Apocalypse: Every Woman I Invest In Makes Me Stronger

Ethan followed Rose back to Villa 7, ready to help her and Sofia move their belongings.

The front gate stood wide open.

Rose slowed. Something felt wrong.

”Sofia?”

She hurried inside, calling her daughter’s name.

No answer.

Ethan followed close behind.

”Sofia? Sofia!”

Rose checked the living room, the bedrooms, then rushed downstairs to the basement.

It was empty.

Her breathing grew faster.

They returned to the first-floor hall. A note lay on the coffee table, written in lipstick.

*If you want your daughter to live, come to Villa 99 alone. Don’t try anything clever. We’re watching.*

Rose’s fingers trembled. The note slipped from her hand. Her face drained of color.

”Sofia...” Her voice broke. ”My Sofia!”

Ethan picked up the note and read it again, his expression hardening.

Villa 99.

It stood directly beside Villa 100. Earlier, Daisy had sensed fourteen or fifteen hostile people inside Villa 100. Because of that, they had avoided the surrounding villas. Now Sofia had been taken right under their noses.

”Ethan...” Rose grabbed his arm. Her nails dug into his skin as tears rolled down her cheeks. ”Please. Save Sofia.”

Ethan placed a hand on her shoulder.

”Don’t panic. They took Sofia and sent you to Villa 99. They probably noticed how often you visited Villa 8.” He studied the note for another moment. Then his eyes sharpened. ”Go to Villa 99 and pretend you’re cooperating. Daisy will follow you with her mental ability and keep me updated.”

Rose swallowed hard. ”And you?”

”I’ll come in from behind.” Ethan tightened his grip around his sword. A cold edge entered his voice. ”Anyone who lays a hand on my people is going to regret it.”

Rose stared at him. Despite the fear twisting through her chest, his certainty steadied her. She nodded.

”Okay. I’ll do as you say.”

---

Five minutes later, Ethan watched Rose hurry toward Villa 99. Daisy remained hidden in the shadows nearby. Ethan gave her a quick hand signal before slipping around the side of the neighboring property.

Villa 99 was almost completely dark. A few candles flickered behind the windows, their weak flames casting restless shadows across the walls.

Rose took a deep breath and pushed open the half-open front door.

Inside, the skinny man and a burly man sat around a table, drinking beer. The moment Rose stepped inside, both men looked up. Their eyes traveled over her body, lingering on the slit of her gown.

The skinny man stood with a crooked grin. ”Damn. You came quickly.” His gaze moved back to her dress. ”Now tell us. What kind of ability does that man in Villa 8 have? What are the weaknesses in his defenses?” He leaned against the table. ”Talk, and maybe you’ll avoid making things painful.”

Rose clenched her fists. ”I want to see my daughter first.” Her voice trembled, but her eyes remained steady. ”If I don’t see Sofia, you won’t get a single answer from me.”

The skinny man glanced at the burly man. The burly man stood and opened the kitchen door. A moment later he dragged Sofia out. Her hands were tied behind her back, and tape covered her mouth. Tears filled her light-brown eyes. The moment she saw her mother, she began struggling.

”Mmph! Mmph!”

”Sofia!”

Rose took a step forward. The skinny man immediately raised a hand. ”Stay right there.”

Rose stopped.

The burly man grabbed Sofia by the shoulder and gave a rough laugh. ”You’ve seen her. Now start talking.” He leaned closer to the girl. ”Otherwise, I’ll show you exactly how much pain your daughter can take.”

”You wouldn’t dare,” Rose said, her whole body shaking.

The skinny man stepped toward her, licking his lips. ”If you don’t cooperate, it won’t stop with her.” His gaze crawled over Rose. ”With a figure like yours, the boys might want a turn too. Once we’re finished, we’ll leave both of you for the zombies.”

Rose’s face went pale. For a moment, fear nearly overwhelmed her.

Then Daisy’s voice suddenly sounded inside her mind.

*Rose! Ethan is behind the villa. Hold on!*

Strength rushed back into Rose’s limbs. She lifted her head. The fear in her eyes was replaced by something fierce.

”If my daughter loses even one hair, I’ll drag every one of you to hell.”

The skinny man’s grin disappeared. ”Damn it. You really don’t know when to behave.”

The burly man stepped toward Sofia.

Then a deafening crash tore through the villa.

The steel bars covering the back wall bent outward and ripped free. Ethan burst through the opening, his sword already moving.

The burly man barely had time to turn. A silver arc flashed through the candlelight. The blade cut across his throat. Blood sprayed across the floor as he collapsed.

The skinny man cursed and reached for his gun. Ethan flicked his fingers. Metal fragments scattered across the floor shot upward like bullets. One slammed through the man’s wrist.

”Argh!”

The gun dropped from his hand. Before he could recover, Ethan was already beside Sofia. His sword flashed again, slicing through the ropes around her wrists and ankles. Sofia stumbled forward, but Rose caught her.

”Mom!”

Rose pulled her daughter close.

Ethan turned toward the skinny man, ready to finish him.

Then Daisy’s voice rang through his mind.

*Ethan, leave! More than a dozen people are coming out of Villa 100!*

Ethan’s expression changed. He grabbed Sofia with one arm and wrapped the other around Rose’s waist.

”Move!”

They rushed toward the nearest exit. Behind them, the skinny man scrambled through the side door on all fours, too terrified to even look back.

Ethan and the two women ran several dozen meters before finally stopping. Rose’s legs gave out beneath her. Sofia immediately threw herself into her mother’s arms and began sobbing. Rose held her tightly, pressing her face against her daughter’s hair.

”You’re safe. You’re safe now.”

Ethan stood nearby, breathing hard. His gaze shifted toward Sofia. Moonlight fell across the girl’s face, catching the tears still clinging to her lashes. Her light-brown eyes were wide and shaken, and her youthful features made her look even younger than eighteen.

The system suddenly sounded inside Ethan’s mind.

[New gift target detected: Sofia Lynn.]

[Age: 18.]

[Beauty Score: 98.]

Ethan’s eyebrows lifted. A Beauty Score of 98. That was higher than anyone he had encountered so far. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he remembered the promise he had made to Rose. He had promised not to touch Sofia. That didn’t mean he couldn’t accept it if she chose to approach him herself.

Before he could think further, two gunshots ripped through the night.

Bang! Bang!

”Watch out!”

Rose shoved toward Ethan. Ethan’s pupils narrowed. He could have caught the bullets with Metal Manipulation. He could have teleported away in an instant. But he saw the terror on the mother and daughter’s faces. So he deliberately slowed himself.

One bullet grazed his arm. Blood sprayed into the air. Pain tore through his flesh, and Ethan let out a low grunt as he staggered backward into Rose’s arms.

”Ethan!”

Rose grabbed his injured arm, her eyes filling with tears. ”This is my fault. I shouldn’t have brought you into this.”

Sofia stared at the torn flesh on his arm. A strange emotion flickered across her face. Until now, she had believed Ethan had ulterior motives toward her mother. She had followed them because she thought she needed to protect Rose. But he had just taken a bullet for them. The image of him in her mind shifted. He wasn’t the man she had feared.

”Daisy,” Ethan growled. ”Where?”

”Four meters ahead and to the left!” Daisy answered quickly. ”A large man is reloading!”

Ethan spun toward the direction she indicated. The metal fragments scattered across the ground rose into the air and shot forward. They pierced the gunman’s wrist.

”Argh!”

The man dropped his weapon. Ethan closed the distance in a few strides. His sword swept across the man’s throat. The gunman fell without another word.

More men emerged from the darkness. With Daisy guiding him, Ethan moved through the battlefield like a blade through cloth. He struck one man down, then another. Metal shards tore weapons from their hands, pierced their limbs, and left openings for his sword. The night filled with screams and gunfire. One by one, the attackers fell.

In total, Ethan killed ten men, including the skinny man. But the gunshots continued from farther away.

”Ethan,” Daisy said, her voice tense, ”they’re outside my range now. I can’t tell you exactly where they are.”

Ethan glanced into the darkness. He was about to pursue them when the gunfire suddenly stopped. A furious voice echoed from behind a villa.

”Damn it! I’m out of bullets!”

Thirty meters away, a scar-faced man stood behind a wall. Mick. He looked toward the bodies of his fallen men, his face turning blank. Then he turned and ran.

”Don’t chase him.” Rose grabbed Ethan’s arm. He glanced down at her. ”Your injury,” she said, her voice tight with worry. ”You’re bleeding badly.”

Ethan pressed a hand over the wound. Blood seeped between his fingers. ”We’re going to Villa 100,” he said. ”We need to find out what they’re hiding in there.”

Sofia stepped forward quietly and took hold of his other arm. ”I’ll help you.” Her voice was soft.

Ethan looked at her for a moment before allowing her to support him. The four of them moved toward Villa 100. The night breeze carried the sharp smell of blood through the street. Sofia’s hand trembled slightly against Ethan’s arm.

Then, just as they reached the villa’s entrance, a terrible wail rose from inside. The sound was raw and unnatural.

Rose froze. Daisy’s expression changed.

”I sense intense hunger and hostility inside,” she said. ”Something is moving in there.”

Ethan stared at the dark entrance. ”Zombies?”

Daisy shook her head. ”I’m not sure.”

The wail echoed again from somewhere within Villa 100.

Ethan tightened his grip on his sword.

Whatever waited inside, it was not going to be ordinary.

What had they discovered inside Villa 100?