Chapter Seventeen: Perilous Escape

In front of Warehouse No. 2 at the large German military base.

Nearly a hundred German soldiers, armed with finely made German rifles and grim expressions, gathered in the open space before the warehouse doors. The commotion was attracting even more patrolling soldiers to the scene.

“We’re unable to make contact with Officer Leo. Repeating, the radio cannot reach Officer Leo.”

“Sir, should we force our way into the warehouse to search?”

“Of course! There may only be one intruder, and this is our territory—there’s no reason to fear him. But be careful: the warehouse is full of highly flammable munitions. No accidental discharges! If you see the enemy, subdue him with bayonets first.”

The officer in charge of base patrols finished speaking and gestured for the two soldiers closest to the warehouse door to open it.

The warehouse doors creaked open under the soldiers’ hands, revealing pitch darkness within. Several patrol squads swiftly entered, weapons at the ready, beams from their helmet lamps cutting into the gloom, sweeping left, right, up, and down.

Footsteps echoed above—rapid, dense. Kyle knew the enemy soldiers had broken into the armory, just as he drew the last energy cube from the crate and transformed it into a card.

A full twenty-five energy cubes—twenty-five blue item cards—were now in his possession.

“Well then, time to break out,” Kyle murmured unhurriedly, glancing at the pile of mangled flesh that had once been the enemy commander. He returned the panting, tongue-lolling attack dog beside him to card form.

The coming scene wouldn’t suit the dog’s involvement.

Most creature cards could be reused, except for special ones like the venomous hornet’s nest. This greatly enhanced the value of creature cards.

“I wonder what creature cards of green rarity or higher would be like. Could I draw monsters from other worlds—King Kong, or Godzilla perhaps?”

This amusing thought flickered through Kyle’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it, leaving the basement to begin his escape. Little did he know that in the near future, this fanciful idea would become reality.

By now, a large number of German soldiers had swept the upper levels of Warehouse No. 2 and were turning their attention to the basement entrance.

“Toss a smoke grenade in.”

One soldier readied a smoke grenade in his hand while another placed his hand on the hidden door to the basement.

Just as they opened it, intending to throw the grenade down, a cloud of black mist surged out from below, causing the primed smoke grenade to fall uselessly at the threshold.

Coughing, one of the German soldiers turned his light toward the black mist, only for the patrol squad to recoil in horror as they recognized what confronted them. Their faces went pale, and a chill ran down every spine.

It wasn’t mist at all—it was hundreds of dark brown hornets, each one nearly half again the size of a marble, swarming together in a dense, writhing mass.

“Hornets! There are venomous hornets in there!”

“My God! Run! Get out of here!”

The German soldiers inside the warehouse bolted in terror, hoping desperately not to provoke the swarm. But once the venomous hornets emerged from the basement, they attacked with clear purpose and organization, darting at the unprotected faces of the soldiers.

In a matter of moments, dozens of men broke in panic for the exits. Many, stung by the hornets, collapsed in agony, clutching their faces and writhing on the floor.

Kyle emerged from the basement in the wake of the swarm, surprised even himself by the chaos. He whispered to himself, “Just a single green rare creature card—this is truly formidable.”

“But the time for the mission assault is up; I don’t have time to play. I need to get out of here.”

Ignoring the German soldiers, Kyle gripped his Nepalese kukri and slipped into the shadows, vanishing from sight.

Stealth mode activated.

In his Nightstalker state, Kyle took advantage of the chaos inside and outside the warehouse, slipping nimbly between hornets and soldiers, making his way back toward the military vehicle parking area.

Because the commotion at Warehouse No. 2 was drawing all attention to the base’s heart, there were few patrols left in the outer parking lot.

Kyle advanced unhindered, moving quickly and quietly, and soon returned to the military vehicle he’d taken from the enemy. Opening the rear iron door, he found only six corpses inside. He leapt into the cargo hold and, upon spotting the girl sleeping in the wooden crate, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Wake up. Hurry, I’m getting you out of here!” Kyle reached to shake her, but the girl’s frail body only collapsed limply.

Dead?

Kyle pressed his fingers to her nostrils; there was still the faintest breath, proof she was alive, simply unconscious from exhaustion.

But taking an unconscious, wounded person along would double the danger.

Kyle hesitated only a moment before gritting his teeth. “You’re lucky you ran into me. I said I’d get you out, so—”

He hoisted the girl onto his back, securing her with rope he found nearby. Her body was so soft and light, it was like carrying a bundle of the finest cotton.

“This weighs less than a backpack.”

He joked as he turned to leave the blood-soaked cargo hold. But just as he reached the edge, he swiftly retreated and slammed the iron door shut behind him.

A hail of bullets tore into the metal a moment later.

Pressing himself flat against the steel wall, Kyle frowned. Outside, three or four patrol squads were waiting—no wonder, given German combat discipline.

“I can’t let myself be trapped here!” With lightning speed, he grabbed one of the corpses, booted the iron door half-open, and hurled the body outside.

The Germans, mistaking the corpse for an escaping enemy, unleashed a torrent of gunfire, shredding the body in midair.

That was only the beginning.

He quickly threw a second corpse, drawing another hail of bullets.

Without giving them time to reload, he sent out a third body. This time, the gunfire was noticeably weaker, and as the corpse hit the ground, a shadow burst from behind it in the opposite direction—a sudden dash for freedom.

It was Kyle.

He had used the first two corpses to drain the enemy’s ammunition, and the third as a shield and a distraction, seizing the brief opportunity while the Germans changed magazines to make his escape.