Chapter 5

I made myself quite comfortable in the cold storage unit.

I grabbed a goose-down coat on the way in here. I wrapped myself up in it and leaned against a cardboard box, feeling a bit sleepy.

Outside the door, the sounds of Damien's furious shouting and the other people arguing drifted in intermittently.

My words had clearly hit the mark, and Damien's "reign" was beginning to crumble.

About three or four hours later, the door to the cold storage unit opened. It was Helena. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she carried a tray with some bread and water on it.

"Carl…"

She set the items on the floor, her voice choking with emotion. "Why did you do it?"

I opened my eyes and looked at her. "Which part are you referring to?"

"All of it!" she exclaimed. "You lied to everyone and threw everyone into a panic!"

"Didn't Damien lie to you all first?" I retorted.

"Damien… He did it for everyone's own good!" she countered.

I sneered. "You're saying that as if 'doing it for everyone's good' justified drugging me or ruining everyone else's chances of reaching the government shelter."

Helena's face turned pale again.

"That… I was the one who did it, okay? I was the one who begged Dam to bring you along!"

"So, the two of you had it all planned out, then?" I asked, sitting up straight and staring directly into her eyes.

Helena looked away, feeling uneasy under my gaze.

"We just didn't want you to make a pointless sacrifice."

"A pointless sacrifice?" I laughed. "So, you think that trusting the government and science is a 'pointless sacrifice'? And that believing that a Costgo membership card can ward off aliens means we'll all be saved?"

Helena was left speechless. She remained silent for a long time before saying in a low voice, "Regardless, you can't go on like this. Dam has… He's lost control of the situation.

"People outside are in an uproar. Some want to leave, some want to kill you, and others want to seize the supplies."

"Isn't that exactly what Damien wanted?" I replied with a shrug. "Didn't he want a dog-eat-dog world where the strong prey on the weak? It would be the perfect environment for him to do whatever he pleased."

"But now everyone's turning against him!"

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow. "That's sad."

Helena grew frantic. "Carl! What are you trying to do? Do you want us all to die here?"

I looked at her, suddenly feeling a profound sense of weariness.

"Just go, Helena. I don't want to see you ever again."

She froze, tears streaming down her face.

"Are you… Are you breaking up with me?"

"Our relationship ended the moment you spiked my milk," I said bluntly.

With that, I closed my eyes once more. Helena stood there for a long time before finally running off, sobbing.

A while later, the door to the cold storage unit opened again. This time, it was Damien who entered, with Walter by his side. Walter was basically his lapdog at this point.

There was a bandage on Damien's forehead. He glared at me sinisterly as he growled, "Feeling pretty pleased with yourself, aren't you, Carl?"

I ignored him.

Damien continued. "Let me tell you something, Carl. Even if you've exposed me, it won't change a thing. If anything, they're even more afraid of you now. They see you as a madman. You're just a ticking time bomb ready to go off at any moment."

He took a roll of heavy-duty tape from Walter.

"And I'm going to make sure you stay quiet for good."

He stepped toward me menacingly. Walter followed close behind, a cruel grin on his face as he pulled out a length of rope.

I slowly stood up and brushed the dust off my clothes. "Damien, did you know? Since 3iAtlas began accelerating toward us, it only needs 72 hours to travel from Mars to Earth."

Damien stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowing.

"What do you mean?"

"It means time is almost up," I said nonchalantly. "And yet, here you are, wasting time playing pathetic games with me. You still think you're the king of the castle or something? Did you honestly think you could pass this 'doomsday screening' just by a Costgo membership?"

Damien froze.

"Doomsday screening? What the hell are you babbling about?"

I didn't answer and simply glanced down at my watch.

"It's about time. My vessel is almost here."

"Your vessel?" Damien and Walter exchanged bewildered glances.

I looked up with a cryptic smile and said, "That's right. Real members get a private vessel to pick them up."

No sooner had I spoken than every light in Costgo went out.

The roar of the backup generator cut off abruptly. At once, total darkness and deathly silence engulfed the whole place.