Chapter 58: Ascending The Tower, part 2/2

Chapter 58: Ascending The Tower, part 2/2

With a resounding crash, a soldier in a crisp blue uniform was hurled against the wall, his firearm torn out of the grasp of his broken fingers.

Illuminated by the stark glow of emergency red lights, a young woman stood poised in the corridor. Her long platinum hair framed her face as her luminous eyes fixed on the struggling soldier gasping for air on the ground.

The sense of urgency permeated her; her time was quickly running out, yet she felt that finding the officer was impossible. 'Should I give up on it and simply rush for the roof?'

Gracefully, Tia crouched beside the incapacitated soldier, her alabaster fingers delicately lifting his chin. Yet her senses remained razor-sharp, poised to react instantly should he attempt any sudden movements.

"Tell me where I will find the Lieutenant Colonel, and I will let you live." Tia's lilac eyes bore into the soldier as her voice resonated with an icy undertone.

"I swear, I don't know! Please, believe me!" The soldier's voice trembled.

Tia leaned in, locking eyes with the terrified man. She saw his pupils widen with the palpable fear emanating from him and noted the beads of sweat trickling down his temple.

'Nothing more than a low-ranking grunt. What was I even thinking? I bet the high-ranking officers are already hiding in some bunker.'

With a nod, she rose gracefully to her feet, leaving the trembling soldier lying on the floor.

Walking away, Tia felt a wash of fatigue and frustration settle over her. There was no thrill in overpowering those who posed no challengeonly the monotonous grimness of an unbalanced slaughter.

'This world is truly a bad place,' she thought bitterly. She loathed the world's inherent cruelty, a world that had twisted her into something she never wanted to become.

"You're insane!" The lieutenant's voice quivered.

"Perhaps," Tia acknowledged, her laughter dying away to reveal a soft, unsettling smile. With a casual flick of her fingers, the young officer's neck twisted grotesquely, his eyes going vacant as life abandoned him.

Even though she didn't enjoy killing weaklings, something about liquidating some entitled brats brought a rush of joy into her life.

Not even looking back, she turned to leave.

Time was a luxury she couldn't afford; the allure of the system's rewards was too compelling to ignore.

'It has already been two minutes since the start of the quest.'

The moment she stepped out of the storage room, she froze.

A shiver rippled down her spine as she laid eyes on a towering figure standing in the dimly lit corridor. A man in a tattered tank top stood before her, his veins luminescent beneath his skin, glowing ominously in the corridor's red light, harmonizing with the golden undertone of his skin.

'Ah, one of those super pugilistswarriors who use energy to cultivate their flesh and body,' she deduced.

"Fight me!" The stranger's voice reverberated through the corridor, thunderous and laden with unspoken challenges.

"No!" Not wasting any time, Tia bent her knees and turned to run, knowing her mission rewards were more important.