seemed unlikely.

Zena didn’t lead them to the elevator or move forward.

“More pressing is the issue at hand.”

“Huh? What issue?” Xia Yin asked, his lazy demeanor slow to react, but he drew his sword, aiming at the elevator shaft.

“There’s more ahead—possibly Shadow Ghosts, not just one,” Hishiro said slowly.

Xueqiu heard faint rustling from above the shaft.

Minutes ago, she’d thought it was her imagination.

Shadow Ghosts couldn’t infiltrate the library, could they?

But now, loud bangs came from the elevator door, growing fiercer, like zombies clawing to get in for flesh.

“This… shouldn’t our mission be over? We repelled that girl—time for the finale, then hunt ‘King.’ Where’d these come from?” Xia Yin said, lowering his sword and raising his black pistol at the shaft.

Swords were great with his Contract, but with it suppressed, a gun was a trusty friend.

As they say, “Beyond seven steps, a gun’s fast. Within seven, it’s fast and accurate.”

“Maybe the intruder you met opened the library’s door from inside,” Zena said.

“But…” Xia Yin glanced around, as if the intruder were still near. “How’d she get up? Phase through walls? Climb the elevator shaft fifty meters? Is she a ninja?”

“Her Contract matches mine, but she may have more than one. I can’t use mine now,” Hishiro said coldly.

“More than one? Someone can have multiple Contracts?” Xia Yin didn’t get it.

Xueqiu had seen Xia Yin’s close-quarters fight with the intruder. Despite his sword, he couldn’t subdue her.

Zena eyed the crumbling elevator door, checked her watch, and relaxed. “No need to worry. I’ll handle these Shadow Ghosts.”

Handle them?

Xueqiu studied the girl in the Academy staff suit. She didn’t look like someone who could take on hordes.

The elevator door gave way. A black claw burst out—a snarling, jackal-like Shadow Ghost.

“Care to explain?” Xia Yin asked.

“Seven seconds ago, the principal lifted the Contract restriction campus-wide. You don’t need to act—I’ll handle it,” Zena said.

She raised her silenced pistol. Time seemed to stretch, almost freezing.