Solflare: The Painter's Secret-Chapter 177: Dark Omen

The knocking sound repeated, vibrating through the walls of the Madhouse.

Wu Ze and Liu Yan swallowed hard, then threw a sharp glance at An Lang.

A heavy sense of distress fell on An Lang as he shifted glances with them. "What?" he asked, taking slow steps toward his bed.

Without saying a word, Wu Ze moved a step back. She looked at her silhouette through the nightwear she wore, then grabbed a blue gown that she had placed on top of the pillow.

After An Lang had worn his morning drills outfit, he lifted his head, watched the closed door, and let out a long sigh.

"Fine. You want me to open the door, right?" he asked, nearing the door before anyone could respond to his question.

He grabbed the handle, turned toward Wu Ze’s direction while opening it, and whispered, "If anything good comes, know that I will—" He paused, swallowed the remaining words, then froze.

The sun’s rays shone on the back of a tall, broad-shouldered man who stood there with an emotionless expression.

Wu Ze and Liu Yan quickly bowed their heads in greeting, while An Lang slowly tilted his head. "Good morning, Lieutenant Wang."

Lu Wang walked in without seeking permission, then stopped the moment he saw Leon’s bed empty.

His brow crumpled slightly as he frowned. But just as he saw Liu Yan raising her head slightly, he released his muscles.

"Prepare yourselves and come to the Instructor Chamber in the next hour." He glanced at Leon’s bed once more, then turned toward the door to leave.

"Sir," An Lang called out, stopping the lieutenant before he could pass through the door.

Lu Wang turned slightly, his left arm placed at his back, his right at his side. "Yes, do you have any questions?"

An Lang took a deep breath, looked at Wu Ze’s and Liu Yan’s faces in a flash, then back at the lieutenant. "What about Leon?"

Lu Wang maintained his gaze with An Lang, then smiled. "He will join you later."

The door closed behind Lu Wang as he joined the busy street.

In the room, An Lang walked to the door, opened it, and glanced outside before closing it back.

"Did you hear what the lieutenant said?" He turned a confused face to Wu Ze, then to Liu Yan, his hand scratching his chin.

Wu Ze exhaled sharply as she walked toward the bathroom door. "We all heard it. Stop acting like you’re the only one with ears."

Liu Yan curled her mouth inward, giggled slightly, then threw a teasing stare at An Lang.

With doubt in his mind, An Lang walked to his bed, sat down, then watched Leon’s bed, calming his mind.

While soft puffs of air seeped under the door and filled the Madhouse bedroom, the engines of the newly fixed MRAPs filled the air outside.

Birds burst out from their nests and scattered in the sky.

The gravel on the ground bounced as the boots of jogging soldiers slammed against it. Dust splashed in the air when the last person walked past the Madhouse, gasping heavily for air.

From a distance, a young guy with a black hoodie appeared, jogging. He stopped the moment he reached the front of the thick yellow-leafed tree.

"Hhhew..." He bent down slightly, placed his palms on his knees, and began exhaling sharply.

Leaves fell from the tree and bathed him the moment he straightened himself. He brushed off the ones he could, then slowly walked inside the building, moving from the hallway to the door of the Madhouse group’s room.

Inside, Wu Ze had finished dressing, picking up her transformable pen sword and placing it at the side of her morning drill gear.

An Lang leaned against the wall, counting his fingers. Liu Yan, on the other hand, sat on her bed, hands placed apart, swinging her legs.

A single knock echoed from the door and drifted their attention back to it. Before any of them could walk to the door, it opened automatically.

The leaves fell from the hood of Leon’s hoodie, then moved ahead of him, drifting into the room.

Leon’s eyes widened slightly as he looked at their shocked expressions. "What’s going on?" he asked, walking slowly to his bed.

And when he sat down, they still carried the same stare.

He wondered in his head as he looked at Wu Ze, then at Liu Yan. ’This is strange. They don’t dress this early for drills.’

He stood up, then gave a low laugh. "Guys," he whirled around. "Can someone tell me what’s actually going on that I’m missing?"

Liu Yan blinked first, breaking her stillness. She stood up from the bed, walked toward Leon, then stopped right in front of him, frowning.

Leon’s smiling eyes slightly dulled when he looked at the seriousness in Liu Yan’s, then became calm.

"We thought—" Liu Yan tried to speak, but got blocked by her own throat. She lowered her head slightly and cleared her throat.

When she lifted her head and was about to speak, Wu Ze took the spotlight. "We have been summoned to be at the Instructor’s Chamber in the next ten minutes."

Leon shifted his gaze from Liu Yan, then watched Wu Ze close in on the door. "Summoned, but why?"

An Lang walked to Leon’s side, placed a hand on Leon’s shoulder, then whispered, "We’ve no idea. That’s why we were waiting for you."

Leon turned to An Lang. "Waiting for me?"

Liu Yan moved a step back, then turned halfway toward the door, halfway toward Leon. "Yes. Maybe you know the reason for the summons."

Before Leon could say a word or think for a second, Wu Ze cleared her throat. "We’ve got to be there. Either you come with us now, or join us later, as Lieutenant Wang had stated."

Without hesitation, Wu Ze stepped out of the door. An Lang stayed for a while, then followed. When he stepped outside, he turned and called to Liu Yan. "Liu Yan, we’ve got to get going."

Liu Yan hesitated for a while, then also followed, leaving Leon alone in the room.

"Why have we been summoned to the Instructor’s Chamber?" Leon asked as he sat on the bed and began pulling off the hoodie.

In the street leading to the Instructor’s Chamber, Tiger and Samir stood by the walls of the twin trees, watching the three Madhouse Squad members walk past them.

Tiger sighed slightly, then laughed, placing a hand on Samir’s right shoulder. "You sure know things."

Samir smirked back, glanced at Wu Ze’s bold expression as she walked past him, then shook his head.

He shifted his gaze to the sand beneath his boot, then began to draw a strange symbol on the ground, using the tip of his left boot.

Two squirrels exited from their dens at the top of the tree he leaned against, then watched the symbol drawn on the ground.

As soon as he crossed the final line, making the bent four triangles fold together, thunder struck the sky.

Grey clouds began to gather in the sky, followed by a drizzle.

Tiger threw a shocked expression at Samir, then at the symbol on the ground, which seemed not to be getting wet by the light rain.

Just as the squirrels dashed back into their dens, Leon appeared, the hood of his hoodie covering his head.

Samir’s eyes closed for a second after he had matched the edges of the triangles on the ground. And when he cracked them open and threw a sharp glance at Leon, he swallowed hard.

In Samir’s head, he saw a vision of the face of a horned human chained under a winged man.

And beneath the horned human were the Madhouse Squad, standing with their faces pale and their hands held tightly at their backs.