After Ethan and his team finished off the Tier 9 zombie, they headed straight back to the compound.
But just as they reached the base of their building, a group of people blocked their path.
The commotion drew attention. People nearby stopped what they were doing to watch.
"Looks like the Ironfang Squad’s about to bully so newcors again."
"Yeah, they always throw their weight around. Every new team in Zone 9 gets pushed around by them."
"Ugh, and the military doesn’t do a damn thing."
"They’re too busy dealing with zombies. Who has ti to care about petty crap like this?"
"Besides, Ironfang Squad knows their limits. No one’s died yet, so the military just turns a blind eye."
"True, but this ti might be different. I heard these new guys are all Tier 6 Enhanced. If they’ve got so backbone, we might be in for a show."
"Tier 6 or not, there’s only eight of them. Ironfang Squad has over three hundred people, and more than twenty Tier 6s. If these newbies don’t fight back, fine. But if they do? They’re screwed."
"Not necessarily. What if one of them’s Awakened? A whole squad of Tier 6s? That’s not normal."
"Hah, guess we’ll see. Honestly, I’d love to watch Ironfang Squad get their asses handed to them for once."
anwhile, over fifty mbers of Ironfang Squad stepped up to Ethan’s group. The guy in front, a young man with a smug look, stared Ethan down.
"You’re the cocky squad that showed up yesterday, right?"
"???"
Ethan blinked, completely confused.
"We did arrive yesterday, yeah. But cocky? That’s a stretch."
They’d been nothing but low-key since arriving. Calling them arrogant was just ridiculous.
"You don’t get to decide if you’re cocky or not," the guy said coldly. "Since you’re new here, I assu you don’t know the rules of this area?"
"Nope," Ethan replied honestly.
"This zone’s under Ironfang Squad’s control. Since you’re living here now, you follow our rules. Hand over today’s haul. I’ll take a look."
"Sorry," Ethan said, his face darkening. "That’s not happening."
"Oh yeah?" The guy’s tone turned sharp. "You might wanna think that through. Sure, we can’t kill anyone inside the compound—but there’s no rule against beating the crap out of soone. If you don’t want to get hurt, hand it over. Don’t worry, I’m just taking a look. Not like I’d want anything you picked up anyway."
"..."
Ethan shook his head. "Wow. You’re really committed to the act, huh? Get lost. Bunch of cowards—can’t even kill, and you call this a robbery? You’re an embarrassnt to real bandits."
The young man’s face darkened instantly.
"Damn, you really are arrogant. You think this is Saddle Ridge? Think you can kill people just because you hit Tier 6? Teach them a lesson!"
At his command, the Ironfang mbers surged forward, surrounding Ethan’s group.
The crowd buzzed with excitent.
It was happening. Finally.
But Ethan just smiled.
"You might wanna think twice before you throw the first punch," he said calmly. "You guys don’t dare kill. We do."
The young man ignored him and waved his hand.
"Do it!"
He clearly didn’t believe Ethan. Killing soone inside the compound was a direct challenge to the military’s authority. Sure, Ironfang Squad could act tough and throw their weight around, but no one dared cross the military. They were the real power here—the ones who made the rules. Piss them off, and you’d be wiped out in a heartbeat.
Didn’t matter how strong your squad was. That rule applied to everyone.
So when Ethan said they were willing to kill, the guy just scoffed.
But what happened next made his eyes—and everyone else’s—go wide with shock.
They couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
As soon as the Ironfang Squad made their move, Ethan’s team responded in kind—and they didn’t hold back.
The mont they struck, it was full-force brutality.
The Ironfang mbers charging at the front didn’t even get a chance to react. Heads flew. So were cleanly severed, others exploded on impact, leaving headless bodies still standing for a few seconds, swaying like they couldn’t accept they were already dead.
Ethan’s squad moved with ruthless precision—no hesitation, no rcy. They killed like they were clearing zombies, not people. It was clear they didn’t give a damn about the compound’s no-kill rule.
The rest of the Ironfang Squad froze mid-charge. It was like soone had hit pause. Not a single one dared take another step forward.
The young man leading them stood there, face pale and twisted with rage, eyes locked on Ethan.
"You actually killed them... inside the compound!?"
"You’re done. There’s no coming back from this."
He didn’t give any more orders. No point. The military would be here any second, and these lunatics would pay for what they’d done.
He just wouldn’t get the satisfaction of doing it himself.
But once the military got involved, everyone else had to step aside.
Word of the incident spread fast. Killing inside the compound was a serious offense—this was going to blow up.
Sure enough, the military’s response was swift. A patrol squad arrived within minutes.
The mont they saw the scene—bodies, blood, the stunned crowd—their expressions darkened.
One of the soldiers stepped forward, eyes sharp as he looked at Ethan’s group. "Was this you?"
"If charging at us like idiots counts as suicide, then yeah," Ethan said with a nod.
"You’re aware that killing is strictly forbidden inside the compound?"
"Of course," Ethan replied, sounding almost apologetic. "I usually follow the rules. But so people just insist on dying. What can you do?"
"You son of a—who the hell are you calling suicidal?!" the young man snapped, face contorted with fury. But with the patrol squad standing right there, he forced himself to swallow the rest of it.
"Captain Reynolds, look at them! They’re completely out of control. They’re still acting arrogant right in front of you!"
Captain Reynolds gave him a cold glance.
He knew exactly what kind of person this guy was—and it wasn’t hard to guess how this whole ss started.
Still, as much of a pain as the Ironfang Squad could be, they hadn’t technically broken any rules. Ethan’s team, on the other hand, had crossed a very clear line. Reynolds had no choice.
"You all need to co with us."
"Where to?" Ethan asked.
"Enhanced Enforcent Division. They handle rule-breaking Enhanced like you."
"Oh? That’s a thing?" Ethan raised a brow, intrigued. "Alright. Let’s check it out."
He turned to go, then paused. "Actually, I’ve got one last thing to take care of."
Before anyone could react, he vanished from his spot and reappeared right in front of the young man. In one smooth motion, he grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
The guy’s eyes bulged as he kicked and thrashed, but it was useless.
"I really don’t like you," Ethan said, shaking his head.
Then he squeezed.
There was a sickening crunch as the man’s neck shattered in Ethan’s grip.
A Tier 6 Enhanced—snuffed out like a toddler throwing a tantrum.
The crowd went dead silent. Even the patrol squad flinched.
This wasn’t just a Tier 6 squad.
These people were sothing else entirely.
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