Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat - Chapter 99

Chapter 99: Strange Feeling

Ethan understood why Williams was so confident. He was young and had just left the military and still had unshaken faith in his country.

But if even Victor thought the same way, then there was a problem. Victor should know by now that the world wasn’t as simple as it seemed.

“Ethan, I don’t think you pissed off just any random guy,” Victor said. “Whoever it is, they’ve been following you.”

“What makes you say that?”

“If they were locals, they wouldn’t have spotted you the moment you arrived. And if they were just some ordinary thugs, they’d have taken one look at your car and known better than to mess with you.”

Victor laid it out in a few simple words.

“You’re right,” Ethan admitted. “If this mess ruins your wedding, I’ll owe you big time.”

Victor laughed and patted Ethan’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. No idea what kind of trouble you’re in, but you’ve got the three of us with you.”

Ethan was about to say something when Leo came back, gulping down a bottle of water in one go. “Damn it. That guy’s fast.”

“Did you find anything?” Victor asked.

“No fight, no clues,” Leo replied.

Just then, Lyla walked over after finishing a phone call on the rooftop.

“Ethan,” she said.

“What is it?”

“Dad’s looking into it for us. He told us to be careful.”

Ethan nodded. “Let’s grab some dinner first.”

—

That night, at Victor’s insistence, no one stayed at a hotel. Instead, they set up a military-style tent on the rooftop.

Ethan and Lyla slept inside the prefab steel cabin, while the other three took turns keeping watch outside. Fortunately, the night passed without incident.

The next morning, Meatball dropped by, intending to stay the night with them, but Leo promptly kicked him out.

His excuse? “You literally live in this city. What are you sticking around for?”

In truth, they just didn’t want Meatball getting caught up in any danger.

Ethan had originally planned to help Victor arrange an extravagant, high-class wedding. But after what happened, Victor and Celia decided to stick with their original plans.

Lyla, having been invited as a bridesmaid, stole the spotlight in her dress. If it weren’t for Celia’s own stunning looks and her mature charm, Lyla might have completely overshadowed her.

Even so, Lyla’s youthful energy was just as dazzling.

Ethan, for his part, was momentarily stunned. He’d never seen Celia before the wedding. Victor had insisted she was traditional and refused to meet the groom before the big day.

So when Celia finally appeared, Ethan couldn’t help but think, Damn, Victor really lucked out.

The celebrations carried on late into the night at the hotel.

When things finally wound down, Ethan, Lyla, Leo, and Williams returned to the rooftop.

“Looks like it’s just us two tonight,” Leo said to Williams.

“Our captain found his happiness. We should be happy for him,” Williams replied, slightly drunk.

Inside the prefab cabin, Lyla had already put on her VR headset and logged into the game. Ethan sat on the floor, staring at the spot where she was lying.

It was the same spot where he’d spent four years sleeping. Was this… some kind of time-warped shared bed situation?

He hadn’t logged into the game for the past two days, staying on high alert instead.

Tonight, though, something felt off.

It was the same sensation he got in the game when a stealth-class player lurked nearby, an eerie awareness that someone was hovering just outside his line of sight.

A wave of unease crept up on Ethan, coming and going without warning. Every time he tried to pinpoint the source, it slipped away like a ghost.

Something was going to happen tonight, he could feel it. That was why, at Victor’s wedding, he hadn’t touched a single drop of alcohol.

Earlier that day, he had told Victor about his hunch. So when it came time for toasts, Victor discreetly had Ethan’s drink swapped for juice.

Leo and Williams’s drinks were switched as well, though Williams, for whatever reason, decided to down several bottles of beer anyway.

Maybe he was just too happy. No one stopped him.

By the time it was past 1 a.m., Ethan was lying on the rooftop floor, half-asleep.

Then…

Rustle, Rustle, Rustle—

The faint sound of footsteps echoed from the stairwell.

In an instant, he rolled over and got to his feet. Stepping outside, he spotted Leo crouched near the stairwell entrance, peering out cautiously.

Ethan moved toward him quietly. Leo gestured for silence. The footsteps grew closer. Whoever it was, they were heading straight for the rooftop.

Just as a dark figure appeared at the top of the stairs, Leo launched a kick straight at their face.

Thud!

The intruder raised an arm, blocking the attack. “It’s me!”

Hearing the voice, Ethan halted, just as he was about to rush in. Leo also froze, then flicked on a flashlight.

The beam illuminated the figure’s face.

“Holy shit, Victor?! What are you doing here?” Leo blurted.

“I couldn’t shake the feeling something was off, so I came to check on you,” Victor said.

Ethan felt a warmth in his chest. Tonight was Victor’s wedding night, yet he had left his bride behind to come here because he was worried.

As Ethan was still processing that thought, the flashlight suddenly clicked off.

Then..

Shing!

Out of nowhere, Leo drew a knife and slashed at Victor’s face. The sudden loss of light threw Victor off for a second. Instinctively, he twisted to the side.

Rip!

Even so, the blade still managed to graze his shoulder, tearing through his jacket and skin.

“Leo, what the hell?!” Ethan shouted.

“That’s not Victor,” Leo said, lunging forward for another strike. Hearing the commotion, Williams groggily got up.

“What’s going on?” he asked, blinking at the sight of Leo attacking Victor.

“Wrong passphrase,” Leo answered between attacks.

Williams’s expression changed instantly. Without hesitation, he pulled out his own knife and joined the fight.

Ethan stood there, dumbfounded. Passphrase? What passphrase?!

Whoever this fake Victor was, he was far more skilled than Leo and Williams.

As Williams charged, the imposter moved even faster, leaping high into the air, dodging Leo’s blade with such speed that his form seemed to blur.

Midair, he twisted and brought his foot crashing down toward Williams.

Williams lost his balance and fell hard.

The imposter prepared to stomp down on the back of Williams’s head, but Leo struck again, aiming straight for his heart.

Forced to retreat, the imposter dodged, but now he was on the defensive.

Williams quickly rolled back to his feet, and the two of them pressed forward, attacking in sync. Even though they couldn’t land a decisive hit, they managed to keep the imposter occupied, leaving him no chance to counterattack.

Ethan watched the fight unfold.

Leo and Williams weren’t just throwing punches, they were aiming to kill.

This was nothing like the combat techniques Ethan had learned in his training classes.

Just as he hesitated, wondering whether to jump in, something chilling happened.