NOVEL WEB Chapter 87: Panic
BOOM!
It happened so fast that no one had time to react.
Caleb froze, his breath catching in his throat as his eyes widened in horror. Naya's body was flung backward by the sheer force of the impact, crashing into a table inside the café.
The world slowed for her in that instant. Her gaze caught a glimpse of the bright blue sky as her body twisted in the air. Then came the pain—white-hot, searing through her shoulder as the bullet tore clean through without restraint.
For a fleeting second, her entire arm went numb, almost as if it had vanished. Then, the agony hit like a sledgehammer.
"Naya!" Alice's voice sliced through the chaos, sharp and commanding. She was the first to react, snapping her head toward the direction of the shot.
Her golden eyes narrowed, locking onto the shadowed figure crouched on the rooftop. A wide-brimmed hat dipped low to conceal his face, paired with a half-mask that hid everything but his intent to kill. The assassin was already chambering a second round.
Alice felt it immediately—the faint, violent tremor in her card. Her instincts screamed the truth before reason could catch up.
'A member of X… Why here? Why now? For me?'
Questions clawed at her mind, but she shoved them aside as her body surged into motion.
Caleb's reaction came a heartbeat later. His muscles stiffened, every nerve alight with dread and fury. There was only one name pounding in his head, louder than the gunshot that still rang in his ears:
'X.'
His chest tightened, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white. Julia's smiling face flickered across his memory like a cruel phantom.
And then, the rage hit him. Burning. Blinding.
Caleb dashed toward Naya without a second thought, his heart pounding like a war drum.
He caught her before she hit the ground, cradling her against him as panic clawed at his chest.
Only when his eyes fell on the wound—her shoulder, not her heart—did a shaky sigh of relief escape his lips.
"It's… X," Naya rasped, her voice strained with pain, teeth gritted against the fiery burn tearing through her body.
Her sharp senses had already locked onto the shooter, even from this distance.
"Caleb! Get out of there!" Alice's voice cracked through the chaos like a whip.
Caleb didn't hesitate. Instinct took over.
He rolled hard, wrapping Naya tightly in his arms as the world blurred.
CRACK!
Another shot split the air, ripping into the ground where they'd just been. The bullet smashed through concrete like paper, spiderweb cracks exploding outward from the impact point.
Alice's driver screeched the limo to a halt in front of them, tires screaming against the pavement.
"Get her inside! Now!" Alice barked, her voice tinged with urgency.
Caleb didn't need to be told twice. He scooped Naya up and lunged into the car, the metallic scent of blood trailing behind them.
Alice slid in right after, shoving Caleb aside to inspect the wound.
"Tch." She clicked her tongue sharply as her golden eyes scanned the injury. "The bullet drilled clean through." Her voice was tight, frustration bleeding into it as she saw the gaping hole tearing across Naya's shoulder.
Naya's breaths came in ragged, uneven gasps. Her face was pale, lips trembling as sweat streaked down her temples.
Alice reached out, pressing her palm gently over the wound to stop the bleeding—and then froze.
Her eyes widened, a flicker of raw surprise breaking through her usual composure.
'She's… a cardholder?'
The realization sent a chill down Alice's spine, her gaze locking on Naya with a mixture of awe and dread.
"Yes, she's a freaking cardholder just like you! Do something and stop staring!"
Alice's thoughts snapped as a voice, low and dark, rolled from behind her like distant thunder.
It wasn't just a voice—it was a growl, deep and almost inhuman.
Her head turned slowly.
Caleb's face was shadowed, his expression carved from something primal.
Alice's breath caught in her throat. She swallowed hard, her pulse spiking.
That wasn't the face of the man who had been sitting casually across from her minutes ago.
This was something else. Something feral.
For a fleeting second, she felt like she was staring at a beast wearing human skin.
Her hands trembled as the thought clawed its way into her mind. Is he… a cardholder too?
No… the card didn't react when I touched him.
Then why… why does he radiate the same energy as those monsters?
The suffocating pressure pouring off him made her body shiver involuntarily.
Before Alice could piece her thoughts together—
CRACK!
The car jolted slightly as the driver flinched hard, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.
The side mirror shattered in a spray of glass.
"Ma'am!" The driver's voice cracked with terror. "The attacker is firing at us!"
Sweat streamed down his face, dripping onto the leather seat. His hands were shaking so violently it looked like he might lose control of the car any second.
One of those moments where a man truly hates his job.
Alice snapped back, her golden eyes narrowing sharply.
"Drive the freaking car and stop complaining!" she barked, her voice slicing through the rising panic like a whip.
She turned back to Caleb, her hands already moving.
"I can heal her," she said quickly, her tone sharp but steady now. "My card… it allows me to heal almost anything—so long as the person isn't dead."
From her purse, Alice pulled out what looked like an ordinary glove—but the back told another story.
Intricate gold patterns spiraled like living veins across its surface, converging at three horn-like marks that glowed faintly as her fingers slipped inside.
It was the familiar design Caleb had come to know.
Alice slipped the glove fully on and placed her hand over Naya's bleeding shoulder.
The moment her palm hovered above the wound, a radiant glow surged from the glove, golden light spilling like liquid fire. Power hummed in the air, sharp and alive.
CRACK!