Chapter 4

The hand suddenly clamped around Gordon's neck, hoisting him up like he weighed nothing. His nearly 200-pound frame dangled in the air like a ragdoll, completely helpless.

"Who are you?" Gordon's face was a mask of terror.

He thought, 'Someone's in the room? How did they get in? There's no place to hide in this tiny space! And this guy was insanely strong. Even with my enhanced body, I couldn't put up a fight.'

My eyes were cold. As a special forces soldier, I'd done countless beheading missions, never wasting time on the target, and today was no different.

The scumbag in front of me was the camp leader who sold us out to Bloody Morgan. I couldn't even think about what would happen to the old folks, kids, and women. And he had his eyes on Grace too. That was the last straw.

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts, and decided it was time for him to go. I snapped Gordon's neck, crushing his bones and windpipe. His hands clawed at my arm, his legs kicked a few times, and then he was done.

After dealing with Gordon, I ransacked the room, grabbing anything useful. There was an iron dining knife on the table—could be melted down into a real weapon. Candles? Sure, why not? A whip? Nah, tossed it on Gordon's lifeless body.

Once I cleared the first floor, I headed upstairs. Damn, Gordon knew how to live it up. Soft mattresses? Definitely taking those. I snapped my fingers, and the rainbow lizard slithered in through the window, waiting for orders. "Go get Jack and start loading up." The lizard zipped off. Big stuff went on Jack's back for easy transport.

Lifting the mattress, I found a big iron trunk underneath. I used my multi-tool to pop the lock, and when I opened it, I was floored. Canned beef, at least fifty cans, and boxes of compressed biscuits underneath—all military rations. Jackpot! Ten years into the apocalypse, I stumbled on this goldmine. What a score.

Then, a wooden box caught my eye. "What's this?" I opened it, and a grin spread across my face. A familiar feeling washed over me. An intermediate cosmic energy crystal! I knew this fist-sized red gem right away.

As I held it, the energy surged into me. On my four-dimensional attribute panel, my cosmic energy shot up by 300 points, adding to the 80 I already had, making it 380 points total. Enough to evolve three Level 3 mutant beasts.

As I dropped the wooden box, I heard a hollow sound from the trunk's bottom. "Something's hidden here." I stabbed the bottom with a small knife, cutting through the iron, and found more treasures: a compass, brandy, and even some special items.

I picked up a set of brand-new, unopened red lace women's underwear that stood out like a sore thumb. Alongside it were three down jackets, two pairs of hiking boots, and a bunch of medicines. In the apocalypse, meds were worth more than gold, and there were even three bottles of antibiotics. I stuffed everything into my backpack.

At some point, the rainbow lizard perched on the cabinet, watching me. It looked like Jack had arrived. With all this stuff, moving it alone would be too slow. If someone found us, we could get ambushed, so I decided to upgrade the lizard.

After using up 100 points of cosmic energy, the rainbow lizard transformed again. It grew to about 3 feet long and hit Level 3 with boosted Concealment. I felt a warm rush through my body, with all my attributes getting a +5 bump.

The Level 3 rainbow lizard was clearly smarter, its eyes sharper. When it wasn't using its skills, it was almost invisible.

"Go move the stuff, little lizard," I ordered.

The rainbow lizard chirped but didn't budge. It was actually defying me!

"If you don't listen, I'll turn you into stew," I threatened, but it still didn't move. It pointed at Jack and then at itself like it wanted something. I suddenly got it—it wanted a name.

"Alright, I'll give you a name. From now on, you're Mary," I joked.

The rainbow lizard immediately perked up, loving the name. But I couldn't figure out why. With a name, Mary was full of energy, moving a box of compressed biscuits at a time.

Just then, there was a knock on the door downstairs. I tensed up, signaling Mary and Jack to stay quiet as I headed down alone.

"Boss, I've brought the person. Grace, come in. As long as the leader agrees, it's no problem to have one more person in the camp," Mark whispered to Grace.

"But I don't have enough tax," she replied.

"It's okay, the leader is very kind. He just wants to understand your companion through you, nothing else." With that, Mark pushed Grace into the hall, carefully locking the door. Grace had no idea she was walking into a trap.

The hall was dimly lit by candles. Grace kept her head down, nervously fidgeting with her clothes. She wasn't sure if coming here was the right move. She still hoped to stay in the camp in case her sister came back. If the leader agreed to let Mr. Steele stay without rushing to collect taxes, that would be perfect.

"Boss, Mr. Steele is a good person..." Grace started to say as she heard someone coming downstairs.

I was shocked—it was Grace. Damn, Mark had tricked her into coming here. Unforgivable.

Sweet, naive Grace didn't understand how cruel people could be, so I figured it was time for a lesson.

I stayed hidden in the shadows, so Grace couldn't see who was coming down. I lowered my voice, mimicking Gordon's tone, and spoke slowly, "Grace, do you know what a fair exchange is?"

Grace furrowed her brow, not getting what I was talking about."It seems you still don't get why I called you here. Put it on." I tossed a plastic bag into the darkness, the rustling sound echoing in the room.

Grace saw the contents spill out and her face went pale. It was a skimpy set of women's lingerie, and even an idiot could figure out what it meant.

"What's wrong, too shy to put it on? Should I strip you myself?" My voice, hoarse and menacing, cut through the darkness like a devil's whisper.

Grace bolted. She had to get out of this nightmare. She shouldn't have trusted that jerk, Mark. She ran straight for the door, but it was locked tight, double-locked. It could only be opened from the outside with a key, or from the inside with a key.

Just then, she felt a powerful force grab her from behind, every muscle in her body tensing up. I had her in my grip. She struggled, kicking and twisting, but it was no use. My breath brushed her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

"No! Don't touch me!" she screamed in terror.

"What, you don't like the gift I got you?" I teased.

That voice—could it be? Grace turned her head, and sure enough, it was me.

"How could you do this!" Grace's eyes were red, caught between surprise and fear. One moment she was in hell, the next in heaven. Her heart pounded like she was waking from a nightmare.

"Grace, this world is harsh. Not everyone is as trustworthy as me. Don't trust people so easily, or you'll regret it." I picked up the lingerie from the floor, dusted it off, and handed it to her. "I think it might fulfill a dream for you. You probably haven't worn something like this since you were a kid."

Grace's face turned as red as an apple. Embarrassed, she still accepted the gift because it was from me, Ryan.

"By the way, how did you end up here?" she asked.

"It's a long story."

I filled Grace in on everything and took her to see Gordon's body. The sleazy fat man died looking as ugly as he lived. If it weren't for me, I couldn't bear to think about what might have happened.

"He's such a bastard!" Grace said angrily.

"Mr. Steele, I've caused trouble for you. Let's get out of here."

"No rush. I'll take you upstairs to see something." I led Grace to where Mary was moving stuff. Grace's eyes widened in disbelief. 'Could it really be like this?' she thought.

"All of this is ours, Grace. You stay here. I still have things to do. After Mary and Jack finish moving, you two head outside the camp and wait for me."

After giving the instructions, I left Gordon's place and climbed a tall tree. Even in the dim night, my enhanced vision let me see clearly. The person I was looking for was moving things. Mark turned back, seeing no one, and pushed open a small house with a bag as tall as himself on his back.

"I'm back. Living the good life and still wanting to be a bandit. Disgusting," Mark muttered as he lit a candle, but he nearly fell over in shock. In front of him stood a man, face to face.

I clamped my hand over Mark's mouth, pressing a multi-tool knife coldly against his throat. "Don't move, or I'll slit your throat, and the blood won't stop."

Mark trembled, nodding slightly and raising his hands in surrender.

"You're smart, but your smarts are wasted. When you get to hell, think about that." I mentally sentenced him to death. Not only did he have twisted thoughts, but he also led Grace into a trap, almost getting her hurt.

"No!" Just as my knife was about to cut his skin, a woman rushed out of the house, clinging to my leg, her voice trembling and full of pleading. "Sir, please don't kill Mark. Please give my brother a chance to live." Her voice was filled with despair, tears shimmering in her eyes, making her seem so fragile.

Those eyes again. An hour ago, at the camp banquet, the woman who was soaked all over now looked at me with fear and helplessness.

"What a bastard!" I admit I softened, then punched Mark in the face. I put all my strength into that punch. My strength was three times that of an ordinary person, thanks to my evolution. The punch nearly knocked out half of Mark's teeth, his face swelling significantly.

Mark gasped on the ground, the woman crying as she lay on him. "Betta, don't cry, I... I think I can survive," Mark said bitterly, looking at me.

I crossed my arms coldly. "Give me a reason to let you explain."

"About Grace, I apologize, but no one else was suitable. If the leader doesn't have a new toy, he'll keep tormenting my sister." Mark spat out a mouthful of blood, not hiding his thoughts. "You standing here means Grace is safe. Take this bag of dried beef and run. The leader will kill you, I swear I won't reveal your whereabouts."

"Is your leader that powerful?" I asked indifferently.

"Terrifying. He's an Enhancer, his flying knives are as fast as bullets," Mark said, blood at the corner of his mouth.

"That's a shame. I didn't see his ultimate move. Let me tell you something—your leader, when you left, I already broke his neck." I said casually, delivering words that made Mark shiver.

Mark's eyes widened as if he had heard something incredibly unbelievable. "No... impossible." If he had just left, and the leader's neck was broken, that meant the man in front of him was in the hall at that time.

"Just as you thought, I was watching you all in the hall," I confirmed Mark's guess. "By the way, those Bloody Morgan spies were also killed by me." I took out a badge from my pocket, the lifelike skull relief on it very realistic.

Mark was speechless, his understanding of the world shattered. The man in front of him dared to kill Morgan's people, and that badge was obviously a captain's badge, definitely an Enhancer. 'Oh my god!'

Seeing Mark's horrified expression, I felt nothing. "Today, Morgan's spies didn't return. Tomorrow, new spies will come, find those bodies, then come to the camp, only to find the leader dead. How do you think Bloody Morgan will react?" I saw Mark gulp in fear.