Chapter 4

Carys POV

"Move, Carys! Get up!" Evander screamed, his voice cracking with pure panic.

I wanted to move. My brain screamed at my legs to kick, to roll, to do anything at all. But I was trapped on the cold concrete. The blue system screen had just punished me for stealing the male lead's hero moment, and now my right leg was paralyzed. The second mutated guard dropped from the warehouse rafters and landed just a few feet away from me. It snarled, its jaw unhinging unnaturally as it prepared to charge at my helpless body.

I braced for the pain, but Evander moved with terrifying speed. He grabbed a flare gun from his tactical belt, aimed directly at the mutant's face, and pulled the trigger. The blinding red light and burning phosphorus hit the creature dead in the eye. The monster thrashed blindly, screeching in agony. Evander stepped in with cold precision. He drove his heavy metal wrench straight into the base of its skull. The mutant dropped instantly.

Evander rushed over to me and dropped to his knees. His eyes were wide with a mix of panic and newfound respect.

"Where are you hurt?" he asked, his hands hovering over my legs. "Did it bite you?"

"I'm not bitten," I grunted, trying to drag myself backward. "My leg just went numb. I can't feel it."

I couldn't tell him that an invisible w******l system paralyzed my leg for stealing his spotlight. I needed a way to trick this stupid system into giving my leg back. I realized something quickly. If the system punished me for acting tough, it might reward me for acting weak. I had to play the part.

I forced tears into my eyes and adopted the exact pathetic, damsel-in-distress persona I hated in the original manuscript. I gripped Evander's shirt tight, making my voice tremble on purpose.

"I'm so scared, Evander," I cried out, letting a loud sob escape my lips. "I can't walk. Please don't leave me. You have to protect me from these monsters!"

Evander looked confused by my sudden personality shift. Just a minute ago, I was threatening a black market dealer and smashing a monster's skull. Now, I was weeping like a frightened child. But his protective instincts took over anyway.

"I got you," he said softly. He gently lifted me into his arms, carrying me like a bride toward the truck. "I won't let anything hurt you."

The moment my head rested against his chest, a pleasant chime echoed in my ears. The blue screen appeared again.

[COMPLIANCE DETECTED: Heroine is exhibiting proper reliance on the Male Lead. Paralysis penalty lifted.]

The feeling instantly rushed back into my leg. I stopped fake-crying immediately. I wiped my dry eyes and pushed myself out of his arms.

"Okay, put me down," I said in my normal voice. "We need to finish loading the solar panels."

Evander nearly dropped me. He stared at me like I had multiple personalities.

"You just said you couldn't walk," he stammered. "You were just crying."

"It was just a muscle cramp," I lied smoothly. "Hurry up. We don't have time to waste."

He didn't argue, though he kept shooting me weird looks as we quickly loaded the remaining crates into the back of his truck. I just secured the heavy metal latch on the tailgate when the loud screech of tires echoed through the warehouse entrance.

A sleek, brand-new luxury SUV sped into the loading bay and slammed on the brakes. The doors flew open, and my pulse took a sudden halt.

It was Kaelen and Selah. They actually survived the attack at the apartment? Good for them. But what were they doing here and how'd they find me?

Kaelen spotted me standing next to the armored truck. His handsome face twisted into an ugly mask of rage and wounded pride. He stormed over, ignoring the dead bloody bodies in the shadows. He was focused solely on his bruised ego.

"Is this why you cut us off?" Kaelen yelled across the loading bay. "You bankrupted your own family to bankroll some loser scientist?"

Selah trailed behind him, putting on her usual innocent act. "Carys, please come home! Stop acting crazy and giving our money to strangers. We need that money to survive!"

I rolled my eyes. I refused to engage with their exhausting drama. I turned my back on them and reached for the truck's door handle.

Kaelen couldn't handle being ignored. He lunged forward, grabbed my shoulder, and yanked me backward violently.

"You aren't going anywhere until you explain yourself!" he snarled, his grip bruising my skin.

"Take your hands off me before you regret it," I warned, glaring at his fingers.

"Or what?" Kaelen laughed, leaning into my personal space. "What are you going to do about it? You owe me an apology! You owe Selah an apology!"

Before I could shove him off, Evander stepped out from the driver's side. He didn't say a single word. He simply drew a newly looted, heavy-caliber handgun and pressed the cold steel barrel directly between Kaelen's eyes.

Kaelen froze. His face drained of all color, and his hands slowly rose in the air. Selah screamed in terror from behind the SUV.

But as I watched Evander's finger tighten on the trigger, the blue system screen flashed a blinding, chaotic red across my entire field of vision.

[CRITICAL EVENT WARNING: The Host's actions are about to cause the premature death of the Primary Antagonist. If Kaelen dies now, the plot will collapse. Penalty for plot collapse: Immediate death of the Host.]