Chapter 32: Another Ambush

The room was dominated by a large stained-glass window that extended from floor to ceiling. The setting sun's rays ** through it, refracting and filling the space with an eerie brightness.

What surprised Anran the most were the six adult men in casual clothes inside the room. They were clearly past student age. Two of them sat on the wooden floor—one with his eyes tightly shut, his expression unreadable, a mix of pleasure and pain; the other breathing heavily, a syringe clutched in his right hand.

But it was the four standing men who truly shocked Anran. As soon as she pushed the door open, she saw them—four men with red eyes—staggering toward the entrance.

The sight instantly reminded her of the boy she had encountered after school that day and the security guard's warning.

These men, dressed casually and around twenty years old, were clearly trespassing on campus. Their appearance resembled that of aimless, idle troublemakers. Could they be the ones who had brought the mysterious, rage-inducing drug into the school? Was this old building their secret meeting place?

Anran didn't have time to think further. The red-eyed men moved unsteadily but incredibly fast.

Just as Anran sensed danger, one of them charged at her without warning, throwing a punch in her direction!

"Wait—wait a second!" Anran shouted, dodging to the side.

Damn it! The punch narrowly missed her face, the force of the wind brushing past her cheek painfully. It was clear these men weren't interested in talking.

Before Anran could process what was happening, another man lunged at her, his face twisted with aggression. Anran ducked under his arm, narrowly avoiding his attack. The man's fist missed its target and slammed into the wooden floor with a loud crack, splitting the boards.

Anran now knew for sure she'd been lured into a trap. There was nowhere to hide in this vast room, and Zhang Ning definitely wasn't here. Whoever had led her here must have known about these men and their strange injections, intending to use them to teach her a lesson. But who could it be?

There was no time to ponder. While dodging the first punch, Anran had moved further into the room. Two of the men now blocked the door, while the other two inside glared at her with bloodshot eyes, launching kicks her way.

Anran dodged and swung the wooden stick she had picked up earlier. She remembered how she'd dealt with the red-eyed boy that day—he had attacked her mindlessly, mumbling incoherently.

But these men were different. They were more agile and far stronger. One missed kick landed hard on the floor, smashing through the aged wooden boards. The man's foot got stuck in the hole, leaving him momentarily unbalanced.

The sheer force of the kick startled Anran. Seeing the man momentarily trapped, she swung the stick at his back.

But instead of the expected cry of pain, the stick snapped in two with a loud crack, one half clattering to the floor.

Anran was stunned. The stick was far too flimsy!

Before she could react, another kick came whistling toward her. Anran ducked, moving behind one of the men, and delivered a sharp chop to the back of his neck. She knew exactly how much force was needed to knock someone unconscious. However, the man didn't collapse as she'd hoped. Instead, he let out a furious roar.

"Grrr—"

The man turned around, baring his teeth, and lunged at Anran's neck!