Chapter 24: Escape

Mari Tanaka ran behind Jiang Tang. "Jiang Tang?"

"Don't call my name at a time like this."

"Right..."

Jiang Tang suddenly braked hard and turned her head to ask, "Where is Exit C?"

Wang Laicai had told them to head to Exit C.

Mari Tanaka replied, "...I'll lead the way."

The two swapped positions, with Mari Tanaka running in front and Jiang Tang following closely behind.

They were not the only ones in the emergency stairwell, but it wasn't crowded either. Most people had already been caught by the disciplinary patrol squad.

"Do those disciplinary committee members have noses like hounds? How did they even find this place?"

"I’ve been caught three times this month alone!"

"Damn those disciplinary committee members!"

The curses still echoed in the stairwell when a massive hole suddenly exploded in the ceiling above. A hand crackling with electricity slowly retracted into the opening.

A woman with short hair dropped down from the hole and brushed the dust off herself. "I think I heard someone cursing me just now."

She stepped on the head of the man who had been cursing her and ground her heel into him.

Jiang Tang and Mari Tanaka exchanged a look. Mari Tanaka reached out and placed her own hat on Jiang Tang’s head.

Without needing to speak, both chose to retreat quietly.

However, the short-haired woman had already spotted them; arcs of electricity danced and crackled around her entire body.

She stomped her foot heavily, and a bolt of lightning tunneled into the floor, reaching the soles of Jiang Tang’s feet in the blink of an eye.

Anticipating the move, Jiang Tang pulled Mari Tanaka aside and leaped out of the way, simultaneously whipping out a pre-prepared submachine gun and firing a barrage at the woman.

The bullets stopped dead in front of the short-haired woman and then dropped to the floor all at once.

"Hmph—"

Her cold sneer ended abruptly. The woman saw the reflection of crossed naginata blades in her eyes and attempted to dodge, only to find that her feet had been frozen in place.

Jiang Tang and Mari Tanaka had executed a perfect combo. With no time for a high-five, they split left and right, sprinting along the walls as the enemy paused to defend against their attack.

An intense, semicircular burst of dazzling electricity erupted with the short-haired woman at its center.

"Indra!"

Indra, the ancient Indian god of thunder and war, the king of the gods.

Jiang Tang looked back to see a humanoid torso made of countless bolts of lightning, hurling a vajra at them.

She raised her hands and unleashed two crescent-shaped slashes to block it, but was still knocked off balance by the powerful shockwave.

Mari Tanaka didn't fare much better. "You're summoning a deity here?" she shouted. "Are you trying to kill us all?"

The short-haired woman stepped out from the lightning, a faint purple glow shimmering beneath her thin skin.

"If I were, you'd have been dead the moment we met."

She raised her hand, clutching a vajra identical to the one held by the divine manifestation. "Alright, brats. Hide-and-seek is over. Come back with me and accept your punishment."

***

Jiang Tang moved her lips. "Are you still not going to play your trump card?"

"I'll play mine if you play yours," Mari Tanaka whispered.

"Let's play them together."

Mari Tanaka nodded and pulled out a mirror covered in a black cloth.

Seeing this, Jiang Tang reached behind her back, where an archaic longbow appeared in her hand.

Whatever happened, they could not afford to be caught.

Mari Tanaka ripped the black cloth off the mirror without warning.

At the same time, Jiang Tang loosed the Xuanyuan Arrow.

A dazzling light flashed across the mirror's surface. The short-haired woman instinctively closed her eyes, yet the vajra in her hand was thrown with pinpoint accuracy toward the Xuanyuan Arrow Jiang Tang had fired.

Mari Tanaka tilted the mirror, catching the streak of golden light in its reflection and eerily altering the trajectory of the Xuanyuan Arrow.

The Xuanyuan Arrow and the vajra brushed past each other.

Jiang Tang turned and bolted, not even waiting to see if they had hit their mark.

Mari Tanaka stowed the mirror, and a solar halo ignited behind her head.

Jiang Tang felt her body instantly become lighter; she clearly sensed her speed increasing.

She took a quick glance at the status bar in her system.

【Corona (Weakened): Within half a meter, ally speed increased by 10%; enemy speed decreased by 10%】

The noise behind them had ceased, but the two dared not relax. They held their breath, pushing themselves until they burst out of the emergency exit and reached Exit C, where they saw Wang Laicai waving at them from in front of a convertible hovercraft.

"Over here, hurry!" Wang Laicai jumped into the driver's seat.

Jiang Tang shoved Mari Tanaka toward the vehicle, and a second later, a bolt of purple lightning struck the spot where they had just been standing.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Jiang Tang activated Moon Essence, and a smooth layer of ice condensed in front of them.

Mari Tanaka understood her intent immediately. Both women executed a sliding maneuver, leaning back as they skidded at high speed toward the car door, then vaulted inside.

"Go!"

Wang Laicai pushed the throttle to the max. Four blue flames erupted from the rear of the vehicle, and the entire craft soared into the air with a roar.

Jiang Tang gripped the door frame to steady herself. Looking into the rearview mirror, she saw the vajra, surrounded by electricity and breaking the sound barrier, closing in on them.

Wang Laicai wailed, "Ahhh! Help! Someone do something! This is a brand new car!"

Without a word, Mari Tanaka took the solar halo from behind her head and threw it like a frisbee.

"You can take that thing off?" Jiang Tang was stunned; she had thought it was just a decoration!

Mari Tanaka gave a deadpan thumbs-up, signaling that it was Jiang Tang’s turn now.

The vajra was unstoppable. The solar halo’s obstruction only slowed it down slightly, but in the eyes of the trio, it was still as good as the Grim Reaper beckoning.

"We're gonna crash! We're gonna crash!" Wang Laicai screamed while fishtailing the craft, trying to shake the vajra off.

***

"Please, Moon Goddess Chang'e!" Jiang Tang shouted.

【Chang'e has descended!】

【Countdown started!】

【3——】

【2——】

Pale yellow osmanthus petals drifted down. A jade-like hand reached out from behind Jiang Tang and pointed remotely at the violent, lightning-charged vajra.

The vajra paused, then instantly shattered into countless osmanthus petals that scattered in the wind.

【1——】

【Chang'e has returned to the Moon Palace.】

【Current Mental Energy: 0/50】

Only the rich fragrance of osmanthus lingered in the air.

A sense of loss washed over Jiang Tang. She slumped back in the seat and sighed; she hadn't even had the chance to say a single word to Chang'e.

"Huh? You're already that close with a deity? You can just summon them?" Wang Laicai looked at her in disbelief.

Jiang Tang waved a hand modestly. "Just a basic maneuver."

Wang Laicai whistled. "When I can summon the God of Wealth, I'm going to the Roulette Star to make a fortune."

"Thank you for today," Mari Tanaka said sincerely. "I will definitely repay this favor in the future."

Jiang Tang nodded calmly. "Just remember it."

Wang Laicai shouted, "What do you mean? Didn't I already give you ten academic credits?"

Jiang Tang said profoundly, "You don't understand. Little Mari and I have a bond forged in life and death."

Mari Tanaka nodded solemnly.

Wang Laicai shook his head helplessly. "Big shot, don't bully Tanaka..."

Jiang Tang had realized it too—Mari Tanaka was a straightforward, one-track-minded person.

As the night wind blew, Jiang Tang asked, "What's the deal with that woman?"

Neither Wang Laicai nor Mari Tanaka had a clue.

"Seems like after the principal changed, there have been some shifts in the disciplinary committee as well..." Wang Laicai clicked his tongue.

As soon as he spoke, a message popped up on all three of their smart devices simultaneously.

【Dear Students:

Per the request of the Disciplinary Committee, room inspections will begin promptly at midnight tonight. Please do not leave your rooms and wait patiently for the disciplinary committee members to arrive.】