Chapter 12: Desert Eagle Pistol

Chapter 12: Desert Eagle Pistol

A suffocating pressure surged through her neck, as if it were about to be crushed. The overwhelming force was merciless, and she could even feel a sharp pain spreading from her throat. Gazing around, she could only see the dark room illuminated by moonlight. She hadn't turned on the lights, not wanting to draw attention, but now, standing before her, a towering figure loomed over her, looking down with a cold, piercing gaze through the mask.

Hinata Hyuga could sense the rage in those icy eyes. She imagined that the person's face must be contorted with fury at this very moment. She tried to struggle, just a little, but quickly realized she had no chance. There was no way to escape from the iron grip that held her.

"This thing is truly fascinating," Orochimaru muttered quietly, his eyes filled with curiosity as he glanced at the Desert Eagle pistol in Hinata's hand. He reached out and deftly took the gun from her, examining it closely.

Hinata could feel her strength draining away, weakness creeping in as her energy slowly faded. She no longer had the strength to pull the trigger, nor to alert the rest of the Hyuga clan. Answering Orochimaru's question was out of the question.

Her mouth gaped open as she tried desperately to breathe. The suffocation from the lack of oxygen made her vision blur, and a wave of nausea churned in her stomach.

"Not bad, not bad at all. Where did you get this?" Orochimaru's eyes widened as he scrutinized the gun. The craftsmanship was far superior to anything he had encountered in his lifetime.

Despite all his research, nothing he had studied could compare to this exquisite little device. And just moments ago, when she pointed it at him, he even felt a rare shiver down his spine—its power was truly remarkable! Such precision in design, such a perfect combination of function and form. This thing was truly extraordinary.

"Well, I can't just kill you off like this. The disappearance of the Hyuga clan's eldest daughter… One or two days missing shouldn't be an issue. Now, I'll just have to trouble you to come with me." Orochimaru smiled knowingly.

After a brief consideration, he hoisted the unconscious Hinata, who had fainted from suffocation, and leaped out the window. Under the cover of night, with a gentle evening breeze blowing, Orochimaru carried her away from the Hyuga estate.

Originally, he had come to assassinate someone named Hyuga zong. But after encountering Hinata, Orochimaru completely forgot about that mission. It didn't matter anymore. What mattered now was that he had found something of great interest—this little device in her hand. He was certain that if he could decipher it, his research would progress to the next level!

Despite all his knowledge and experience, he had never come across anything like this. He could understand bits and pieces, but much of it still remained a mystery. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.

And so, carried by the evening breeze, he disappeared into the night.

In the dim light of the laboratory, the green liquid in the nutrient tank bubbled. The air was thick with the acrid smell of chemicals.

Hinata felt as though she were lying on a soft couch. When she opened her eyes, she saw an unfamiliar face. Long hair, pale and delicate skin, fine and elegant features—she appeared to be a quiet girl. But those brown, snake-like eyes made her feel an unsettling chill. Otherwise, she would have seemed quite normal.

Yet there was a sense of familiarity about her.

"Awake? Good. I have something to ask you."

Orochimaru smiled as he turned around, retrieving a steel tray from the nearby table and walking over to her.

"Click."

He set the tray down casually, his face stiff with a forced smile as he looked at Hinata. "Alright, let's talk."

"About what?" Hinata tilted her head, feigning confusion as she looked at Orochimaru, though she felt extremely uneasy inside. Now she was certain—this man was indeed Orochimaru!

But how was she supposed to explain this device to him? Should she start with quantum mechanics and molecular restructuring?

"No rush, we have plenty of time." Orochimaru nodded knowingly, turning back to rummage through the drawers as if searching for something.

Seeing this, Hinata seized the opportunity to leave, disregarding her gun for now.

"Oh, by the way, turn left to exit." Orochimaru said casually without turning around.

Hinata froze for a moment, but without hesitation, she stood up to leave.

Was he really that generous? Fine, I won't hold back then! she thought to herself.

"Oh, and I've placed a curse mark on you. If you don't come find me in seven days, you'll die," Orochimaru added nonchalantly, still digging through the drawers.

Hearing this, Hinata's body stiffened, and she halted mid-step.

This guy… He's really vicious! But is it true?

Hinata didn't panic. She simply muttered in her mind, "Health check."

"Command received. Scanning in progress."

The terminal responded immediately, initiating the scan.

"S-class curse mark detected. Beginning calculations. Warning! Low power detected, entering power-saving mode. Calculation terminated."

The information flashing before her eyes made Hinata's heart sink.

As expected, he had done something to her!

Damn it! The terminal was down to less than ten percent battery, forcing it into power-saving mode. Continuing the calculations was possible, but doing so would mean using up all remaining power. Without power, restarting the terminal would take a long time. And without the terminal's synthesis function, her future prospects would be bleak.

Moreover, even if she removed the S-class curse mark, Orochimaru would just come after her again. If he could abduct her from the Hyuga estate tonight, he could do it again tomorrow, or the day after.

Even if she removed the S-class curse, there were still A-class and B-class ones to worry about.

So, there was little point in removing it now.

"How boring. You're no fun at all."

After considering all this, Hinata raised an eyebrow and, with a complex expression on her face, walked back and sat down on the couch.

Her eyes roamed around, and soon she noticed the gun parts on the tray. She picked them up and began assembling the gun with practiced skill: the barrel, the slide, the frame, and the magazine.

In her previous life, firearms knowledge was second nature to her. After all, as a modern person who frequently encountered such things, learning about them wasn't difficult. And Orochimaru's dismantling skills weren't bad either—he had almost perfectly preserved every part, leaving the gun undamaged.

"Click!"

Hinata worked quickly, and before long, the gun was fully assembled, with the bullets loaded into the magazine. She racked the slide, chambering a round, and disengaged the safety.

Raising the gun, she aimed it casually for a moment before finally pointing it at Orochimaru, who still had his back turned, busy with his mysterious search.