Chapter 150: Seconds before death.

Bianca had picked interest in the two men on a bike that were riding towards her direction. First, it was because they were wandering aimlessly in the middle of a barren no-man’s-land like lost puppies. Second, her binoculars_ equipped with an echo function because they were Somnivore tech_ could isolate sound waves and magnify voices from miles away. She could hear their conversation quite clearly.

"_I’m telling you, man, we are going to be in deep trouble with Hunter. I have like sixteen missed calls on my link band. They must have been looking for us all this while." A younger, anxious voice whimpered.

The giant driving the motorcycle grunted, the engine rumbling like a low-level beast. "Hunter? Forget Hunter! I’m more afraid of the Divine Maiden. If she finds out we sneaked into the wild lands without notifying her, she’ll kick us out of the shelter! So, I hope she is not aware just yet."

Up on her tree branch, Bianca blinked in absolute confusion. Hunter? The Divine Maiden? How in the world are those two linked? Hunter would never be involved with Trinity. He had an intense dislike of all things Soul maiden.

And what were these two doing out in the wild lands anyway? It couldn’t be anything good, especially if it involved Trinity.

She was on the run and having Hunter as a companion would be a huge bonus for survival. But not if Trinity was involved. All Bianca wanted was to find a place to lay low for a while. Now that these men were here, and discussing Hunter, she was sure there was something to be found here. A shelter nobody knew about.

Then, a faint shimmer on the dirt caught her eye. A big, stealthy transport beast was creeping up behind the duo, its scales blending seamlessly into the dark. It leapt silently, landing just a few yards away from where the two men had stopped. For some reason, they had stopped to wave like idiots!

"Now is definitely not the time to rest, fellas," Bianca muttered under her breath. "Show me the entrance to that shelter you were discussing."

She reached into her pocket and retrieved a small round bead. She always carried a few of those around to hit people unsuspectingly when needed. Bianca measured her target and threw out one. It hit the younger guy, right on the shoulder.

"What the_ " Daniel brushed it off, looking around briefly like a nervous squirrel.

Both men fell silent, their faces growing pale. They were already sweating bullets, sensing in their gut that they were in deep trouble with the big bosses inside.

Big Vince sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. "Forget it, Daniel. Let’s just accept whatever punishment is coming our way and repent. Maybe they’ll go easy on us."

Bianca nearly fell off her branch. "What are they commiserating about?! Look behind you!"

They had no idea that the leader of a local bandit squad was creeping up right behind them, holding a gun, with his lizard beast ready to pounce.

"Dammit," Bianca cursed. She needed these two alive to lead her straight to Hunter, but the men’s intuitive senses were completely useless! She threw another bead, chucking it hard at Vince’s head.

Vince turned just in time to see the bandit leader approaching.

Seeing he had been spotted, the bandit leader raised his weapon and fired. Two bullets tore straight into Vince’s stomach. Luckily, the rusty gun jammed with a metallic click right after.

"Vince!" Daniel roared. Taking the chance, he lunged forward to fight the bandit leader, but the flying-lizard struck like lightning_ its big claws dug deep into Daniel’s neck, blood spurting everywhere.

Even with two holes in his stomach, Big Vince growled, grabbing the lizard’s thick tail with both hands. He anchored his legs into the dirt, locking the beast in place to restrict its movements. "Get off_ him!"

Zyra and the rest were watching in the security room.

"I thought you said Vince could handle a lone bandit!" Zyra barked, glaring at the glowing monitoring screens.

"He was supposed to," Hunter said casually, leaning against the central pillar beside Achilles. "He got shot first."

"Idiots! They’re both going to die!" Zyra gripped the back of her knife, her chest heaving with panic and anger. "I’m going out there!"

"Zyra, wait," Achilles warned.

"I am angry but I can’t just let them die!" she yelled, her voice thick with emotion. "If they die out there, what about their wailing beasts back in the beast pavilion, huh? Without their masters, those beasts will go feral."

[Exactly host.] Beauty said with a sad face. [You are saving the beasts not them.]

"Beauty! Open the back gate right now_"

"Hold on," Hunter interrupted, pointing a calm finger at the main screen. "Look. Bianca is moving."

Like a hawk swooping down from the clouds, Bianca dropped from the tree branch with flawless commando precision. She landed squarely on the flying-lizard’s back, using her weight to pin it down. Before the monster could lash out, she drew a modified shock-taser from her belt and slammed the lightning-charged prongs directly into the soft flesh behind its ears.

Blue lightning crackled across the beast’s hide. The lizard let out a muffled scream, its muscles locking up instantly as its quick movements slowed to a crawl.

Without breaking stride, Bianca somersaulted off the beast’s neck, her boots sprinting across its spine like a blur of wind.

The bandit leader had just raised a jagged rock with sharp edges, aiming to crush Daniel’s head.

"Now would be your time to escape moron." Bianca yelled.

She launched into the air, wrapped her thighs tightly around the bandit leader’s neck in mid-flight, and delivered a violent, full-body twist.

The bandit leader’s neck snapped like a dry twig. His eyes rolled back, and his lifeless body hit the dirt like a sack of rocks.

Zyra gaped at the monitor, her mouth hanging open so wide her knife almost slipped from her grip.

"What_ what is she?" Zyra breathed out, stunned by the sheer speed and killer efficiency. "Is she even human?" Bianca was everything in a fight, that she wanted to be. Quick, ruthless and efficient.

Achilles gave an approving chuckle, while Hunter simply smirked, a sharp glint in his eyes.

"Told you not to panic," Hunter said softly. He knew Bianca would step in, because she was a soldier. But even he was surprised by her speed. She was practically running as if she was flying through the air now! Who had trained her? He frowned, thinking that it better not be his mother.