Common Sense Hijack System-Chapter 111 - Undead Platinum

Karl stared at his phone screen, eyes wide open. That name—Mrs. Jane—was displayed clearly, making the air around him feel colder than the snowstorm outside. His fingers trembled as he finally swiped the screen to answer the call.

Mrs. Jane’s voice cracked on the other end, accompanied by panicked sobs and despair. Her tone was far from the sharp and snappy voice she usually used when dealing with Karl at the convenience store. Karl felt his heart pounding in his chest.

"Mrs. Jane? What happened? Where are you now?"

"I’m at the store... our workplace. They... they took everything... my family... they killed them, Karl. I’m the only one left..."

Karl shot up from his seat, his chair clattering to the floor behind him. Layla, still lying on the couch, looked at him anxiously.

"I’m coming right now, Mrs. Jane. Hold on. Lock the doors and don’t move from your spot!"

Karl ended the call and quickly threw on his thick jacket. He grabbed a small backpack already packed with emergency supplies and a folding knife hidden in the side pocket.

---

When Karl pushed open the glass door of the convenience store, the small bell above it rang faintly. The atmosphere inside was dark, illuminated only by flickering emergency lights. Shelves were overturned, canned food scattered across the floor, and faded bloodstains marred the dirty white tiles.

From behind the cashier counter, Mrs. Jane emerged, trembling. Her face was streaked with tears, her hair disheveled, and bloodstains spotted her work shirt. Her brown eyes met Karl’s with a mixture of fear and relief.

"Karl... you really came..." her voice broke before she ran straight into his arms.

"Mrs. Jane?" Karl called out softly.

Karl opened his arms, letting Mrs. Jane embrace him tightly. Her body trembled violently in his arms, her shoulders shaking from suppressed sobs.

"They... they came last night. They broke the windows, barged into my house... they..." Mrs. Jane stopped, her voice catching in her throat. "My husband... my son... they..."

Karl gently rubbed her back, trying to soothe her even though his own heart was filled with rage. He understood what had happened. This city was starting to crumble. Laws no longer applied, and only the strongest could survive.

"We need to get out of here, Mrs. Jane. This place isn’t safe."

Mrs. Jane nodded weakly, but before they could move, the sound of footsteps and coarse laughter echoed from outside the store. Silhouettes of several men appeared through the shattered glass. They carried iron rods and knives, their faces twisted with sly grins.

"Oi, oi! Look who’s still here! So, the feisty lady didn’t die, huh?"

Karl gently pushed Mrs. Jane behind the counter.

"Stay here. Don’t come out until I say so."

Mrs. Jane looked at Karl with worried eyes. "You... you can’t fight them alone, Karl!"

Karl didn’t respond. His gaze was cold and filled with determination.

The store door burst open, and three burly men walked in. The stench of alcohol and sweat immediately filled the air.

"Hey, kid, you think you can play hero here?" one of them, who seemed to be the leader, sneered while twirling a knife in his hand.

Karl remained silent, his feet subtly shifting into a defensive stance.

"Get him!" the leader barked.

Two men lunged at Karl. With sharp reflexes, Karl ducked, narrowly avoiding an iron rod that would have smashed his face.

"Time to call him..."

Karl raised his right hand forward, palm open, and whispered with quiet yet firm determination.

"Undead Platinum — Uncommon Guard, come forth!"

The air around Karl vibrated violently. The floor beneath him cracked, forming a glowing magic circle emitting a pale blue light. The temperature in the room plummeted, and dark shadows crept from the corners of the store.

From the glowing magic circle, a figure began to emerge. A humanoid creature, towering at two meters, clad in cracked and dull silver armor. Its eyes glowed an eerie blue from beneath its helmet, and in its hand, it wielded a massive, faintly shining sword. The figure stood firm in front of Karl, like an unyielding guardian.

Mrs. Jane let out a muffled scream from behind the counter. Her eyes were wide, filled with terror as she stared at the creature standing with such an intense aura of death.

"K-Karl! What is that?! What did you do?! That... that’s a monster!" Mrs. Jane’s voice almost cracked into a shriek.

Karl slowly turned his head toward her, his voice calm yet firm.

"Calm down, Mrs. Jane. He’s on our side. He won’t harm anyone except our enemies."

Undead Platinum slowly raised its sword, pointing it towards the broken entrance of the store. The cold aura emanating from the creature caused a thin layer of ice to form on the floor beneath it.

The wild laughter from the thugs suddenly died down. One of them caught sight of Undead Platinum and immediately stepped back, his face turning pale.

"W-What is that?! That’s a damn demon! We need to get out of here!" one of them shouted.

But their leader, a large man with tattoos covering his face, raised his long knife.

"Shut up! It’s just a cheap trick! Attack him now!"

Karl simply raised his hand and gestured to Undead Platinum.

"Protect us."

Undead Platinum moved. With slow but deliberate steps, it advanced toward the thugs. Its massive sword swung with terrifying power. One man who tried to approach was sent flying into a food rack with a sickening crash.

Screams of terror filled the store. The thugs scattered, fear plastered across their faces. Some bolted out of the store, while their leader stood frozen in place.

Undead Platinum stopped at the store’s entrance, its sword glistening faintly with traces of blood on its edge. The cold aura surrounding it caused the snowflakes drifting into the store to freeze instantly upon landing.

Karl walked slowly towards Mrs. Jane, who was still trembling behind the counter.

"Mrs. Jane, look at me," Karl said softly.

Mrs. Jane lifted her tear-streaked face, her eyes still filled with fear and confusion.

"He’s here to protect us. I won’t let anyone lay a hand on you again, understand?"

Mrs. Jane nodded weakly, though her gaze remained fixed on Undead Platinum, who stood like a living iron statue at the shattered entrance.

Karl let out a deep sigh, leaning against a half-destroyed shelf.

"This is just the beginning. If this city keeps sinking into chaos, I’ll need to be ready for far worse than this."

Outside, the snowstorm continued to rage, but inside the small, broken convenience store, silence had returned—guarded by an undead sentinel standing vigilant under Karl’s command.

Undead Platinum stood tall at the store’s entrance, its massive sword still dripping with blood. The attackers were dispatched within minutes, their bodies sprawled across the floor—some still twitching in pain, others motionless. The cold aura around Undead Platinum slowly faded, but its glowing blue eyes still carried an eerie chill.

Mrs. Jane was still crouched behind the counter, her hands covering her tear-streaked face. Her body was trembling violently, too weak to even lift her head.

Karl stared at Undead Platinum with sharp eyes before giving a low, firm command.

"Enough. Disappear."

As if understanding, Undead Platinum began to fade away. The pale blue glow around it dimmed, and its body slowly dissolved into inky black shadows before vanishing completely. Silence returned to the store, broken only by Mrs. Jane’s soft sobs and the metallic scent of blood hanging in the air.

Karl walked behind the counter and crouched down in front of Mrs. Jane.

"Mrs. Jane, we need to leave. This place isn’t safe anymore."

Mrs. Jane slowly lifted her face, her eyes red and swollen from crying. Her lips trembled, as if she wanted to ask something, but Karl shook his head quickly.

"Don’t ask anything right now. We need to get out of here before more people like them show up."

Without waiting for her response, Karl gently grabbed her hand and helped her stand. But Mrs. Jane’s legs were so weak that her body nearly collapsed again.

"I’ll carry you, Mrs. Jane."

Before she could protest, Karl bent down and scooped her up into his arms. The soft pressure of her chest against him stirred something inside Karl that he tried desperately to suppress.

"Hold on tight. We need to move quickly."

Karl stepped out into the storm, carrying Mrs. Jane securely in his arms. Snow clung to his hair and jacket, but he kept walking steadily through the icy wind.

Mrs. Jane’s body pressed closer to Karl as she buried her face into his shoulder. Her warm breath tickled his neck, sending a shiver down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold.

—The memories came flooding back.

In a future that no longer existed, Karl had been in a wild situation with Mrs. Jane. The soft pressure of her chest against him, the faint scent of lavender still lingering on her clothes—it all triggered thoughts he had buried deep within himself.

Karl shook his head slightly, trying to drive the thoughts away.

"Focus, Karl. This isn’t the time for that."

But his body betrayed him. A tension began to build below, a discomfort he couldn’t ignore. His breathing grew slightly heavier, but he forced himself to maintain his composure.