I Will Hold Your Hand Gently

Chapter 25: Puncture Lung Is No Joke

"Did they get the note?" Tanya asked.

Hunter's eyes glow as a reflection of using his psychic power. He watches the paper plane land on the floor of the jail cell. The lady in the cell picked up the paper plane and read it. He saw her eyeing the contents of the letter suspiciously before glancing back at the little girl lying asleep in her lap. Hunter's psychic sight didn't miss a beat as he witnessed the unfolding event. The calculated and the strategic use of bribes to lower his guard, and the swift, decisive strike that rendered him incapacitated. Hunter was impressed by this woman who wasn't an Esper, using her wits to get out of that situation. Yet, as she approached the hallway's end, leading into the lobby, a chill gripped Hunter's body, freezing him in place.

Recognition stabbed at Hunter like a knife twisted in old wounds as he saw a familiar face in the lobby. Among the two figures conversing with the guard, he discerned the unmistakable form of Helen—a former colleague who had not only betrayed him but had helped orchestrate the framing of him with the blood of a noble.

His hands clenched tightly around the wheelchair's handles, knuckles white with suppressed fury. Helen's betrayal cut deeper because she had been the one he trusted the most, confiding in her about his little sister. He had harbored doubts, praying that his colleagues wouldn't target his vulnerable sibling, but his hopes had been shattered.

Beside him, Tanya sensed the tremor coursing through Hunter's body from his grip on the wheelchair. Her touch on his shoulder was gentle but laden with concern. 

"Hunter...?" she murmured, her voice a soothing anchor in the tempest of his emotions

Hunter suppressed his emotions, knowing now was not the to get taken over by his emotions. The woman who had taken it upon herself to protect his little sister was in danger. Turning to Tanya, he recounted everything he had witnessed and outlined their next course of action. Speeding Hunter to the rear of the station with urgency, they raced towards the back entrance. Along the way, they stumbled upon the lifeless bodies of the stationed guards, sprawled unnaturally in pools of their blood. These were the guards who were left behind to guard the police station.

Tanya's hand trembled involuntarily at the gruesome sight of bloodied bodies before them. Hunter sensed her rising anxiety and reached out, intertwining his fingers with hers to offer her reassurance. His touch brought a comforting warmth that gradually eased the tension in her frosty fingers. With a steadying breath, Tanya gathered her resolve and continued towards the back entrance, propelled by determination despite the horrific scene they had just witnessed.

As they approached the back entrance, a sudden, jarring smack reverberated through the surrounding walls. Racing forward, they found the woman who had been protecting Hunter's sister now sprawled on the ground, desperately trying to crawl away from her assailant—Helen.

Helen creates a stone blade out of thin air and points it at the woman, "I'll just stab you multiple times. That will be your atonement for touching me."

Hunter's eyes blazed with a fierce intensity, his psychic powers surging into action. With a focused effort, he unleashed his abilities, sending a powerful force that hurled Helen away from the woman, crashing into the nearby debris with a resounding impact. He wasn't going to allow the person who saved his sister to die in front of him.

"Not before I kill you, Helen," Hunter's voice cut through the air with a stern and icy tone.

******

Who is that?

As I tried to move to get a better view of the person who saved me just now, my broken rib rubbed the inside of my body raw. Now all I could do was lie still, immobilized by the pain. With a broken rib, any sudden movement risked piercing my lungs. I don't know who it was that blasted that woman Helen away from me, but I hope it's not another person who's after Lucia.