Chapter 38: Do you want to dance too?
Olivia invited Finn to the bar, saying they should have a drink to celebrate the destruction of the Demon Gang, and see him off while they were at it.
Finn thought it over. He couldn’t come up with a good reason to refuse, so he headed downstairs with her.
When they reached the central district of Black Mountain, hundreds of people had packed into the main square, buzzing as they watched the death sentences being carried out outside the tribunal hall.
A dozen or so prisoners in ragged clothes knelt in a straight line on the ground. A man who looked every bit the judge was loudly reading out their charges before carrying out the sentences right there in front of the crowd.
Finn looked up and spotted a familiar face among the condemned: Sector Commander Terry Jenkins.
The man’s hefty frame was slumped on his knees, mouth stuffed with a wad of white cloth, thick beads of sweat covering his forehead.
Olivia explained, “After we mopped up the Demon Gang, we pulled their internal comms and rounded up a bunch of traitors. Terry was a slippery one, though. Good thing you told me to investigate him earlier, or he would’ve slipped away.”
A burly executioner strode forward, black hood over his head and an assault rifle in his hands. He marched down the line of prisoners, putting a bullet in the back of each head.
Terry Jenkins was no exception. The bullet bored into the back of his skull and punched out through his forehead, opening a bloody hole straight through him. He crumpled to the ground, dead beyond any doubt.
When the gunshots ended, some people in the crowd cheered wildly, others watched with numb, empty faces, and a few children screamed and tried to break through the cordon, causing quite a commotion. It looked like their fathers had just been shot.
“They brought this on themselves,” Olivia said, her eyes hard and uncompromising. But when her gaze landed on the crying kids, a trace of sorrow crept into her voice.
She let out a soft sigh. “A lot of these prisoners were Radiant Path followers. The preachers got inside their heads and convinced them to betray Black Mountain for the sake of the cult.”
“Does the Radiant Path actually have real divine power?” Finn asked.
“They got something out of those Heaven-sent Objects—something that can purge nuclear radiation. That’s how they pulled in so many believers.” Olivia frowned, worry creasing her brow. “I guess… maybe that counts as divine power.”
Finn pulled out his phone and opened his notes app. Three months and two days until the date the Radiant Path claimed “Holy Radiance” would descend. He wondered if it actually would.
Once the executions wrapped up, the two of them left the square and started toward the best bar in the area.
A green motorcycle came roaring down the cracked asphalt road. It screeched to a halt right in front of Finn, tires burning rubber and filling the air with a sharp, acrid stink.
A cocky young man hopped off the bike, strode straight up to Finn, and jabbed a finger at his face until it was nearly poking him in the nose.
“Olivia, who the hell is this guy?” he demanded. “Don’t tell me he’s your boyfriend!”
Olivia’s face turned icy. “Who I date is none of your business!”
Huh? Finn was stunned. In his head he thought, I’m not dating you.
The young man’s temple vein throbbed as rage surged through him. He roared, “I’ve chased you for three years and you’ve never even looked at me! Now you’re running around with some out-of-towner?!”
A spark of flame suddenly leaped from his fingertip. He glared coldly at Finn. “I’m teaching you a lesson! How dare you make a move on our girl—I’ll burn a layer of skin off you at least!”
Finn was speechless inside. Another stale “posturing and face-slapping” scene. Still, at least this guy was just one of Olivia’s suitors.
That made sense. Olivia had a pretty, delicate face and a killer figure—definitely top-tier. No shortage of guys chasing after her.
Beautiful women always meant trouble. Finn sighed to himself and got ready to show this hothead that some things you could swallow, but some words you just didn’t say.
Another motorcycle roared up and screeched to a halt. A man jumped off—clearly the young guy’s buddy.
He scrambled over in a panic, grabbed the hand with the burning flame, and whispered something urgently in his ear.
The young man’s expression changed completely. The fire on his fingertip winked out, and his boiling rage vanished like snow under the sun.
He backed up two shaky steps, then spun around and bolted, running faster than a scared rabbit and abandoning his motorcycle. His companion chased after him, and the two of them disappeared down the road in seconds.
Finn watched the two of them vanish down the street, utterly speechless. The whole act had fizzled before it even got started, and Finn found that unsatisfying.
“Looks like your bad reputation has already spread,” Olivia said, turning to glance at him with a soft smile.
“Bad reputation?” Finn asked, confused.
“You wiped out the entire Demon Gang single-handedly. Word that you’re a Tier 5 Vanguard is about to reach every corner of the world!” Olivia bounced lightly around him in a circle, the hem of her dress swirling as she moved.
Her eyes sparkled as if filled with tiny stars. “You’re only the second Tier 5 Vanguard I’ve ever seen!”
Finn gave a helpless smile. Somehow he had become this so-called Tier 5 Vanguard without even meaning to. Still, he was genuinely curious to find out exactly what kind of strength that rank represented.
The two of them walked through several streets and stepped into Scarlett Bar.
The place was spacious, dominated by a huge dance floor. Laser lights hung from the ceiling, scattering colorful spots across the entire area.
A band was blasting high-energy rock. The lead singer was a wild-looking guy with a mohawk, gripping an electric guitar as he screamed at the top of his lungs. It was impossible to tell whether he was actually singing or just howling in agony.
The deafening music flooded every ear in the room. Plenty of men and women packed the dance floor, swaying and twisting their bodies to the beat.
Facing the lively scene, Olivia wrinkled her nose and frowned. “How is someone still using Mad Hawk here?”
She instinctively reached for her waist, but her hand found nothing. Only then did she remember she wasn’t wearing her combat gear—just a dress.
“If you don’t feel like going in, we can leave,” Finn said gently.
“Ah, it’s fine. We’re already here, so let’s grab a drink,” Olivia replied, grabbing Finn’s hand and pulling him inside. “By the way, can you dance?”
Dance? That question hit Finn’s weak spot. He didn’t want to kill her mood, but he answered honestly anyway. “No.”
“You can’t?” Olivia turned back, her bright blue eyes widening. “I thought a guy as amazing as you would be good at everything. I can’t dance either—I was hoping you could teach me.”
“Uh… since neither of us can dance, maybe we should just skip it,” Finn said. He had a natural aversion to loud, chaotic places like this.
“Wait a second, I see someone I know!” Olivia said.
Up on the band stage, the lead singer gripped his electric guitar, threw his head back, and screamed at the top of his lungs: “To the birth of our new dance king! Fire the salute! Do you want to dance too??!”
The atmosphere on the dance floor grew even hotter. Men and women alike packed in around one central figure—the person they all worshipped and cheered for.
“New dance king?” Finn looked utterly lost.
“Look! It’s Jimmy!” Olivia pointed toward the center of the dance floor. There, Jimmy was dancing with wild, explosive energy, completely lost in the music.