Chapter 284
The man had barely finished speaking when Chris snapped sharply, "Shut up."
The reprimand was immediate.
Then he looked back up at Suzy and the others, the same pleasant smile returning to his face as if nothing had happened.
"Everyone, you understand how the world works now."
His voice was calm and almost persuasive.
"At this point, nearly the entire community is under our management. We came here today because we wanted to offer you an opportunity. Join us, become one of us, and you’ll have protection whenever you go outside. You won’t have to spend every day looking over your shoulder. That’s far better than trying to survive alone."
He paused. His gaze drifted across the group before settling on Suzy once more.
"What do you think?"
Silence followed. Both sides watched one another. Chris waited patiently for an answer.
A cold laugh escaped Elijah’s lips. "And if we say no?"
Everything Chris had described sounded wonderful on the surface.
To Elijah, however, it was nothing but empty nonsense. There was no way these people were trustworthy. Anyone foolish enough to join them would have to be out of their mind.
More importantly, he hadn’t missed the way they were looking at them.
Those stares carried greed. Calculation. Something far from friendly.
A subtle change flashed across Chris’s face before disappearing beneath his smile.
"Of course. If you’re unwilling, I won’t force you."
His tone grew lighter. "But this neighborhood belongs to us now. That’s simply the reality of the situation. If you refuse to join, then you’re outsiders. And outsiders don’t get to stay on our territory."
He folded his arms.
"Pack your belongings and leave the building. Leave the community. I’ll give you three days."
The men behind him immediately lifted their weapons into view. The message could not have been clearer.
Chris had already offered both the carrot and the stick.
The shamelessness of it nearly made Elijah explode.
"Are you serious?" His voice rose with fury. "The audacity of you people."
What did he mean, their territory? When had they suddenly become owners of the entire community?
Chris ignored the outburst completely. His expression remained unchanged.
"Actually, on second thought, let’s make it one day."
His smile faded slightly. "You have one day to leave. If you’re still here after that, don’t blame us for what happens next."
By now, Chris had realized diplomacy wasn’t going to work.
These people clearly weren’t intimidated by numbers alone. If persuasion failed, force would have to solve the problem.
After all, the organization controlled well over a hundred people throughout the community. Surely that was enough to deal with a handful of stubborn holdouts.
Elijah’s patience finally snapped. Furious, he pulled out his hand crossbow. At that moment, all he wanted was to wipe the smug expression off Chris’s face.
Their territory?
Move out if we don’t join?
The arrogance was infuriating.
Without another word, he raised the weapon and pulled the trigger. A sharp whistle sliced through the air. The bolt slammed into the ground beside Chris’s foot.
The tip buried itself deep into the concrete, missing his left foot by only a fraction.
For a split second, Chris froze. Then his face turned green.
He stumbled backward in alarm. "Don’t push your luck!"
The composure he had maintained until now finally cracked.
That shot had nearly crippled him.
These people hadn’t even bothered pretending to negotiate.
They had gone straight for violence.
"We don’t need to waste any more words on them." Suzy’s voice rang out from above, cold and decisive.
Chris’s demands had infuriated her as well.
Leave the community? Impossible. She had invested enormous resources into building her safe house. There was no chance she would abandon it because someone demanded she leave.
Unless the entire building collapsed, she wasn’t going anywhere.
Which left only one option––deal with the threat.
The moment the words left her mouth, Aaron moved.
In truth, several of them had been itching to act for quite some time.
Weapons were already in hand. Crossbows were raised. Targets were chosen.
Then came a series of sharp twangs. Bolts streaked downward through the stairwell. One after another.
The air filled with the sound of projectiles cutting through space.
A heartbeat later, screams erupted below.
Pain-filled cries echoed through the building as several members of Chris’s group were struck before they even had time to react.
One clutched his shoulder and collapsed to the ground. Another screamed as he grabbed his thigh. Agonized cries erupted across the snowy courtyard.
Aaron’s accuracy was terrifying. Every shot found its target.
"Fuck!" Chris’s expression changed completely.
He retreated at once, scrambling for cover. Veins bulged across his forehead, and his eyes reddened with fury.
"So that’s how it’s going to be? Fine. Fine!"
At last, he realized what kind of opponents he was facing. The survivors he usually dealt with were nothing like this group.
Most people folded after a few threats. A show of force, a handful of men with weapons, and they would quickly agree to join the organization.
But these people? They didn’t negotiate. They shot first.
Chris darted backward, widening the distance between himself and the stairwell.
Then he made a decision without hesitation.
"Retreat!"
The moment the order left his mouth, every armed man below turned and ran. They fled with astonishing speed.
Watching from above, Suzy and the others were left momentarily speechless.
They ran? Just like that?
The abruptness of it was almost surreal.
A moment ago, they had been swaggering around, issuing ultimatums and making threats.
Now they were sprinting away as fast as their legs could carry them.
In the blink of an eye, the group disappeared from sight. Silence settled over the stairwell.
Suzy stared after them.
So did everyone else.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Finally, Bill broke the silence.
"What exactly did they come here for?"
Elijah shook his head. "No idea."
None of them had expected such a complete and immediate retreat. The speed of it was almost impressive.
Weren’t they acting tough just a minute ago? Hadn’t they sounded incredibly confident?
Suzy had been mentally preparing for a serious confrontation. Instead, the enemy had vanished before the fight even began.
The group lingered a little longer, watching the area below.
Eventually, it became clear. Chris and his men were truly gone.
At least for now.
Whether they would return was another matter entirely.
Outside, snow drifted steadily from the gray sky. The cold had become increasingly brutal. Even wrapped in layers, Suzy shivered.
Both Liam and Thomas noticed immediately.
Liam spoke first. "In that case, everyone should head back."
The enemy had fled. There was no reason to continue standing outside in the freezing air. The longer they remained exposed, the greater the chance someone would end up sick.
Bill nodded. "Go ahead. I’ll stay behind and see if there are any weak points we can reinforce."
Suzy and the others began making their way upstairs.
Bill and Lucas remained behind to inspect the lower levels and assess the building’s defenses.
Meanwhile, some distance away, Chris and his men finally slowed to a stop.
The moment he was certain they were outside crossbow range, he released a long breath.
That had been far too close. One of those bolts had nearly taken his head off. He had completely underestimated them.
Not only did they possess crossbows, but they could shoot with frightening accuracy from that distance.
A cautious voice broke the silence.
"Chris... are we really just leaving?"
Chris turned toward the speaker. One of his subordinates stood nearby, looking uncertain.
His irritation flared immediately.
"This isn’t running away. It’s a tactical withdrawal." He shot the man a glare. "Would you rather stay there and get shot?"
The subordinate instantly lowered his head.
After all, Chris wasn’t wrong. Standing outside that building accomplished nothing.
The entrance remained sealed. They couldn’t force their way inside. The defenders held the high ground. Every second spent lingering there only increased the odds of taking another bolt through the chest.
Retreating had been the only sensible option.
The subordinate shrank back and wisely chose not to argue further.
Chris swept his gaze across the group. Fortunately, no one had died. Unfortunately, several people were wounded.
One man pressed both hands against an arrow embedded in his shoulder.
Blood seeped between his fingers and dripped onto the snow, staining the white ground red.
The sight made Chris’s jaw tighten.
Those shots had not been warnings. They had been intended to cripple.
Thinking back to his confident speech moments earlier, a chill ran down his spine.
That had been far more dangerous than he had realized.
If they had decided to target him first instead of his men, he wasn’t entirely sure he could have avoided it.
These people were a problem. A serious one.
He glanced back toward Building Eight in the distance.
His expression darkened.
This was not a group he could handle with the men he currently had.
No.
If he wanted to deal with them, he would need help.
A lot of help.
"Get everyone together," Chris said through clenched teeth.
His eyes remained fixed on the building.
"We’re calling for reinforcements."