Chapter 46 Seven Silkworm Eggs

Olivia wielded the thunder card in her hand, and with her voice, it soared out. Within seconds, three fiery thunderbolts streaked from the sky, reducing the black mist-shrouded silk threads to nothing but ash.

Even the strands coiled around Tom's neck and ankles met the same fate, crumbling to ash. Tom slumped to the ground, cradling the giant egg. When he glimpsed Olivia, his eyes welled with tears. "Olivia... I was wrong!"

But Olivia strode over, delivering a swift slap to his head. "Quit yelling! Pick up your egg and come with me." Though she had repelled the silk threads, the danger still lurked.

Observing Tom's protective stance over the egg, she surmised it must contain Megan. Tom, accustomed to Ethan's beatings, found a semblance of comfort in Olivia's blow. He abandoned tears, nodding, and scooped up the massive egg, rising to his feet.

Descending the stairs with Tom, Olivia seized a momentary respite to toss a playing card, toughened like a blade. Tom caught sight of it and, with a flick, split the egg he'd just set down. A girl emerged from the shell.

Tom hastened to assist her. Olivia regarded the unfamiliar girl, puzzled. "Who's this? What about Megan?" she inquired.

"Linda. Megan's still upstairs," Tom informed her, his voice tense at the mention of Megan.

Olivia's bewilderment grew. "Why on earth would you all choose this place to meet?" Such a choice left her incredulous. What kind of online friends opted for such perilous rendezvous spots?

Tom hesitated, guilt etching his expression. "It's not just us three..." he confessed, setting off a disquieting revelation.

A sense of foreboding gripped Olivia. "How many?" she probed.

"Nine, including Linda and me. Seven more are upstairs," Tom disclosed, leaving Olivia dumbfounded.

Did people today find solace in such perilous camaraderie? Despite her misgivings, she couldn't abandon seven lives.

"You take her and leave. I'll find the rest," Olivia instructed, prepared to depart. But Tom, though still visibly shaken, clasped her arm with determination.

"I'll come with you. I know where they are," he declared, refusing to let Olivia brave the danger alone.

Impressed by his resolve, Olivia relented. She handed him a protective pendant. "Wear this. If things go south, flee."

Tom's eyes gleamed with recognition as he donned the pendant, discarding the old one. Olivia then proffered a utility knife, its handle adorned with a card. "For self-defense," she stated.

Startled, Tom glanced at the utility knife. He had heard that masters carried all sorts of magical tools with them. Surprisingly, Olivia didn't even have a cross.

And the utility knife was too casual. But it was better than nothing.

Tom accepted it together.

Olivia communicated briefly with him about the possible situation later, making sure that Tom understood. Then she took out a few magic cards from her bag.

Tom saw her wave her hand and the magic cards instantly formed a circle in the air, then quickly descended from above Linda and formed a barrier right beside her.

Tom was stunned.

Olivia could actually do magic...

Suddenly, he had a little more confidence in the small utility knife in his hand.

The two went back upstairs and arrived at the rooftop terrace, only to find that the door to the rooftop was already being entangled with silk thread.

Olivia took out the fire magic card, burning the silk thread. She then opened the door, and saw that seven huge eggs were neatly arranged on the rooftop. Olivia signaled for Tom to hide behind the door, and she entered alone.

Olivia believed she was being careful, yet she was caught off guard when she stepped onto the rooftop and was suddenly overwhelmed by dizziness. By the time she regained her senses, she found herself ensnared in another illusion.

Still atop the rooftop, the surroundings had shifted. A girl in a school uniform was being shoved and knocked to the ground by a group of assailants. Moments later, one of them pinned her down and began to strangle her.

"Your mom sells snacks at a stall, but she can still afford to raise you so fat. It feels so good to strangle you. You guys should try it too. Remember to strangle the parts covered by her clothes; don't let people find out."

"I've heard that some people bruise immediately after being strangled. Why not take off her clothes and have a look."

The girl fought desperately, but her upper garment was forcibly removed. Laughter erupted from several onlookers, some even reached for their phones to capture the scene. Amidst her tears, the girl pleaded for mercy, clutching her body in a desperate attempt to shield herself.

The scene shifted abruptly.

A girl stood poised on the rooftop, her attire immaculate. Without a moment's hesitation, she leaped from the edge.

Moments later, the scene replayed, this time with a teenage boy in a school uniform mirroring the girl's stance. Gripping a stack of exam papers, his vacant eyes stared ahead as he mechanically tore them apart, one after another.

Finally, he threw the torn pieces of paper into the air, and as the scraps flew, the teenager also leaped down with the paper.

Olivia stood in place, watching those young lives disappear one after another in this place.

They were either bullied, overwhelmed by academic pressure, or accused after being molested. They all harbored resentment towards their surroundings or their school, and their resentment continued to envelop this teaching building, affecting those who came later.

Perhaps some of them didn't want to die, but they still chose to end their lives. Even though she was watching those scenes through time and space, she could still feel the faint resentment attacking her.

Olivia frowned and was about to find a way to leave, but the scene in front of her changed again. And this time, the appearance of the person made her hand suddenly stop.

In the new scene, a teenage girl appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen years old. Unlike the other students present, she had a slight protrusion on her abdomen. She was currently stepping back, clutching her stomach. Advancing toward her slowly was Nicole.