Beijing, suburban warehouses.
Yuto Saito, along with Yun Yun, Ni Shuang, and Hu Tuan'er, arrived at the location, tasked with investigating. Yuto turned to Hu Tuan'er and asked, "What's the cooldown time for the transfer?"
"Two minutes," Hu Tuan'er replied. "The next upgrade can shorten it."
Yuto nodded, signaling the others. "Let's go, check the warehouse."
The door was locked, but Yuto simply clicked his fingers and broke it with ease.
Hu Tuan'er blinked in surprise. "That was... fast and brutal."
Inside the villa earlier, Hu Tuan'er had already grown impressed with Yuto. His strength, his mysterious floating island, and the obedience of the others towards him painted a picture of a man destined for dominance. She felt fortunate to be part of his team. Yuto had helped her awaken her latent abilities, making her stronger and filling her with newfound confidence.
The four entered the warehouse, and Ni Shuang gasped, "Look at all this food!"
Yuto motioned toward Yun Yun and Ni Shuang. "Gather everything."
Both women nodded and immediately began collecting supplies. Their newly acquired rings, capable of holding 10,000 cubic meters of storage, made the task quick and easy.
As they worked, Yuto glanced at the house number, then called Song Yi. "Who owns this warehouse? Any ties to Zhang Bafeng?"
After a brief pause, Song Yi replied, "It belongs to a man named Chen Fan. He's Zhang Bafeng's brother—they keep in touch."
Yuto's eyes darkened. "Does Chen Fan have any other properties nearby?"
"Yes," Song Yi answered after checking. "A villa one kilometer east."
Song Yi hesitated before adding, "Yuto, what's this about?"
Yuto didn't hide anything. "Zhang Bafeng sent two snipers after me and my girlfriend today. I'm going to kill him."
Song Yi, as a police officer, immediately objected. "You can't take the law into your own hands!"
Yuto's voice turned cold. "Song, it's the apocalypse. Laws don't work the same way anymore."
Song Yi frowned. "You could still hand them over to the police."
Yuto exhaled sharply. "Zhang Bafeng's son tried to kill my girlfriend after she rejected him. I killed his son. Now, Bafeng wants revenge, and he's tried twice already. If I don't eliminate him, how can I work with you in peace?"
Song Yi was silent for a moment, processing this. As a cop, she couldn't endorse vigilantism, but she understood Yuto's reasoning. Reluctantly, she said, "Just this once. No more."
After hanging up, Song Yi felt conflicted. Yuto Saito was a complicated man—kind to his allies, ruthless to his enemies. She couldn't decide if cooperating with him was a mistake or not. Still, she appreciated his honesty. He could have hidden his actions, but he chose to be upfront, and that was why she let it slide.
Hu Tuan'er, who had overheard the conversation, was secretly awestruck by Yuto's confidence. She wondered whether Ni Shuang was the girlfriend Yuto mentioned. Then she remembered Ruoruo saying Yuto only had one girlfriend, Yun Yun. But now, Yuto had admitted to Ni Shuang being his girlfriend as well. Hu Tuan'er wasn't surprised—she'd suspected as much. She even wondered if, one day, she might join their relationship. The thought made her heart race, and she realized she wouldn't mind. The team shared a common goal, after all, and everyone got along well.
Yun Yun and Ni Shuang worked quickly, and before long, all the supplies were gathered. Ni Shuang smiled. "We really scored this time."
Yuto nodded, his mind already on the next task. "This warehouse belongs to Chen Fan, Zhang Bafeng's brother. There's a villa nearby. I suspect Zhang Bafeng might be hiding there."
Hu Tuan'er looked curious. "Zhang Bafeng—he's the father of Zhang Kui, right?"
"Yes," Yuto confirmed. "He and Liu Panpan sent two killers to try and eliminate me and Ni Shuang."
Yun Yun's expression grew cold. "Then let's go finish this."
Yuto turned to Hu Tuan'er. "Is the transfer ready?"
Hu Tuan'er nodded. "Yes."
"Activate it. We're heading to the villa."
Moments later, they were at the villa's perimeter. Yuto signaled for silence and used his heightened hearing ability to scout the area. The others remained alert, ready for action.
Inside the villa, Zhang Bafeng paced nervously. "Have we heard from them yet?" he asked his old butler, Li Qiang.
"Not yet, sir. It's only 21:37—there are still 23 minutes before ten."
Zhang Bafeng snorted in frustration. "Humph."
Liu Panpan, exuding contempt, added, "I bet the mission failed. The snipers probably fled the country already."
Li Qiang remained resolute. "No, they're professionals. They wouldn't run—they want the rest of their payment. If they'd planned to betray us, they would have killed us and taken everything already."
Zhang Bafeng waved a hand. "Call the pilot and check."
Li Qiang dialed the pilot, Archie, who picked up nervously. "Sir, something's wrong. Yuto Saito killed the snipers. You and the master should run!"
Li Qiang's face paled. "Why didn't you say so sooner?"
Archie stammered, "I was—just about to tell you. I left City X an hour ago."
In the back of the jet, Beth, a blonde passenger, chuckled, overhearing his lie. They'd left much earlier.
Li Qiang quickly hung up and turned to Zhang Bafeng. "Master, Yuto Saito killed the snipers. We need to leave now!"
Zhang Bafeng slammed his fist down. "Damn it! Initiate Plan A. We evacuate immediately."
"Yes, sir!" Li Qiang hurried to follow orders.
Liu Panpan sneered at Li Qiang. "Look at the people you hire—all worthless!"
Li Qiang bit his tongue. Snipers were hard to come by in this apocalyptic world, but Liu Panpan wouldn't understand that.
Zhang Bafeng turned to his wife, trying to stay calm. "Pack your things. We need to leave before Yuto finds us."
Liu Panpan pouted. "Again? How could Yuto possibly find us here?"
Before Zhang could respond, a voice echoed through the room. "Planning to run?"
Zhang barely had time to react before three throwing knives pierced through the air, striking him, Liu Panpan, and Li Qiang.
Zhang's last thought as he bled out on the floor was a futile one: How did Yuto Saito arrive so quickly?