Chapter 77: Chapter 76: Aren’t You Looking for Me?
Outside the ramen shop, a cool evening breeze blew past. Dressed in only a thin shirt, Baru merely found it refreshing.
He rolled his neck from side to side, letting out a staccato of sharp cracks.
House number 152 was about a dozen meters from the nearest streetlight. Its right side was connected to other buildings, while the alley on its left was pitch-black.
Baru glanced up at the second-floor window overlooking the alley.
He sauntered into the alley with a slow, deliberate gait. Seeing that no one was around, the muscles in his legs bulged slightly as they coiled and released in an instant.
With a faint TAP on the ground, Baru’s hulking frame—well over a hundred kilograms—shot four meters into the air. He landed silently on the second-floor windowsill, his hands gripping the ledge.
A glance in mid-air confirmed the room was empty.
He tested the window and found it unlocked. He vaulted inside with ease.
Baru moved like a muscular cat in the dark. The entire process, from entering the alley to getting inside the house, took less than twenty seconds.
Once inside, Baru remained motionless, listening intently.
Relying on his extraordinary hearing, he determined that everyone was in the attic.
He’d initially assumed one of the youths’ parents might be home. It seemed either the place belonged to someone who lived alone, or they were simply out. This saved Baru a bit of trouble.
...
「In the attic of 152 Fisher Street.」
A group of French youths, led by Philier, were gathered together again.
Quite some time had passed, but no valuable information had surfaced on the news or online. They didn’t dare log back into the email account they had used.
"Sigh, it feels like there’s nothing we can do. We should at least be doing something!"
A girl complained, then went back to coloring her right palm. Though she was using a non-fading acrylic marker, her "Dawn Seal" had still faded over time from smudging and wear.
"Don’t worry, Lisa. I figure the heat from that email we sent has probably died down by now. It’s time to resume the search for ruins. This time, we absolutely have to find the secret scroll that details the methods for cultivating power!"
At the mention of this, all the young people’s faces lit up with anticipation.
The last Dawn Secret Place had been breathtaking. They had even found a few secret passages inside, but unfortunately, the entire structure had been submerged for over half a century, leaving no records behind.
"Hillk, do you guys think they’ve given up the investigation?"
Philier asked the twin brothers.
"Uh, how should I put this... I think there’s a high probability our email was treated as spam. Of course, it’s still best not to log into that account. Next time we need to send a message, we should either use a new email or a different method."
Philier himself never felt sure about anything. In his eyes, the only people in the group with any real insight—besides the oldest girl, who wasn’t here today—were the highly capable Oliers Brothers.
Hearing them agree that things were "fine now" put his mind at ease.
The group’s atmosphere became lively again as everyone began to offer their own suggestions and theories.
This time, they didn’t have a map. All they had were some vague descriptions on Philier’s scroll and whatever they could find searching online maps and archives.
It gave them the thrilling sense of being movie protagonists solving a treasure mystery.
Baru had already reached the door to the attic.
He didn’t make a rash move, instead listening carefully from outside for a while.
The kids inside were fervently discussing their next expedition, debating how they would act as superheroes after gaining powers and wondering if they’d be admired by millions.
Baru, who had been on guard against potential Power Users, couldn’t help but feel exasperated.
’They’re acting like this is some kind of adventure game!’
If this group didn’t genuinely know a few things about "Dawn," and if they weren’t apparently the descendants of their predecessors...
...if they’d called themselves "Black Light" or "Sky Fire" or something, Baru would have just rounded them up and taken the credit from Norton.
Philier and the others were now re-checking their equipment while discussing whether to go abroad to explore.
Traces of Dawn were spread all over the world. There was no reason to search only in France; maybe going abroad would yield new clues.
Just as they were discussing a trip to the United Kingdom to have a look...
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK...
The sound of knocking suddenly rang out.
Everyone in the attic froze.
"Philier, are your parents back from vacation?"
A girl asked in a low voice.
"No, they shouldn’t be. They said they’d be gone for at least half a month..."
Before he could finish, the attic door clicked open from the outside.
A rough, gravelly voice drifted in.
"Sorry for coming in without permission."
Baru stepped through the doorway, his physique a full class more powerful than Philier’s.
His expression may have been amiable, but the scar on his face and the bulging muscles straining against his thin shirt offered no sense of security.
"Who are you?"
With numbers on their side, they weren’t about to be intimidated by a single trespasser. Philier mustered his courage and challenged him.
"Who let you in? Should I call the police?"
In truth, their hearts were pounding. They worried their little secret was out and the authorities had finally come knocking.
But this guy, as fierce as he looked, seemed to be alone.
Baru looked at the group, all on high alert against him and him alone, a helpless look on his face.
He dug in his ear with the pinky of his left hand.
"Who am I? Interesting!"
Baru walked directly into the attic as the others backed away. As if he were in his own home, he picked up a piece of baguette from the table and took a bite.
"Tsk, tsk. This bread is still as awful as ever."
"Oh, where was I? You were asking who I am?"
"But aren’t you the ones looking for me?"
Philier and the others were completely baffled.
"When were we looking for you? It’s not too late for you to leave now. We don’t have to call the police, otherwise..."
He couldn’t finish his "otherwise."
Baru pulled his favorite M9 pistol from the small of his back and placed it on the table.
"Otherwise what? Go on. Oh, you’re afraid of a gun?"
Baru picked up a cookie from the table, his expression telling everyone he thought it tasted pretty good.
"Aren’t you ’Dawn’? Why would you be afraid of an M9?"
His French pronunciation wasn’t perfect, but it was clear enough.
Philier and the others’ hearts skipped a beat.
Clearly, this stranger of unknown origin had overheard their conversation. This was not good. They had no idea if he’d heard about the email, or if he was going to report them.
The older twin brother, however, suddenly thought of something and tentatively asked a question.
"You seem to know a lot about us, ’Dawn’?"
PFFT~~
Baru’s mouth was stuffed with cookie, and he couldn’t help but spray crumbs everywhere when he heard the question.
"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."
The question was just too rich... He decided to stop playing games with them, lest he end up spitting out the ramen he’d eaten earlier.
"Little kids, how long have you been playing your ’Dawn’ game? Do you have any idea that if you keep this up, you’ll just be lining up for the slaughter!?"
GULP~
Baru’s voice was sinister, scaring Philier and the others so much they swallowed hard.
"We just sent an email, and it was with good intentions. They wouldn’t do anything to us, would they?"
In his panic, Philier blurted it out, completely forgetting it wasn’t clear if this brute even knew about the email.
"The French? Heh, or maybe the British or the Americans?"
The muscles on Baru’s face suddenly tensed, his expression turning ferocious. The scar on his cheek writhed like a live centipede.
BAM! He slammed his hand on the table, making it jump an inch off the floor.
"I’m talking about Demons! About the eyes that watch from the darkness! The terrifying beings that Dawn is desperately hiding from, biding its time and gathering its strength to one day face!"
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