Chapter 68: Honey Trap
He approached the house.
The front door had been left unlocked.
Cain pushed it open and stepped inside.
The living room looked surprisingly intact as the furniture remained in place and there were no signs of a zombie attack.
Cain’s attention shifted toward the staircase.
Several heartbeats came from the floor above.
His smile faded slightly as he began walking upstairs.
Cain reached the second floor.
A door at the end of the hallway stood partly open.
The silver-haired woman appeared briefly.
"This way."
Then she stepped backward.
Cain approached slowly.
He placed one hand against the door and pushed it open.
The moment it opened, four weapons were pointed directly toward him.
Cain stopped when he saw four middle-aged men standing inside.
The youngest looked somewhere in his forties.
The oldest appeared to be in his early sixties.
Several worn weapons could be seen around the room.
Cain’s eyes moved over them.
A chipped machete rested against the wall.
There were two bloodstained knives on a nearby table.
A damaged spear lay beside a backpack that clearly belonged to someone much younger than any of the men present.
’Interesting.’
The oldest man held a sword as he pointed it toward Cain’s chest.
"Put your weapons on the floor."
Cain only looked at him.
The man continued.
"Everything you have. Your sword and any Orbs or Scrolls."
Cain’s expression remained calm.
"What if I don’t?"
The oldest man frowned. "You came into our place."
"You invited me."
Cain glanced toward the silver-haired woman.
She immediately looked away.
"That doesn’t matter." The man tightened his grip.
Cain looked around again.
"So this is a robbery?"
One of the others sneered.
"Call it whatever you want."
Cain smiled faintly. "And how often do you do this?"
Nobody answered.
Cain’s gaze settled on the worn weapons again and understood that some were clearly not theirs.
The damaged spear even had dried blood around the grip.
He looked back at the oldest man.
"Those came from other people?"
The man’s expression darkened.
"You ask too many questions."
"I’m just curious." Cain shrugged as he was still standing from where he was.
"If I hand over everything, what happens afterward?"
The oldest man stared at him.
"You leave."
Cain chuckled. "Really?"
"What’s funny?"
"I was just wondering whether you expected me to believe that."
The room became quieter.
Cain could sense the tension changing.
The men had clearly expected fear.
Instead, their supposed victim was standing in front of four weapons without showing any concern.
One of them became uneasy.
The oldest man took a step forward.
"Last chance."
"No." Cain responded without hesitation.
The man’s patience broke immediately.
"You little bastard!"
He thrust the sword forward.
The blade aimed directly toward Cain’s abdomen.
Cain watched it approach.
His expression changed slightly.
’So you really were willing to do it.’
Dark gray energy gathered around his right hand.
Cain reached forward and stopped the blade as his fingers closed around the blade.
The sword stopped instantly.
Everyone froze.
The oldest man stared at Cain’s hand, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"What..."
Dark gray energy flowed around Cain’s fingers, preventing the sharp edge from cutting into his skin.
The man immediately tried to pull the sword back, but it didn’t move.
Cain tightened his grip.
The blade trembled between his fingers.
He had wanted to see how far they would go.
Perhaps they were desperate survivors who had resorted to threatening strangers without actually being willing to hurt anyone.
If that had been the case, Cain might have beaten them, taken their weapons, and left them alive.
That possibility had now disappeared.
The man had tried to stab him without hesitation.
Cain looked at the other stolen equipment around the room.
Whatever small reluctance remained inside him faded.
Crack!
The blade snapped inside his hand as he unknowingly became pissed and squeezed his grip further.
The broken portion fell onto the floor.
Clang!
The oldest man stumbled backward.
Cain slowly released the fragment still between his fingers.
"You really tried to stab me."
The silver-haired woman became pale.
One of the other men raised his weapon.
Cain’s hand moved toward the sword at his waist.
Shing!
The blade slid free from its sheath.
His expression turned cold.
If he walked away now, these people would simply lure another survivor into the house.
The next person might not possess enough strength to stop them.
Cain saw no reason to allow that to happen.
"You gotta reap what you sow, right?"
A faint smile returned to his face.
"I just hope you don’t do something this stupid in your next life."
The closest man panicked and attacked first.
Cain moved.
Shhk!
His sword crossed the man’s throat before the weapon in his hand could complete its swing.
Blood sprayed across the floor, then the man fell to the floor.
Another immediately turned toward the window.
Cain crossed the room before he could take more than a few steps.
His sword pierced straight through the man’s chest, piercing its body as the tip emerged from his body.
Cain then pulled his sword free.
The body dropped beside him.
"Bastard!"
The third man swung a machete toward Cain’s head.
Clang!
Cain knocked the weapon aside.
Before the man could recover, Cain’s sword returned from the opposite direction.
Shhk!
The blade swept across his neck.
The man grabbed his throat as blood poured between his fingers.
His body then collapsed a second later.
Only the oldest remained.
The broken sword had already fallen from his hand.
He turned and rushed toward the door.
Cain appeared behind him.
The man suddenly froze when he found that a blade had entered through his back.
His mouth opened, but nothing came out.
Cain pulled the sword free.
The final body fell to the floor.
Silence returned to the room.
The entire confrontation had lasted only a few seconds.
Cain flicked the blood from his blade.
Across the room, the silver-haired woman remained pressed against the wall.
Most of the color had disappeared from her face as her entire body was trembling.