Chapter 151: Arrive At Ruby City
The next day, on the capsule train headed toward Ruby City, Dennis sat with Daisy and Diana. Across from them were Dahlia, Donna, and Deborah, while behind them sat Dulcia and Daphne—who was holding Destiny—alongside William, Elenor, and Martha. Dennis turned to look out the train window. They were traveling through a long, tube-like track that cut through the darkness of the world. Outside, the ruins of countless buildings—once a thriving metropolitan city—stood as monuments to a time when humans lived on the surface, unprotected by city domes.
"Finally going back to Ruby City," Dennis muttered to himself.
Suddenly, Daisy reached out and took his hand. He turned to look at her and noticed she seemed a bit gloomy. Diana and the others looked much the same.
"What’s wrong?" Dennis asked.
"It’s nothing... it’s just, we’re finally going back to Ruby City, even if it’s only for a vacation," Daisy said.
"If you don’t want to go, you shouldn’t have forced yourself," Dennis replied.
"No... I want to. It’s just that there’s this weird feeling about coming back here. I think everyone understands—you feel it too, don’t you?" Daisy asked.
"Yeah... I guess so," Dennis replied.
Dennis just held Daisy’s hand tightly. He felt exactly what she was feeling because he shared the same memories—like when they were kids living in Ruby City, and he was bullied for his large size and all sorts of other things. The train ride took about an hour, owing to the distance and the fact that Ruby City was much larger than Emerald City. As soon as they reached the station, they stepped off the train. Several company cars William had called for, complete with drivers, were already waiting for their arrival. They immediately loaded their luggage into the cars and climbed in.
During the drive through Ruby City, Dennis could see how much had changed. Ruby City was a massive metropolis, packed with so many skyscrapers and high-rises that it felt like a concrete forest. Countless vehicles of all kinds bustled back and forth across the wide highways cutting through the city. The atmosphere was a far cry from Emerald City, which only had tall buildings in its business district. Here in Ruby City, almost everything was a high-rise or a multi-story building, including apartment complexes with towers stretching up dozens of floors.
The streets were crowded, filled with a diverse mix of ordinary citizens and those who had undergone awakening. It was clear that the population of Ruby City far exceeded that of Emerald City. He saw hunters, city soldiers, and regular civilians walking along the sidewalks, all looking busy as they went about their business.
He also saw many students their age walking along the sidewalks with their friends, chatting cheerfully without a care in the world. They weren’t carrying any weapons, only their school bags. Their faces looked completely relaxed, even though they were mostly seen in pairs since Ruby City followed the same regulations as Emerald City.
After traveling through the heart of the city to drop Martha off at her apartment and taking a slight detour via the highway flyover, the car finally arrived at a residential area in the west of the city. It was a neighborhood Dennis knew well; he had lived here before moving to Emerald City. They eventually pulled up to a fairly large house with a classic design and a spacious backyard, though the front entrance sat quite close to the porch and the street.
"Welcome home, son," William said to Dennis.
"Haha... I’m back, Dad," Dennis replied with a laugh.
"Let’s get these bags unloaded," William suggested.
They began unloading their things. Diana and Dulcia stayed to help Dennis, while Daisy, Dahlia, Donna, Deborah, and Daphne—who was carrying Destiny—went inside with Elenor. As Dennis was pulling a suitcase out of the trunk, a luxury car suddenly pulled over to the curb right behind them. The driver rolled down his window. Dennis looked over to see a young man about his own age with blonde hair, green eyes, and an incredibly arrogant, punchable face. The guy’s eyes were locked onto Diana and Dulcia, who happened to be standing near the edge of the road. Of course, Dennis recognized the brat immediately.
"Hello, beautiful. How do you know Mr. William? Did you just move in?" the young man asked.
Hearing the guy hit on two of his wives, Dennis set his suitcase on the ground and walked over to Diana and Dulcia. He stood between them and put his arms around their shoulders. The smile on the young man’s face vanished the moment he saw Dennis.
"What do you want, Chad?" Dennis asked.
"Huh... you know me? Who are you?" Chad asked, confused, failing to recognize him.
"You used to bully me because I was fat. You were also the one who used to tease me, saying I wasn’t my father’s son... remember now?" Dennis asked calmly, but his eyes were sharp.
Hearing that, Chad quickly hopped out of his luxury sports car. He leaned against the roof and squinted at Dennis.
"You’re... Dennis?" Chad asked.
"Yeah. Now get lost, I need to finish unloading these bags," Dennis answered.
Instead of leaving, Chad smirked arrogantly and walked around his car to stand in front of Dennis, who still had his hands on Diana and Dulcia’s shoulders. It turned out Chad wasn’t nearly as tall as Dennis—maybe only 5’9 or 6 feet—but he looked smug as hell and was admittedly handsome. He scanned Dennis from head to toe and back again.
"Wow... you’ve definitely changed. So, who are these two gorgeous girls?" Chad asked, eyeing Diana and Dulcia flirtatiously.
"They’re my wives. Please leave," Dennis answered flatly.
"Hah... your wives? You? Hahahaha... a creature like you managed to get wives this beautiful? And two of them? They’re twins and you married them both?" Chad asked with a condescending sneer.
"Yes, he married us."
Dennis, Diana, and Dulcia turned around at the sound of the voice. Daisy, Dahlia, Donna, Deborah, and Daphne had come back outside and were now standing beside Dulcia and Diana, who were laughing. Chad flinched in shock as he saw seven girls with identical faces, differing only in how they styled their hair.
"My husband told you to go, didn’t he? Why are you still here?" Diana asked.
"Shoo... shoo," Dahlia added, shooing him away.
"Who do you think you are, just stopping in front of someone’s house? Do you own the road?" Donna asked sarcastically.
"You’d better leave quickly before I turn you into one of my experiments," Deborah added.
"What are you waiting for? Get in your car and go. I don’t want to see your face here again," Dulcia added, cracking her knuckles.
"You heard them, didn’t you?" Daphne asked with a cold smile.
Seeing seven identical girls in front of him, Chad was left speechless. A wave of envy and defeat washed over his face before he quickly masked it with anger.
"You’ve gotta be kidding me, loser. There’s no way you have wives—especially seven of them," Chad said sarcastically, his voice trembling despite his condescending tone.
"He’s not joking. Here’s the proof."
Without hesitation, Daisy stood on her tiptoes as Dennis leaned down slightly, and she kissed him on the cheek. Following her lead, Dahlia, Donna, Deborah, and Daphne each took turns kissing Dennis’s cheek, while Diana and Dulcia simply clung to his arms, shooting mocking smiles at Chad. Chad’s mask finally slipped, leaving him looking utterly livid.
"Impossible. There’s no way I’m losing to a loser like you, Den," Chad said, pointing a finger in Dennis’s face.
"Chad, I’m telling you to leave for your own sake, not mine. So go now. And even if you only live a block away, don’t come back," Dennis said calmly, brushing Chad’s finger away from his face.
"What’s so great about him, huh? Why would you all want to be with a guy like him?" Chad yelled in frustration, gesturing toward his luxury sports car to show that he was better and richer.
Suddenly, the rear tire of Chad’s prized car hissed and went flat with a loud popping noise. Naturally, all seven Daisys burst out laughing while Dennis just shook his head. Chad stood there stunned, staring at his tire—now completely flat and hugging the pavement—with his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open like his jaw had come unhinged. He snapped his head toward Dennis.
"What did you do, loser?" Chad demanded.
"Hey, you’ve been watching us. My wives and I haven’t moved an inch. Don’t go throwing around baseless accusations," Dennis replied.
Hearing Dennis’s calm but firm tone, Chad flinched back. He stared at Dennis as if he were seeing him for the first time. In a way, he was—the Dennis he knew was insecure and lacked confidence, a far cry from the man standing in front of him now. Seeing Chad’s confusion, Dennis let go of Diana and Dulcia and stepped forward. He stood over Chad, who now seemed small to him—not just physically, but in his entire presence.
"Why don’t you go hit on Bella? She’s in Emerald City, all alone now that she’s divorced from Brad," Dennis teased.
"Damn you," Chad spat.
But before Chad could do anything else, "ahem." He looked past Dennis and saw William standing there with his arms folded across his chest. Realizing he had no other choice, Chad stomped over to the driver’s side and climbed in. He rolled up the window and drove off immediately, though it looked ridiculous with his rear tire completely shredded.
After Chad left, William went back to unloading the bags, while Dennis pulled all seven of his wives into a group hug.
"Thanks for sticking up for me," Dennis said.
"Hehe... you’re welcome," the seven of them replied, clearly enjoying being held.