Chapter 34: Bad Meet
Alexandre lay there groaning on the ground for several moments that he couldn't afford to lose. The lines of this net were much heavier than the razor-thin wire had so recently sliced him to the bone like knives. Instead, these lines were heavy cords that savagely bruised huge portions of his flesh where they pressed down on him. The total effect was like being crushed under a huge boulder.
As he struggled to resist the shock of the sudden injury, Alexandre heard a strangely familiar voice from nearby.
"Do you remember me, you son of a bitch? I told you I'd find you!" It was Iwaka, the young man with one eye who Alexandre had injured the previous night. Iwaka now sauntered over to the net. He raised up his foot and slammed it down into Alexandre's back, crushing his entire left rib cage with one blow.
Alexandre screamed on the ground. Blood splattered from his mouth. Several bones had punctured his left lung... and probably other organs, as well.
The other student whom Alexandre had met at the pre-trial party, Mindaugas, suddenly stepped in and waved one arm in alarm while staring at his tablet. "Wait, Iwaka, something's wrong! The Aurora system's acting weird. Sure, I knew this guy was really tough... but the system's showing a red aura."
Iwaka paused with his foot drawn back for another kick and glared at Mindaugas. "What? A red aura? You're trying to tell me this cheating bastard's so much stronger than everyone else here that he could kill all five of us without a second thought? Sure doesn't look like it to me! He's only dangerous when he gets in a surprise attack."
Mindaugas shrugged. "Whatever, man. I'm just telling you what Aurora's saying. See for yourself if you don't believe me."
Iwaka gave a cynical smile. "Well, even if that's accurate, his aura will die down to nothing very soon."
Mindaugas looked reluctantly at the other three companions that he and Iwaka had teamed up with—setting up that massively heavy net hadn't been easy, after all. "Well," said Mindaugas, "Prepare to face the enemy. I still think he's got some tricks up his sleeve."