Chapter 477: A Lesson She’d Never Forget
At the same time, on the rooftop of another building, Nelek kept his eye on the scope, covering Gin and the prisoners with him.
After what felt like an eternity of fighting, every soldier in the area had been taken down.
"Heh," Nelek smirked, keeping his eye on the scope as he watched Gin inspect the fallen soldiers. Around him, the prisoners looted weapons, ammunition, and any useful gear they could find.
"Good thing I managed to sneak into this building," he muttered. "They’re advancing."
As Nelek continued watching, his brows lifted when Gin suddenly turned around.
As if he knew exactly where Nelek was hiding, Gin waved before giving him a thumbs-up, then ran off.
"How did he know I was here?" Nelek chuckled. "These Dominion guys are really... impressive."
He didn’t linger.
Packing up his rifle, Nelek immediately moved toward another building. His job was to provide cover for everyone. The plan was to isolate the enemy forces, and now that Gin’s group was advancing, the others were likely closing in as well.
The armory had already been destroyed, preventing the enemy from accessing more weapons. This was now a battle of ammunition. Once everyone emptied their magazines, it would become a fight with fists.
That would favor them.
With that thought, Nelek crossed to the opposite side of the rooftop, searching for his next vantage point.
"That one," he murmured with a grin.
But then, his gaze drifted toward the sky. "I wonder why Khan’s taking so long."
Shaking his head, he pushed the thought aside and focused on his mission.
Somewhere nearby, he was certain Rus was doing the same thing.
Two snipers weren’t enough to cover an entire battlefield.
But like everyone else... they wanted everyone to make it home.
*****
Meanwhile...
"Shit..." Red muttered under his breath as he realized they had been surrounded.
After breaking through the main square, he had headed straight for the command building. According to the plan, the people running the base should have been inside.
But the moment Red, Old Fool, and the others stepped through the entrance, every door around them burst open.
Soldiers poured into the hallway, rifles already trained on them.
Red slowly swept his gaze across the countless weapons pointed at him and the prisoners. Not a trace of fear crossed his face.
Old Fool quietly stepped backward until his back touched Red’s.
"Young man," the old man whispered, "if you need a shield... don’t hesitate to use me."
Red’s expression twitched. He shot the old man a brief glance.
"Be careful what you wish for, oldie," he muttered. "I might actually do it."
This was a battlefield.
Red had no intention of playing the hero and dying.
He wanted to return home—to that oversized house across from Ashley’s place—and waste another peaceful afternoon lounging outside.
Maybe he’d tease Betty for a while.
She was far too easy to annoy.
Unlike Ashley, Betty wasn’t petty enough to spend days plotting revenge.
That ordinary, uneventful life... Red had every reason to return to it.
But...
"They’re not going to kill us," he whispered without taking his eyes off the soldiers. His voice remained low enough that only those beside him could hear. "If they wanted us dead, they would’ve opened fire already."
"Well, well, well."
A man’s voice echoed down the hallway.
Red turned toward the far end, where someone slowly stepped out of an office.
"Well, well... who do we have here?"
Red narrowed his eyes at the gaunt man; a faint smile tugged at his lips.
The prisoners, however, reacted very differently. Their eyes widened in recognition.
It was one of the bosses.
"That’s... Addict, right?" Red asked casually. "You’re Addict?"
Addict laughed. Apparently, Ashley’s colorful announcement earlier had already reached him. Instead of taking offense, he simply smirked as he looked Red up and down.
"So..." Addict hummed. "You’re with her?"
Red frowned.
They already know it was her?
As far as he knew, Ashley wouldn’t have revealed her identity so carelessly. No matter how reckless she could be, even the prisoners only called her Super B.
One reason was simple.
Ashley didn’t want Dominion connected to this operation if anyone escaped. After all, it would be much easier to trace Ashley back to Dominion than the rest of them.
"Haha! You’re surprised we know?" Addict tilted his head with a grin. "It’s alright. She probably forgot to mention that we’re more than just numbers around here."
His smile turned dangerous. "I don’t know how she convinced all of you to get involved... but if I were you, I’d surrender."
"Drop your weapons!" one of the surrounding soldiers barked. "Now!"
The prisoners instinctively looked at Red.
"Do it," Red said quietly, his eyes never leaving Addict. "We’ll drop them."
"But—"
The protest died the moment they saw Red lay down his rifle. Reluctantly, the others followed.
Once their weapons hit the floor, they straightened and slowly raised their hands.
Red did the same. Even then, his gaze never left Addict.
The man truly looked like a walking skeleton with his skin stretched tightly over bone.
Unlike the prisoners, whose bodies had wasted away from starvation, Addict’s appearance seemed to come from years of substance abuse.
Addict chuckled as he rubbed his chin.
"Are you her lover?" he asked out of nowhere. "Is that why you’re all here?"
Whatever trace of amusement remained on Red’s face vanished. His eyes turned ice cold.
Addict laughed louder.
"That look..." he sneered. "Guess I hit a nerve."
He leaned forward slightly. "You know... did that little brat ever tell you she’d been brought here before?"
Several prisoners exchanged uneasy glances.
"She was here before?" one of them whispered.
"Oh, yeah." Addict laughed. "That little psycho came here when she was just a kid."
He held one hand low to demonstrate her height.
"She was tiny." His grin widened.
"But Scott had to interfere. Otherwise, I would have a taste of that juicy little pussy." He clicked his tongue in annoyance. "He ruined everything."
Red slowly clenched his fists.
"Don’t look at me like that," Addict said dismissively with a wave of his hand. "Nothing happened."
His grin, however, remained.
"She still got a lesson she’d never forget." He chuckled to himself. "I made sure she witnessed something no child ever should, like... showing her how women spread their legs as a man does his miracles."