Chapter 115: The Ross Siblings, The Outsider Conjecture

Chapter 115: Chapter 115: The Ross Siblings, The Outsider Conjecture

Cole Ross’s expression was grave.

Like a Hunter in the jungle, her gaze swept vigilantly over her surroundings.

She gripped a brightly polished Crossbow, a Crossbow Arrow ready to be fired at a moment’s notice.

Her younger brother, Shane Ross, was just as tense beside her, reacting swiftly to the slightest rustle while clutching a massive, mirror-like Shield.

"Cole, what do you think happened last night?"

Shane Ross lowered his voice, unable to hide the unease in his tone.

"There were explosions and strange cries outside the safe zone. It was so loud... Could it be... could another Shelter have been discovered and overrun by those damned petrification monsters?"

Cole Ross’s brow furrowed even deeper. She was just as worried, but as the older sister, she had to remain calm.

"I don’t know. But don’t get distracted. Have you forgotten our mission for today? We’re checking the perimeter of the Shelter for safety, making sure no monsters have gotten close and that there are no new threats. Anything else is not our concern right now."

Shane Ross sighed, suppressing his curiosity and fear. He mumbled under his breath, "Sigh... When will we ever be able to move around freely outside like before the apocalypse, instead of hiding all day..."

When the Petrification Apocalypse began, he was just a child. All his childhood memories were of running and loss.

His parents had struggled to keep him and his sister alive, eventually finding refuge in their current Shelter.

But a few years ago, while out on a supply run, his parents had the misfortune of encountering a horde of petrification monsters and were both turned into cold, stone statues.

Since then, he and his sister only had each other to rely on for survival.

"COO-COO—COO-COO—"

Suddenly, a cry came from overhead.

Without a second thought, acting on pure instinct, Cole Ross snapped her Crossbow up, the tip of the arrow aimed precisely at the source of the sound!

She held her breath and focused, observing carefully. She saw it was only a few ordinary gray pigeons that had landed on a nearby dilapidated windowsill, tilting their heads as they watched them.

"Phew..." Cole Ross let out a small sigh of relief and slowly lowered her Crossbow.

In this environment, any unusual sound was enough to put her on high alert.

However, just as she let her guard down, Shane Ross suddenly tugged at the corner of her shirt, his voice trembling with excitement. "Cole! Look over there! Wh-what is that?!"

Cole Ross’s heart clenched. She immediately looked in the direction her brother was pointing, using the dense bushes to hide herself.

In a clearing not far away, an unbelievable scene was unfolding before their eyes.

Two people, one controlling Flame and the other controlling gale-force winds, were working together to eliminate the petrification monsters that were so terrifying in their eyes.

Shane Ross was stunned speechless, his jaw hanging open. His voice trembled with disbelief.

"C-Cole... How... how are they doing that? Do they have superpowers?! Aren’t they afraid of Petrification?!"

Cole Ross also felt her worldview being shattered like never before.

She gripped her Crossbow so tightly her knuckles turned white.

After years of struggling to survive in this hopeless apocalypse, she had seen too much death and Petrification. She had long grown accustomed to humanity’s fragility and powerlessness against the monsters.

But these two people... The Power they displayed completely overturned her understanding of the world!

’Who are they?’

’Where did they come from?’

’Why do they possess such incredible Power?’

’Are they... friend or foe?’

Countless questions instantly flooded her mind.

However, the incredible scene she had just witnessed suddenly reminded her of a theory and a lesson from one of the teachers in the Shelter.

"Those petrification monsters... perhaps they aren’t native to our world... They might... come from another world we can’t comprehend..."

No one took it seriously at first. But after years of research and analysis of the petrification monsters, the theory was slowly being proven true.

But now, Cole Ross again carefully observed the two people who were effortlessly dispatching the petrification monsters.

Their fighting style, their aura so completely different from people who had lived their whole lives in the oppressive environment of a Shelter... everything about them seemed so out of place.

’Perhaps they really are outsiders.’

Shane Ross, beside her, had clearly thought of the same thing. He grabbed his sister’s arm, his voice trembling with a mix of excitement and fear. "Cole! Could they... could they be like the teacher said? Beings from another world, just like the petrification monsters?!"

The thought made Cole Ross’s heart pound wildly.

’If that’s true, what does it mean? A new disaster, or... a turning point?’

"Maybe..." Cole Ross’s voice was hoarse. "Whatever they are, this information is too important! We have to report back immediately!"

She made a snap decision and prepared to carefully retreat the way they came, to get away from this volatile area.

However, Shane Ross had only taken two steps back when his back bumped into something soft and springy, blocking his retreat.

"Huh?" Shane Ross was completely bewildered. He subconsciously turned to see what was blocking his path.

As he turned, he came face-to-face with the inside of a giant flower bud, inches away, lined with spiraling, sharp teeth!

Deep within the bud, he could even see a viscous liquid that gave off a strange, sweet scent!

Shane Ross: "!!!"

Utter terror flooded his mind.

Shane Ross hadn’t been baptized by the horrors of scary movies, so a terrifying flower like Flora still scared him witless.

He opened his mouth, about to let out a bloodcurdling scream—

SWISH!

A flexible vine shot out like a green whip, instantly wrapping around and tightly gagging his mouth.

It stifled his scream, leaving him able to make only muffled "mmph" sounds.

Flora swayed its giant bud, seemingly a little shaken. "You scared poor Flora to death! He almost screamed! Master said we have to be quiet!"

Cole Ross, who had been observing the distant battle, heard the faint commotion behind her. She whipped her head around to see her brother being restrained by a terrifying plant she had never seen before, one with a gaping maw and Sharp Teeth!

The bizarre creature, so far beyond her comprehension, made Cole Ross’s body tremble violently with fear. Almost as a reflex, she raised her Crossbow, aimed at the monstrous flower, and put her finger on the trigger!

"I’d advise you not to make any sudden moves."

A clear female voice, laced with an authority that couldn’t be questioned, came from the shadows behind the monstrous flower.

Cole Ross’s pupils contracted as she saw a black-haired young woman slowly step out.

Seraphina Sullivan glanced at the two other Players in the distance, who were still focused on clearing out The Silenti, then made a "shushing" gesture at Cole Ross.

"Be quiet, or you’ll attract The Silenti!"

She didn’t want the siblings’ agitation to attract any unnecessary trouble.