Chapter 111 Strip for the devil III

Chapter 111: Chapter 111 Strip for the devil III

Malcolm’s jaw shifted from the impact of Luna’s palm. For a moment, he simply stood there, one hand slowly rising to his face as he touched the spot where she had slapped him. The entire hall was silent.

The second-in-command reacted immediately, taking a furious step forward with clear intention to interfere, but Malcolm raised one hand. The giant stopped in his tracks, his teeth clenched so tightly that the muscles along his jaw were bulging. He was furious on behalf of his master—if Malcolm hadn’t stopped him, he would have gladly ended Luna’s life right there. But Malcolm didn’t move. He simply continued staring at Luna. There was something different in his eyes now—the curiosity was still there, but the amusement was gone.

Ethan, meanwhile, facepalmed himself and slowly shook his head. He was beginning to feel severely worried. "We aren’t going to survive this shit." His voice was low as he looked at the others. "Look at what we’ve stepped into. Attacking them is pure foolishness because that would be suicide. How the hell are we supposed to get out of this supermarket without being killed?"

He wasn’t asking anyone in particular—he was trying to organize his thoughts while his heart continued jumping in fear. There were already several terrifying things happening in this world: monsters, abominations, strange awakenings, the disappearance of the ocean, the sudden appearance of a frozen sea. And now, somehow, it was their fellow humans who might actually kill them. That wasn’t how this was supposed to go. Humans were supposed to be their allies—at least, that was what Ethan had always believed before the apocalypse turned everything upside down.

Then another thought entered his mind. And speaking of terrifying situations—who the hell was the person who had moved this supermarket? How had an entire supermarket been transported to a hill? And how had a wave of that magnitude failed to wash it away? None of it made sense. This place wasn’t normal. The people weren’t normal. The structure itself wasn’t normal. Everything about this place screamed that there was something much bigger happening behind the scenes.

"Luna might be losing this battle," Ethan finally said, his eyes moving toward her. "And all of us could be dragged into death with her." The others looked at him. They were surrounded. They were being watched. They had already been separated. And now, after Luna’s slap, the main attention of the entire hall had shifted toward her.

Ethan lowered his voice. "We need to bring Plan B into play. The sooner we put it to work, the better our chances will be."

Rowan shook his head. He had already left the main circle and returned to stand beside the rest of the group. "That’s betrayal." Ethan frowned. Rowan’s eyes remained fixed on Luna. "She told us to trust her." His voice was firm. "And that’s what we’re supposed to do."

Ethan stared at him. "You don’t know why she chose this." Rowan continued, "You can’t just go against what she wants because you think it might be dangerous. That could increase the danger level instead of reducing it." Ethan’s expression hardened. "You’re seriously going to wait until you die?" Rowan’s jaw tightened. "Because whether we want to admit it or not, Luna only cares about herself." The words immediately changed the atmosphere. "That’s the horrible truth." Ethan looked directly at Rowan. "If she’s ever put in a position where she has to choose between her own safety and ours, what do you think she’ll pick?"

Rowan went silent. That was exactly the question he didn’t want to answer. Because somewhere inside him, he already knew—he knew what Luna was capable of, he knew how ruthless she could become when survival was involved. But knowing that didn’t mean he was willing to accept it. Rowan looked away. "We’re special to her." His voice was quieter now. "She’s our baby girl." Ethan rolled his eyes. Rowan continued anyway. "And we’re her boys. In her own way, I believe she loves us." His gaze returned to Luna. "She would do anything to keep us together. That’s what she’s fighting for. We can’t ruin that for her."

Ethan groaned. "Rowan..." He rubbed his face. "When are you ever going to learn?" Rowan looked at him. "I thought you had already seen what Luna could do. You saw what she was willing to put Adrian through." Adrian’s expression changed slightly. Ethan continued, "I don’t even think she plans on taking us back." He swallowed. "She might never take us back."

Before Ethan could finish, Kai interrupted. "That’s enough." Everyone looked toward him. Kai’s expression was unusually serious. "Stop planting seeds of doubt in his head." Ethan stared at him. Kai continued, "Rowan is going to stand by Luna. Accept it." His voice was blunt. "And if you can’t accept that, then let it go." There was no sugarcoating his words. "I know you’re not supporting everything Luna has done," Kai continued, "but right now, this is the path we’ve chosen." He glanced toward Luna. "She could have stayed home." That made Ethan pause. "You know that." Kai continued, "She would have been perfectly capable of staying at the mansion and relaxing while we handled whatever we could." His expression became serious. "But she came here because she knows our provisions aren’t enough." He gestured around them. "She came on this dangerous journey because she wanted more supplies for all of us." Kai’s eyes narrowed. "And now you’re trying to convince her men to abandon her and run?"

Ethan shook his head. "That’s not what I meant." He looked frustrated. "That’s not even my plan. You don’t know what I was trying to say."

He barely finished the sentence—a heavy kick slammed into his jaw. BANG! Ethan’s head snapped sideways. Blood burst from his lips as his entire body was thrown across the hall. He crashed into a pillar with enough force to make the impact echo through the structure.

"Ethan!" Adrian barely had time to react. Another kick came flying toward his face—he managed to dodge it, but the follow-up attack slammed directly into his stomach. Adrian’s eyes widened as a painful gasp escaped his throat. He gagged as the force sent him crashing onto the floor, blood immediately beginning to drip from his nose.

Rowan’s expression changed. He barely managed to turn before four women rushed toward him. They moved with terrifying speed, their hands slamming into his shoulders and arms. Rowan’s body stiffened—his powers seemed to freeze in place. He hadn’t even been planning to use them; the attack had simply come so suddenly that he hadn’t had the opportunity to react. One of the women grabbed him, another struck him, and Rowan staggered. Then—BANG! His head was slammed violently against the hard floor. Pain exploded through his skull, his vision blurred, and for a second, everything spun. Blood ran down his face.

Kai was the only one still standing. His expression changed immediately. He knew they were coming. He moved—one woman swung at him, Kai ducked; another attack came, he jumped aside; then another. Kai began running in circles around them, avoiding the women’s punches with surprising speed. But even he knew the women weren’t ordinary. The ones carrying batons were even more frightening. They moved with discipline, enforcing an order.

"No whispering is allowed here!" One of the women shouted. "Wasn’t that what we emphasized?" She swung her baton against the floor. "What didn’t you listen to?" Her eyes narrowed. "Or are you too dumb to understand?"

Kai continued dodging. So that’s why they attacked? Because they had been whispering? It was ridiculous. But considering where they were, Kai wasn’t willing to test how far their rules went. His gaze briefly shifted toward Luna.

And that was when Luna’s attention finally locked onto what was happening behind her. Her eyes widened slightly—Ethan was bleeding, Adrian was on the floor, Rowan had been slammed into the ground, Kai was still moving but he was surrounded. Luna’s fingers curled into fists. Then she looked back toward Malcolm.

His face had twisted into something sinister. He had stood up from his throne, and behind him, several young women were being lined up. They were dressed in revealing outfits with thongs and coral stones arranged around their bodies. Luna stared—for a moment, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Malcolm noticed her expression. "Ask them." His voice was calm. "Ask them what happened to women like you who thought they were fierce." He gestured toward the women. "Women who believed they could challenge everything." His lips curled. "Now they’re my bitches and whores."

Luna’s expression remained blank, but inside, disgust burned through her.

Malcolm continued, "I kill them when I get bored." Luna’s eyes remained expressionless—she refused to give him the reaction he wanted. Malcolm leaned slightly against his throne. "Parents offer me their daughters for protection." He chuckled. "Let’s call it trade by barter." His voice echoed through the hall. "They give me their daughters, and I give them protection."

Luna’s stomach twisted.

"And now the world is at its worst." Malcolm spread his arms. "We have the news about the new Earth. Strange things are happening everywhere." His gaze returned to Luna. "And now we have new visitors." His smile widened. "Visitors who somehow found my hideout." He paused. "My supermarket."

Luna stared at him. "So what does that mean?"

Malcolm laughed. "Unfortunately, I’m not a patient man." His eyes hardened. "You can give me the answers I need." He pointed toward her men. "Or I can start killing them." His voice became colder. "I’ll remove one body part at a time until you decide to talk."

The threat hung heavily in the air. Malcolm’s laughter grew louder, his smile stretching so wide it almost looked as though his mask might fall from his face.

Luna didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she walked forward—one step, then another. Malcolm watched her carefully. He had been standing while advancing toward her earlier, but now he slowly settled back into his throne. Luna stopped several feet away. Behind her, she could hear the sounds of struggling—the crack of bones, the groans of pain, the movement of the guards. She didn’t turn around. She couldn’t afford to. Her eyes remained fixed on Malcolm.

Finally, she spoke. "What do you want?" Her voice was cold.

Malcolm smiled. This time, there was no amusement in it—only calculation. "What’s your mission here?" His gaze traveled over her. "I know you’re not ordinary." He glanced toward the others. "Neither are they." His fingers tapped against the armrest of the golden throne. "People like you don’t just end up together randomly." Luna remained silent. "So tell me." Malcolm leaned forward. "How did you come here?" His voice became threatening. "And tell me what you people are after." He paused. "If you don’t..." His eyes shifted toward the injured men. "...your boys are going to lose more than they can ever imagine."

Luna’s eyes hardened. She knew exactly what he was doing—he wanted information, he wanted to break them, and most importantly, he wanted to discover what made each of them tick. But Malcolm had made one mistake. He had underestimated just how far Luna was willing to go when someone threatened the people she had decided were hers. And now... it was time to see who would break first.