Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!

Chapter 205 Hunter's Escape—Race with Time

Parker's instincts didn't just whisper—they screamed, loud and raw, clawing at every nerve in his body like alarm bells going off in his veins. The shadows he was following cut through the ground like ink spilled across concrete, pulling him straight toward that place.

The abandoned building.

The second his eyes locked onto that run-down no longer-in-function structure looming in the distance, something cold slid down his spine.

He'd heard about the place—hell, everyone at school had. It was infamous, practically a goddamn urban legend wrapped in whispered rumors and half-baked horror stories. Every shady deal, twisted little secret, and dumbass teenage recklessness found a home in that hellhole. People said it had history—creepy-ass stories about kids doing fucked-up shit in the dead of night.

Normally? Parker wouldn't have given two shits. He wasn't the type to chase down stupid rumors or care about whatever shady business some hormonal idiot cooked up. But now?

Now, Naomi was in there, he was sure as hell! The shadows streaks of the trail led there.

And Naomi wasn't the type to glance twice at that building—especially not alone. She wouldn't even walk past it if she didn't have to. Which meant something was wrong. Something bad enough to make his heart hammer in his chest like it was trying to punch its way out.

'Fuck.'

His feet pounded against the pavement harder, every step burning like fire up his legs. His mind raced faster than his body could move, cutting through every possibility like a blade. He couldn't afford to slow down. Not now. Not when the shadows were pulling him straight toward the nightmare.

****

Inside, the figure slammed through the rusted door like a wrecking ball, every movement sharp and ruthless. The building groaned under his weight, old wood creaking like it wanted to collapse under the pressure but didn't have the guts to do it.

Naomi's body dangled limply over his shoulder, her head bobbing with each step—unconscious, silent, powerless. The bag strapped across his back barely shifted as he charged down the hallway.

He didn't hesitate. Every corner, every turn—he knew exactly where to go. Behind the building, past the old garden, through the forgotten gates—straight into the man-planted forest. The school had cooked up some "nature preservation" PR stunt ages ago, planting that forest to make themselves look good as supporters of nature. But today?

Today, that forest was going to be his goddamn escape route.

The figure's pace doubled, his breathing shallow but controlled. His destination was clear—the ground floor that used to be the IT room, right next to the dusty-ass musical hall. Hidden in there was his exit. His door. His way out.

One breath.

One second ahead of whatever the fuck was hunting him.

****

{Her trail's moving fast. Too damn fast—no human could ever hit that kind of speed, Master, whoever has her they're not normal} Ere's voice echoed through Parker's mind, sharp and cold like someone just cracked open a window in the dead of winter.

His heart clenched, pulse slamming into overdrive as panic shot through every inch of him like a goddamn lightning strike. No way in hell Naomi was moving that fast on her own. That meant—

Kidnapped. She was being fucking kidnapped by someone with powers.

Faster. Run faster. Run, Parker, run.

The words ripped through his brain like a battle cry, drowning out everything else. His muscles screamed, his lungs burned like hell, but none of that mattered. He pushed harder, legs pounding against the pavement like a goddamn machine on overdrive.

"I could call Ere for help..."

But that meant leaving Tessa vulnerable back at the house. If something went wrong there while Ere was gone? No. He couldn't risk it. This—this—he had to handle on his own.

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"Shadow Manipulation Bond."

The words shot out like instinct, and in the blink of an eye, his body dissolved—melting into pure darkness. His form stretched, bending into the shadows, becoming nothing but liquid night racing along the ground.

Inside the cursed old building, the shadow moved like liquid death, gliding across the dusty floor and slicing through the air, chasing the faint, dark streaks that marked Naomi's trail. Faster and faster, cutting through space like a bullet—

BAM!

What the hell—