I Raised A Black Dragon (Web Novel)
chapter-88

Chapter 88: Traces of a Battle

Inside the mana operating room, where only orange lanterns were glimmering, there were faint traces of bullets that weren’t seen before.

She saw the trajectory of a bullet that was fired in a straight line and pierced through the vessel, explaining the bullet holes she had seen earlier. Another trace of a bullet that was shot from the other side also appeared, the courses entangled. All traces of every bullet that flashed through the air were crystal clear.

Only then did Noah realize. The revolvers and bullets Kyle mostly used, were magical items modified by the blacksmith Yanak, a distant descendant of Dwarves.

“Then, Kyle shot at the entrance once, once in the middle, and over there, once in front of the sixth section?” Noah clarified, looking at the panorama of the spacious mana operating room.

“Yes.” The little boy nodded her head.

“Let’s go.”

The starting point of the bullet’s trajectory was where Kyle had stepped. She took her shawl away and wiped it on the bloodstained fingers of Muell. Then, she began to walk along the scattered bloodstains.

“It looks like he ran out, doesn’t it? The bloodstains are this far apart…”

“Yes, I think so.”

As they neared the beginning of the trajectory of the third bullet, Noah found one more detail that she couldn’t notice from afar. There appeared a new blue trajectory that was so complex it was indistinguishable. However, it only meant one thing.

From here on out, it was a shooting spree.

The trajectory began just above Kyle’s height and was directed toward the brass pipe above the left wall, inside the turbine below it, the right ceiling, and so on.

“…Not one.”

At least three shots were fired from the same spot, and one person could not move from the left side to the right in such a wide space at the same time. Thus, there were at least three opponents against Kyle.

No, that’s at least four if we add up the injured that he chased.

“There’s something over there, Noah.” Muell slipped down her leg and ran toward the brass pipe. Then, he grabbed something, lifted it up, and came back to her.

He held large scraps of metal in his arms. Then, he dropped every piece at her feet, gasping for breath. Noah crouched down and scrutinized the pile of junk. The largest piece was the width of an adult man’s torso. There was a black bullet studded on the left side.

Kyle’s.

Noah felt puzzled and muttered, “That’s weird. If it’s debris from somewhere, it should have its main body somewhere.”

She lifted her head and looked at the wall on the left, but there were dozens of pipes intersecting, and there was no silver metal anywhere. She picked up a piece that was thicker and longer than her forearm, looking around the room. The broken section was full of thin iron cables, and no matter how much she peered into it, there was nothing she could make out of it.

Noah eventually put the long scrap of metal down the long scrape and beckoned Muell. “Let’s go for now, Mu. Where’s the next trajectory? Mu?”

The child’s expression was all stiff. Muell, who was staring somewhere with horrified eyes, tugged on her pajamas.

There was a faint rattling sound somewhere. Instinctively, Noah felt ominous and quickly pulled Muell into her arms. Then, she ran straight ahead.

Rattle… It’s the sound of the lift!

Noah tried to lighten her steps, but it was almost impossible in such a quiet place. Even the sound of crawling ants would be heard. She approached the other end of the operating room and hurriedly snapped her head left and right.

There was no longer a trajectory drawn by Kyle’s bullet. All that was in front of her was a huge double door leading to the space beyond the mana operating room. It was impossible for her to open it with her bare hands as it was a humongous door half the height of the ceiling.

She turned around and squeezed herself, along with Muell, into the small door next to the main one.

“Oh, my… Oh, my…”

Noah couldn’t figure out where she had entered. She couldn’t see anything; the only source of light was the orange glow from the lanterns, which leaked through the half-opened door.

“Uh, Ugh.” She covered her mouth with her hands. Her heart was beating abnormally fast, and she was worried that a whimper might escape her lips.

Beyond the door, there was a sound of footsteps coming from the mana operating room. However, it didn’t sound like it was being chased, or it was chasing someone. Instead, it was slow-paced.

Noah’s entire body began to tremble in fear.

What? Who…?

Who is it?

There was a rustling sound.

“…..!”

Something moved in the dim space they entered. Noah almost screamed, forgetting the need to remain hidden. However, only a noiseless scream echoed from her mouth.

A big, warm hand pressed against her lips