Chapter 280: Chapter 119: "Don’t Underestimate an Old Man!" (Cock the Revolver) [7600 Words]

The current "anti-foreigner wave" is intensifying. In order to prevent troublemakers from causing disruption, the Foreign Language Research Institute has specially increased the number of guards to six.

After Katsu Rintarō took over as the Head of the Foreign Language Research Institute, he intended to further increase the number of guards, but the operational budget was limited, and hiring six guards was already the institute’s limit.

The first to be attacked were these six guards who remained dedicated and guarded the entrance of the institute even at this point in time.

"Who goes there?!"

They saw shadows emerging from the darkness outside the gate of the institute, shrouded by the night.

The guards raised their voices in vigilance, drawing their Tachi to hand.

But unfortunately, the shadows held an absolute advantage in numbers.

In an instant, over twenty shadows lunged at the guards, utilizing their numerical advantage to divide and surround them.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

The guards fought bravely, fulfilling their duty while loudly warning the apprentices and staff remaining inside the institute of the attack. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Blades danced, and blood splattered.

Under the overwhelming human wave of the shadows, the guards’ flimsy defense was rapidly breached.

Once the guards were all slaughtered, more shadows emerged from all directions.

Leaving about thirty people to surround the institute, the remaining forty fiercely jumped over the institute’s gate!

Just as they attacked inside the institute, they encountered a young man wearing glasses on his nose bridge.

This young man must have heard the strange sounds at the gate and specifically came to check it out.

"Celestial Punishment!"—As one shadow shouted, he thrust a blade at the young man, the tip piercing the left eye socket, entering and emerging from the back of the head, exploding the soft eyeball with a spray of red, white... a strange liquid composed of various colors.

"Celestial Punishment—!"

"Celestial Punishment to the national traitors!"

...

The shadows spread out, bringing screams and slaughter wherever they went.

The people inside the institute either fled in panic or crouched tremulously to hide.

Collisions between people, between people and objects, between objects and objects.

The originally tranquil institute instantly turned into a chaotic, messy state.

These shadows attacking the Foreign Language Research Institute had clear divisions of labor.

Some were responsible for hunting down apprentices and staff still studying and working inside the institute tonight.

Others pulled bamboo tubes from their waists, spilling a highly pungent liquid everywhere.

They hunted the institute’s apprentices and staff like cats chasing mice, like hunters chasing prey.

Only a few managed to escape outside the institute, but the exterior was also controlled by the shadows, and those lucky enough to escape were slain one by one by the shadows surrounding the institute.

"So this is what the inside of the Foreign Language Research Institute looks like..."

Shinno, supporting his sword at his waist, strolled along a corridor in the institute as if taking a leisurely walk in his garden, observing the surroundings.

Suddenly, his foot kicked a book that had fallen on the ground.

He bent down, picked up the book, and casually flipped through it—it was filled with strange characters like tadpoles, in a language he didn’t recognize.

Like he had touched something awful, Shinno tossed the book back to the ground with a look of disgust.

"So disgusting... The Divine Kingdom should not need to learn the knowledge of the barbarians."

"This institute is full of disgusting people, disgusting things."

The apprentices and staff of the Foreign Language Research Institute were mostly scholars who didn’t understand martial arts; they were powerless against the brutal attack of the Anti-foreigner Group.

A few grabbed weapons and tried to resist but quickly fell to the group’s overwhelming numbers.

"Ahhh—!" A boy around 15 years old stumbled, attempting to escape to the second floor of the institute.

But his legs, weakened by sudden fear, became difficult to control as if they were not part of his body anymore.

"Ah!"

The boy kicked a corpse on the ground with his left foot and fell flat on his face.

"You sure can run."

A voice full of mockery and taunt drifted from behind the boy.

Shinno’s confidant—the One-armed Warrior approached the boy with leisurely steps, holding a sword.

The boy, fear written all over his face, tried to lift his body to continue fleeing.

But his trembling arms refused to find any strength...

"Do you, do you even know what you’re doing?"

The boy, despite his fear and immobility, somehow retained the power and courage to question the One-armed Warrior.

"This place is, is Japan’s frontline in studying and researching Western Studies."

"Have you considered what could happen if you destroy this place? We’ve struggled to acquire even a bit of the Westerners’ knowledge and technology!"

The One-armed Warrior eyed the boy disdainfully.

"Of course we know what we’re doing."

"We came to destroy this disgusting place."

"What’s worth learning from the barbarians’ knowledge? We don’t need anything from them."

"You traitors studying barbarian knowledge, you make me sick."

With that, the One-armed Warrior raised his sword with his one arm, targeting the boy’s head.

"Waaah...!" The boy wrapped his head in his hands, trembling even more fiercely.

Just as the One-armed Warrior was about to swing his sword, he suddenly heard a metallic sound behind him.

The Warrior’s pupils shrank sharply, and he reflexively leapt to the side.

Bang!

The gunshot was deafening.

A scorching bullet grazed the Warrior’s cheek, leaving a searing bloodstain.

The One-armed Warrior, somewhat flustered, ducked into a room nearby, then peeked out cautiously, looking toward the direction where the shot came from.

A middle-aged man stood at the end of the corridor where the Warrior had been, holding a blood-dripping Tachi in his right hand and a revolver still emitting smoke in his left.

"Katsu Rintarō...?!" The Warrior’s pupils shrank again.

The middle-aged man was indeed Katsu Rintarō, whom he had just led Shinno to meet earlier that afternoon.

"Azheng!" Katsu Rintarō shouted at the boy, "Come here quickly!"

"Teach-teacher!"

The timely appearance and rescue of his mentor deeply moved the boy, filling him with new strength.

The boy, feeling less shaky, scrambled up and ran toward Katsu Rintarō.

"Tsk..." The One-armed Warrior clicked his tongue, attempting to dash out and chase the boy and Katsu Rintarō.

But just as he shoved half his body out of the room, Katsu Rintarō swiftly shot at him again, forcing the Warrior to retreat back inside.

During this evasion, Katsu Rintarō had already led the boy far away...

When Katsu Rintarō led the boy to a staircase leading upstairs, he pointed towards the top.

"Azheng! Go to the rooftop! Quickly! I’ve already arranged defenses with Umegorō on the rooftop!"

The Foreign Language Research Institute had three floors in total.

The rooftop Katsu Rintarō referred to was the institute’s third floor.

"But, but teacher, aren’t you coming with me?"

"There should still be some unscathed people." Katsu Rintarō said gravely, "I need to rescue them! Don’t worry about me; go to the rooftop quickly!"

"Celestial Punishment—!"

At that moment, a shadow suddenly lunged from behind Katsu Rintarō, attacking him fiercely.

"Teacher! Your...behind..."

Bang!

Before the boy could finish warning, Katsu Rintarō swiftly turned, raising his left hand with the revolver and shooting the shadow attempting to ambush him, exploding its skull.

"Don’t underestimate the elderly!"

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