Chapter 102
When the echoes faded, silence swallowed the stairwell once more. Four bodies lay sprawled across the floor. Richard idly spun the gun in his hand, a faint, thoughtful expression crossing his face.
"So... this is what it feels like to kill." It was his first time pulling the trigger.
And yet... There was no nausea. No hesitation.
Just a simple action: squeeze, fire. Easier than he had imagined.
He lowered the gun and, without ceremony, stored it back into his space.
Then he stepped forward.
One by one, the corpses vanished. The convenience of his ability made cleanup effortless.
As for the blood pooling on the floor—he didn’t even bother with it.
He had more important things to do.
Just as he finished storing Bill’s body, he suddenly turned and saw a face peeking out from behind the sixth-floor safety door.
It was Julia.
She lived on the sixth floor. Hearing the commotion, she had come out to watch.
From the group chat, she already knew people were planning to deal with Richard.
She had assumed that this time, he was finished. She never expected that the one who would die... was Bill.
And worse still, she had just witnessed Richard making a body disappear.
"W-where... where did he go...?" Her eyes widened in horror, convinced for a moment that she was hallucinating.
A full-grown man—gone, just like that.
And the others... Were they all dead?
Her gaze slowly lifted to Richard—the only one still standing. Terror flooded her eyes, swallowing everything else.
Richard’s expression turned glacial.
"Well... since you’ve seen it." There was no warmth left in his voice. "Then I don’t have a choice."
Killing intent flickered in his eyes. She had seen his secret. That meant she couldn’t live.
A single shot rang out.
Another body hit the ground.
This time, Richard moved faster.
The corpse disappeared almost instantly, leaving behind only dark, spreading stains.
Then—as if nothing had happened—he continued downstairs.
***
Fifth floor. Apartment 501.
The gunshots had been unmistakable.
Suzy recognized them instantly. Her training overseas had not been for nothing.
To most, it might have sounded like firecrackers... or some kind of explosion. But she knew.
That had been gunfire.
Her heart jolted.
Someone in this building has a gun.
And almost immediately, a single name surfaced.
Richard Stone.
There was no one else it could be.
"What was that just now?" Leonard stepped out of his room, frowning. "Sounded like... firecrackers?"
He stopped when he saw Suzy standing in the living room, pale as paper.
"Uncle... someone fired a gun," she said quietly.
Leonard froze. "A gun? Are you sure?"
He had heard gunshots before, long ago—but the memory was faint. He had assumed it was some kind of explosion. After all, in a country with such strict gun control... Who would have one?
Suzy nodded, firm and certain. "Yes. I’m sure."
She had been training regularly in her space—with real firearms, real ammunition. No one knew that sound better than she did.
"And you think it was...?" Leonard asked.
"Richard Stone." She replied without hesitation.
Leonard said nothing more, instead pulling out his phone.
The group chat had already exploded with messages. Many had heard the noise, but no one knew what it was.
Questions flooded in. Speculation ran wild.
But no one had answers.
Suzy turned to the surveillance feed. As expected, five minutes earlier, Richard had passed through the corridor outside their apartment.
Her suspicion hardened into certainty.
It was him.
But... Where was he going?
Only after confirming he had left did Suzy carefully open the door.
The incident had happened just upstairs. The moment the stairwell door opened, the smell hit them.
Gunpowder.
And beneath it, a thick, metallic sweetness.
Blood.
It lingered heavily in the air, nauseating.
Suzy and Leonard went up to check, but there was nothing.
No bodies.
Only blood.
They returned in silence.
Suzy already knew the answer.
He stored them... in his space.
***
Not long after they left—
Hannah appeared on the sixth floor. She studied the bloodstains carefully, her expression darkening.
Then she pulled out her phone and called Sean.
She told him everything.
Every detail.
On the other end of the line, Sean’s expression shifted as he listened.
The moment the call ended, he dialed another number.
The line connected.
A deep, steady male voice answered: "What is it?"
Sean’s voice was low. "...That guy might have a gun."
***
Suzy and Leonard made the decision without hesitation—they would move out today.
There was no staying here any longer.
The windows were shattered. The rain would not stop anytime soon. Sooner or later, the apartment would flood.
More importantly, the temperature was beginning to normalize. There was no longer any reason to remain here.
"Suzy, are your things packed?" Leonard asked.
Suzy stepped out of her room. "All done."
Everything worth taking had already been stored in her space.
"What about you, Uncle?" she asked.
"I’m ready too."
Suzy walked into Leonard’s room and swept the rest of his belongings into her space with practiced ease.
"Then let’s go," Leonard said.
They put on masks, armed themselves, and gave the apartment one final check—nothing left behind.
After confirming the stairwell was empty, they set off.
They made their way down to the underground parking garage. From there, they could head directly to the safehouse in Building Eight.
The journey was eerily quiet.
The storm still raged outside, and every shop had long since closed. There was nothing left to buy, even if anyone dared to go out.
Most people had barricaded themselves indoors.
***
It didn’t take long before they reached the entrance to Building Eight.
The building had already lost power. The elevator was dead.
Suzy and Leonard exchanged a look.
Leonard let out a helpless laugh. "Looks like we’re climbing."
Twentieth floor. Just thinking about it was exhausting.
Suzy felt her vision dim slightly—but gritted her teeth.
Step by step, they climbed.
When they finally reached the door, Leonard exhaled.
"...That wasn’t as bad as I thought."
Suzy nodded in agreement.
Thanks to the constant nourishment from the spirit spring water, their bodies had grown noticeably stronger.
In the past, climbing six floors would have left her breathless.
Now, twenty floors felt manageable.
Suzy took out some spirit spring water and handed Leonard a cup.