Kanae looked towards Jason for a moment. She stepped forwards. "Do you mind if I talk too?"
"Who are you?" one of the Lore Groupâs members asked.
"Iâm Rei from Fiore Group," Kanae replied.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Dean nodded his head. He had seen Kanaeâs strength, which made him treated this young girl as more or less his equal. Someone with high fighting prowess was worth of the respect.
"What is it, Rei?"
"I come to this floor using hose that I treat as rope," Kanae started. "Itâs still hanging on the 21st floor, so you can use it to go across the pool."
"Wait, how come a hose is similar to rope?" a man interrupted.
"Ordinary hose is indeed usually rather hard, but the one I use is the one that you usually find in the fire extinguisher box," Kanae explained. "It should be able to hold the weight if you cross them one by one."
Dean looked towards Kanae as he pondered. Crossing the pool using the hose never came across his mind because it was a big battle when they wanted to cross. All they could think was the fastest way to go across while fighting, which resulted in the death of many of their members.
This little girl didnât only have strength but also brain.
"Telling us all of this, you sure have something in mind, little brat?" Dean gazed inquiringly.
Kanae nodded. "Thereâs a building located close to this building, but itâs far shorter. If you go to the 15th floor, you can go towards them, but the 16th and 17th floor are filled with monsters. Itâs going to be a tough battle if you go there.
From the 18th floor, itâs not impossible to jump to the roof of the other building because thereâs an additional small room there. The distance should be only several meters. As martial artist, Iâm sure that there should be someone whoâs quite strong and capable to do that."
Dean nodded his head. For normal people, jumping several meters was the same as suicide, but it was different with them. They would be fine with jumping two floors at once. At most, their feet might feel slightly hurt for several seconds, but it would be fine again afterwards.
"This is previously a school, so there should be some wooden stairs for emergency use. For those who canât jump, they can use the stairs to go across the other building. This will be able to allow them to cross safely."
"Youâre really smart, Rei," Dean said slowly. This was something that normal people would be able to think, but to think of them in this situation was quite amazing. Indeed, with this method, they would be able to safely move to the other building safely.
"Many thanks for your praise, Brother Dean," Kanae grinned.
Deanâs face darkened. He raised his hand and flicked Kanaeâs forehead. "Call me master. With your age, you havenât even born when I already become known for my name."
Rubbing her forehead, Kanae looked towards Dean with frown. He didnât look that old at all. At most, he should be only two decades older than her. Did he become famous in his teenager days too?
"Back to the topic," Dean coughed when he noticed the eyes of his teammate. They knew his age, so he preferred to not dwell to deep in this matter. "Youâre telling me all of this, you should have something that you want to ask, right?"
"Brother Dean is correct. My friend is hiding in the 21st floor because he canât go across the hose. I just hope that your friends can help him to climb down too," Kanae answered truthfully.
Dean smirked. "From your words, it seems you want to go further."
"Yes!"
Jason nearly face palmed when he heard what Kanae said. This leader of his was sure to be very brave (or should he say, reckless). Their strength was clearly still far away from the very top, but she wanted to participate.
"I wonât be responsible if youâre dying, brat," Dean sighed.
"I wonât ask you to be responsible," Kanae replied with a smile on her face. "I just hope you wonât stop me."
"I donât have any reason to stop you. As for your offer, I accept it."
...
Tommy was hiding in the boxes when he heard the sounds of people coming using the hose. His body tensed up. Were those Kanae and Jason or it was someone else?
Gripping his sword tightly, he was prepared for a battle should the one who came was not his friends. The person stopped a few steps from the boxes. From his gesture, he didnât seem to have any intention of coming closer.
"Tom from Fiore Group," a manâs voice could be heard. "Youâre there, arenât you?"
Tommy felt his heart dropped from the unfamiliar voice. He calmed himself down as he prepared his swords. "Yes I am. Who are you?"
"Weâre from Lore Group. Your friend asks us to take you down from this building," the man replied calmly.
Upon hearing the word âLore Groupâ, Tommy nearly cursed out loudly. Who in this city didnât know the name of the strongest group existed? For years, this group has over and over done remarkable missions that many others could only give up.
Comparing his strength with them would be too embarrassing because his measly strength could never be compared with them.
Tommy switched his communication device. "Oro, did you ask the Lore Group to help me out?"
"Oh, you finally turn the device on," Jasonâs voice sounded calm as usual. "Yes. You should descend with them because we might not be able to come with you."
"Why?" Shiro was the one who asked.
"Our little captain wants the two of us to come to the top floor. Iâm sure you two know what it meant."
Tommyâs expression darkened. That little captain of his was truly reckless. What did she want to achieve from going to the highest floor? Those who didnât have enough strength would only court death if they came there.
"You should go, Tom. This place might not be standing anymore once weâre finished."
"Aye."
Tommy loosened his grip slightly. Since the other party was someone from Lore Group, he didnât have the slightest chance to beat him. Rather than wasting his energy trying to achieve something impossible like that, he better stayed docile.
"Iâm coming out," Tommy raised his voice and walked out limpidly.
The man in front of him assessed the young man with apprehension. When he saw how Kanae and Jason fought, he was astonished because their skill was quite good. Seeing Tommyâs condition, he understood why this man didnât follow after the other two. With that kind of foot, it would be a miracle if he could pass the hose safely.
"Do you need help?" another member already arrived at the place.
Tommy shook his head. "As long as you donât ask me to run, I donât have any problem to follow."
"Thatâs good," the first man remarked calmly. "We donât have much time, but we wonât be hurrying too much too. If you canât keep up, tell us."
"Yes."
As they waited for the other members to pass the hose, Tommy watched their movement. Just a single glance was enough to tell him that they were all very experienced. He wondered; will Fiore Group reach the same height in the future?