CHAPTER 71: INTERACTIONS WITH THE NIGHT PART 30

Before Shane could open his mouth and make things worse, Rick stepped forward.

"You can trust him. He’s my best friend. He wouldn’t do anything to put us at risk. He saved me and everyone here more times than I can count."

"Oh..." Luck touched his chin. "You seem really confident about that."

"Of course I do. When I wasn’t around, Shane was the one who protected my son and my wife."

A smile tugged at Luck’s lips. Now it all made sense.

It was typical in drama shows to throw in a little extra tension, especially in ones where they justify women cheating.

"Good for you. Must’ve taken real good care of his wife, huh?" Luck chuckled aloud.

Shane lost it. He reached for his gun, but Rick moved quicker. He grabbed his buddy’s arm before any more trouble could start.

[DING MISSION COMPLETE]

’Finally. I was getting tired of acting like some second-rate villain.’

clap !

clap!

clap!

"Congratulations, you passed the second test. I was just doing this to see your personalities. And Rick—you passed with flying colors. As for your best friend... well, he’s tolerable."

Shane didn’t like the comment one bit and kept glaring.

"So, are you willing to take us in?" Rick asked. He kept calm, even with all the tension hanging in the air.

Just that alone gave Luck a good impression of him.

"Sure. After you all pass my third test."

Before anyone could reply, he jumped down from the watchtower and landed in front of the group.

One of them , one with a long hair and crossbow reacted , and raised his weapon.

"I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I’m a super soldier, so that’s not going to work on me."

At first, they thought he was joking. But when he swung his blade to the side, a sharp whooshing sound echoed, and a deep cut appeared in the ground.

It looked like magic.

"Drop that bow. Don’t make me ask twice." he warned.

The long-haired man flinched and pulled the trigger by accident. The bullet shot straight at Luck’s head.

Instead of ducking, he lifted one hand and caught the bolt with ease.

Everyone went silent, too stunned to react.

"Told you." Luck stepped forward, but Rick dropped to his knees.

"I’m sorry—please don’t turn us away! We need your help!"

Luck stopped halfway. He didn’t really plan to kill anyone. He only wanted to show his authority and keep everyone on a leash.

"Why are you the one apologizing? He’s the one who did it."

Rick stood up right away. "Herman, go and apologize!"

The long-haired man clenched his jaw and looked away for a moment.

"You serious right now? You want me to get on my knees for him?" Words came out rough, as if he had to swallow every bit of pride to say them.

Several people on the watchtowers lifted their guns and aimed straight at the group below.

Tension filled the air, growing heavier by the second.

Until finally, Herman let out a heavy breath, bowed his head, and muttered an apology.

"OPEN THE GATES!" Luck commanded.

The gates creaked open, and the whole group entered.

New data flashed across Luck’s view, showing everyone’s relationship levels.

Herman already ranked at level five. Shane barely reached two, proving he couldn’t let go of a grudge.

’No wonder the system wanted me to pick a fight with this guy.’

Once the group settled, Herman broke the silence. He still looked like he was trying to process what happened.

"How’d you pulled that off earlier?" he asked. "No normal human can swing hard enough to create airwaves like that."

This time, Luck didn’t say a word. He just turned around and headed back to his motel, leaving his right hand man to handle the explaining.

Jun stepped forward and took a deep breath. Everyone’s eyes were on him, waiting for answers.

"Look. The boss is part of a special unit. Soldiers picked by the government and enhanced through genetic treatments."

This was exactly the narrative Luck wanted planted in everyone’s heads, so he wouldn’t have to explain anything when he pulled some mojo mojo later on.

A few people exchanged uneasy glances. Someone scoffed under their breath.

"I know it sounds crazy," Jun went on, "but think about it. We’ve got the dead walking around out there. An enhanced human is not that surprising."

The group fell quiet. Even Shane kept his mouth shut.

"The only reason we’re safe from the zombies is because of the Big Boss. We even got attacked by three mutated ones. They could jump over walls and tear people apart like nothing."

He paused, letting the weight of that sink in.

"But the boss took them down—three of them—without even breaking a sweat."

Dima and the others dragged out the bodies of the mutated zombies.

The newcomers was speechless.

Tall creatures lay in a heap, with thick arms and legs long enough to clear any wall. Just seeing them up close sent a chill down everyone’s spine.

"He killed them single-handedly?" Herman asked, still unable to believe it.

"Yeah," Dima said, grinning. "He took them down with nothing but his sword. You should see the boss in action. You’ll end up worshiping him like a god!"

"And there’s more," Jun chimed in. "His team is here on a mission to find a doctor who might have a cure. When the extraction comes through, everyone in this base will be taken to a military base. We will all be safe."

The newcomers looked at each other, their faces brightening all at once.

"No way—that means we’re going to get rescued!" one of the women exclaimed, her voice breaking with relief.

"Oh thank God," an older man said, wiping his eyes. "I thought we were done for."

A younger guy let out a forced laugh. "Man, I can’t believe it. We might actually survive this hell"

A few of them hugged each other, smiling for the first time in weeks.

With everyone caught up in relief, Jun carried over crates of canned food, water, and new tents.

It was all part of Luck’s stick-and-carrot approach—show them fear, then give them comfort.

Unfortunately, not everyone could be swayed so easily by this strategy.

Shane and one of his rough-looking buddies stood off in the corner, heads close together, talking in low voices.

Their eyes kept drifting back to the motel with a look that was anything but friendly.

Jun took note of this. As the right-hand man, it was his job to make sure they never lost control of the base, no matter what.

He wasn’t the only one thinking this way.

The others—Yuna and Fernando—had also grown more alert, keeping a close eye on the newcomers.

They were ready to act if anyone tried anything.

And deep down, they all shared the same confidence. As long as their big boss was standing, any rebellion could be crushed.

This was the power and influence his strategy had earned. He no longer needed to brag, because his past actions was more than enough.

To them, his life mattered more than anyone else’s. With his skills, he could turn any fight in their favor on his own.