Chapter 141 Breaking reality to them

Chapter 141: Chapter 141 Breaking reality to them

The bombshell Kai had dropped on the strange island hung in the air like curling smoke, thick and suffocating. Talia was completely dumbstruck.

She stared at Kai as though he had just told her the sky was falling. "You can’t be serious." Her voice was unusually low. "Tell me this is just some carefully constructed joke to mock me, and maybe I’ll calm down."

Kai only shrugged. "I was on my own. You wanted the truth about what was happening, and here I am, filling you in." He leaned back slightly inside the cage, his expression surprisingly relaxed despite the situation. "The stunning, beautiful world you’ve probably known all your life is nothing but a death trap and a shithole now." He paused. "Actually, this place might even be better than the outside world." His expression became serious. "Because out there, you probably won’t spend more than a minute without something trying to tear you apart."

Kai spoke fearlessly, slipping both hands into the side pockets of the uniform he was wearing. He hadn’t even realized the uniform had pockets until now. Apparently, they were useful for more than looking good. The discovery helped him relax slightly. At least he wasn’t completely helpless.

Adrian, meanwhile, was sprawled across the ground nearby. He couldn’t help wondering if Kai had completely lost his mind. Didn’t he remember what these people had threatened to do if they didn’t cooperate? They had talked about feeding them to whatever creatures appeared at night. Adrian definitely didn’t want to become someone’s dinner.

He slowly raised his head. "Just stop listening to these lunatics." His voice was exhausted. "Mutated creatures in our world and zombies? That’s some dumb shit."

Another female survivor appeared from behind the others. She laughed directly at Kai’s words, clearly treating him like some mentally disturbed patient who had escaped from an asylum. "How would that even happen?" she asked. Her expression was filled with disbelief. "What about the government? They wouldn’t allow humanity to fall apart like that." She crossed her arms. "Zombies and mutated creatures only happen in movies. So get your facts straight."

Kai stared at her. He didn’t know why, but he felt almost thrilled by how ignorant these people were about the real dangers outside. It was almost unbelievable. They had no idea what was waiting for them. They were sitting on an island, surrounded by the remains of a world they thought still existed. They didn’t know the world had already changed beyond recognition.

"Well," the woman continued, "you can see, Talia. They’re useless." She turned toward the woman in charge. "So let’s get rid of these burdens. Throw them to the creatures. I think that’s better than listening to these talks that aren’t going anywhere."

Talia remained silent.

But before she could respond, Adrian pushed himself upright. His knees and ankles screamed in pain. He tried to stand, but quickly decided that sitting on the floor was a better idea. He winced before looking at the woman. "So what about the monsters that come out from the sea to hunt right here?"

The woman frowned.

"Tell me, isn’t that from the movies too?" Adrian pointed toward the ocean. "Yes, what he said sounds like something from a movie." He gestured toward Kai. "But you people call those creatures monsters, right?" His eyes narrowed. "Isn’t that a movie trick too?"

Nobody answered.

Adrian’s voice became sharper. "And leaving that aside for a moment..." He leaned forward. "Where do you think those monsters came from?"

The question lingered ominously in the air. The women suddenly looked uncomfortable. Alexis and Mark, who had returned after hearing the commotion, also stopped and stared at Adrian.

Mary, the woman who had insulted Kai earlier, swallowed. "Well..." She glanced toward the sea. "The sea?"

Adrian couldn’t help laughing. It wasn’t a happy laugh. It was the kind of laugh someone gave when they had just heard something unbelievably stupid. His laughter made several people uncomfortable. Even Mary looked embarrassed. Talia, however, maintained an indifferent expression.

Adrian wiped his mouth. "Yeah." He shook his head. "A monster just gradually comes out of nowhere from the sea and decides that this particular place is its hunting ground?" He laughed again. "Oh, jeez." He looked around at them. "You people are far behind. Seriously."

His expression became darker. "The world is submerged in water now. Gigantic creatures dwell in those seas. Creatures so enormous they could practically fill this entire island." Everyone remained silent. "And you know the crazy part?" Adrian’s eyes narrowed. "They’re smart."

That statement made several people exchange nervous glances. "Not just animals running around blindly. Some of them have incredibly advanced intelligence." He pointed toward the ocean. "So if you’re still doubting what we’re telling you, get this into your skulls." His voice hardened. "You’re planning to return to a nest of abominations that could end you before you even blink."

Mark’s face changed.

Adrian continued. "And your families..." He paused. "I’m sorry to be the one to burst your bubbles."

For a moment, Adrian felt bad. He really did. These people had no idea what had happened. But they had kidnapped them, tied them up, threatened them, and treated them like pieces of meat. So he wasn’t going to sugarcoat anything.

He continued. "So they’re all dead."

The words hit the settlement like a bomb.

"We’re the last survivors on Earth right now." He held up a finger. "Well, maybe there are others. I’m not completely sure." Another finger. "We encountered some people at a heavily protected supermarket." A third. "But they’re dead now."

The people listening had begun changing expressions. Their disbelief was slowly turning into fear. "There was also a government-run safe zone." Adrian paused. "So there’s a possibility some of your families could have been there."

For the first time, hope appeared on their faces. But Adrian wasn’t finished. "Actually..." He shrugged. "The possibility is less than zero." The hope vanished. "They’re probably rotting somewhere right now." His voice was brutally blunt. "Maybe they’re zombies. Maybe they’re food for some mutated creature. Maybe they’re still wandering around the streets with half their flesh gone." He spread his hands. "Who knows?"

Talia’s face hardened. Mary looked furious. Alexis’s fists clenched. Mark looked as though someone had punched him directly in the chest.

Adrian continued. "And if you think I’m exaggerating, explain something to me." He pointed toward the ocean. "Why are those creatures coming here?"

Nobody answered.

"Why are they hunting humans?"

Still nothing.

"And why does the entire world outside look like it has been ripped apart?"

Silence.

Talia suddenly reached for her dagger. Adrian noticed. His eyes narrowed. She swung the weapon toward him.

Adrian instantly raised both hands. The ground beneath Talia cracked. "What—?"

The earth suddenly shifted. A large section of the ground broke apart beneath her feet. Talia screamed as she dropped. "Adrian!"

The earth began closing around her. "It’s enough, you scoundrel!" Talia struggled beneath the shifting ground. "I’ve had enough of your disgusting arrogance!"

Adrian’s expression hardened. "You’re the one who threatened to feed us to monsters." His voice was cold. "So don’t start acting offended because I told you the truth."

The two men who had been acting so tough suddenly went wild when they saw what had happened. Their eyes widened. They stepped backward. One meter. Then another. They had finally realized something important.

These weren’t ordinary prisoners. They had powers. Real powers.

Kai watched the entire thing with an amused expression. The female survivor who had freed him earlier finally moved toward his cage and opened it. Kai immediately stepped out. He grabbed the small knife that had been left in his pocket and quickly cut through Adrian’s rope.

Adrian rubbed his wrists and took a deep breath. "Freedom."

Kai grinned. "That was cool."

Adrian looked at him. "At one point, you were sounding exactly like me."

Kai placed a hand over his chest dramatically. "I was so proud."

Adrian rolled his eyes.

"Well, Adrian Solis..." Kai slapped his shoulder. "This is me telling you that you should be more fun sometimes because you’re a boring bastard." He laughed. "This is peak."

Then he looked toward Talia, who was still struggling beneath the ground. "Well, you’re not some sort of powerful being." Kai shrugged. "So I don’t know how to break this to your ass, but struggling is pointless."

Talia glared at him.

"You might want to make a deal with us if you want to survive." Kai’s smile disappeared. "Because instead of us, we might have to put you out there as food for the monsters."

Adrian’s eyes widened. He turned toward Kai. "What?"

Kai shrugged. "Chill. It’s no big deal." He gestured toward the ocean. "It’s not like we’re the ones killing them." His expression was almost annoyingly casual. "They just have to be left somewhere they can’t escape or do anything." He glanced at Adrian. "And we need to find Luna and the others." Kai looked back at Talia. "So we can’t stay here." He pointed toward the settlement. "So are you going to be with us or against us?"

The question silenced everyone. Alexis and Mark stared at each other. Mary looked conflicted. Talia’s expression remained difficult to read beneath the dirt covering her.

Then Alexis finally spoke. His irritating masculine voice had lost some of its previous arrogance. "Are you serious?"

Kai looked at him. "About what happened to the real world?"

Alexis swallowed. "My family..." His voice cracked slightly. "Our families." He looked toward the others. "You’re saying all of them are gone?"

For someone who had acted so brave and brutally violent only minutes ago, Alexis suddenly looked like a completely different person. Kai stared at him for a moment. He had almost felt sorry for them earlier. But these people had treated him and Adrian like animals. So he wasn’t going to pretend everything was fine.

"Yeah." Kai’s voice was blunt. "Everything he said is true." He pointed toward Adrian. "Humanity as you knew it is gone." Alexis’s breathing became heavier. "You might be some of the last humans still breathing." Kai shrugged. "I don’t know how long that’s going to last, though." He looked toward the ocean. "But trust me." His voice became serious. "If you leave this island and go to the other side, you’re probably going to die."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Kai didn’t wait for a response. He turned around and grabbed Adrian by the arm. "Come on, buddy."

Adrian looked at him. "Where are we going?"

Kai glanced around. "To find a way back to Luna." He started walking. Adr

ian followed. Neither of them looked back.

Behind them, Alexis, Mark, Mary, Talia, and the others remained frozen in place.