Chapter 21 This is a monster!

Under the shroud of nightfall, Ronald and Nade climbed in through the window, one after the other.

The little girl, nailed to the ground, watched the entire process with nothing but somewhat labored breathing; she made no other sound.

Lying there silently, it was as if no one had come at all.

She was smart, and she understood what she needed to do now.

Remaining silent was her greatest aid in escaping danger.

Even though the wound was painfully throbbing, and blood was seeping around the wooden stake that had pierced her, she still managed to endure.

Witnessing this, Ronald couldn't help but furrow his brow.

"I'll keep watch at the door."

"Nade, you help her out."

"Alright." Agreeing with Ronald's idea, Nade squatted next to the girl, placed the tools he wouldn't need between his thigh and stomach, and then put a wooden handle to the girl's mouth, "Bite down on this, it's going to hurt."

"Mm."

With a gentle nod, the girl obediently bit down on the piece of wood.

Once he confirmed that the girl was ready, Nade began to work.

Sss sss sss—

"Umm!"

Under Nade's careful control, the sound of sawing wood was relatively quiet.

And the girl cooperated to the best of her ability, trying not to make any noticeable cries for attention.

However, in the deep silence of the night, such sounds still carried.

All they could hope for was that 'Mother' was far enough away.

Hearing the two behind him working together to saw the wood, Ronald, keeping watch at the door, felt a mix of emotions.

—The all-consuming fog surrounding Black Mountain.

—The enigmatic mansion that revealed strangeness at every turn.

—The boy who faded into nothingness.

—The overwhelmingly powerful 'Mother'.

—The man who barely spoke a word of truth.

And now, this girl with a mentality far beyond her years.

Although he had a general sense of the situation, many mysteries remained unsolved, and danger lurked all around.

And to think that all of this had been triggered by a peddler wishing to sell off half a box of fruit?

"Tsk—"

With a complex expression on his face, Ronald shook his head.

What an unreasonable world.

If...

Patta—

Suddenly, a faint noise pricked his ears.

If the night weren't so oppressively still, Ronald would definitely not have noticed such a subtle sound.

And more fatally,

This sound came not from the room next to him where his companion was sawing wood, but from a distant room to the left!

Instantly judging the situation, Ronald recognized the sound of hard-soled shoes on a wooden floor.

None of those present would be stamping their foot at a time like this.

—That woman was nearby!

He spun around and decisively waved his hand at Nade, who was in mid-action, while he himself tiptoed cautiously in that direction.

Danger!

Nade, already splitting his attention, helping the girl get free from the floor while watching Ronald's movements, froze the moment he got the hint.

Woo—

Huh—hiss—

Now, in the dark room, only the girl's pained breathing and nasal groans remained.

Although she was trying her utmost to endure, the agony of having the wood tearing through her body and bones, being sawn in two, was inevitably excruciating.

"..."

In the darkness, Nade slowly retracted the saw blade stuck in the wood.

Raising his hands, he first mimed breaking the wood at the girl's shoulder, then pointed towards the window behind them.

The meaning was clear—

Thanks to their previous efforts, the wood piercing through the girl's shoulder could now be broken off directly.

Better to do it swiftly, and go for it!

Watching Nassos's actions, the girl on the ground, though drenched in sweat and agony, nodded with difficulty.

She had agreed.

Then, a pair of hands pressed against the girl's back, firmly grasping the broken wood.

As the operator himself, Nassos knew exactly how to proceed.

The next second, he exerted his strength with force!

Crack—

"Hmm?"

A crisp sound of wood breaking rang through the air, passing through the wide-open door and the silent night, clearly reaching the corridor on the second floor.

The woman searching for her husband upstairs naturally noticed the noise.

A twisted smile slowly formed at the corners of her mouth, smeared with sporadic drops of blood.

"My dear child, what are you up to?"

Boom, boom, boom—

She didn't plan on coming through the corridor at all!

The next second after hearing the noise, this woman, whose sanity was rapidly evaporating, slammed her head against the wall beside her.

Wood shavings and dust scattered chaotically; the fragile walls could not withstand the woman's violent strength!

She smashed through three rooms in less time than it took to breathe.

She had made it to the room where Ronald and the other two were!

Immediately upon arriving, the woman took in the scene before her.

On the still-wet, bloodstained floor, her daughter had vanished.

And at the edge of the open window, two unfamiliar men were preparing to climb down.

Amidst the swirling sawdust in the dark room,

Four eyes met at that moment!

No need to think—

A foot crushed the broken door plank on the ground.

The woman's smile disappeared instantly as she charged at the two men with a punch!

"Jump!"

On the other side, Ronald and his companion by the window also noticed the woman's arrival.

They didn't really have a choice.

Such a violent entry was obvious to anyone.

What followed was the woman charging at them like a rampaging elephant.

Anyone hit by that punch would undoubtedly lose their life to her terrifying power!

Bang, bang, bang—

At the critical moment,

Ronald heard three explosive sounds by his ear.

Facing the unstoppable charge of the woman, Nassos turned and leaped onto Ronald, rushing out the window with him. At the same time, a revolver, prepared in advance, was pulled from his chest. Turning his back to the enemy in mid-air, Nassos pulled the trigger three times in succession!

Gun—gun—shots—hit—!

Unbelievably precise!

In the blink of an eye,

Three bullets pierced directly through the woman's head!

The next second, Ronald and Nassos slammed hard onto the ground.

Amid the powerful impact, Ronald could even feel the right angle below the other's pubic symphysis.

Then, an even more shocking scene reflected in their eyes.

The woman they had jumped away from was still standing steadily at the window edge!

Blood poured from three wounds on her face as if it cost her nothing, but she herself seemed utterly unaffected.

At that moment, Ronald realized something very directly.

—This was a genuine monster!

Crack.

The next second, the sound of breaking wood and glass filled the air.

The 'woman' had torn the window apart with her bare hands.

Grabbing hold of the sharp shards on both sides, she aimed at the girl on the ground and the two Ronalds laying on top of one another.

Then she threw them fiercely!

"Fuck!"

Ignoring the agonizing tearing pain in his waist,

The moment Ronald saw the 'woman's' action, he knew her intention.

Summoning the strength he used for grabbing discounted chips at the supermarket on a weekend, he hugged Nassos and rolled on the ground.

Then, the two of them disappeared into the greenery of the garden.