Reading the note, Leon felt like slapping the system silly. How the hell was he supposed to know that?
Sigh.
Leon stored the basket full of bread into the storage. Of course, he made sure no one was around when he did.
Wait a minute… If I just need to touch something for it to be transferred into the system's storage, what if I touch Dan? Will he be transferred too? More than that, it would be a cheat-like power. No matter how strong my opponent is, I just need to touch him.
Leon was giddy at the thought, but then he remembered back when he read novels—systems were not able to store living objects most of the time.
But I'm not in a novel. I need to test this out.
Day was at its end, evening slowly disappearing from the horizon. Leon was walking with Mathew and the others toward the Cradle.
Leon hadn't found a single opportunity to test out his theory. He couldn't just touch anyone and activate storage—what if they died in the process? Leon didn't want to take that risk. He was hoping to find a rat or a small insect to test his theory out.
The Cradle had an abundance of both.
Things developed as usual. Today, Gill was sitting on his chair as children waited in line for their turn. Just then, a loud bang traveled through the air. Strong vibrations rolled through the ground, followed by a shockwave that threw most of the children to the ground, including Leon.
Leon stood up hastily, scanning his surroundings. Chaos soon followed as Dan and his thugs unsheathed their blades, cursed loudly, and ran toward the source. Gill, who was thrown off his chair, shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Get back, you pigs!"
His shout was aimed at the terrified children who had run off in panic. With Gill busy rounding up scared children, Mathew made a move. He too ran, but his destination was the Cradle. Leon and the others followed. Seeing this, Gill paid them no mind. Instead, he began herding the children into the Cradle.
When Mathew, Leon, and the group finally reached their room, no one spoke a word. Everyone knew this was it—their opportunity. The blast from earlier came from nearby, and judging from Dan and his group's reaction, it was most likely an attack by White Fang or their proxy. Mathew had already started digging. He grabbed the money they had saved and turned back to look at the others. Everyone was nervous and scared, including Mathew, whose hands were shaking. Still, without wasting any time, he walked forward.
"Follow me."
Lisa grabbed Roan's hand as she followed. The others did the same. Bear was holding Leon's hand in his grip. Due to their short legs, Leon and Roan were slow. Mathew took Roan's hand from Lisa, hoisting Roan up on his shoulders. He ran. Bear did the same with Leon.
Their plan was simple. First step was to escape from the Cradle. Second was to reach 35th Street. 35th marked the end of the Lower Town sector. Beyond that was Black Water River.
Mathew had told them earlier that if they ran opposite to the current of the Black Water River, they would reach the workers' quarters. Once there, they would be free from any of the Lower Town area gangs' influence. Mathew and Jack had established a contact there.
As the group of children ran, they soon reached the spot where Gill was chasing after others. They ran straight for the alley that led them outside.
"Mathew! What the hell are you doing?!" a shout came from behind them. Leon knew this voice—it was Gill. No one stopped. Hoisted on Bear's shoulders, Leon looked back at Gill, who was screaming left and right. Like Mathew had said, they weren't the only ones looking for an opportunity to escape. With Dan and his goons gone, children were all desperately trying to run away. A few of them had started following after Mathew and the group.
They soon reached the alley, leaving Gill behind. Without stopping, they ran toward 35th Street. The Cradle was between 29th and 30th Street, so they had to cover quite a distance before reaching there. Not to mention, they had to be sneaky about it. Although there was a fight going on, they still had to be on guard against any who had stayed behind. Leon was very impressed at Mathew's plan. They had considered almost everything that could go wrong.
Upon reaching 30th Street, the group's speed slowed. Bear put down William. They walked cautiously. Most of the street was empty. All shops had been closed shut. Night had just descended. Taking full advantage of that, the group swiftly crossed 30th and 31st Street. Everyone's nerves were taut like bowstrings. Leon could feel his heart beating through his chest. When they reached the end of 33rd Street, Mathew's face paled as he frantically waved his hand for everyone to hide. Hurriedly, they dove into a dark valley between two buildings.
Just moments later, Leon saw shadows moving from one roof to another. Their speed was inhuman. One of them landed just in front of them.
It was a figure draped in pitch-black robes, the fabric folding like living shadows, flowing with each movement yet never revealing what lay beneath. No part of its body was visible—only a narrow slit where eyes should have glimmered. But there was no light there. Just darkness. Deep, unblinking, and empty, as if the void itself stared out.
In its right hand, it held a long, curved blade. Around its neck hung a single white fang.
It had appeared right in front of Leon and the others in a flash, without any sound.
Leon understood at a glance who was in front of them and what that meant. As he was preparing for the worst, he noticed other similar figures had surrounded them. Mathew walked out of the alley. So did Bear. They stood in front, with the others behind their backs. Leon too struggled to join Mathew, but Lisa pulled him back, fear evident in her eyes.
"We are escaping from Blood Water Gang. We mean no harm," Mathew said, his hands up in the air.
The last thing Leon expected to hear in this nerve-wracking moment was a sweet feminine chuckle.
"Don't need to be afraid. We're not here for you," said the figure in front of them as she sheathed her blade and stepped aside.
"Go now. Things are about to get bloody."
Mathew, without wasting a second, bowed.
"Thank you."
And then they ran. Leon, again hoisted up on Bear's shoulders, looked back at the black figures. They had disappeared. This time, Mathew and company did not stop. They were certain those masked figures were most likely elites of White Fang. And just as that figure had said—things were about to get bloody. They swiftly crossed 33rd and 34th Street.
But it seemed luck was not with them today. Just as they were about to enter 35th Street, they saw a figure limping in the distance. It was too late to hide. As they spotted the figure, it had spotted them. In the darkness of night, they didn't know who it was. As it limped, they took a gamble and proceeded forward toward 35th Street.
When the figure got closer, Leon clenched his teeth. The others came to a halt.
"You little shits?!"
The figure was Dan. His body was bleeding through multiple cuts, especially on his left leg. He was limping.