Chapter 16: A trap

Chapter 16: A trap

Realizing how blunt I sounded, I quickly scrambled for an excuse. "I... I just thought that if I hit any brick walls while studying your notes, I could call and ask you for help!"

What Chloe said next nearly made me choke on my own air.

"Zach..." Chloe looked at me with a playful, amused expression. "We've been desk partners for three years. You really didn't know I already had your number?"

My jaw dropped in total embarrassment. I had been so self-conscious and insecure in the past—how could I have ever dared to check if the school beauty had my contact info?

Before I could process her words, Chloe pulled out her sleek smartphone and tapped the screen.

A second later, a loud, ridiculously catchy, and slightly embarrassing viral meme remix started blasting from my jacket pocket—a goofy synth beat that I'd set as a joke custom ringtone weeks ago.

I hurriedly fished out my phone and stared at the incoming call screen, my heart leaping into my throat.

Chloe Prescott.

I actually had the school beauty's number! This was a massive milestone!

Wait... hold on a second!

She was calling me? How on earth did she already have my personal cell number saved in her contacts?

By the time my brain finally restarted, Chloe had already passed through the security checkpoint, leaving me standing beside my scooter in absolute, bewildered delight…

After getting Chloe's phone number, I was grinning from ear to ear, unable to calm down for the rest of the afternoon. It wasn't until five-thirty that I finally managed to suppress my excitement, kicking my beat-up scooter into gear to pick up my sister from Bellevue High.

By the time I arrived, school had already let out.

However, what I never expected was to see Ethan Drake—the bully I had put in his place at noon—standing right outside the school gates again. And this time, he had Sierra cornered against a brick wall.

The teachers on duty at Bellevue High didn't bother getting involved. For one thing, the confrontation was happening just outside school grounds. For another, Ethan's family had considerable influence in the city and ties to local trouble, so the staff simply shut the main gates and pretended to be blind.

The moment I saw Sierra cornered, hot rage surged through my chest. I slammed my scooter onto its kickstand and sprinted across the street.

Sierra's eyes lit up with relief when she saw me, but a second later, panic washed over her face. "Zach! Don't come over here! It's a trap!"

It was already too late to turn back.

Having integrated fifty percent of Chloe's Aurelian Defensive Kata, my footwork felt weightless, as if I were gliding on air. My speed was far beyond what it used to be.

Ethan stood near the wall, keeping Sierra trapped. Seeing me charge in, a cold, arrogant smirk spread across his face.

Suddenly, a sharp sense of danger flared in my gut.

Before I could even register the movement, dozens of heavy metal rods came whistling through the air straight toward my face!

"Dirty bastards!" I hissed under my breath.

There was no time to hesitate. I bent both knees and dropped low, my entire body sliding across the asphalt like a gymnast execution. I covered nearly a meter in a flash, letting the shower of metal pipes slam harmlessly into the brick wall behind me.

"What the—?!" Ethan gasped, his eyes widening in complete shock.

Honestly, Ethan wasn't the only one stunned. Even I hadn't realized that combining half of Chloe's defensive kata with my heightened cognitive perception would allow my body to react so fluidly. If Chloe herself possessed the complete hundred percent mastery, just how terrifyingly fast were her reflexes?

I didn't have time to dwell on it.

The moment I popped back up, three taller, broader guys lunged at me simultaneously. Judging by their disciplined footwork and steady posture, these weren't ordinary high school delinquents—they were trained fighters.

"Ha!"

The lead attacker let out a sharp, rhythmic shout, snapping a high sidekick directly toward my collarbone.

In the past, a strike with that kind of velocity would have terrified me. But now?

I sprang upward with an explosive kip-up, twisting my upper body in midair to let the kick graze past my shoulder. Before my feet even touched the pavement, I whipped both fists down, slamming them hard into his ankle and heel with kinetic precision.

"Gah!"

The guy yanked his leg back with a sharp gasp of pain, clutching his foot as he stumbled backward.

It made sense. Modern sport striking was built mostly for point-scoring and flashy demonstrations. Against practical defensive mechanics, his high kick had left his balance wide open.

Before the others could adjust, two more attackers rushed me from both sides. But under my heightened perception, their movements felt strangely telegraphic—almost like watching a video playback in slow motion.

I leaned inside their guard, redirecting their momentum with quick palm strikes and sending them tumbling into each other with heavy thuds.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Within seconds, all three were sprawled on the pavement, groaning in pain.

I dusted off my jacket and slowly walked toward Ethan, my eyes cold.

"I already told you," I said softly, my patience completely exhausted. "If you ever come near my sister again, I won't hold back. I didn't realize your skull was this thick."

I didn't care what martial arts academy he attended or whose rich son he was. Anyone who targeted Sierra was crossing a line I wouldn't tolerate.

Ethan trembled for a split second before forcing a cruel sneer onto his face. "Brat, you got lucky at noon, and I haven't settled that score with you yet! Did you really think I came here alone?"

"Zach, watch out behind you!" Sierra screamed.

A sudden chill shot up my spine.