Chapter 56: The End
In the living room, Moira Lynch was getting ready for dinner, taking the opportunity to feed the stray cats and dogs as well.
Because of the nature of her talent, she hadn’t gone to the "front lines," and her spiritual power’s range wasn’t yet large enough to encompass the entire residential complex.
Despite this, she could learn about the situation over there through Blackie and Shadow.
Just as the fragrant aroma of freshly cooked rice filled Moira Lynch’s kitchen, a huge BOOM suddenly echoed from not far away, immediately followed by the sounds of battle.
The sounds of battle, however, did not last long before they stopped.
Through Blackie and Shadow, Moira Lynch quickly learned the whole story.
When Shane Rhodes realized the enemy was approaching, he didn’t wait for them to make the first move. Instead, he chose to strike first, catching them completely off guard.
The attackers were already outnumbered, and what’s more, they hadn’t expected the players within the complex to have banded together.
In short, the battle was over almost before it began.
While securing the area, Shane Rhodes couldn’t help but feel relieved they had acted so quickly, because the intruders had been hiding firearms.
When he confirmed they were real guns, not replicas, Shane Rhodes broke out in a cold sweat.
Even though they had awakened talents, they were still flesh and blood. A bullet could still wound, or even kill, them.
"What the hell is going on? You said the players in there were all a bunch of cold-hearted loners who wouldn’t get involved in this sort of thing!"
A fierce-looking man, his body bound with ropes, violently kicked the person beside him.
Kai York looked at the man who’d been kicked to the ground. After a moment’s thought, he said, "Boss, this guy looks a little familiar... Oh, I remember now! Isn’t this the guy we kicked out a while back?"
With that, he hauled the man up with one hand and sneered, "And you actually dared to come back."
The man was so terrified he began to tremble uncontrollably. A warm liquid trickled down his pant leg and pooled on the ground, and the stench of urine filled the air.
Kai York shoved the man away in disgust. ’He actually pissed himself? How revolting.’
Just then, a portly middle-aged woman burst from the crowd, running straight for the man on the ground.
"My son! What’s wrong? Don’t you scare your mother like this! How will I live without you?"
Kai York watched her, speechless. ’To hear her carry on, you’d think I actually did something to him.’
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, lady! Get a grip! I didn’t do a single thing to him."
After a fit of dramatic wailing, the woman turned on Kai York, her vicious glare looking like she wanted to eat him alive.
"This is all your fault! We just want to go home! What gives you the right to stop us?"
The woman’s eyes burned with hatred. ’If these people hadn’t driven us out, we would never have ended up like this.’
Her shamelessness made Kai York laugh in disbelief. "You know damn well why we kicked you out. Going ballistic in the resident group chat every day was bad enough, but then you tried to team up with outsiders to rob the entire complex? Who gave you the nerve?"
Hearing this, the woman’s face paled, and a flicker of panic crossed her eyes. ’I only ever discussed that with my brother! How could they possibly know?!’
"Besides," Kai continued, "is this really your home? You’re just a nanny who took over the nest as soon as the owners left. I guess if you tell a lie enough times, you start to believe it yourself."
The woman shrieked her denial at Kai York’s words. "This IS my home! Stop spouting nonsense!" It was as if she believed the louder she shouted, the more correct she would be.
Little did she know, in their eyes, she was nothing more than a pathetic clown.
Just then, Shane Rhodes walked over and glanced at the prisoners trussed up on the ground. ’A dozen or so players, and over thirty regular people,’ he mused. ’All these people, and they even had guns.’
"I’m flattered you thought so highly of us," Shane said wryly. "To gather this many people just for us."
The fierce-looking man snorted, putting on a brave front like a hero facing martyrdom. "Winner takes all, loser gets the dirt. Do what you will!"
Seeing this, Shane Rhodes picked up a gun from the ground, deftly chambered a round, and pressed the muzzle against the man’s forehead. "Not afraid to die, huh? Should I be impressed?"
A faint tremor traveled up the barrel of the gun. ’So he’s not so fearless after all.’
Seeing this, the other captives immediately started begging for their lives. Some claimed they were forced into it, others that they had no idea what was really going on—suddenly, everyone was an innocent victim.
Shane Rhodes lowered the gun and turned to Kai York. "Did you call the police?"
Kai York nodded. "Already did. They’re taking it very seriously since I mentioned firearms. Said they’d be here right away."
Right on cue, the wail of police sirens sounded in the distance.
Moira Lynch heard her doorbell ring. She opened it to find Kai York standing outside. He whispered, "I’m here to return your dogs."
She opened the door to let Blackie and Shadow inside, then asked, "So, those people have been dealt with? I thought I heard faint police sirens just now. Did you call the police?"
’She’d assumed Shane Rhodes and Kai York would just... take care of them permanently. That’s how it always happens in novels, anyway.’
Seeming to read her mind, Kai York said, "Of course we handed them over to the police. We’re good, law-abiding citizens, after all."
Moira Lynch: "..."
Kai York’s tone shifted, becoming serious. "Besides, there are so few players as it is, and we lose more after every ’game.’ It would be a waste to just kill them. Better to put them to good use."
Moira Lynch understood. After seeing Kai York off, she fed Blackie and Shadow, then led them upstairs to the second floor.
Once on the second floor, she brought Blackie and Shadow into her pocket dimension, then flashed inside herself.
Aside from the Bone Marrow Cleansing Fruit, all the other fruits had ripened one after another.
Moira Lynch didn’t let the ripe fruits just hang on the branches. Instead, she had built a storeroom specifically for these fruits with special properties.
Among them, the Medicine Fruit and Enhancing Fruit required long-term consumption.
After picking the fruits from the special trees, Moira Lynch harvested a crop of regular fruits, vegetables, and grains as well.
Finally, she checked on her lake and small ocean. The fish within were all thriving, each one plump and healthy.
As she was leaving, she saw that the storeroom was nearly overflowing with all sorts of animal organs. Even though she’d sold a good deal of them recently, it was still just a drop in the bucket.
’I’ve made up my mind,’ she thought. ’I’ll keep selling the organs for the next few days. And while I’m at it, I should upgrade my shop. Ten shelves really aren’t enough anymore.’
After leaving her dimension, Moira Lynch began to meditate. While her own world was peaceful and quiet, the world outside was in utter chaos.
The reason the attackers had chosen this moment to strike wasn’t just because of the mother and son; there was also a traitor inside their own complex.
And so, that very night, Shane Rhodes led a group to kick down the traitor’s door and threw him out.