Chapter 12: Bearing Your Identity, Bearing Your Karma
Robin had thought the Duke of Benito would send someone to rescue him, but he hadn’t expected them to arrive so quickly, so suddenly.
Robin was dreaming when suddenly he was thrown to the ground without any warning.
Although Robin’s mental strength was far above that of ordinary people, and his battlefield training had heightened his alertness, making his sleep very light, he could not resist the sleeping agents mixed into the IV drip he took every night before bed. This rendered his instinctive reactions during sleep completely null.
When he was flipped over, Robin’s mind was still foggy, as if drunk and not yet sober.
Boom!
A blast pushed the hospital bed carrying Robin toward the window.
If not for the bed shielding him, Robin would have been killed by the explosion.
“Cough, cough…”
Robin’s ears were ringing; the constant buzzing filled his head. Thick smoke entered his nose, choking him until tears streamed down his face.
Worse yet, the fall and the push caused his abdominal wound to start bleeding again.
Plop!
At that moment, a wet towel was pressed over Robin’s mouth and nose.
Looking up from beneath the bed, Robin saw a middle-aged man wearing a nurse’s uniform, his body bearing many burn wounds, forcibly covering Robin’s face.
“This grenade is poisonous…”
The middle-aged man hadn’t expected the flawless rescue plan to be interrupted by an unexpected event.
Who exactly were those two men, and why were they carrying grenades?
The middle-aged man had been the most severely injured by the grenade blast because he hadn’t found cover immediately.
With a swift motion, he lifted the bed, grabbed Robin, and flung him out the window.
Thrown uncontrollably, Robin’s senses finally cleared just in time to grab the windowsill and prevent himself from falling.
Though thrown out the window, it was clear they had come to save him, not kill him—otherwise, he’d be dead already!
Satisfied with this realization, Robin loosened his grip and allowed himself to drop to the ground.
At that moment, a piercing alarm shattered the quiet night, and countless lights within the hospital flickered on.
Tap, tap…
A group of heavily armed soldiers charged into the hospital, some spotting Robin fallen below.
“It’s not my doing! Someone’s trying to assassinate me!” Robin raised his hands and shouted.
“Find somewhere safe and stay put,” a squad leader said to Robin. “You two, watch him.”
With that, the leader and the rest rushed inside.
Seeing the soldiers weren’t coming after him, Robin breathed a sigh of relief.
The alarm was likely triggered by the explosion; it was just coincidence that it sounded as he landed.
Bang, bang, bang…
Suddenly, fierce gunfire erupted inside the building—clearly a firefight was underway.
Robin thought to himself that though he didn’t know what was happening, things had escalated to a shootout. The Duke had intervened, so he couldn’t just sit and wait for death.
He was wounded, unarmed, and facing two soldiers...
Swish!
At that moment, four people—a pair of nurses, a doctor in a white coat, and a driver—jumped out through a shattered second-floor window.
The two soldiers instinctively raised their guns.
Fortunately, Robin, now fully alert and on edge, activated the only system function currently available to him upon landing.
[Matthew Davis]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 35]
[Endurance: E]
[Agility: D+]
[Head of Black Mountain Military Intelligence, quite capable. Enjoys novels and theater, often fantasizes about saving the world. When others discuss such topics, he lectures them in a middle-aged tone while imagining these scenarios in his mind.]
[Weaknesses: Deeply fond of stage actress Jonnie Wiley; hard to resist her signed tickets and posters. Occasionally utters cringe-worthy lines when alone, which embarrasses him if overheard. Loves his wife dearly.]
This was the intelligence on the doctor in the white coat. Due to limited contact, not all attributes were provided, but the analysis was somewhat detailed.
For Robin, just distinguishing friend from foe in this information was enough.
Plop!
Robin stepped forward, blocking with both hands. The two soldiers’ expressions changed as their arms failed to rise, missing the crucial first shot.
In a life-or-death moment like this, the first shot could determine everything.
Suddenly, a woman pushed open the window of Robin’s hospital room and climbed out, holding a small pistol, firing a shot at Robin.
Bang!
The bullet curved mid-air and struck one of the nurses.
“Hmph…”
The wounded nurse groaned softly in midair.
Though wearing body armor, that shot still hurt a great deal.
Matthew swung his hand in the air, not even turning his head, aiming his gun at the woman in the window and firing a bullet.
The woman, failing to kill Robin, immediately ducked back inside, displaying considerable combat experience.
Bang…
The bullet missed her position but shattered the glass of Robin’s room.
While Matthew acted, the others didn’t idle. One young nurse, leaping out the window, threw a scalpel, striking one soldier’s forehead.
The driver raised a small pistol and fired, killing the other soldier.
They had jumped from the second floor and launched a coordinated counterattack—a seamless rescue operation.
Plop!
The four who had jumped landed. The wounded nurse staggered, but the young nurse caught her.
“Robin Rommel, they’re the enemy—they want to kill you. I’m here to protect you!” the woman inside kept trying to sow discord.
Unfortunately, Robin had already seen her data when she appeared.
[Mary Ivanova Sherebryakov]
[Gender: Female]
[Age: 29]
[Agility: C-]
[A Delos Empire citizen, deputy leader of the Roland Studio’s covert operations team. Deeply devoted to her boyfriend, she willingly serves as second-in-command despite being stronger. Temperamental and unreasonable, she enjoys dredging up old grievances. Likes children and cats.]
[Weaknesses: If her boyfriend is kidnapped, she loses all reason and drops her gun. When her magic reserves fall below two-thirds, she feels insecure and is easily angered.]
Robin’s gaze sharpened.
Delos?
Roland Studio?
This was information tied to Forest’s background.
Forest had essentially been killed by them, yet here Robin was, alive and even honored with the Silver Wing Medal...
Whatever the Roland Studio was doing in secret, it definitely had to be hidden, so they wanted to silence him.
Robin’s mind worked quickly; he soon grasped the crux of the matter.
No need to complain—just after crossing over, two hostile forces appeared, both major powers. Robin’s plight was bitter and unspeakable.
No matter, no use dwelling on it.
Bearing your identity means accepting your fate.
“Don’t trust her. We’re sent by the Duke to rescue you. Let’s go!” Matthew grabbed Robin and sprinted toward the ambulance.
Robin hastily seized a pistol from a fallen soldier to avoid being unarmed.