182 Siege!
Due to the delay in their departure and the unease that was creeping upon everyone, Lily decided to activate her [Great Sight] to figure out what caused the hold-up.
Her eyes bulged the moment the image registered in her brain.
It was only for a moment, but Lily’s special eyes caught something… something so dangerous that she had to shout with all her strength.
“A-Ana, everyone, watch out!!!”
>BOOOOOMMMM!!!<
A deafening sound that sent chills down the spine of everyone present resounded, causing the concrete that made up the walls surrounding the Camp to burst open.
Everyone was pushed back by the shock of the explosion, even Ana the most physically capable of the bunch was sent off-balance. It was a surprising assault!
Daniel instantly took action and shrunk the debris that flew to their side. His movements were quick and precise—just in time too! As the explosion still raged and everyone was in a state of panic, Anabelle shook off the dust that had gathered and glared at the entrance.
Smoke oozed from the devastated walls and the ground still slightly trembled with a low hum, caused by the aftereffects of the eruption.
“A-Ack! What the hell?!” She coughed, feeling a deep sense of foreboding from the sudden attack on their camp.
“Ana, are you okay?!” Charles yelled from his elevated platform.
the Camp Leader’s voice showed so much concern and emotion, a sharp contrast from his initial stoic approach. His eyes bulged with fear, trembling with anxiety.
He wasn’t expecting this!
As Ana heard her superior’s voice, she looked up instinctively. Her prior irritation had vanished. The situation that the Camp was under was several times direr than her inclination toward him.
‘What the heck is going on?!’
Ana didn’t need to ask herself these questions any further… the perpetrators began appearing from the settling smoke.
A cluster of silhouettes began making an appearance. Their bodies became evident not long after they arrived since the dust had settled to a considerable degree. From the corner of Ana’s eye, she could see the two Gifteds who should have opened the gate already lying among the rubble as corpses. Blood covered their faces— no, their whole bodies.
From the distorted looks on their faces and the gaping hole in their temples, it was clear that the cause of their death was something more than just the explosions— as well as the rubble that followed.
“Shit… they have snipers too?!” Ana whispered, looking at the group that had formed before them.
Other than Ana and her team, as well as Charles, the rest of the Camp members were in the backyard creating the borehole spring or preparing the area to be used for a farm. No doubt, the noise would have reached them and the people were in hiding by now.
“Well, well, well… so this is what it looks like from the inside?” A thin, slow voice came from the group.
“… I have to say… I’m not impressed!”
The man who stood before them was a wiry adult male, having a slender figure and multiple tattoos on his body. From his build and the several piercings on his ears, nose— even navel, it was clear that he wasn’t a kind one.
He had the criminal vibes wafting around him, indicating he was probably a convict or something similar before the Apocalypse.
“Well, you’ll have to mind our rude entry. But… we’ll be taking over now!”
The group of at least two dozen laughed in reaction to the lanky man’s remark.
Ana gritted her teeth and rose from the surface she fell upon as a result of the explosion. Dust flew from her tight jeans and jacket as her body flung to life in a flash.
“Who are you, people? What do you want?” Her eyes were narrowed in a threatening glare, as though ready to pounce on the group if they gave the wrong answer.
“Oi, oi. You’re one fiesty woman!” The lanky man said.
The group advanced, transversing the rubble as they moved closer to Anabelle’s team. Charles attempted to jump from his height, but his movements halted the moment he spotted a red dot on his body.
“Our sniper has targets on you. Move, and you die.”
With this statement, he knew there was nothing he could do but wait… wait for perhaps some miracle.
“Shit!”
Ana’s fists clenched tighter and she was already feeling her blood boil with violence. The Camp that everyone had worked so hard to build and protect was being invaded by strangers who had just killed two of their members and threatened to do the same to their leader.
“As for your question, Anabelle. Isn’t it obvious? We’re going to be taking everything you have… of course, that includes your lives!”
Realizing that their intentions were extremely hostile, though she had pretty gotten the info from their actions earlier, Anabelle didn’t waste a second more.
Donning her [Armament] Gift, she activated her <Overdrive> Skill along with her special <Sprint> Skill, giving her a major boost.
Somehow, Ana knew she couldn’t be caught slacking off or taking things easy now.
>FWOOOOSH!!!<
Her body launched from where she stood, sending cracks into the ground due to the impact. Gazing at the twenty-plus opponents that stood before her, she scanned her Status as fast as possible.
Her mind quickly processed the information and she realized that none of them were as high-leveled as her… but one!
The Lanky man in the center was one Level higher than her, but with her Gift as well as <Overdrive> in her arsenal… her victory was within reach.
The targets didn’t just wait around to be defeated. No, they lunged at her instantly. The desire to defeat the well-known Ana drove them to move every ounce of flesh they had. Unfortunately, they just weren’t fast enough.
Ana increased her body’s tempo and flowed as quickly as she could— every second counted! The Armament that covered her body had already turned bright crimson, displaying its full wrath.
“I’ll destroy you all!” Her voice echoed in a loud cry.
With a bloodied aura looming on her and the very armor of crimson toughness… Ana’s counterattack began!