Chapter 299
Ray’s brother-in-law did not hold back while telling them everything about him. Apparently, he was a real psycho.
Not only did he assault and kill residents in this building, but he also... took slaves.
All kinds of slaves.
"He did not care whom he dragged into his dirty games," the man confessed. "Men, women, children... That woman who brought you here... She suffered the most."
"What do you mean?" Leonard frowned.
"Her daughter," the man nearly choked on his words. "Ray really liked her for some sick reason. He took her from her when we raided her apartment... I... don’t want to say what he did to her. What ALL of them did to her... She was passed around like... Ugh..."
Hearing this, everyone’s brows furrowed instantly.
Ray looked decent enough on the outside, but no one expected him to be such a beast.
The man wasn’t finished. After a brief silence, he continued, "After she was assaulted, the woman’s daughter couldn’t take the trauma. She jumped off the building and committed suicide."
A heavy, collective sigh echoed through the room.
Thomas asked, "How old was her daughter?"
"Ten," the man replied, his voice incredibly weak as he uttered the age.
Leonard froze completely.
Beside him, Lucas and the Edison brothers were also dumbfounded. Their emotions were a complex mix of shock and burning rage.
"That guy is an absolute animal!" Lucas couldn’t help but curse.
Leonard turned to Thomas, gritting his teeth. "Shooting him dead on the spot was honestly letting him off too easy. A beast like that deserved to be tortured before he died."
While he knew the apocalypse had driven many people out of their minds, this was the first time Leonard had personally encountered such a psychopath. Shooting him dead was doing him a favor!
Leonard then turned his gaze back to the man.
Pressing his back tightly against the wall, the man trembled and said, "That was all Ray’s doing, it had nothing to do with me! I don’t have those kinds of twisted tastes. I tried to talk him out of it at the time, but he wouldn’t listen."
The man was desperate to distance himself from Ray. Ray was the psycho, not him! He was perfectly normal and just wanted to survive the apocalypse, which was the only reason he relied on Ray.
He hadn’t done anything monstrous, so they couldn’t pin this on him. His leg was still throbbing with pain, after all.
Seeing the state he was in, Leonard didn’t say anything more. Since the man was cooperating, Leonard didn’t intend to do anything to him.
Within a few moments, the group stripped the entire room clean of its supplies. Because there was so much stuff, even Lucas and his group pitched in to help, packing everything into several large bags.
Leonard and Thomas carried two bags, Derek took one, and even Liam helped by carrying a smaller bag. Meanwhile, Lucas and his people prepared to bring the food, medicine, cigarettes, and alcohol back to Building 8.
While the group over here was reaping a bountiful harvest and conducting a final head count before heading back, they had no idea that a new crisis was already unfolding at Building 8.
Ever since the conflict had broken out on the other side, Suzy and Aaron had been sick with worry.
Instead of rashly heading out and causing trouble for the others, the two stayed put in the room. That was until a faint sound came from the entrance—like someone picking the lock or tapping on the door.
With her sharp senses, Suzy noticed the noise immediately.
Before she could speak, Aaron noticed it too. He shot her a look and silently made his way toward the door.
Frowning, Suzy sat up. She moved a bit too fast, tugging at her wound. The painkillers had already worn off, making her wince from the sharp pain.
"Be careful," Suzy whispered.
Aaron nodded, quickly closing the distance to the door.
The rustling at the entrance continued. The intruder seemed certain that someone was living on this floor—and specifically in this room. They had clearly figured out their situation.
Who could it be?
It couldn’t be Liam and the others. If they were back, they would have opened the door already instead of lingering outside and making all those suspicious noises.
Just as the two stared warily at the door, the noise stopped.
About five minutes passed, and it didn’t start up again.
Frozen by the door, Aaron and Suzy exchanged a look.
Aaron quickly walked back to Suzy’s side and lowered his voice. "The noise stopped. It looks like whoever it was has left."
Aaron nodded in agreement. He felt the exact same way, unsure whether the person was targeting them directly or had just stumbled upon the place by chance.
Suzy suddenly had a terrible, ominous feeling.
She glanced over at Noah, who was still building his Lego set, and waved him over. "Noah, come here."
Noah had already sensed that something was wrong; his hands had grown half-hearted with the Legos. Hearing Suzy’s voice, he decisively dropped the blocks and walked over to her.
Suzy and Aaron exchanged a look, sharing a moment of perfect understanding.
"We can’t be sure if they’re still outside. I’ll take Noah into the bedroom first while you keep watch," Suzy said.
Aaron nodded. "Alright, go on. Make sure he hides well."
Suzy led Noah into the bedroom, scanned the area, and had him hide inside the wardrobe.
"Noah, stay here and be good. I have to go out for a moment. No matter what sounds you hear, do not come out," Suzy instructed gently.
Noah grabbed Suzy’s hand, refusing to let go. "Can’t you stay with me?"
Suzy shook her head. "I can’t. Aaron is still out there. We can’t leave him to face the danger alone, can we?"
Hearing this, Noah fell silent. His eyes dimmed slightly, and he nodded softly. "I understand. I’ll stay right here and won’t run around."
Suzy gently patted his head, her voice tender. "Good boy. Once everything is sorted out, I’ll come back for you."
Noah looked at her with pure anxiety. "Suzy, you... you have to be careful."
"I will. Don’t worry."
After giving Noah his final instructions, Suzy shut the wardrobe door and left the room.
She walked quickly back into the living room and found Aaron still guarding the entrance, though his expression was grim.
Lowering her voice, Suzy asked, "What’s the situation?"
Aaron looked at her, his face incredibly dark. "They’re still out there."
Suzy’s expression tightened.
Still outside?
Did whoever it was know people were inside? Were they coming for them?
But targeting whom?
This was Liam’s house. Liam? Was it a rival or an enemy of his? Or... was it someone coming for her?
Suzy’s mind raced with frantic thoughts.
A sneaking suspicion crept into her heart that the person outside was here for her. But if they were... Suzy thought about it carefully; she hadn’t offended that many people. The only one she had truly crossed was Wendy, and she had already taken care of her. She hadn’t even gone out much lately, so where would a new enemy come from?
Unless... there was another possibility.
Suzy recalled the words the System had told her right before it went into hibernation.
She had broken this world.
"They" were coming.
Though Suzy had no idea what "they" referred to in the System’s warning, the entity outside... could it be one of them?
As the realization hit her, her heart hammered against her ribs. A profound sense of dread washed over her, leaving her utterly unsettled. If that really was the case, they were in massive trouble.
Before Suzy could even formulate a plan, the front door violently shuddered.
BANG!
The muffled roar of a gunshot exploded from just outside, striking terror into the two inside the apartment.
Suzy and Aaron stared at each other, identical looks of shock frozen on their faces.