James Lon quietly watched the bald man and his group up close. They carried various backpacks, stuffed to the brim. Some were clearly women's bags, stained with blood, evidently stolen. The bald man laughed arrogantly:

"Hey beauty, come with me, and I promise you'll live the good life!"

Elsa Thomas's mind went blank. She shrank behind Strog, clutching his clothes, her voice trembling:

"No! I won't go!"

The bald man cursed:

"Damn it, you dare defy me?"

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Elsa Thomas. Strog's mind heated up, and he spoke:

"Brother..."

Slap!

Before he could finish, the bald man slapped him hard on the head:

"Who the hell are you calling brother? Get lost!"

The slap didn't hurt much, but the insult was immense. Strog's anger flared, his fists clenched tightly, glaring at the bald man. What, just because you have more people, you think you can do whatever you want? The herbicide has already taken effect; order will soon be restored. This is a society ruled by law—I don't believe you dare...

The bald man suddenly moved. The watermelon knife in his hand gleamed golden as it slashed down. In a flash of gold, the knife, enhanced by the golden light, seemed to turn into a laser blade, smoothly slicing through Strog's bones and muscles. Strog paused for a moment before splitting in half, blood splattering the two women. Organs and body parts fell to the ground.

Elsa Thomas's mind went blank. Ella's eyes rolled back, and she fainted. The bald man laughed heartily:

"Hahaha! Take both women. This one's mine; that one is yours!"

"Thank you, boss!"

"Long live the boss!"

The bald man wiped the blood off his face and pointed at James Lon, grinning maliciously:

"Kid, leave the backpack, and I'll spare your life since I'm in a good mood."

James Lon looked at Strog's corpse without a ripple of emotion. So, the ability is to increase the sharpness of metal. Then there's nothing to worry about. James Lon raised his head, pointing at Elsa Thomas, calmly saying:

"I'm also in a good mood. Leave the woman and the stuff, and you can go. Oh, I don't want the one who fainted, she's too ugly—you can take her. This one is mine."

Elsa Thomas, terrified, stood there dumbfounded, not understanding why this previously inconspicuous man was suddenly so bold. The bald man, enraged, shouted:

"Kill him!"

One of his men swung a knife at James Lon.

"Too slow!" James Lon glanced at the knife's trajectory and casually punched. The punch, like a thunderbolt, struck the man's chest. With a spray of blood, the man was sent flying, smashing through the glass railing, falling to the first floor. In these times, external injuries basically meant death. He was beyond saving. The scene fell into a deadly silence.

The bald man, initially shocked, then grinned:

"So, you're a physical ability user! No wonder you're so arrogant! Die!"

The watermelon knife in his hand glowed golden again. However, he was too slow. Facing an ability user, James Lon didn't hold back, kicking out like lightning. The bald man didn't even have time to react before his head exploded like a watermelon. His headless body fell to the ground. The bald man's lackeys were stunned. Their invincible boss was slaughtered like a chicken.

James Lon didn't stop. With a kick, another lackey screamed as he fell from the second floor. Another punch, and another lackey died. James Lon moved quickly; the others couldn't react. Within seconds, only the green-haired guy was left alive. The green-haired guy immediately knelt:

"Boss! I was wrong! Boss! My boss's women are all yours!"

Women? James Lon's fist stopped three centimeters from the green-haired guy's face, scaring him so much he wet his pants. James Lon asked with interest:

"Oh? Are they good-looking?"

The green-haired guy nodded frantically:

"Yes! Yes!"

James Lon asked again:

"How many?"

The green-haired guy quickly replied:

"At least two alive!"

Two... alive? James Lon frowned slightly:

"Take me to see them."

He glanced at Elsa Thomas, who was still trembling. James Lon smiled:

"Come with me."

Elsa Thomas didn't dare resist, following James Lon timidly.

After they left, Huang Qian secretly opened her eyes, feeling slightly relieved from her fear. She stared blankly at her boyfriend, now a pile of flesh, and was overwhelmed with grief. Without his protection, the fear of an unpredictable future surged into her heart. Ella cried for a while before forcing herself downstairs:

"I'm going to call the police! You killed someone, none of you will escape; the police will catch you all!"

...

The bald man's home was actually a small convenience store near Sam's Club. The green-haired guy diligently opened the door, pointing at the cages in the living room:

"Boss, the women are here."

James Lon sensed the scene inside from outside. When he saw it with his own eyes, his face darkened. In the living room were two large dog cages. Each cage contained three female slaves, naked, their necks, hands, and feet chained to the cages, barely able to move, huddled in pain. All the women had been brutally tortured. Except for their faces, their bodies were covered in wounds—whip marks, knife cuts, cigarette burns, everywhere. The floor under the cages was soaked with urine, reeking of stench.

Elsa Thomas shuddered at the sight. Fortunately, she was saved by James Lon; otherwise, she would have ended up like these women! She had been staying with Strog and Ella, not experiencing hunger, and had only seen some brutal events in videos. Now, she finally saw the world's dark side with her own eyes, the most brutal aspect of the apocalypse revealing its bloody fangs to her. Elsa Thomas felt her scalp tingle, her body shaking like a leaf.

James Lon stepped forward to look. Three women were still alive. Their wounds were infected, swollen, and emitting a foul odor, with large flies circling the living room. James Lon knew these women were beyond saving. The three women looked at James Lon numbly, silent, their eyes filled with deep fear, their bodies trembling slightly. James Lon sneered:

"Green-haired kid, you guys sure know how to have fun!"

The green-haired guy smiled obsequiously:

"Boss, you can choose any you like!"

"Heh." James Lon suddenly reached out. Crack! Crack! With a few quick moves, he broke the green-haired guy's arms and legs. The green-haired guy screamed:

"Ah! Ah! It hurts so much!"

The women's numb eyes started to show a glimmer of hope. James Lon forcefully tore open the dog cage's iron bars, releasing the women's chains from the cage. Clang. James Lon dropped three knives:

"He's yours."

Two women hesitated. Only one woman's eyes gleamed with determination. She kowtowed twice heavily before picking up a knife with difficulty. The green-haired guy was terrified:

"No! No! Don't do this! It's not my fault!"

The woman gritted her teeth and pounced on him. The room was filled with the green-haired guy's screams. The other two women also gathered their courage, slowly crawling out of the cage, picking up the knives... James Lon watched for a moment, then turned to leave. Elsa Thomas, terrified, didn't dare stay and followed him out...