Chapter 200 - Hostile attack
The ten men stood just beyond the mall’s shattered front lot, their eyes sweeping over the barricaded entrance like wolves circling a weakened prey. One of them, a lanky thug with scars crisscrossing his arms, stepped forward, kicking a stray can out of his path.
"Someone’s been here before us, boss," he muttered, eyes narrowing.
The leader—tall, broad, and carrying a thick mustache that curled slightly at the ends—lifted his rifle with one hand and sneered. "Then we shoot him down. If there are some chicks..." He let the word drag out, crude glee flashing in his eyes. "Then we all have some fun."
Their laughter was foul, echoing like smoke through broken glass.
Behind the shelves and under the cover of dim shadows, Shao’s grip tightened around the handle of a kitchen knife. His knuckles turned white. He had chosen it carefully when they’d scavenged the place—it wasn’t just any kitchen blade, but a honed chef’s knife with a lethal edge that glinted like a whisper. It could cut through flesh like wet paper.
He could feel his heartbeat thudding in his ears. It wasn’t fear—it was a simmering rage.
He crouched lower, positioning himself behind a fallen display stand, ready to strike the moment they broke through.
A few meters away, Muchen crouched in silence, watching it all unfold with a troubled gaze. His fingers trembled slightly, and he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. The last time I tried to protect someone, he thought bitterly, I almost killed a child.
No. Not again.
He clenched his fists. This time he would wait—wait for the right moment. These were humans, not monsters. He didn’t have to lose control. He just had to protect the kid... the others. That was enough.
A loud BANG shattered the stillness as three of the thugs rammed through the barricade. The wood splintered and the metal snapped apart.