Other students on the balcony started to scramble away from the imminent danger, henceforth aiding me in my getaway. If they had any self-preservation, they’d sit still. Or maybe not. Guilt by association was a thing. I honestly didn’t spare them much thought, just like I hadn’t even considered the lives these bodyguards – which they would likely be forfeiting due to their failure to intercept my projectile.

In all honesty, it would even be a deserved punishment. They should have stopped the unknown object. It was slow. It might have been a grenade. It could have been something toxic. In any case, I hoped the arrogant git would recklessly squander the advantages he’d been given. The fewer capable arms this twat had, the better were my chances of survival.

Jumping down the stairs, I dashed around the tables and benches.

Scion’s low rasp commanded someone from the crowd of witless gawkers to get him clean. A quick glance over my shoulder revealed the spectator chose an unconventional way to go about it.

Darn aristocrats and their free-spirited debauchery. He was effortlessly thwarting yet another of my inappropriate larks. I should have launched a stone. That at least would have left a lasting reminder.

Concentrate on bigger problems.

Two juggernauts were gaining on me, even after clambering up and down the stairs. Kalantan army was no joke. They didn’t even bother shooting at me! That probably would still count for a blatant murder, I suppose. Hard to claim self-defence against a runner. Perhaps they needed a specific kill order? Or maybe the command was to catch me alive? I’d rather not.

The pace was about to induce a cardiac arrest. However, my exhausted brain suggested a way out of this mess and steered the legs towards my old dorm. Such daring idea – to use this threat to fend off the other. After all, I doubted small-time thugs would bother jostling a professional army just for me.

There actually were no alternatives anyhow. The only chance I had of losing my pursuit was darting into any building and hoping for a miracle.

“L-last… t-time… I… D-do… some… t-thing t-this… st-tupid,” I muttered slipping indoors. This just wasn’t healthy. I needed to either drastically improve my speed or remain in the shadows. Latter was preferable by far.

Barely avoiding an outstretched armoured glove, I slammed the main entrance closed and flew upstairs. This bought me exactly three seconds. Just enough time to disappear into my former room.

Exactly as I’d guessed, hinges of public property were no match to men forged in fire. They chewed through the meaningless barricade like it was a kiddy fence.

However, I had already disappeared into my former room before they reached the corridor of myriad doors.

Finally. A true chance to breathe. I bent over, labouring to catch air. This was far from over but I needed those extra seconds. My sight was getting spotty and legs were shaking.

The ears were working fine, however. The heavy boots had correctly guessed the floor and were still hot on my trail. Did they too have enhanced hearing? Particular devices? Or maybe my fingers have dripped breadcrumbs at an inopportune turn.

Doors have begun flying off their hinges one after the other. Being close to the stairs has suddenly turned into an unexpected peril.

I began frantically gathering up items. Normally, I would have just grabbed a packed-up emergency sachet and vaulted out the window, but trespassers have scattered the contents all over. What were they even hoping to find? I wouldn’t keep anything of importance in plain sight. Still, that hinted this was about something I possessed and the information was the only thing that fit. They could have just bought it, the bastards.

I shoved Marta aside to step onto the bed and scoop up a hidden camera off the lamp. Marta! That’s her name. Strange hiccup. I was normally so good with names. Much better than faces, in any case.

My feet touched the pavement just as the door to my room exploded. Heard nothing but the stunned silence as I jogged off. Didn’t think a dead body would surprise the worn-and-torn veterans, but their grotesque finding will surely raise iffy questions. Especially with all the outraged commotion right behind them.

I felt an urge to cackle madly. I would absolutely love for Kalantans to take the blame for yet another corpse, but then their boss would get serious about smoking me out.

Even now, determined pursuers jumped out the window – as gracefully as their bodysuits permitted – in an attempt to resume the chase. However, both ended up limping and I lost interest immediately after confirming their new status. Just two dead men. If not for the previously incurred offence, they’ll surely get shot like lame horses now.

Snuck back into the laundry and pulled out Raktkalis’s phone from the vent. After finding sufficiently private nook, checked the recordings of a ceiling camera. Whatever the thugs used to block the local cameras thankfully did not affect this device. I hadn’t even considered the possibility before, but that would have irredeemably muddled the waters.

In any case, I was glad to note it wasn’t a field of disturbance, even if a little disappointed too. I could have used both – that ground-breaking technology and the information about it. And most importantly, not just me.

Which left me with the obvious explanation. They had collaborators within the security. Sure, it could have been a hack like my own, but even I merely intercepted and watched. Somebody deleted and masked very precise clips. That takes aptitude (monetary background) and administrative access (connections). Whoever was erasing the evidence, must have found my rerouted skimming and have witnessed me setting it up in the backlog of recordings.

Unbeknownst to me I must have caught some very rich people compromising themselves.

Raktkalis? However, he went straight to the mother lode and didn’t even seem to know what for.

My mind drifted off on a tangent and I absently browsed the cache of digital documents I had copied over from his account. Immediately, discrepancies stood out. He had a lot of attendants on paper. I’ve seen just six, only five of whom were still living. How… peculiar. Somebody might certainly be interested in this, but that’s not something I’ve gotten from tapping into the camera network.

I browsed dossiers of Kalantan muscle. None of the faces stuck out as familiar. Plenty of ugly, battle-scarred physiognomies though. The common thugs had nothing on these fellows. It was somebody else. I had half of mind to find and go through everyone’s accompanying personnel, but faces were not my strong suit on the best of days.

Sighing, I cracked the sleek device open to reconnect the wires for networking. Instead of finding myself logged out and needing to borrow a brand new profile, I was faced with an open invitation to do my worst. Again. How tempting.

The unsightly image sadly has been taken down.

At the same time, I found a personalised threat too. Freshly posted not a minute ago, from a spare phone undoubtedly lugged by an attendant some ways off.

“Did I stutter?” he wrote a single message in his otherwise empty profile.

How very foul. Insulting. Personal. He knew. He’s found out. And the bastard struck where it hurt most. Again. I was strongly inclined to simply turn off the phone and let him get submerged in that pool of festering bodies. The lordling wouldn’t drown, but surely would suffer some repercussions. He’d deserve it.

Problem was, Raktkalis will drag me down alongside and I wouldn’t ever resurface. I needed him to fix this. To bypass whoever that’s been doctoring the other files.

“F-fuck you, f-fuck-k you,” I muttered whilst uploading the clip of the average blokes in casual clothes unzipping the travel bag and hoisting dead girl onto the messed up bedding.

“Ch-choke on t-this,” I posted the video as a fresh comment. Immediate watches. Busybodies were eagerly circling overhead, waiting for juicy carrion.

Taking care of the henchmen would not stop their master. However, this lesser house will have their hands full dealing with Raktkalis and the uncorrupted part of security for a little while. I could offer to sell whatever it was they wanted. Price of course being the safe passage out. However, take me out is exactly what they’d do. Bad plan.

For now I should finally simply rest. Important people would be busy for next few days and perhaps tempers would cool by then. After all, the elites were so fickle and got bored easily.