Chapter 129: Hidden in the Dark

Victoria remained pressed against Ethan’s chest, her slender frame shaking with heavy, shuddering breaths as the tears gradually subsided. The faint fragrance of rain and sweet flowers that Ethan had caught earlier rose from her hair, delicate and disarming in the middle of a war-torn city.

Ethan glanced down at the woman in his arms.

Her head rested just beneath his chin, her unfastened collar shifted slightly by her embrace to reveal the pale, smooth line of her neck and shoulders. Even stripped of high-fashion suits and designer jewelry, the mature, refined grace that had commanded the company gala was undeniable.

His thoughts flickered briefly to the system panel that had just materialized in his vision.

The 120-fold base return multiplier had far exceeded Daisy’s initial reward, despite Daisy holding a marginally higher raw rarity score. It seemed the system’s internal calculation placed distinct, favorable weight on certain physical attributes and mature allure.

Still, he did not linger on the thought for long. In a ruined world, practicality always came first.

"Come with me," Ethan said softly, his voice steady as he reached down and placed a reassuring hand against Victoria’s back. "I have a safe, fortified place where you can survive without having to hide in the dirt."

Victoria slowly pulled back.

Her pale cheeks flushed a bright, self-conscious crimson the moment she realized how tightly she had thrown herself into his arms. She lowered her gaze, her fingers smoothing the front of her wrinkled dress in a hurried attempt to compose herself.

She was not a naive young girl who could be easily swayed by empty promises. Before the world ended, she had spent years navigating corporate boardrooms, reading men’s motives and understanding the hidden transactions of power. She knew all too well what it meant for a woman to rely on a powerful man during the collapse of civilization.

She had also caught the fleeting, appreciative look in Ethan’s eyes.

Yet unlike the predators who had pillaged Century Skyline, Ethan had made no demands. He had given her a leader-grade crystal worth more than gold, stood by as she unlocked an advanced ability, and offered her shelter without asking for a single compromising favor in return.

She hesitated for a brief second, looking into his calm, confident eyes, before letting out a quiet, decisive sigh.

"Okay," she whispered, nodding. "I’ll go with you."

She turned her gaze toward the bedroom door and the dark hallway beyond.

"Wait here for just a moment, Ethan. I need to go down to the basement crawlspace and pack my things."

Before Ethan could reply, she turned on her heel and started toward the stairs.

"I’ll come down with you," Ethan said, stepping forward. "It’s pitch black down there, and there could still be infected or stragglers hiding in the lower rooms."

"No!"

Victoria stopped dead in her tracks on the threshold.

The word ripped from her throat far sharper, louder, and more frantic than she had intended.

The sudden panic in her voice hung heavily in the air. Realizing her overreaction, Victoria flinched, her face draining of what little color it had regained. She swallowed hard and quickly dropped her voice to a strained, hurried whisper.

"No... there’s really no need for that, Ethan. It’s... it’s just a few old changes of clothes and some personal items. I know the way through the dark with my eyes closed. I can carry everything myself, I promise. Just... please wait here for me."

A flash of raw, unmistakable panic flickered across her wide eyes before she abruptly spun around and hurried down the spiraling staircase. Her footsteps were fast and uneven, echoing off the empty walls until they faded into the lower level.

Ethan stopped at the landing, his dark eyes narrowing into sharp slits.

*What is she hiding down there?*

Her reaction made no sense. She had willingly laid bare the darkest, most traumatic moments of her life—the deaths of her husband, her brother, and her sister-in-law—without holding back a single gruesome detail. Yet the mere thought of him setting foot inside that basement crawlspace had thrown her into an immediate, desperate panic.

Was there another survivor down there? A stockpile she had kept hidden? Or something else entirely?

Ethan considered walking down the stairs quietly using his spatial perception to look into the darkness. But after a moment’s thought, he let the impulse fade.

If Victoria had a personal secret she wasn’t ready to expose, cornering her now would only destroy the fragile trust they had just built. As long as whatever was down there posed no threat to his own safety, he could afford to be patient. In the end, secrets had a way of surfacing on their own.

"All right," Ethan called down the empty stairwell. "I’ll wait here."

He turned back toward the balcony.

Outside, the darkness had fully settled over Century Skyline. The distant sounds of battle had vanished completely; Max, Blaze, and the Quasi-S-Rank Evolved Zombie were nowhere to be seen, having either slaughtered each other or scattered into the adjacent blocks.

Ethan stepped into a shadowed corner beneath the balcony’s concrete overhang. Focusing his mind, he channeled his spatial energy into the stone, firmly embedding a Space Anchor Point into the structure of the villa. With this spatial marker in place, he could teleport directly back to this luxury estate whenever necessary.

Satisfied that his retreat route was secured, he sat back down in the armchair behind the curtains and finished the rest of his instant noodles while keeping watch on the quiet street below.

Several minutes ticked past in absolute silence.

Finally, the faint, rhythmic sound of footsteps climbed the wooden staircase once more.

Victoria reappeared in the bedroom doorway.

She was carrying a single, compact leather suitcase in her right hand. Her eyes were red and swollen again, her expression noticeably quieter and heavier than when she had gone downstairs. It was clear she had been crying while packing in the dark, though she made no attempt to explain why.

Ethan looked at the small piece of luggage.

That was all she had brought up from weeks of survival. Just a single case that looked light enough to hold only a few folded garments. No water bottles, no preserved food, no visible keepsakes. It seemed her supplies had indeed run completely dry.

Ethan set his empty bowl aside and stood up, choosing not to question her red eyes.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yes," Victoria replied softly, her voice subdued. "Let’s go."

Ethan stepped closer and took her hand. With a subtle pulse of his spatial authority, a tear in space enveloped them both, pulling them out of the dim bedroom and into the Survival Space.

The transition occurred in the blink of an eye.

The moment Victoria’s feet touched the clean, solid floor, she froze in place.

Her breath caught in her chest, and her dark eyes widened until they could open no wider. The warm, humming ceiling lights, the clean furniture, the fully stocked kitchen counters, and the comfortable living space existing inside an impossible, invisible dimension completely shattered every concept of reality she possessed.

On the nearby sofa, Daisy and Sofia looked up from their rest, while Debbie paused with a clean cloth in her hand, all three women turning their attention toward the elegant newcomer in the dusty white dress.

Victoria stood frozen beside her suitcase, looking from the peaceful environment to Ethan. The initial shock on her face slowly morphed into that same heavy, conflicted hesitation that had seized her at the villa stairs.

"What’s wrong?" Ethan asked, watching her closely.

Victoria opened her mouth.

Her chest rose and fell, her knuckles tightening around the handle of her suitcase until they were pale. For a fleeting second, looking at the safety and abundance of the room, it seemed as though she was finally going to break and confess whatever weight was crushing her chest.

Her lips parted, trembling slightly.

Then, at the last possible second, she clamped them shut.

She forced her shoulders to relax, lowering her gaze to the floor to break eye contact.

"Nothing," she murmured softly. "Nothing at all. I’m just... completely stunned by what you’ve built here."

The answer came too quickly, wrapped in a brittle, polite smile.

Ethan studied her lowered face in silence.

Ever since she had run down to that basement, every word, gesture, and look carried an unspoken tension. Even here, safe behind spatial barriers where no monster could touch her, she was desperately guarding a secret she could not bring herself to voice.

He didn’t know what lay hidden beneath the floorboards of that ruined villa, but one thing was certain:

Victoria Sterling was carrying a secret far heavier than she was letting on.