In a dark basement in Sheridan, an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old boy huddled in a corner.
A burly thug stood beside him.
The burly man continuously tightened the leather belt in his hands, his face full of mockery.
“Haha, you little bastard, you still fell into my hands!
Keep running!
Hmm?
It’s your blessing that I’ve taken a fancy to you.
Haha…”
The boy lying on the ground stared with eyes full of disgust, but his starved body lacked any strength.
As the man stepped closer, the boy fell into despair.
He could clearly see the man’s fleshy face and yellowed teeth, and smell the foul stench radiating from his body.
Quietly, the boy glanced around, ready to end his own life at any moment.
No one cared about him anyway.
“Haha, that’s a good boy.
I haven’t tasted a virgin yet.
Today, I’m going to enjoy myself.
Haha!”
With that, the man lowered his head, grabbed the boy’s chin with one hand, and yanked it upward.
Watching the disgusting mouth closing in on him, the boy couldn’t hold back and retched.
However, having eaten nothing for days, his stomach was completely empty.
This reaction clearly enraged the man, whose face visibly contorted with fury.
“You think I’m disgusting?
I haven’t even called you dirty yet!
You little bastard born to a slut, you…”
“Don’t talk about my mom!
Don’t talk about my mom!” The boy abruptly stood up and rammed into the man.
Perhaps driven by extreme anger, he unlocked a burst of hidden potential, actually knocking the man back a few steps.
This only infuriated the thug further.
He undid his belt and whipped it viciously at the boy.
“Damn you, you dare fight back?
I’ll beat you to death, you little bastard!” he cursed, lashing out with the leather strap.
The boy bit his lip hard.
Even as the pain turned his face pale and cold sweat beaded on his forehead, he didn’t utter a single plea for mercy.
He simply counted silently in his head: one, two, three, four, five…
sixteen, seventeen, eigh…
Suddenly, the man’s agonizing scream rang in his ears.
“Ah…
damn it!
Who’s the blind idiot?”
“Your worst nightmare,” Ginny Jarvis sneered, delivering another swift kick.
The man was knocked flat on his back.
Looking up, he saw a stunningly beautiful woman standing over him.
His beady, slit-like eyes immediately scanned her up and down with lecherous intent.
“Well, well, where did this little slut come from?
What’s so good about this little bastard?
Follow me instead, and I promise you’ll live a life of luxury…
Ah!”
Before he could finish, Ginny stepped forward and punched him square in his blabbering mouth.
“You’d better get out of here before I actually get mad, or else…
hmph.”
Seeing her fierce demeanor, the man scrambled to his feet and bolted, constantly glancing back at her as he fled.
On the ground, the boy leaned against the peeling wall and slowly stood up.
COUGH…
You should go.
He’s probably going to get backup.
Hurry…
get out of here.”
Ginny stepped forward and helped the boy up, marveling that the famous Mason Ryder had been like this before the apocalypse.
Who could have imagined that the top ranker of the Gold Ability, the powerhouse who could instantly slaughter dozens of zombies, was currently such a pitiful wretch?
It seemed that in her previous life, that scumbag had gotten his way.
Otherwise, Mason wouldn’t have adopted his unapproachable, lone-wolf persona during the apocalypse, never speaking a word to anyone.
That had led everyone, including herself, to believe he was mute.
Looking at the filthy boy in front of her, Ginny suddenly understood the joy of those who liked raising and nurturing people.
“It’s fine, don’t worry.
I definitely didn’t come alone, and my fighting skills are decent.
Come on, I’ll take you to…
uh…
get cleaned up.
Do you have anything you want to take with you?”
The boy was visibly stunned, his eyes filled with doubt.
“Relax, I’m not going to hurt you.
Just come with me.
Besides, looking at you right now, what could I even do to you?
Let’s go, stop dawdling.
If that scumbag comes back, I might not be able to get you out of here,” Ginny urged.
Mason nodded.
He staggered over to his makeshift pallet on the floor, tore open the pillow, and pulled out a shoulder bag before returning to Ginny.
“Let’s go.
I don’t have anything else to bring.”
Ginny nodded and led Mason away.
“Sean, your dear sister is back!
Aren’t you going to come out and welcome me?” Ginny shouted the moment she opened the door.
In the kitchen, Sean Kane’s lips curled into a smile.
As he continued to stir-fry the spicy chicken, he replied, “Didn’t you tell me to make a few extra dishes because you were bringing a pretty boy back?”
Mason wondered what the hell a pretty boy was.
Did this beautiful woman who saved him want to…
keep him as a sugar baby?
Had he just escaped a wolf’s den only to land in a tiger’s lair?
Catching Mason’s wary gaze, Ginny rolled her eyes in a very unladylike manner.
“I was joking, and Sean is talking nonsense.
Come on, I’ll take you to get washed up first, otherwise you won’t be able to eat comfortably like this.” She led Mason straight to the guest room on the first floor.
In the kitchen, Sean flashed a triumphant smile upon hearing his sister’s words.
He thought that it served her right for actually bossing her own brother around to cook for another man.
“Here, this is a new towel.
The clothes are newly bought by Sean and have never been worn.
They might be a bit big on you, but we can buy some more after dinner.
Go wash up.
Oh, and here’s some ointment.
For the places you can’t reach, Sean will help you apply it when you come out.”
Leaving the items behind, Ginny exited the room.
Mason stared blankly at the tidy bedroom and the brand-new clothes, standing somewhat awkwardly behind the door.
Even his breathing was cautious.
After a long while, he exhaled deeply, stripped off his filthy clothes, and threw them straight into the nearby trash can.
Ginny walked into the kitchen and saw her brother still busy.
“Wow, looks like I’m in for a treat today.
It looks delicious, haha.”
“Is that kid the guy whose screen name is just a period?
Are you sure he’s the top ranker for the Gold Ability?
Why does he look so weak?” Sean asked.
“It’s definitely him.
We’ll just have to wait and see.
He obviously needs time to grow.
In my previous life, it must have been the things he experienced that forced him to become stronger.”
After Ginny spoke, neither of them said anything else as Sean continued cooking.
Half an hour later, Sean had finished preparing the meal, but Mason still hadn’t come out.
“I’ll go check on him, Jarvis.
If you’re hungry, eat something first,” Sean said.
“It’s fine.
I’ll wait for you guys.
Go check on him,” Ginny replied.
Sean walked to the door of Mason’s room, KNOCKED, and asked, “Can I come in?”
Inside, Mason was applying the ointment.
Hearing Sean’s voice, his body shuddered.
He quickly set the ointment down, pulled on his clothes, and walked over to open the door.
As the door opened, Sean stared at the pretty, fair-skinned youth standing before him.
He was taken aback for a moment before saying, “Are you done washing up?
It’s time to eat.”
“I’m…
I’m done.
Wait…
let me clean the bathroom,” Mason stammered in a panic, hastily turning back inside.
“There’s no need.
Ms.
Miller will clean it later.
Let’s go eat first,” Sean said.
He stepped forward to grab Mason’s arm, but the moment his hand touched him, Mason jumped back in fright.
“S-sorry…
I…
I can do it myself.”
Sean didn’t understand the reason behind Mason’s reaction, but seeing his resistance, he didn’t press the matter.
“Alright, let’s go.
Time to eat,” Sean said, heading toward the dining room.
Mason took a deep breath and patted his chest to calm himself before following along.
When Ginny saw Mason approaching, she instantly understood why he had been targeted by that thug earlier.
He looked a bit…
well…
androgynous.
He was even prettier than her.
Oh my, those looks…
Considering Mason’s fear, Ginny kept her staring in check.
She figured there would be plenty of opportunities later.
After all, if Mason agreed, they would be living under the same roof in the future.
There was no need to worry about not being able to admire a handsome guy!
As soon as he finished eating, Mason wanted to leave.