As she held her breath in the stillness, Chu Lian heard the faint sound of a door opening. Her whole body tensed up. It couldn't be helped—facing something like this for the first time, hardly anyone could stay calm. Unless, of course, that person was emotionless or some kind of expressionless brick.
"There are six of them, all humans with minor special abilities. Looks like this isn't just about revenge. Be careful. The only way to get out of this is to defeat them all, then let others take over from there." Ayase, unable to suppress her concern, timely reminded her in her mind.
Knowing Ayase was still with her gave Chu Lian a great deal of mental relief. As long as Ayase was there, she wasn't alone. She could do this.
The intruder seemed to be moving very cautiously, as if afraid his actions might scare Chu Lian away. Every movement was gentle, every sound as quiet as possible.
If it weren't for Chu Lian's naturally heightened senses, she might not have noticed a thing.
Before long, faint footsteps echoed throughout the hall. Soon after, one set of footsteps slowly made its way toward the second floor. Chu Lian quietly gave thanks for how large this house was. Otherwise, she wouldn't even have had the chance to hide—they would have found her the moment they stepped in.
Slowly, amidst the tension coiled tight in her mind, that single pair of footsteps approaching the second floor drew closer and closer to her room.
Chu Lian thought for a moment, then redeemed a baseball bat from the system, slipped on "The Gloves Abandoned by the Ladykiller," and crouched behind the door.
The person outside seemed to sense movement in the room, but relying on his own abilities—and the fact that his target was just a thirteen-year-old girl—he dismissed any danger and pushed the door open.
Chu Lian seized the moment. Her petite frame leapt up as the door blocked the intruder's line of sight, and she swung the bat down toward his head. Even though she was just a girl, a solid hit from that swing could easily knock someone out.
But the man stepping in wasn't ordinary—at least not to regular people. He was an ability user. Despite the brief panic, just before the bat landed, a green light flashed around his body.
What he didn't expect was that Chu Lian wasn't worried about his powers at all. The moment the baseball bat came into contact with that green glow, her "Imagine Breaker" ability activated. His defensive barrier vanished without a trace, and his powers were neutralized in an instant. Thus—
Thwack... The bat struck the back of his head directly. The man, dressed in a black suit and wearing sunglasses, let out a muffled groan and collapsed unconscious.
"Phew, that was close. But I can't stay here. Time to move." After Ayase reassured her that the man wouldn't be waking up for at least two or three hours, Chu Lian confidently left her room and relocated.
This time, only one person had come up. Thanks to the element of surprise and the Imagine Breaker, she managed to take him down. But there were still five more of them. At least four were likely to come upstairs next, so she had to hide.
She checked her status. Aside from some fatigue, there were no other issues. It seemed the gloves' side effects would only activate after using up the daily limit or after a certain amount of time. That meant she didn't have to worry about her luck running out just yet.
Hiding in her sister's room, Chu Lian even quieted her breathing. The sound of boots hitting the floor outside was more chaotic than before.
They must have heard the noise when she took down the man in black. After all, in such a quiet, open space, even a small sound could give her away.
They left one person downstairs to guard the hall and entrance, while the rest came up.
Perhaps to speed things up, once they saw different rooms on the second floor, they split up. One of them was now heading directly toward the room where Chu Lian was hiding.
Chu Lian stood a short distance in front of the door. When it opened, she appeared to be frozen in surprise, holding what looked like a bottle of juice in her hand and staring at the intruder. The man immediately grinned. "Finally caught you..."
Just what she was waiting for. Chu Lian flung the juice at his face.
Splurt... Half the bottle splashed across his face. With less than a meter between them, and the suddenness of her move in such a cramped space, he couldn't dodge it.
Still, it was just some juice. He didn't think much of it. He wiped his face and flicked the liquid aside, then began walking straight toward her...
But he only took a single step.
The juice that had splashed into his mouth and been swallowed instinctively began to take effect. The burly man, nearly 1.8 meters tall, collapsed to the floor.
"Misuzu Kamio's Juice: A dark culinary creation by Misuzu Kamio with highly unusual effects on humans. Effect: Induces temporary unconsciousness in those who ingest it. (Note: Juice concentration is 500% and not suitable for normal human consumption. If your constitution isn't elephant-like, stay far away.)"
Seeing him down, Chu Lian cautiously approached and nudged him with her foot. Confirming he was truly unconscious, she let out a breath of relief. That made two down... only four left.
As she rushed out the door, the remaining two who hadn't yet entered a room caught a glimpse of her and immediately gave chase. But she didn't panic. Instead, she darted into her younger sister's room.
Slamming the door shut behind her, she dragged over a chair and climbed on top of it. Then, from the system inventory, she retrieved the second of her three dark culinary weapons.
"Aunt Akiko's Jam: Known as the ultimate flavor annihilator, this jam is unforgettable to anyone who tastes it, trapping them in a dreamlike trance. Effect: Causes those who taste it to enter a drunken dreamlike state."
As soon as the door opened, she pounced.
The man who entered instinctively activated a defensive ability, a green light enveloping him the moment he saw her flying toward him.
But the instant Chu Lian made contact, her Imagine Breaker ability nullified his defense. In that brief window of confusion, she smiled sweetly and tossed the jam into his slightly open mouth.
The last thing he saw before passing out was that innocent, sugary smile. Amid the jam's cloying sweetness, he seemed to hear her say: "Uncle, uncle~ Here, have some tasty jam!"
Then, darkness.
The fourth man, trailing slightly behind, grew much more cautious after witnessing her effortlessly take down another one. Even though she was just a young girl, the fact that she had already neutralized two of his companions in such a short time meant she could no longer be underestimated.
But while he was cautious, Chu Lian wasn't the least bit afraid. She walked toward him with confidence.
Unbeknownst to him, she had just spent 100,000 Integrity Points to activate the power of "Reimu's Donation Box."
Wearing a devilish grin, Chu Lian murmured inwardly, "Can I kick him in the groin? Then let him feel what it's like to be kicked there with my full strength..."
"Reimu's Donation Box" emitted a flash of white light and cloaked her body. In the blink of an eye, she appeared before her target and delivered a swift kick—dead center.
The man's face turned bright red. Clutching his groin, he slowly knelt to the floor, mouth agape like a cooked shrimp as he curled in on himself.
Chu Lian crouched and smiled. "Goodbye, handsome man in black..."
Then, she poured the rest of the "Misuzu Kamio's Juice" into his mouth. Watching him choke, gulp it down, and promptly roll his eyes and pass out, she finally stood up.
In her hand now was one of the other items she had exchanged for earlier—the cheapest one, but with a special effect: "Takeshi Gouda's Microphone." Yes, she was heading back to confront the last person causing trouble in her bedroom.
By now, she had a rough idea of the attackers' intentions. Even though they came with definite malice, they didn't seem to plan on harming her here. More likely, they wanted to capture her alive.
As for what they planned to do afterward—that wasn't something she could figure out just yet.
If not for that, they could have easily killed her already.
And it was precisely because of this reason that attacks which would have been otherwise unavoidable now presented her with opportunities to escape or fight back...