LOGIN"No! Absolutely not!" Jeffrey roared, charging forward to grab Paige and drag her back.But Ray had already scooped her up in his arms, striding forward with calm determination.Jeffrey pushed himself to the limit, yet no matter how hard he ran, he couldn't close the gap. At best, he could maintain a static distance, neither catching up nor falling behind.In that moment, he didn't consider the difference in their abilities. There was only one thought in his mind, 'No! Fucking! Way!'Ray quickly slipped into a hotel. Jeffrey, seething with anger, followed without hesitation.He reached the third floor just in time to see Ray carrying Paige into a room, using a kick and a hook with his foot to slam the door shut.Jeffrey lunged to push the door open, but the moment his hand extended, a wave of icy cold stopped him dead in his tracks.Danger. Extreme danger. He could die.The spatial portal was right there, open. The cold pierced his soul, and rationality instantly took over. His
Jeffrey's face turned beet-red, looking like a scolded monkey.Earlier, Ray had asked, if he were stronger than Emmett and fancied Jeffrey, would Jeffrey sacrifice himself for his family?"This… this is ridiculous!" Jeffrey stammered, his voice trembling. Just imagining a powerful man locking him down made him nauseous."And what do you think?" Ray asked coolly. His acting was flawless; there was no way to tell from his expression whether he was serious or joking.Jeffrey's face flickered red and white as a fierce mental battle raged inside him. Finally, he gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead. "I… I am a man! I will never accept such humiliation!" He'd rather die in battle than endure this.Ray chuckled. Double standard much, eh?Paige snorted. "Jeffrey, why aren't you talking about protecting your family now?""Men and women are different!" Jeffrey tried to justify himself. "Since the olden days, only women have sold themselves—brothels, you know? Men don't do that
Ray swung open a spatial portal. Several massive fireballs shot straight toward Emmett.This was a feint.The air blades had struck earlier, but the spatial portal had effortlessly absorbed them. Emmett, impressive as he was, let out a sharp bark of breath, summoning a violent gust around him that snuffed out the fireballs without effort.Still, he frowned.Judging by the intensity of the fireballs, Ray's ability level seemed low—roughly on par with one of the fire-wielding subordinates under his command. But if that were truly the case, the three air blades earlier should have cut him into pieces.Something didn't add up.Low attack, high defense? That didn't fit the profile of a fire-type ability user. Strange.Emmett might be arrogant and lustful, but no reckless fool could rise to head a major faction. The stupid ones died long ago.He studied Ray for a moment, then unexpectedly smiled, as if greeting a long-lost friend. "I am Emmett, leader of Bunker's End. And you, mister
Steve spat. "Who cares about some random faction leader! If anyone even thinks about laying a hand on my wife, I don't care if all six major factions show up, I'll fight them to the death!"That was the essence of irreconcilable differences. People are not the same.Jeffrey sneered. "You can talk tough now, but when Emmett actually shows up, don't be the first one to kneel!""Bring him on! Let's see who kneels first!" Steve shouted, brimming with bravado."Heh… I'm here."A voice rang out, and suddenly a violent gust of wind swept toward them. When it subsided, a man appeared in its wake.He was short, barely 167 centimeters, plain-faced, and nowhere near the tall, graceful Jeffrey. His head was round and fleshy, with a cruel and petty look about him, like the kind of street thug from the old days.Jeffrey's expression shifted immediately. "Emmett, you're here!"Paige shivered, her face draining of color.She loathed this irresponsible cousin. Six months ago, during her weddin
Seeing Paige openly expose the family's shame, Jeffrey's face flushed bright red. His eyes darkened with lethal intent, and the way he looked at Ray and Steve made it clear—he was already considering eliminating them.Steve was utterly stunned, mouth agape, while Ray remained calm. In this apocalypse, he had seen every kind of human tragedy, comedy, and moral drama. No matter how twisted, nothing could shock him anymore.Jeffrey took a deep breath. "Take whatever grievances home. Don't make a scene here!"Paige's condition was clearly unstable. Her face burned like fire from a high fever. She should have been unconscious, yet her intense hatred forced her to wake the moment she heard her husband's voice—and speak with clear-headed defiance.She gave a bitter laugh. "Making a scene? Isn't it more disgraceful that you gave your own wife to your cousin? Ha! You don't care about getting cheated on, so why do you care if I talk about it?"Jeffrey glanced at Ray and Steve, but was uncer
Steve had been running at full speed the whole way. Not being a body-combat type, even with stamina far above a normal person's, he was completely exhausted."You're running too—huh!"Steve suddenly caught sight of the woman in the red wedding dress and froze, his expression a mixture of shock and awe.In the icy snow, a woman in nothing but a thin wedding dress lay there as if asleep. That alone was startling, but her beauty was extraordinary, breathtaking. It made one's eyes widen and heart ache with a strange, protective instinct.Steve shook his head, a look of regret and longing crossing his face.Ray chuckled. "She's not dead yet.""Ah?" Steve couldn't believe it. "Not dead… yet?""Want to check her heartbeat?" Ray asked coolly.Steve glanced at her chest, still impressively full even as she lay there, and instantly blushed bright red. "N-No need!"Ray laughed. "You're not still a virgin, are you? Wait… you've absorbed ability user energy at least once—don't tell me—hm!"
"Get out." Ray opened the car door and gestured for Richard to get out.Richard froze for a moment, clearly not expecting Ray to let him go so easily. Then he hurriedly bowed and scraped as he got out. "Thank you, thank you. I'll remember your generosity for the rest of my—"He never finished the
"I could be dead at the crack of dawn, and you still expect me to kneel to your boss when I see him?" Killian found it utterly unbelievable.Edward let out a low, mocking chuckle. "Our boss isn't an ordinary man. He… has superpowers!"Killian stared at his cousin as if he'd just seen a ghost, inst
So, although Killian felt a faint sense of discomfort, the primitive urges buried deep inside him were beginning to stir.Edward had already dragged out a disheveled man from one of the rooms. The man looked to be in his forties, a cigar improbably clenched between his lips, one hand gripping a rop
Ray first checked the surveillance feed. Only after confirming that everything was safe did he step outside.In weather this cold, an ambush was unlikely—but a little caution never hurt.Caution was the first rule of survival.The frigid air rushed in, and Ray's mind immediately sharpened. All th







