Chapter Fifteen: The Grand Adventure of Alice Gain

The persistent drizzle had finally faded away, and the heavy clouds were scattered by the moonlight. As the gentle glow of the moon poured down from above, mingling with the rumbling cacophony of demolition, Alice Gaen awakened from unconsciousness.

Alice Gaen, fifteen years of age, was the second daughter of Roya Gaen. Compared to her steady elder brother, her domineering second brother, and her third sister who had assumed family responsibilities early on, Alice, the youngest of the Gaen children, was cherished by her family. Even now, she still immersed herself in tales of ancient knights and princesses, which lent her a slightly rebellious and wilful air.

But this was hardly a matter of concern. The Gaen family, traditionally sparse in descendants and accustomed to having only a single heir per generation, had, as if blessed by ancestral luck, produced two sons and two daughters in this generation. The three elder siblings were all exceptional in their own right, so even if Alice was a bit headstrong, it was easily tolerated.

Indeed, in a family that prized emotional bonds as much as the Gaens did, Alice’s streak of rebellion and willfulness only made her seem more lively and endearing, deepening the affection her family bestowed upon her.

Yet it was precisely this excessive indulgence that had led her into her current predicament.

Her head spun dizzily. The rumbling noise finally roused Alice completely. She tried to rub her eyes, only to discover that her entire body was bound tightly with rope; she couldn’t even move, let alone wipe her face.

Startled, Alice’s eyes widened. The deer-like brightness in her almond-shaped eyes sharpened as she recalled what had happened.

She’d fled halfway through a party, disgusted by its stifling atmosphere, and on the street, she’d run into a group of masked robbers working overtime; then, she’d been knocked unconscious, and then—

Was this a kidnapping?

Realizing her situation, Alice’s heart began to race wildly, and she was instantly, entirely alert.

Thump, thump, thump!

The ground trembled beneath her. Struggling, Alice turned her head and found herself in a place she’d never seen before—dim, dilapidated, dust everywhere, her body pressing down on a tattered burlap sack.

What was going on? Where were the robbers? Had they fought among themselves?

She looked around, but saw no sign of any robbers conferring together. Instead, the shaking of the ground grew more violent, cracks splitting across the floor.

She had no intention of waiting to be rescued. Realizing this didn’t seem like a trap, Alice, bold by nature, began fiercely rubbing her wrists, straining to break free from the ropes.

She preferred to rely on herself rather than wait for a ransom to be paid, and she had her reasons. Though a bit rebellious, Alice was nonetheless a true young lady, and she understood a simple truth:

Never entrust your life to ruthless criminals!

And just as importantly, Alice was acutely aware of her own striking appearance, a gift from her parents, and the fine figure she maintained through diligent exercise. Even though she rarely attended parties, she was always the center of attention when she did.

Even if most kidnappers maintained a semblance of professional ethics, Alice was determined never to bet her life on their sense of honor.

So, she began to inch her body snake-like towards the door, while attempting to work her way out of the ropes.

Fortune favored Alice: the original residents of this derelict block had all fled at the very outset of Liu Tian and the Mantis’s battle, so the helpless Alice had not been discovered and subjected to a far worse fate.

But she was also unfortunate: these robbers, despite their impromptu operation, were exceptionally skilled. No matter how she struggled, Alice could not break free; the more she fought, the tighter the bonds grew, until her wrists were rubbed raw and bleeding.

She could not give up.

Since escape by force was impossible, Alice abandoned her struggle and instead focused on wriggling towards the door, hoping to find something outside she could use to cut the ropes.

Although the kidnappers’ expert knots kept Alice from freeing herself, luck was on her side in one respect: the ropes were only cheap hemp, not high-grade material. If she had a little more time and no further mishaps, she might be able to wear them down.

If nothing went wrong, that is—

Boom!

The entire building shook violently, followed by a thunderous crash from nearby. Alice looked up to see the cracks in the walls growing, chunks of masonry falling and striking her, causing sharp pain to her pampered body.

She could not hesitate any longer.

Driven by a fierce desire to survive, Alice found strength she didn’t know she had. Her pace quickened, and she even managed, instinctively, to use the floor to tear at her bonds as she wriggled along.

Bit by bit, as the decrepit building swayed and dust and bits of stone rained down, Alice moved from her corner by the wall to the doorway.

The door itself had long since been smashed to pieces in the battle between Liu Tian and the Mantis, but there were still some jagged remnants left.

“They even tied my thighs this tightly…”

Catching her breath, Alice used the splintered remains to struggle to her feet, accidentally cutting herself on the sharp edges.

At last, she had a chance. She pressed her bonds against the sharp splinters, sawing at them with all her might, even as she glanced toward the source of the deafening sounds.

“This—this is just unbelievable…”

It was a scene Alice had only ever encountered in novels. Because of the battle between two people, the entire building was trembling; in the swirling dust, figures darted across dozens of meters in a single heartbeat, no obstacle capable of impeding them in the slightest.

The figures fought from the first floor to the sixth, then back down again, leaving only ruins in their wake. The relentless crashing sounds were the building’s death knell, shaken to its core by their duel.

Clearly, if this continued, the entire structure would soon be reduced to rubble.

The spectacle was so fantastical that Alice’s mouth fell open in awe—though she did not forget to keep working at the ropes, heedless of the injuries she might sustain, redoubling her efforts.

Boom!

With another tremendous crash, a third of the far side of the building collapsed, but Alice finally managed to break free. Wasting no time, she set to untying her ankles.

Unaware that the kidnappers had already been wiped out by Liu Tian, and convinced that they might return at any moment, Alice didn’t care whether the newcomers were friend or foe. She simply bolted out of the building as fast as her long legs would carry her.

After all, with that kind of chaos, anyone who got close to the battlefield would be courting death.

Alice might be a bit rebellious, but she wasn’t reckless.

Yet her luck ran out. Whether because of age or the ongoing battle, the entire building split apart.

Cracks spiderwebbed beneath her feet, and a massive chunk of reinforced concrete loomed ever larger in her vision.

Death? Am I about to die?

That was her only thought. She didn’t know where the strength came from, but in a sudden surge, Alice leapt away from the falling slab, using the collapsing floor itself as a springboard.

But with the building collapsing, how could escape come so easily?

She dodged one block, but countless others followed. She would either make it out or be buried beneath the debris, and as the floor finally gave way and she lost her foothold, Alice could do nothing more.

“Be grateful. This is the second time I’ve saved your life.”

A cool voice sounded in her ear as Alice found herself caught in a strong, steadfast embrace. Looking up at Liu Tian’s resolute face, her heart began to race for reasons she could not understand…