She slapped the kids, sending them flying. After a few seconds of shock, they tried to rush her, but Evelyn Ford didn’t hold back. She kicked them away one by one as they came, beating them until their own mothers wouldn’t recognize them. Only then did the little bullies start crying and begging for mercy.
"Shut up if you don’t want to die." Evelyn Ford’s voice was hoarse, and combined with her chilling gaze, the little bullies were scared enough to wet their pants.
They didn’t dare cry again. They just covered their mouths and shrank into a corner. No one interfered with fights in the refugee camp; even if Evelyn killed them, no one would step in to help. Terrified, they could only stare resentfully at Evelyn and the dying child.
"Make another sound, and I’ll kill you." After delivering the threat, Evelyn Ford checked on the beaten child.
Ronan Kendrick stood beside her. His presence was so powerful that just by standing there, he was incredibly intimidating. One of the bullies had already fainted from fear. The others huddled together, terrified of getting hit again.
The beaten child was in terrible shape. His body was covered in wounds, his face was a mass of bruises, and he even had injuries on his eyes. They were completely bloodshot, and blood trickled from his ears and nose.
For some reason, Evelyn Ford felt a strange sense of familiarity as she looked at the child.
His face was caked in blood and mud, making it impossible to see his features. Evelyn hadn’t seen any other children in years. ’How can he seem familiar?’
Evelyn shook the thought from her mind. She intended to give the boy a potent pill and leave, but then her gaze fell on the bullies in the corner. She pulled a bottle from her pocket, filled with pills that caused diarrhea.
Evelyn set the child down, walked over to the little bullies, and forced the black pills into their mouths.
"Waaah! You monster! What did you make me eat? I’m gonna get my dad to beat you to death!"
Evelyn sneered and slapped the bully across the face. "Beat me? I could kill you all right now. I gave you poison. The next time you think about bullying someone or doing anything bad, the poison will activate instantly, and you’ll die as your guts rot from the inside out."
The little bullies were horrified. They started clawing at their throats, trying to force themselves to throw up, but the pills had dissolved instantly and were already in their stomachs.
In less than half a minute, with a loud GURGLE, one of the bullies’ stomachs began to churn. His expression contorted in pain as he clutched his abdomen and writhed on the ground. The others were terrified by the sight, and then their own stomachs started to cramp violently.
"Help! Help me! I was wrong! I’ll never bully that little beast— I mean, him again!"
Evelyn said nothing. After enjoying the sight of the bullies’ suffering and seeing the pills take effect, she figured they’d be having explosive diarrhea all over the place any second. She quickly picked up the child and left the alley with Ronan Kendrick.
When they reached an open space, Evelyn set the child down and gave him a potent pill with some water.
"Ronan, he seems so familiar. I really feel like I’ve seen him before."
Ronan Kendrick also stared at the child on the ground. He had the ability to remember a person’s unique scent. Even after many years, he could instantly recognize someone just by catching their specific smell.
"He smells a lot like that child Serena Lynch and Chase Underwood adopted."
Evelyn was shocked. "You mean Annie?"
"Yes, the scent is similar, but I can’t be one hundred percent certain. After all, it’s been seven or eight years. A baby’s scent changes as they grow into a child."
Evelyn nodded. "I get it. So what should we do? If he were a stranger, we could just leave him here. But if he really is Annie, we might be able to get news about Serena Lynch and Chase Underwood."
In truth, Evelyn’s hesitation was an answer in itself.
A living person couldn’t be put into her pocket dimension. Ronan took out a rope, tied the boy up, and slung him onto his back.
"Let’s take him. There are patrol members coming. We should go."
Ronan tied the knot, not caring whether the rope would chafe the boy on his back, and pulled Evelyn away.
Evelyn held her hand in front of the boy’s nose. Even though he’d taken the potent pill, it would be half an hour before it took full effect. His breathing was still terribly faint. Seeing his thin, tattered clothes and the countless injuries on his body, Evelyn’s heart sank.
’If this really is Annie, then where are Serena Lynch and Chase Underwood? If they were around, Annie would never have been beaten this badly.’
Two adults in ragged clothes, one carrying a filthy child on his back, were even less likely to draw attention in the refugee camp. Numb-faced people shuffled past, and Evelyn kept her head down, avoiding looking at anyone.
Inside a small, makeshift shelter nearby, a group of young men were punching and kicking an old man. After stealing his food, they stood to the side, laughing loudly.
One of the young men unzipped his pants, about to urinate on the dying old man on the ground to humiliate him. Clearly, this wasn’t the first time they had done something like this. In such an extreme environment, the demons inside many people couldn’t help but emerge; only by committing evil acts could they feel any excitement or thrill.
Before Evelyn could even make a move, the sewing needle in Ronan Kendrick’s hand had already pierced the man’s "one-inch worm."
Ronan didn’t have a strong sense of justice. He simply wanted to dispose of the thing that was offending Evelyn’s sight.
With the boy still on his back, he walked into the shelter like a grim reaper. Evelyn stood outside. ’Choosing to live far away from other people was the right decision,’ she thought. ’It’s been ten years since the apocalypse began, and there are fewer and fewer normal human beings left.’
The shelter went silent. Before he left, Ronan glanced at the dead old man on the ground, and his impassive eyes darkened for a moment.
"The old man?"
"They beat him to death." Of course, Ronan had dealt with that trash as well.
Evelyn took a deep breath. The stench of the refugee camp was getting even worse. On top of the foul odor, there was now the faint, almost imperceptible tang of blood in the air.
Perhaps only a torrential downpour or the scorching sun could wash away or mask the filth here.
"I wonder how Quincy and Ethan Dawson are doing."
Evelyn reached out and touched the boy’s forehead. His skin, which had been ice-cold before, now had a hint of warmth. She breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Ronan into an alley.
「Meanwhile, Quincy and Ethan Dawson had run into some trouble.」
They had just entered the refugee camp when a few thugs targeted them. Noticing their tattered bag, the thugs called over some friends and surrounded them, intending to rob them.
Quincy remembered Evelyn’s instructions to follow Ethan Dawson’s lead no matter what. He knew Ethan was highly capable, so he crossed his arms and stood back, eager to see how Ethan would handle these dregs.
The surrounding area was filled with refugees returning from gathering firewood and picking leaves, but they all hurried along, not daring to spare a second glance in their direction.
The leader of the thugs chewed on a small twig, sizing up Quincy and Ethan Dawson from head to toe. Though their clothes were tattered and their faces were dirty, neither of them looked weak in the slightest. ’They must be doing alright for themselves.’
His initial thought of robbing them faded. He sauntered over and clapped a hand on Ethan Dawson’s shoulder.
"Hey, man. What’s your territory?"