Under the Veil of Night

Kanae glanced at Jason for a moment. She stepped forward. "Do you mind if I speak?"

"Who are you?" one of Lore Group's members asked.

"I'm Rei from Fiore Group," Kanae replied.

Dean nodded in approval. He had seen Kanae's strength, which made him treat this young girl as more or less his equal. Someone with excellent fighting prowess was worthy of respect.

"What is it, Rei?"

"I crossed the pool below by suspending a hose across the balconies on either side of the 21st floor," Kanae started. "It's still hanging there, so you can use it to get across the pool."

"Wait, how did you do that with a hose?" one man interrupted.

"It is indeed difficult with a typical hose, but I used the fire hose in the fire extinguisher box," Kanae explained. "It should be able to hold your weight if you cross one by one."

Dean looked towards Kanae, pondering. Crossing the pool using the hose never came across his mind because there was a big battle at that time. All they could think of was using the fastest way to go across while fighting, which resulted in the death of many of their members.

This little girl didn't only have strength but also brains.

"Telling us all of this, you have something in mind, little brat?" Dean gazed inquiringly.

Kanae nodded. "There's a building next to this one, but it's far shorter. If you go to the 15th floor, you can make it across easily, but the 16th and 17th floor are filled with monsters. It's going to be a tough battle if you go through those floors.

From the 18th floor, it's not impossible to jump to the roof of the other building because the additional storage room on the roof decreases the vertical distance to about only several meters. As martial artists, I'm sure that some of you are quite strong and are capable enough to do that."

Dean nodded. For normal people, a fall of several meters was the same as suicide, but it was different for them. They would be fine with jumping off a height of two floors at once. At most, their feet might slightly hurt for a bit, but it would be fine again afterwards.

"This is a school, so there should be exterior stairs for emergency use. Those who can't jump can use the stairs to get across to the other building. They will be able to cross safely."

"You're really smart, Rei," Dean said slowly. This was something that normal people would be able to think of, but to be able to think so clearheadedly in this situation was quite amazing. Indeed, with this method, they would be able to safely arrive at the other building.

"Many thanks for your praise, Brother Dean," Kanae grinned.

Dean's face darkened. He raised his hand and flicked Kanae's forehead. "Call me master. With your age, you had yet to be born when my name was already well-known."

Rubbing her forehead, Kanae frowned at Dean. He didn't look that old at all. At most, he should be only be at most twenty years older than her. Did he become famous in his teenage days too?

"Back to the topic," Dean coughed when he noticed his teammates' weird gazes. They knew his age, so he preferred to not dwell too deep on this matter. "Since you're telling me all of this, you should have something to ask, right?"

"Brother Dean is correct. My friend is hiding on the 21st floor because he can't get across the hose. I just hope that your friends can help him to climb down too," Kanae answered truthfully.

Dean smirked. "From your words, it seems you want to venture further."

"Yes!"

Jason nearly face-palmed when he heard what Kanae said. This leader of his was sure very brave (or should he say, reckless). Their strength was clearly still far away from the peak, but she wanted to participate.

"I won't be responsible if you die, brat," Dean sighed.

"I'm not asking you to be responsible," Kanae replied with a smile on her face. "I just hope you won't stop me."

"I don't have any reason to stop you. As for your offer, I accept it."

…

Tommy was hiding among the boxes when he heard the sounds of people crossing over using the hose. His body tensed up. Were they Kanae and Jason or were they some other people?

Gripping his sword tightly, he prepared to fight should the ones who come not be his friends. The first person who came over stopped a few steps away from the boxes. From his gesture, he didn't seem to have the intention of coming closer.

"Tom from Fiore Group," a man's voice could be heard. "You're there, aren't you?"

Tommy felt his heart drop upon hearing the unfamiliar voice. He calmed himself down as he gripped his sword tighter. "Yes I am. Who are you?"

"We're from Lore Group. Your friend asks us to help bring you out of this building," the man replied evenly.

Upon hearing the words 'Lore Group', Tommy nearly cursed out loudly. Who in this city didn't know the name of the current strongest group? For years, this group has again and again carried out missions so remarkably that others could only give up on catching up.

It would be too embarrassing to compare his measly strength to theirs.

Tommy switched on his communication device. "Oro, did you ask Lore Group to help me out?"

"Oh, you finally turn on the device," Jason's voice sounded calm as usual. "Yes. You should descend with them because we might not be able to come fetch you."

"Why?" Shiro was the one who asked.

"Our little captain wants to go to the top floor. I'm sure you two know what that means."

Tommy's expression darkened. Their little captain was truly reckless. What did she want to achieve from going to the highest floor? Those without sufficient strength would only court death going there.

"You should go, Tom. This building might not be standing anymore when we finish."

"Aye."

Tommy loosened his grip slightly. Since the other party was someone from Lore Group, he didn't have the slightest chance of beating him. Rather than wasting his energy trying to achieve something impossible like that, he was better off staying docile.

"I'm coming out," Tommy raised his voice and hobbled out.

The man from Lore Group assessed the young man before him apprehensively. When he saw how well Kanae and Jason fought, he was astonished at their level of skill. Seeing Tommy's condition, he understood why this man didn't follow the other two. With that leg, it would be a miracle if he could get across the hose safely.

"Do you need help?" another member had already arrived on this side.

Tommy shook his head. "As long as you don't ask me to run, I don't have any problems following."

"That's good," the first man remarked calmly. "We don't have much time, but we don't have to hurry too much either. If you can't keep up, tell us."

"Alright."

As they waited for the other members to cross the hose, Tommy watched their agile movements.. Just a single glance was enough to tell that they were all very experienced. He wondered, will Fiore Group reach the same heights in the future?