In the evening, Century Skyline Villa District.
Ethan stood beside the side door of Villa 8, watching Rose approach.
She wore a deep-purple cheongsam that hugged her mature figure, the high slit flashing a glimpse of her legs with every step. Her hair was loosely pinned behind her head, exposing the line of her neck and collarbones. Even her lips were painted, the bright red standing out against the fading daylight. The dress clung to her in a way that made her curves impossible to ignore~full breasts, soft waist, the rounded shape of her hips moving beneath the silk.
Ethan’s eyes lingered for a moment.
Rose noticed. Her fingers tightened around the hem of her dress.
"Let’s go," Ethan said, turning toward the street.
Rose followed without a word.
The two walked through the quiet villa district, their footsteps soft against the pavement. Every now and then she caught Ethan glancing at her. His gaze carried a familiar warmth~the kind of look a man gave a woman. Once, she even heard him swallow. Her cheeks burned.
The Apocalypse had stripped the world of almost everything. Food, safety, dignity, even basic trust had become luxuries. If wearing this dress and making a sacrifice could secure a safe place for herself and Sofia, then perhaps it was worth it.
She had already made up her mind.
Ethan, meanwhile, was thinking about the crystal core in his storage space. He wanted to know what kind of ability Rose would awaken after consuming it. His occasional glances had nothing to do with some hidden plan. Rose simply looked striking in the dress. There was a mature charm about her that younger women lacked, softened by the quiet tenderness of a mother.
Neither of them noticed the side door of Villa 7 opening behind them.
A moment later, Sofia slipped outside.
Only half her face appeared beyond the door at first. Her light-brown eyes scanned the street, alert and suspicious. Her mother had gone out with Ethan dressed like that. Sofia didn’t trust it. She tightened her grip around the fruit knife hidden in her pocket.
If that man tries anything, I’ll protect Mom.
She quietly closed the door and followed them, keeping more than twenty meters between them.
She had barely taken a few steps when two figures suddenly emerged from behind a nearby wall.
"Well, look at you," a thin man whispered. "Following them all by yourself."
Sofia turned.
Too late.
A heavy hand struck the back of her neck. Pain flashed through her head. Her knees buckled, and the world went black.
The skinny man caught her before she hit the ground. He hoisted her over his shoulder, then grinned at the burly man standing beside him.
"Didn’t expect the hostage to walk right into our hands." He slapped Sofia’s thigh lightly. "And she’s a beauty too."
The burly man tightened his grip on the coil of hemp rope in his hand. "Bind her and take her to Villa 99. Once we have her, her mother will have no choice but to cooperate." His grin turned ugly. "Beautiful mother and daughter. We’re in for a good time."
The two men exchanged a filthy laugh before carrying Sofia back toward Villa 7. Inside the living room, the skinny man quickly scribbled a message on a piece of paper and left it on the coffee table. Then he lifted Sofia onto his shoulder again. Within seconds, both men disappeared into the growing darkness.
Down in Villa 8, Debbie and Daisy were still swimming in the underground pool. Neither had released their mental energy to inspect the surroundings, so they noticed nothing.
Meanwhile, Ethan and Rose entered an empty villa nearby.
The house was dark and cold. Dust covered the furniture, and the stale air carried the faint smell of a place that had been abandoned for weeks. Ethan stopped in the middle of the living room. Rose stood several steps away, her heart pounding.
The last of the daylight slipped through the windows, leaving his face half-covered in shadow. His eyes seemed unusually bright as they settled on her.
Rose swallowed. Then she closed her eyes. After a moment of hesitation, she raised a trembling hand and unfastened two buttons at the collar of her cheongsam. A small patch of pale skin became visible.
"Ethan," she said quietly. "I have a condition."
Ethan, who was reaching into his storage space, froze.
"What?"
"I know what you want." Her voice was soft, but every word was clear. "I can... accompany you. But you have to promise that Sofia and I can move into with you guys." She opened her eyes and looked at him. "And you can’t touch her. She’s still young. She can’t..."
The crystal core in Ethan’s hand nearly slipped from his fingers. For a few seconds he simply stared at her. Then he looked at the open collar of her dress, at her flushed face, at the tears gathering in her eyes.
Finally, he understood.
She thinks I brought her here for sex?
Ethan almost laughed. So that was why she had dressed up like this. She thought she was preparing her bargaining chip.
He raised the earthy-yellow crystal core between them.
"What exactly were you thinking?"
Rose stared at the glowing object. "I..."
"I brought you here to give you this." The crystal core gave off a faint, warm light in the darkness.
Rose blinked. "What is it?"
"A core from a mutant animal." Ethan held it out to her. "There’s a chance it can awaken an ability. Having one might improve your chances of surviving."
Rose’s hand stopped halfway toward it. Her face turned bright red. She hurriedly tried to fasten the buttons of her cheongsam, but her fingers were shaking so badly that she kept missing the holes.
"I thought..." she muttered.
"You thought I wanted to do something to you?"
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
Rose lowered her head.
He gave her a faint, teasing smile. "Relax. I’m not the kind of man who takes advantage of someone just because they’re desperate." He paused. "But if you really want to cooperate, I’m not going to complain."
Rose’s face grew even hotter. She snatched the core from his hand. The crystal was cold against her palm, but the embarrassment burning through her body made it feel almost hot. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him.
I actually thought that was why he brought me here.
The system’s voice suddenly rang inside Ethan’s mind.
[System notification: Gift detected.]
[Target: Rose Lynn.]
[Beauty Score: 93.]
[Base Return: 70x.]
[Target’s emotional fluctuation detected: Gratitude, embarrassment, and shock.]
[Bonus Drop triggered.]
[Return received: SSS-Rank Earth Manipulation.]
[Ability description: Manipulate earth and stone within a 10-meter radius. Can create earth walls and stone spikes.]
[Rose Lynn has awakened an S-Rank Plant Growth ability.]
The moment the notifications ended, Ethan felt something shift beneath his feet. It was subtle at first~a faint vibration. Then came a strange sensation, as if the ground beneath the villa had become connected to his mind.
Ethan focused. The floor in front of him cracked. A small mound of earth pushed upward, rising from beneath the tiles. His eyes narrowed with interest.
This is going to be useful.
Earth Manipulation was perfect for defense. With enough practice, he could turn the ground itself into a weapon.
Across the room, Rose suddenly looked toward the windowsill. A small patch of soil sat inside an abandoned flowerpot. A single grass seed rested within it. Without understanding how, she focused on the seed.
The soil trembled. A tiny green shoot emerged. Then it grew. The stem stretched higher, unfurling delicate leaves. Within seconds, thin vines spilled over the edge of the pot and began crawling up the wall.
Rose stared at them in disbelief. "I... I have an ability too." Her voice trembled. Her eyes quickly filled with tears. For the first time since the Apocalypse began, she felt that she might actually have a way to protect herself and Sofia. The fear, helplessness, and frustration she had carried for weeks finally broke through.
She looked at Ethan. Then at the vines. A smile appeared through her tears. Without thinking, she stepped forward and reached for him.
"Ethan, I..."
Ethan placed a hand against her shoulder before she could wrap her arms around him.
"Don’t." His smile was strained. "I’m barely holding myself back right now. Don’t make it harder."
Rose froze.
Ethan wasn’t made of stone. Rose was a beautiful, mature woman, and she had just moved toward him with tears in her eyes and gratitude written all over her face. Of course he had reacted. But the system’s reward was far more valuable than a moment of impulse.
Rose seemed to understand. Her cheeks reddened again, and she quickly stepped back to fasten the remaining buttons of her dress.
"Sorry," she whispered.
"It’s fine." Ethan turned toward the door. "Come on. We should head back."
Rose followed him, still embarrassed. After a few steps, Ethan glanced back at her.
"I promised you could move into Villa 8. I won’t go back on my word."
Rose’s fingers tightened around the crystal core. A warm feeling spread through her chest. Ethan had given her supplies, an ability, and a safe place for her and Sofia. More importantly, he had respected her even when she believed she had nothing else to offer.
Perhaps following him through the Apocalypse wasn’t such a bad choice after all.