Chu Chu saw Chu Lian dash outside without a word and immediately knew something unexpected had happened.
She quickly turned to Li Xiu'er. "Cousin Xiu'er, Big Sis has something urgent. I can't stay here either. If the teacher asks what happened, just say we both had to step out suddenly. If they want to start the activity, let them go ahead—we'll catch up later."
"What happened?" Li Xiu'er asked blankly.
"I don't know, but it must be related to Inori. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so impulsive." Chu Chu could only guess, but she was almost certain. The only people who could make Chu Lian lose her composure like this were Inori, herself, and perhaps Li Xiu'er. Since the latter two were here, the problem had to be Inori.
"Alright…" Li Xiu'er nodded. But just as she was about to speak again, a violent tremor shook the building, followed by a deafening boom. Her legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed.
"An explosion? How could there be an explosion here? A terrorist attack? The first bang had no tremor, so I thought it was just something breaking. But now… this was man-made," Chu Chu muttered, steadying herself and frowning.
She glanced at the panicked, screaming students and the teachers struggling to restore order. Then she looked at Li Xiu'er's shocked, frightened face. After a brief struggle, she decided to stay.
No matter how worried she was for Chu Lian, now was not the time to leave. She wanted to help her, but these students clearly needed help more. Even with Lux Lyle and Ruriko Nana—two hidden masters—present, she still couldn't relax.
"Big Sis, this is my first step out of your shadow. What you can do, I can do too. I'll grow into your right-hand girl," she told herself silently.
Stepping forward just as the second tremor hit, she caught Li Xiu'er and whispered, "Don't panic—the more you panic, the worse it gets. I'm here with you. This isn't a disaster—it's a test."
With that, she stood at the door with Li Xiu'er, blocking the students from rushing out.
Meanwhile, Lux and Cai Ya helped calm the students. Though pale, they were calmer than most, knowing panic would solve nothing.
Ruriko Nana assisted Ning Zhiyuan, her energetic nature perfect for the situation. In such moments, hope often came from people like her.
Soon, more students composed themselves. Duan Yuan, Liu Yanran, Bai Tiange, and Zhang Feng stepped forward to help. Though still pale, they had steadier nerves and acted without hesitation.
After over a minute, by the fifth explosion, everyone had learned to endure silently. Some were pale and tearful, but no one panicked anymore.
With the danger outside unknown, leaving wasn't wise. If chaos broke out, students could be separated. Guarding the door, as Chu Chu and Li Xiu'er had decided, was the right choice. At least for now, they were all together and safe—except for Chu Lian…
When the first blast had sounded, Chu Lian had already been running outside, slipping through the crowd like an eel. Though her speed slowed, she made it to the elevator unimpeded.
The elevators were already crammed with panicked people. Even if there was space, stepping inside immediately triggered the overload alarm. Besides, they were all heading down, not where she needed to go.
Forcing them out just to save time wasn't something Chu Lian could bring herself to do, so she sighed and turned toward the stairs instead.
If you're all fighting for the elevator, then I'll take the stairs.
At full speed, Chu Lian could break human limits, reaching a 100-meter sprint in 7 seconds—but that was under ideal conditions. On stairs, with constant twists, turns, and crowds moving downward, her speed dropped sharply. Even so, she still managed a blistering pace, equivalent to 12 seconds per 100 meters, charging against the flow toward the upper floors.
Inori, please be safe… please… Regret gnawed at her. Why hadn't she kept Inori by her side? Even if it would have sparked suspicion, it would have been far better than facing this sudden crisis apart.
While running, she split her focus to enter the system space, opening the Dimensional Barrier sub-system. Amid the countless avatars available for Possession Mode, she searched carefully.
She didn't yet know which characters she could possess and which she couldn't, so she had to find a suitable one herself.
Her plan was clear: if things turned truly dangerous, she would possess the chosen character. The face wouldn't change, but the sudden shift in aura and clothing could hide much. Add a mask, and her face would be concealed entirely—though her build might still give her away.
But so what? If someone truly threatened Inori, revealing all her abilities would be worth it.
The Qingping Grand Hotel's 37 floors stood about 150 meters tall, each level roughly 4 meters high. The stairwell ran diagonally, with each flight stretching around 8 meters. At her current pace, reaching the 37th floor would take under forty seconds.
Yet in that short time, more explosions rang out one after another, each one spurring her to move faster.
From her sense of direction, she could tell the blasts began around the 50th floor, then dropped to the 45th, then 40th. Soon, the next would be at the 35th—and Inori would be trapped above. What did the perpetrators want? If it was to take hostages…
Inori would never fear them. Her nature would push her to fire back instantly. But if they had bombs, then guns—easier to obtain—would surely be plentiful. No matter her skill, Inori couldn't dodge a hail of bullets. Unless Eve awakened to shield her, the odds were grim.
By the time Chu Lian reached the 33rd floor, the fourth explosion went off.
Being so close, and running so fast, she almost stumbled. Though she quickly regained her balance, she still lost several precious seconds.
By now, everyone who could run had already fled. The vast floor was empty but for her.
Damn it… who would dare do something like this? How could a simple school trip be so full of trouble? Is this route cursed? Ayase, what exactly do you want me to do? She knew she couldn't catch up now. Rushing upward was pointless—what mattered was how to resolve this.
Finally… found you… Closing her eyes, she returned to the system space. Seeing the silhouette before her, she exhaled in relief.
"Kuroyukihime: Date of Birth: September 30, 2039; Age: 15; Gender: Female; Blood Type: A (couldn't find the official data, so I decided on one myself… I swear I'm not making fun of her bust size); Height: 165 cm (in the original novel, the male lead is 165 cm, and Kuroyukihime is a bit shorter, but honestly, I couldn't imagine her being shorter than Haruyuki… so I settled on 165 cm); Weight: 47 kg; Zodiac: Libra; Evaluation: She is the Black King among the Seven Kings, with a duel avatar known as Black Lotus, possessing absolute control over the virtual world."
"Scan my compatibility with her."
"Scanning… please wait."
"Scan complete. Compatibility between host and Kuroyukihime: 47%. Mirror Mode available."
"Use Mirror Mode."
"Note: Without Kuroyukihime's avatar outfit and weapon, the Dimensional Barrier ability cannot be activated. You must redeem both items before proceeding."
"Redeem them."
"Kuroyukihime Avatar Outfit: An extravagant black dress with butterfly-like back wings, laced together at the front to reveal large expanses of pale skin—an enchanting sight. Redemption cost: 4,500 Integrity Points. (Yes, you can fly with this… as long as you have control over air or wind.)"
"Kuroyukihime's Sword: Normally disguised as an umbrella, it transforms into a sharp longsword when needed. Redemption cost: 3,500 Integrity Points. (One of the few truly lethal items—young lady, please use with caution.)"
Silently, Chu Lian took the two items, then said once more, "Activate Mirror Mode." For Inori's sake, no matter how embarrassing, she would do it. Wearing something a bit revealing was nothing.
"Mirror Mode activated. Cost: 10,000 Integrity Points…"
A dark radiance enveloped her, and when it faded, she no longer wore her previous outfit. Instead, she resembled Kuroyukihime—though upon closer inspection, her figure was smaller, more like Kuroyukihime at eleven or twelve. Her face remained her own, only colder.
Thankfully, she had chosen a spot that avoided the cameras—otherwise, when someone later reviewed the footage, they'd think they'd seen a ghost.
But transformed into Kuroyukihime, Chu Lian now wanted to curse. Mirror Mode didn't allow any extra accessories—not even a mask or veil. Back when she'd tried Misaka Mikoto, she hadn't tested this limitation, so she hadn't known. With Kuroyukihime, there was no getting around it.
No helping it. Even without covering her face, she had to move.
She'd already wasted a full minute trying to hide her identity. The explosions had stopped at the 30th floor—apparently, the perpetrators had gotten what they wanted…
"Then let's see exactly who dares to cause such chaos…" A flicker of violet flashed in her eyes.
With graceful steps, carrying the umbrella-disguised sword, she advanced elegantly, one step at a time.