The Devil’s Cage

The engine sounds were getting louder as they approached.

Kieran exchanged an incredulous look with Simones when they heard the sound.

The issue with the Dark Star and the Night Demon society should have been over by now. Who else was interested in Alcatraz Island?

Were there some other factions or forces interested in competing over it?

Kieran frowned at the theories forming in his mind. His sudden thoughts did not slow him down though.

He and Simones moved the Potion Crafting Platform back into the room together. What happened next proved that this was the right choice.

A series of messy footsteps were heard outside the Celestial Garden’s door.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The intense gunfire wiped off everything in front of the Celestial Garden.

The plants were destroyed, and the door and windows were broken by the sudden downpour of bullets. It felt like it was raining bullets inside the shop.

The decorations and plants that Simones had picked so carefully to fend off the Dark Star and the Night Demon Society were all gone in an instant. Everything was shot to pieces.

”Goddamn it! Who is it now?” Simones cursed, taking cover in the corner of the room.

He touched his heart with his hand. It hurt physically to see his things all destroyed by the rapid fire.

”I don’t know, but definitely not someone who wants to ask about Alcatraz!” Kieran said in an affirmative tone.

If the attackers had been there for answers, they would not have opened fire without asking a single question.

They were there to kill, not get information.

The gunfire lasted for 10 seconds. Simones wanted to go out when it stopped, but he was pulled back by Kieran.

Kieran knew what was going to happen next. He had experienced the same thing in the [Wandering Beast] dungeon.

Grenades were thrown into the shop, blasting the interior to pieces. Simones’ face turned pale as his shop was bombarded.

”You saved me again!” he exclaimed, looking at Kieran.

”Yes! So you better do your best when you teach me about Potionology!” Kieran said jokingly.

”Definitely!” Simones nodded seriously.

A second round of fire followed the explosions.

The attackers finally entered the shop after another 10 seconds.

As their feet appeared inside, Kieran gestured for Simones to lay low. Then he pulled out the [MI-02] and the [Python-W2] and rolled out of the room where he had been hiding.

Being passive was not Kieran’s style. He always tried to actively solve a problem.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The two guns in his hands flashed as he pulled the triggers repeatedly, aiming at his target.

Within a breath, the attackers that had entered the shop were killed.

However, a dozen more attackers outside raised their guns and swept the place again, targeting Kieran.

Despite his Musou Level [Evading], that kind of fire could still hit him. He had no intention of evading it though.

He used [Primus Scale].

The black leather wristband flashed slightly as the Powerful Barrier appeared. The barrier blocked all the bullets aimed at Kieran in mid-air as they surrounded his body.

Every single bullet was useless against it. As the attackers witnessed the scene, they paused their fire. The shock was evident on their faces.

Kieran seized this opportunity to counterattack.

He fired until his guns ran out of bullets, and then he rushed after the small group of attackers.

It was an instinctive move without any technique, just sheer force and speed.

The attackers were all knocked down like bowling pins.

[Primus Scale] granted Kieran an impenetrable barrier as he rushed into the group. After two rounds of knocking them around, they were all down on the ground.

Most of them had suffered broken bones, but some of the weaker ones had died.

Kieran frowned over them.

He didn’t feel sorry for the dead. He never showed any mercy to the enemies that were after his life.

That kind of mercy would be cruel to himself. He held that principle close to his heart.

The reason he was frowning was because the attackers had all been normal humans. In other words, they were not special individuals.

If they had been special individuals, they would not have paused in shock when they had realized that their attacks were ineffective against Kieran, much less forget to keep attacking.

Kieran would never have chosen such a reckless attacking method in that case either.

”What is going on?” He was confused.

A set of soft footsteps approached him from behind. He might have missed them if he had not been listening closely.

He was sure that that spot had been empty when he had rushed into the attackers.

An invisible enemy? Kieran squinted as he tried to guess.

His doubts were instantly cleared. The men who had died and gotten injured had obviously been scapegoats. A diversion for the real killer.

The person who was actually targeting Kieran was definitely a special individual, and Kieran’s hunch was telling him that it was someone from the Drifter Society.

The group had had a beef with him before, and he could not come up with any other suspects.

Having a general understanding of the situation, Kieran went over to the attackers that were still alive without reacting to the invisible attacker. He acted like he wanted to interrogate the men, yet his full attention was focused behind him.

He squatted down near one of them and activated his [Tracking], taking a quick glance behind.

Amidst all the explosions and gunshots, a clear set of footprints had appeared. The pattern of the sole was clear.

”Men’s boots, 25 centimeters long. Based on the calculation of his foot length and an analogy of 1:7, he must be around 175 centimeters tall. Judging by the look of his footprints, there was no obvious change of position from standing to undercover. Even his footprints while he was tiptoeing were light. He must be quite slim and not very strong. Possibly fast...”

Based on the information provided by his [Tracking], Kieran made a quick estimation.

The [Tracking] effect was not limited to the [Trace Tracking] special effect. All kinds of tracks were visible to him, and the details of the tracks were presented in an extremely intricate manner in his brain.

[Tracking] could not paint the whole picture though. There were some elements that required guessing and analyzation.

The invisible enemy was approaching slowly. The fact that he had not fired right away meant that his weapon of choice was a long sword, dagger, or some kind of sharp weapon. It was definitely not a gun though.

Of course it could also be some kind of magical equipment that required contact with the target.

Only a strong, powerful piece of magical equipment could make up for the destructive power of a firearm.

This enemy was a special individual, so Kieran would never underestimate him.

The sound of footsteps was getting more and more precise as he approached, but it sounded like there was no ill intent in them.

The man seemed to be good at hiding his killing intent, not letting it out until the very last moment.

All signs pointed to him being a professional hitman.

Such a professional would not back off, even after witnessing how powerful the defensive power of [Primus Scale] was. This meant that he was confident that he could pierce through [Primus Scale]’s barrier.

”He must have a powerful magical weapon!” Kieran guessed, his heart burning with want.

He wanted that weapon for himself.

Suddenly, loud sirens sounded from afar. The police was coming to the scene to investigate the attacks.

Meanwhile, the invisible enemy made his move.

An air-breaking sound dashed out towards Kieran’s back.