Chapter 139 Strange island II

Chapter 139: Chapter 139 Strange island II

Something was dangling him around, and Kai’s head suddenly slammed into what looked like a metal rod. "Fuck!"

He grimaced as pain exploded through his skull, and warm blood began trickling down the side of his face. For a moment, everything spun around him. He clenched his teeth and forced himself to remain still, afraid that any sudden movement might alert whoever had captured him.

Slowly, carefully, he raised his head.

That was when he realized the truth. He was inside a cage. A fucking cage.

The metal bars surrounded him from every direction, and the entire thing was being dragged through the forest by two heavily muscular men. Their bodies were covered in strange pieces of clothing that looked like they had been made from animal skins and rough fabric. Even stranger, they were speaking in a language Kai couldn’t understand.

He blinked several times. "Now a foreign language?!" he whispered, his eyes widening. "What if they want to eat us?"

That thought wasn’t as ridiculous as it should have been. At this stage of the world, cannibalism had become disturbingly common. With food disappearing and entire cities being swallowed by the ocean, humans had begun hunting other humans just to survive.

Kai swallowed hard. He really hoped these people weren’t that desperate.

He carefully turned his head, ignoring the pain shooting through his neck, and searched the area. Then he saw him.

Adrian.

His companion was being dragged behind them by a woman who had tied a rope around his body. She pulled him along as though he were some hardened criminal who had been caught and sentenced to face justice for his crimes.

Kai’s eyebrows twitched. "Adrian..."

The idiot was still unconscious. Or at least pretending to be. Kai couldn’t tell.

His mind immediately began racing. Where the hell were they going? This wasn’t anywhere near where they had been before they were separated. He had no idea whether Luna, Rowan, or Ethan had ended up on this island as well. Maybe they had. Maybe they had been captured too.

That possibility wasn’t impossible. After everything they had already experienced, Kai had stopped believing that anything was impossible. If Luna and the others had landed somewhere nearby, there was a chance they had encountered the same people and had been taken somewhere else.

So Kai forced himself to remain hopeful. Thinking about the worst possibilities wouldn’t help him. He needed information first. He needed to understand where they were, who these people were, and what they wanted.

Then, finally, one of the men spoke in English. Kai’s ears immediately perked up.

"Do you think they would know how to get out of this island?" the man asked.

Kai frowned. Get out of the island? How? Were these people trapped here?

That didn’t make sense. The ocean was wide open. If they could somehow build a boat or find some other means of transportation, shouldn’t they be able to leave?

Of course, the sea itself was another problem. After what Kai had seen beneath those waves, escaping by boat wasn’t exactly a safe option. The creatures crawling out of the ocean were a much bigger problem than anything they had encountered on land. How the hell were ordinary people supposed to defeat creatures that were bigger than buildings?

Even Kai and the others had barely survived their encounter with the sea monsters. They had been only meters away from being killed. Actually, scratch that—they should have been dead. They had survived through luck, teamwork, and powers that had appeared at exactly the right moments.

So escaping this island by sea wasn’t as simple as these people probably imagined.

"I don’t think they can do shit," the second man replied coldly. "Look at them. They look so weak and useless."

Kai’s eye twitched. Weak? Useless? He was literally sitting inside a cage after surviving a giant sea monster, a dungeon, an infection, death, and being thrown across the ocean. But sure. Weak.

The man continued. "Maybe we should keep them around. When the sea monsters come around to feed, we can use them as bait."

Kai’s expression changed. That was one of the coldest things he had heard in a long time.

"For how long?" the first man asked.

"If they’re dead, we can’t keep avoiding them forever. We’re almost dead already. It’s only the four of us now, and we still haven’t figured out what’s happening or what’s happening to the world." His voice became quieter. "This place is like another part of the world itself. I want to go home, Alexis. I have a family and a wife waiting for me."

Kai’s eyes widened. He couldn’t help feeling sorry for the poor man. The guy had no idea what had happened to the world. He probably thought his wife was still sitting somewhere at home waiting for him to return.

Kai knew better. The old world was gone. Cities had been flooded. Countries had collapsed. Zombies and mutated creatures had spread everywhere. The sun itself had become a threat. And there were things lurking beneath the oceans that made ordinary nightmares look harmless.

For all Kai knew, Mark’s wife had already been killed. She could have been swept away by the rising ocean, turned into a zombie, eaten by one of the mutated creatures, or simply starved to death. There were far too many possibilities.

Kai’s stomach twisted. And now he and Adrian were apparently going to be used as bait.

"Oh, fuck."

He needed a plan. Immediately. He couldn’t just sit inside this cage and wait for them to throw him into the ocean. He had to convince them that he was useful. Maybe if he showed them that he knew something about the outside world, they would keep him alive long enough for him to find Luna and the others.

But he wasn’t going to reveal everything. Not yet. He needed to understand what these people knew first.

"Mark, you’re going to reunite with your wife," Alexis said confidently. "Let’s just get back to our settlement first. We’ll make use of these people and see if they have any useful information."

Kai narrowed his eyes.

"They’re from outside, after all. If they don’t have anything useful to tell us, then we’re feeding them to the monsters." Alexis shrugged. "We don’t need more mouths to feed. We’re already enough."

So their names were Alexis and Mark. Kai quietly memorized them. Judging by their appearance and voices, both men were older than him.

As they continued walking, Kai kept observing his surroundings. Then he noticed something strange. A tree.

A gigantic tree stood ahead of them, its trunk so enormous that Kai couldn’t see where it ended from his current position. Its roots spread across the forest floor like enormous snakes, crawling through the dirt and disappearing beneath other trees.

Kai stared at it. Something about it felt wrong. The roots looked as though they connected to almost the entire forest. That wasn’t normal. Then again, nothing on this island seemed normal anymore.

Eventually, they reached what appeared to be a settlement. It consisted of a small cottage constructed from palm branches, rough wood, and whatever other materials the survivors had managed to gather.

Fear slowly crawled down Kai’s spine. This place looked primitive. Too primitive.

A few minutes later, Adrian was thrown into the center of the settlement. His body hit the ground hard, and his face landed directly against something that looked suspiciously like mud. Or poop. Kai couldn’t tell. Either way, it was disgusting.

Adrian groaned but didn’t get up. Kai remained inside the cage, pretending to be unconscious. He kept his face still and controlled his breathing.

Then a cold voice suddenly pierced through the settlement. "Young man."

Kai froze.

"I know you’ve been peeping at us." Shit. "So stop pretending and come out now." Alexis stepped closer. "Don’t make me use you as an example."

Kai’s stomach tightened. So much for staying hidden.

He slowly opened his eyes. Alexis stared directly at him.

With a name like Alexis, Kai had expected someone a little kinder. Instead, the man looked like he had been raised by wolves and taught to solve every problem by threatening people.

Mark suddenly pointed at Adrian. "Look at his clothes. Are those silk?" He crouched slightly. "Oh, rich mama’s boy. You too."

Kai didn’t respond. He was afraid that saying the wrong thing could get him killed. There was no reason to test these people’s patience.

"Can’t talk, pretty boy?" Alexis thundered.

Kai remained silent.

Then a female voice suddenly echoed through the settlement. "Stop bullying our guests, boys."

Both men turned.

A woman stepped forward. She wore clothing made from animal skins, giving her the appearance of someone from an ancient tribe rather than a survivor of the modern world. Kai couldn’t help staring for a moment before quickly looking away.

The woman smiled. "And those are some interesting people you’ve brought here." She looked between Kai and Adrian. "Remember the condition we’re in. We need help, so don’t ruin this."

Kai almost laughed. Help? They had been kidnapped. Thrown into cages. Dragged across the forest. And apparently considered potential monster bait. What kind of hospitality was this?

The woman continued studying them. "And they’re both gorgeous." She paused. "I need to get laid too."

Kai’s eyes widened. Immediately, both men grunted like annoyed pigs.

Mark walked away with a scoff. Alexis remained behind, still glaring at Kai.

The woman walked closer. "So, I am Talia." She folded her arms. "And if you want to survive and not get killed, start talking." Kai watched her carefully. "Tell us how you got here and what you know about getting outside." Her tone became colder. "Because these people are ready to skin you alive."

Suddenly—WHOOSH!

A dagger flew past Kai’s face. His entire body went rigid. The blade slammed directly into the giant tree behind him, sinking deep into the bark.

Kai’s face turned pale. Holy shit. These people weren’t joking.

Talia gave him a calm smile. "Well?"

Kai stared at the dagger. Then slowly looked back at them. Something clicked inside his mind. He smiled.

This was it. If they wanted information, he could give them information. Just not all of it. Not yet.

Kai straightened inside the cage. His voice finally came out. "Well, you want to know about the giant sea monsters?"

Everyone became silent.

Kai continued. "The zombies."

Talia’s expression changed.

"The mutated beasts." Alexis stopped moving.

"The flaring sun." Mark’s face slowly lost its color.

Kai leaned closer to the bars, allowing a small, dangerous smile to form. "And the mind-eating parasites."

That last one wasn’t actually there. But he needed to make them understand how dangerous the outside world had become. He had no idea what these people knew, how long they had been trapped here, or what had happened to their families. But one thing was certain. They were completely unprepared for the truth.

Kai’s smile widened. "Because that’s what’s waiting patiently for you outside."

The settlement fell completely silent.