Pick Me Up!

Chapter 264: Like Killing Insects (4) (1)

I kicked open the door to the control room.

The windshield was smeared with blood.

Crackle. Fizz.

Sparks flew from the broken controls and dashboard.

On top of them lay a corpse, so mangled it was unrecognizable. I kicked it aside, and the body toppled over. It seemed to be the train engineer.

“No one here.”

The control room held only the corpse.

The scenery beyond the glass was obscured by blood.

I approached the controls, hoping to stop the train, but it was on autopilot, and stopping it manually didn’t seem easy.

I closed the door and stepped back out.

I had walked from the engine room at the far end of the train to the first car, but I hadn’t seen any sign of them.

Which left one possibility.

I entered the passage connecting the engine room to the first car.

I grabbed the next door handle and pulled it. As the door opened, a fierce wind blasted in, and the green gas filling the cabin began to slowly seep outside.

“No telling how much time I have…”

It wasn’t an instantly lethal poison, but prolonged exposure could be deadly.

“Focus.”

Negotiation and combat.

I checked my hand of cards once more.

In my right hand, I held a sword, and tucked inside my coat was the Book of Reversal.

I analyzed the situation, replaying the enemy’s likely reactions and my possible responses over and over. What they wanted, what I could do.

“Phew.”

Stay calm.

I couldn’t let my emotions take over.

After calming my thoughts, I dashed out the door. Whoosh!

The wind, like a whip, hit my entire body.

If I let go of the doorframe, I’d be thrown from the train speeding at hundreds of kilometers per hour. With all my strength in my limbs, I flipped myself up. On top of the moving train.

“I was wondering when you’d show. I’ve been waiting for ages.”

The enemy was there.

I straightened my body.

Standing firm against the wind, I looked forward.

The city rushed past at high speed. And someone stood on top of the train.

“You know we’re short on time, right?”

She smiled slyly.

Wearing a tight leather outfit reminiscent of a racing suit, her purple curly hair glinted ominously in the wind.

“Assassins always have that look.”

Her appearance was as I expected.

I spoke.

“The antidote?”

“Right here.”

She opened her jacket.

Inside the inner pocket were bottles of blue liquid.

“Just so you know, that poison’s one of a kind. If you don’t drink the antidote within half a day, not even a goddess could save you. Pretty impressive, right? It’s simple—hand over the Book of Reversal, and I’ll give you the antidote. I’ll even give you five bottles, for your subordinates.”

“…”

“Still don’t know why the poison didn’t affect you. It’s strong enough to overcome most resistance.”

The assassin chuckled.

“If I hand it over, will you leave peacefully?”

“Of course. No reason to stick around. Who knows when more nuisances will show up?”

She was lying.

I didn’t need to see her to know that.

“That book doesn’t suit you anyway. Leave it to us, and we’ll make good use of it.”

“You’ll regret it.”

“Regret? I don’t have time for that. Life’s tough enough without regrets.”

I rummaged through my coat and pulled out the Book of Reversal.

Her eyes darkened.

“Toss it over.”

“The antidote first.”

“Huh? You seem confused about who’s in control…”

I smirked and pressed my sword against the Book of Reversal.

The blade pierced the leather cover.

“Like you said, I’m just a five-star, a nobody, so I don’t really need it. Good timing—I wanted to test its durability anyway.”

“…”

“Hand over the antidote. I won’t ask twice. In ten seconds, I’ll press down.”

Sss.

The blade dug deeper into the book, now touching the pages inside.

It might be an S-rank item, but it’s still just leather and paper. If it’s torn to shreds, who knows what will happen?

“You crazy bastard.”

“If you’re scared, feel free to die.”

“Where do you get off threatening me? I could just kill you and take it.”

“Three seconds left.”

Two seconds.

One second.

I pressed down.

“…Stop.”

At that moment, she bared her fangs.

I loosened my grip slightly.

“Let’s exchange at the same time. We throw them to each other. I’ll throw the antidote, and you the book. No complaints that way, right?”

“When?”

“When this coin hits the ground.”

She pulled out a gold coin.

I nodded silently.

“Good. Let’s keep it clean.”

She rolled the coin in her hand and flipped it high into the air.

As the spinning coin fell halfway down, whoosh!

A gust of wind swept it away.

“…”

The woman threw the antidote.

At the same time, I threw the book.

Though neither of us aimed where the other wanted.

The antidote flew high above my head, soaring out of the train.

In an instant, I dashed after it, hurling myself forward. Just before it fell off the edge, I reached out and caught the glass bottle with my fingertips. I nearly lost my balance, but managed to recover. Looking ahead, I saw the assassin’s frustrated expression.

“Is this so important to you?”

Atop the first car of the train, Velkist was flipping through the Book of Reversal.

“Doesn’t seem like much. Just a boring picture book.”

“…”

“That special poison? Lame. Way worse than that other girl.”

Velkist smirked.

“As expected.”

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