NOVEL NEXT Chapter 227: Chapter 226: Staying True to Themselves
In the footage visible to the masked man, the trio was shown. The white-haired boy, who wore a blank expression and was being pulled along by the Black woman, reached out to touch the wall.
As if sensing something, the boy raised his head and spoke in a hollow, otherworldly voice,
"Central Tower. 150th floor. Target is here."
He repeated the same sentence in the same strange tone:
"Central Tower. 150th floor. Target is here."
Smith, casually brushing off nonexistent dust from his white suit, remarked indifferently,
"Looks like we've been found again. And this time, they've not only pinpointed our location but also set their cannon fodder on us."
The Black woman grinned and teasingly chided him,
"Don't be so careless. They probably don't expect that weak bunch to take us down."
"If I'm not mistaken, they're using those pawns to 'test the waters' and see what we're capable of."
Before her words were finished, massive steel gates at both ends of the hallway slammed shut, sealing the trio inside.
Smith stopped chatting and strolled leisurely toward the gate ahead of him. The only sound was the clicking of his leather shoes against the smooth floor.
When Smith was about five meters from the gate, the massive structure, weighing several tons, suddenly toppled backward, as if it were an old man losing balance after drinking too much.
From the other side of the gate came dozens of terrified screams, abruptly silenced as the gate fully collapsed. Blood began pooling beneath the ice-crusted metal.
The masked man's team's tech specialist, who was trying to open the gate behind the trio, discovered that it wouldn't budge—as if frozen shut by a force far greater than anything they could handle. The entire gate had turned into an ice sculpture.
Watching from the shadows, Accelerator clearly recognized the freezing power at work, confirming the accuracy of his calculations.
As the team's lackeys hesitated, too scared to move forward, a higher-ranking member arrived via the elevator.
This tall, thin man with a triangular goatee took one look at the chaotic scene and instantly grasped the situation. His left hand morphed into a webbed, duck-like appendage, within which an air sphere began forming.
With a roar, he stomped forward with his right foot and hurled the air sphere with his mutated left hand.
The sphere transformed into a rushing, transparent current aimed straight at Smith.
But once again, an invisible wall of air appeared, blocking the attack as if by magic.
And so began another performance by the gentlemanly Smith.
Meanwhile, Class 1-A, still unnoticed by the enemy, faced their own challenges.
Countless security robots equipped with glowing red sensors blocked their path. These robots, deployed by [I-Island] as part of the masked man's crude strategy, were stationed in overwhelming numbers to act as obstacles on every route leading to the central tower's top floor.
Because the sheer number was overwhelming, Class A students had no choice but to split up again.
Midoriya Izuku and Todoroki, the strongest among them, were tasked with escorting Melissa to the very top, while the remaining classmates stayed behind in the corridor to hold off the wave of robots.
On the 190th floor below the top, the masked man's defensive strategy remained firmly in place.
Todoroki raised her hand, stepping in front of Melissa and Midoriya.
"I'll buy you some time. Go to the top floor now."
As she spoke, the icy waves she summoned crashed into the endless stream of incoming robots, layering into mountains of ice.
Midoriya wanted to say something, but Todoroki cut him off.
"Stop wasting time and get going!"
"I'll deal with this and catch up to you soon."
She created an icy pillar to serve as a platform, lifting Midoriya and Melissa safely to the top floor.
Todoroki, without the hero costume designed to enhance her abilities, struggled to form a 50-meter platform capable of holding the two. Even with her experience, the effort left her drained.
In just seconds, visible fatigue appeared on her determined face as the side effects of using her [cold half] ability alone took their toll.
On the 199th floor, the swarm of guard robots had become a sea of steel—far more than the number her classmates were holding off below.
Faced with this overwhelming force, Todoroki clenched her teeth and, with a deep breath, unleashed waves of blazing orange flames. The fire swept across the steel tide like a peacock spreading its feathers, covering dozens of meters.
Todoroki understood clearly that while her flames could suppress the robots for now, her strength would eventually run out, and the enemies would keep coming, seemingly bringing every robot on "I-Island" to her location.
Despite this, Todoroki didn't hesitate to stay behind and cover for Melissa and Midoriya.
The stubborn icy girl believed this was the one thing she could do to help right now.
Her only concern wasn't for herself, but for Accelerator, whose overwhelming power had yet to make an appearance.
The entire "I-Island" had turned into a dangerous place, and even All Might had been restrained. It was obvious just how formidable their enemy was.
"I-Island" felt less like neutral ground and more like a trap entirely under the enemy's control.
Naturally, Todoroki was deeply worried.
This wasn't about strength or weakness—it was just the genuine concern of a young girl.
Meanwhile, Melissa and Midoriya, after an arduous climb, finally reached the top and were stunned to find Dr. David Shield and his assistant.
Melissa quietly asked, puzzled,
"Why... is my father on the top floor?"
Midoriya speculated,
"Maybe he was captured by the enemy and forced to do something."
Hearing this, Melissa became visibly anxious and couldn't control her voice.
"We have to save him!"
Midoriya quickly responded,
"Got it."
At that moment, they overheard a conversation between the two.
"The code is cracked. It's in cabinet 1147."
David's assistant swiftly retrieved a silver-white box from one of the cabinets.
=====
You can read 20 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu