Chapter Fifty-Two: Fear
Chapter 52: [Fear]
The girl stood there before him, as delicate as if a breeze might sweep her away, yet Red Seven's eyes were solemn. Not only had she approached so silently, but this girl…
She…
Her feet hovered about half a meter above the ground—she floated there, effortlessly.
“A flight-type ability?” Red Seven instinctively pressed the button on her earpiece.
In a flash, the device locked onto the girl’s outline, the cursor jumping rapidly...
“Heh.” The girl let out a soft laugh. "People from the Service Agency are still so reliant on their gadgets, aren’t they?"
Red Seven was caught off guard—a heartbeat later, the girl’s figure vanished, and in the next instant, she materialized right before Red Seven!
The sudden closeness made Red Seven’s expression change drastically. She immediately retreated two steps and swung her arm without hesitation—only to hit nothing but air.
The girl’s silhouette disappeared again, her voice now sounding from behind. "Your speed rating is too low. Which team are you? Six? Seven?"
A slender hand rested lightly on Red Seven’s shoulder. Cold sweat trickled down Red Seven’s forehead as she replied instinctively, “Seventh team.”
“Hmm, so your codename is Red Seven, isn’t it?” The girl’s laughter was like the chime of silver bells. Suddenly, Red Seven felt a chill at her ear, and the next moment, the girl reappeared several meters away, holding something in her hand—her portable detector!
A wave of chill surged up Red Seven’s spine!
Beneath the sunlight, the girl’s speed was ghostly.
“Teleportation?” Red Seven asked sullenly.
“No… not quite,” the girl replied with a smile. “True teleportation ability is much faster than I am.”
As she spoke, she tucked the detector into her pocket and winked at Red Seven. “Sorry, I happen to need a detector. I’ll have to borrow yours for now.”
Red Seven’s face turned ashen, her eyes fixed on the girl. A flash of resolve gleamed in her gaze.
She spread her arms slightly, taking a deep breath toward the girl…
“Sigh, you still want to fight?” The girl sounded faintly exasperated. “Your ability is ‘Ultrasonic Energy Shock,’ right?”
With that, she raised her palm gently toward Red Seven. In the sunlight, her slender hand looked almost translucent. But Red Seven had already inhaled sharply and, facing the girl, let out a piercing scream!
…
It was a “silent” scream. Red Seven’s body leaned forward, but no sound seemed to come from her lips.
Ultrasonic attack!
The oscillation amplitude of this sound was drastically different from normal audio. Humans can perceive sound frequencies up to 20,000 Hz; ultrasonic waves far exceed this, beyond the range of human hearing—though many animals can detect them.
As Red Seven screamed, several trees around the building suddenly erupted with a flurry of frightened birds scattering into the sky. Between Red Seven and the girl, less than ten meters apart, the concrete slabs on the rooftop developed fine cracks.
Boom! Several slabs shattered, fragments exploding outward on the shockwave!
But the girl stood calm, raising her hand. As the shockwave, mixed with concrete debris, surged toward her, a gentle ripple shimmered in the air—an invisible barrier softly diffused the force, deflecting all the energy.
A low hum vibrated. Even the rooftop railing behind her twisted and cracked.
…
Red Seven’s arms hung limply, her chest heaved as she gasped, her eyes wide with shock at the girl before her.
“How… how can this be…” Red Seven’s face was ashen. “Who are you?!”
“Actually, your ultrasonic energy is a formidable ability,” the girl said, floating gently to face Red Seven, her voice calm. “You’re just not strong enough yet. I once met someone with a similar power—his voice could reach over a million hertz.”
As she spoke, her hand reached out and tapped Red Seven’s shoulder. Drained from expending her energy, Red Seven could not evade. Half her body went numb, and she sank to her knees, staring at the girl with unwilling defiance.
“I bear no ill will, and I don’t intend to be the Service Agency’s enemy,” the girl said with a good-natured tone. “But I doubt anyone likes being constantly monitored. After all, Chen Xiao is a person, not a lab rat. Life deserves the respect it is owed.”
Though this girl looked much younger than Red Seven, her words gave off the air of someone far older.
“This is my mission!” Red Seven gritted her teeth, fully aware she had encountered a vastly superior opponent—her power was useless here!
What level was this girl? A-level? S-level? Or…
“I’m neither A nor S,” the girl replied with a bright smile.
Red Seven’s eyes widened in terror.
How did she know what I was thinking?! And… if not A or S, then…
“You’re overthinking… Sorry, I possess a variety of abilities, one of which is mind reading,” the girl said sincerely. “I don’t mean to pry into your thoughts.”
“Who are you?!” Red Seven resigned herself. “Even if I’ve lost, I need an explanation when I return! Which organization are you with? Are you from the ‘Club’?”
Red Seven felt a pang of unease—the Club had long opposed the Service Agency and was known to have many experts. Had the Club set its sights on Chen Xiao, this rare specimen, and sent such a powerful agent?
“I’m not with the Club.” The girl tilted her head thoughtfully. “If you must know, I don’t belong to any organization registered with the current International Ability Users’ Conference. But I suppose I can tell you my name. Just report it to your superiors—they won’t blame you.”
With that, she bent down and whispered two words into Red Seven’s ear:
Phoenix.
…
Red Seven said no more. She left decisively, not sparing Phoenix a backward glance. In both the ordinary world and the world of ability users, the strong are always revered.
Outclassed, Red Seven wisely chose to retreat.
…
When the rooftop was left with only Phoenix, she took out the little detector, playing with it in her hands while gazing across at the gymnasium building. “Chen Xiao, I’ve done you quite a favor—how will you thank me?”
She placed the device on her ear and activated the “perspective” mode with ease—the fingerprint recognition seemed irrelevant to her.
Through the lens, the scene inside the gymnasium came into view…
In the crowd stood Xiao Qing, her face calm as water, watching her new opponent step forward.
He was a burly man, all muscles and raw power.
“Heh… she really is a lot like me,” Phoenix murmured, a complex expression in her eyes.
…
Far from the academy, Red Seven walked two streets away before pulling out a phone with pale hands, dialing a number swiftly.
“What’s going on? Why are you using the backup communicator? Did something happen?” Lei Fox’s voice came through immediately.
“My detector was taken,” Red Seven replied as evenly as she could.
“….” Lei Fox was silent for a moment, his tone turning grave. “What happened?!”
“I was ordered to continue monitoring Chen Xiao, but just now…” Red Seven recounted the encounter as simply and calmly as possible, finishing in a hoarse voice, “The girl called herself… Phoenix.”
There was a long silence on the other end. Red Seven’s heart skipped—Lei Fox clearly recognized the name.
After a full minute, Lei Fox spoke again, his voice tinged with a bitter smile: “Come back immediately. Don’t stay in K City another moment.”
“Are we retreating?” Red Seven couldn’t help but ask. “Are we really abandoning our mission just because one unknown girl showed up? I request reinforcements—”
“Enough! Return immediately. That’s an order.” Lei Fox’s voice was resolute, and he hung up without another word.
Red Seven stood dazed with the phone in her hand. She had heard it—in Lei Fox’s final words, there was an unmistakable note of helplessness, and, faintly… tension and fear.
Who was this Phoenix? That even Lei Fox, a J-level powerhouse in the organization, would show such apprehension?