Chapter 271
“You beast!”
Emily Ward’s palm cracked across her little brother’s face.
She was twice Awakened, strength of four grown men packed into that body. Woman or not, Kevin Ward couldn’t take a hit like that.
He went over hard and slammed to the ground.
The instant he fell, Emily regretted it. Her body moved on instinct, wanting to pull him up. But her foot stopped halfway.
The filth he’d just spat out... it was too ugly to hear. At home, maybe that was one thing. But there were outsiders here. People were watching.
Not just Emily—even Kevin’s five worthless hanger-ons were stunned.
After the end of the world, those boys all knew they were no saints. Still, no matter how rotten they were, they couldn’t talk to their own blood like that.
Kevin really was something else. A real piece of work.
“You hit me?” Kevin sat up off the ground and started laughing. “Heh... hehehe... You actually hit me? Emily Ward, you dare lay hands on me?”
Emily’s face darkened. “Then watch your mouth! Who told you to say such disgusting crap?”
“Hehehe...” Kevin laughed again, mean and hollow. “Fine. I’m trash. I’m a beast. That what you mean?”
Still sitting there, he suddenly twisted around, planted both hands and feet, and started crawling toward the breach in the meteor shell.
“Emily Ward!” he howled. “I’ll make you watch your own brother die because of you! I’ll make you regret it for the rest of your life!”
...
Magnus Specter had just stepped down from the third coach when he saw that bastard Kevin.
Half his body was already sticking out through the crack in the meteor shell.
Magnus froze for one beat, then joy surged up so fast it nearly burst out of him.
He looked up.
At the torn opening above, a sparrow was crouched there. It had already caught Kevin’s scent. Its wings beat hard as it dropped toward him.
Come on.
Faster.
Magnus was so worked up he nearly shouted it aloud.
Then his heart sank again.
Someone inside the meteor was hauling on Kevin with all they had, trying to drag him back.
Kevin braced both arms against the shell and roared, “Emily Ward! I’ll ask you one last time! Are you letting my brothers join you or not?!”
“Yes! Yes!” Emily shouted at once, panic in her voice. “I’ll let them! Kevin, let go! Let go first! I agree, all right? I agree to everything! What are you idiots standing there for? Get over here and help!”
Just as that big sparrow lunged to within less than half a meter of the breach, Kevin suddenly released his grip.
His body was yanked back inside in one violent jerk.
Magnus’s jaw tightened.
What a damn waste.
He bit down hard, so angry he wanted to pull a gun and put a bullet straight through that useless bird.
About ten minutes passed.
From inside, there were still scraps of arguing, faint but sharp.
Then Emily slowly bent and stepped out through the breach.
She saw Magnus standing not far from the meteor, watching her.
Her gaze stalled.
Then she lowered her head and walked toward him.
When she reached him, she stood silent for a few seconds before speaking low.
“Magnus... I want to tell you...”
She only got halfway before stopping again.
She stood there still, quiet as stone.
Then she reached out, took Magnus by the arm, and led him toward the rear of the convoy.
They walked all the way to the back of the last cargo truck, turned around the corner behind it, and stopped.
Emily let go of his arm gently.
She tilted her head and glanced up at the sky to the right, wiped the tears from the corner of her eye, then turned back.
She drew in a long breath.
When she looked at Magnus again, her voice was calm.
“Magnus, I want my brother’s team to join us. Can you allow it?”
“No.”
Magnus looked at her without expression and shook his head.
What was there to ask?
Emily turned her face aside and gave a small, self-mocking smile.
Then she looked back at him.
She was tall. She didn’t need to lift her chin to meet his eyes. Her big eyes were still red. She smiled softly, showing a line of white teeth.
“What about this?”
As she spoke, she stepped in fast and brushed a light kiss over his lips.
Then she pulled back just as fast, turning her face to the sky on the left, voice low and unsteady.
“Say yes to Sister Emily... from now on, I’ll be yours.”
Magnus stood there and said nothing.
A long while passed.
Then Emily turned back and looked at him steadily.
“What do you want, then?” she asked. “Count me in. And Liana too. The two of us together—is that enough?”
“Fifty tons of grain. One thousand Crystal.”
Magnus drew a slow breath.
“Leave them here. I won’t kill him. That’s my bottom line.”
“Why?” Emily’s voice rose again, trembling now. “Magnus, I don’t understand why you hate my brother this much!”
Magnus let out a long breath and leaned back against the rear of the truck.
He took out a pack of cigarettes, shook one loose, lit it, and dragged deep.
Smoke went into his lungs. He tipped his head up and looked at the sky.
“Emily...”
He reached over and took her by the arm, drawing her over so she leaned back against the truck with him.
“I’ll tell you something. Take it as a dream of mine.”
“A dream?” Emily turned, startled, staring at the side of his face.
“You could call it that.”
Magnus took another drag and began.
He told her everything from his previous life.
How he had been trapped in the lobby of women’s dorm building No. 3. How Emily and Liana Jabbar led a group of girls charging out.
How it went all the way to the timber mill.
How the women of the Ice Regiment were captured.
How Kevin tried to force Sarah Franklin.
How Sarah killed herself to protect her honor.
How Emily shot her own brother dead.
How Magnus, in the end, went mad with revenge.
How Emily shoved him aside and was torn open by rat demon beasts, guts spilling, dying in blood.
He left out nothing.
Since he had started, he saw no reason to hide any of it.
Even the ugly part—how childish and savage his revenge on Emily had been—he told piece by piece, plain and clean.
At first, Emily listened with startled curiosity.
By the end, she was shaken to the core.
Her lips parted slightly. Her eyes widened. She stared at Magnus’s profile as if she had never known him at all.
When he finally finished, she still looked like she couldn’t believe a word of it.
A long time passed before she slowly let out a breath.
The shock inside her was too huge for words.
“Magnus... are you sure you...” she began hesitantly.
“I’m sure.”
Magnus lit another cigarette and laughed at himself.
“There’s a red mole on the left side of your chest.”
“I...”
Emily was struck dumb.
But in the next breath, another thought hit her—maybe he had peeked at her while she bathed.
“Forget it,” Magnus said. “It was a dream to begin with.”
He straightened a little from the truck.
“What Kevin is, Emily, you know better than I do. If that batch of his joins our Ice Regiment, it’s not just me saying no. Even if I agreed, do you think the women in the unit would?”
Emily lowered her head and fell silent.
A while later, she lifted it again.
This time her voice was firm.
“I’ll stay. You all go.”
She let out a long breath.
“Sister Emily... Sister Emily doesn’t blame you.”
“Magnus... turn and look at me, all right?”
Magnus turned his head slightly.
On Emily’s cheeks, the two tear tracks that had only just dried were wet again.
She looked at him with a gaze full of feeling.
Then she leaned in once more, wrapped her arms lightly around his neck, and pressed her thin lips softly to his.