Ethan nodded at Sean’s report.
No wonder this compound had felt off from the start. So that was the story.
He turned to Miles. "Do we take over another compound?"
Miles gave the place a once-over, then answered seriously, "It’s not a matter of ’do we’—we have to."
"There aren’t enough resources in this county for multiple factions to survive long-term."
"If we want to grow, we need to consolidate all of Redwood County’s resources."
"Redmont’s the biggest city in the county. Most of the remaining survivors are probably here. Once we take control, we won’t have to worry about manpower or supplies for a while."
Ethan nodded. "Alright then. We take it."
The two of them discussed it openly, right in front of everyone, like they didn’t even consider the others worth hiding it from.
Raymond’s face darkened instantly. "What the hell do you an by that?"
"Simple," Ethan said flatly. "We’re taking over this compound."
"I didn’t agree to that!"
"Whether you agree or not doesn’t matter," Ethan said, his tone ice-cold. "And besides—do you even have the right to refuse?"
"You... You’re pushing it too far!" Raymond snapped, finally losing it. "Everyone, attack! I don’t believe a few of them can take on all of us!"
But the Enhanced around them didn’t move.
Instead, hesitation flickered across their faces. After what they’d just witnessed, they were scared—plain and simple.
Raymond’s face turned an ugly shade of red. He was furious.
Ethan chuckled. "Anyone who wants to fight, go ahead. But I’ll tell you this—anyone who lifts a hand... will die. Don’t believe ? Try it."
That was the final straw for many of the onlookers. The pressure this group gave off was too much. They couldn’t bring themselves to move.
"Don’t listen to him!" Raymond shouted, panic creeping into his voice. "There’s only nine of them! We’ve got thousands of Enhanced! We can wear them down!"
But instead of rallying the crowd, his words only made things worse.
Wear them down? That ant throwing bodies at them until they dropped.
Who the hell wanted to be one of those bodies?
They weren’t idiots. No one wanted to die for a guy like Raymond.
At that mont, Miles stepped forward and addressed the crowd.
"No need to hesitate. We’re here to take over the compound, not slaughter everyone. For you, it just ans a better leader. Nothing else changes. If anything, things will get better."
"But if you really want to fight for them, go ahead. Just know this—we’re all Tier 7 Awakened. Even if you throw yourselves at us, it’ll just be suicide."
The crowd froze.
They’d suspected it, but hearing it confird still sent chills down their spines.
All Tier 7s. And not just that—Awakened with abilities.
That was terrifying.
Everyone silently thanked the heavens they hadn’t made a move earlier.
"No way!" Raymond shouted, still in denial. "Even I’m only peak Tier 6! You expect to believe all of you are Tier 7?!"
Tyler had guessed the sa earlier, but Raymond still couldn’t accept it. It was just too insane.
"Tch. You?" Big Mike sneered. "You’re not even in the sa league as us."
"You—!"
"Enough," Miles cut in. "I’ve made myself clear. If you don’t want to fight, step back. If you do—or if you want to test whether I’m bluffing—go ahead."
The Enhanced surrounding them didn’t hesitate this ti.
They all backed away.
Fast.
No one wanted to die for a lost cause. Especially not when the new leadership wasn’t threatening to kill them.
To them, it was just a change in managent. No big deal.
And it wasn’t like Raymond had ever treated them well enough to earn their loyalty.
In seconds, the crowd had cleared out, leaving only Raymond and Tyler standing there—alone.
Tyler’s expression didn’t change much. It was like he’d already expected things to end this way.
Raymond, on the other hand, wasn’t nearly as composed. His face was twisted with rage.
"Sean," Ethan said calmly, "break his arms and legs. I want him for experints tonight."
"On it." Sean’s arms morphed into gleaming tal as he strode toward Raymond.
Refusing to back down, Raymond lashed out with an Energy Blade, slashing it straight at Sean.
But Sean smashed it apart with a single punch.
Then he kicked into high gear, accelerating forward and slamming a fist into Raymond’s chest.
Raymond barely managed to throw up an Energy Barrier.
Boom—
One punch. The barrier shattered. Raymond coughed up blood and staggered back over ten steps.
Sean didn’t give him a second to breathe. He closed the distance and unleashed a flurry of brutal punches.
Raymond fought back with everything he had, but against Sean’s raw power, it was useless.
Soon, his remaining arm snapped under the assault. Then both legs followed, bones crunching under Sean’s fists. Finally, Sean knocked him out cold with a final blow.
With Raymond down, Sean turned toward Tyler.
Tyler stood motionless, eyes shut, face pale and resigned.
He knew better than to resist. Against a squad of Tier 7 Awakened, any struggle was aningless.
Just as Sean raised his fist, Miles suddenly called out.
"Hold up."
Sean paused, glancing back.
Miles looked at Ethan. "Captain, mind if I take this one?"
Ethan raised a brow. "You can, but you sure? He was one of the compound’s top three. You think he’s worth the trouble?"
He knew exactly what Miles was thinking. Tyler was clearly the smartest of the three. If Miles wanted to keep him alive, it was probably to use him.
And honestly, it made sense. Tyler knew this compound inside and out. If they wanted to take over quickly and cleanly, having him on their side would speed things up.
"I’ve got it under control," Miles said confidently.
Ethan nodded. "Alright. He’s yours."
Tyler, who’d been bracing for death, opened his eyes. His gaze landed on Miles, a mix of surprise and uncertainty.
"Don’t look at like that," Miles said casually. "I just bought you a shot. Whether you live or not depends on how you use it."
"...Thank you," Tyler said sincerely.
"First task—go calm down the Enhanced and survivors. Then give a full report on the compound’s layout and status."
"Understood." Tyler nodded and turned to leave, heading off toward the inner compound.
Big Mike frowned. "You’re not worried he’ll run?"
"Nope," Miles said, shaking his head. "He’s smart. He knows he can’t escape us. And he knows how rare this second chance is. He won’t just stay—he’ll make himself useful."
"I’ve got a pretty good read on the three of them. If I’m right, Tyler’s the one who actually kept this place running. With him helping, we’ll take over this compound a hell of a lot smoother—and with way less resistance."
Big Mike still looked skeptical. "And you’re not worried he’ll stab you in the back soday?"
Miles chuckled. "He’d have to be strong enough to pull that off first. Unless he sohow surpasses all of us, he won’t get the chance."
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