NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12: Chapter 12: The Apocalypse Dawns, Settling Scores (Part 2)
"Shut your mouth! Men are talking!" Xiao Ren barked at Wang Min, who shrank back like a scolded dog. His gaze crawled over Mu Wanqing's trembling form. "Since she's not your woman, Xiao Yang... I think I'll enjoy this fresh meat tonight. Care to watch?"
Mu Wanqing's muffled protests vibrated through duct tape as Xiao Ren loosened his collar. Sweat glistened on his neck. "Damn, it's hot in this bunker. Maybe I'll strip her right—"
Xiao Yang moved like shadow. Two palm strikes crumpled the guards clutching their throats. A knee to their solar plexus left them wheezing on the floor.
"Release her." Xiao Yang's voice cut through the coal-heated air. "Our feud stays between us."
Xiao Ren's laughter rang hollow. "Kneel and beg, brother!"
"Bullying women?" Xiao Yang edged closer. "That your idea of manhood?"
Xiao Ren licked his lips, revolver suddenly pressed to Mu Wanqing's temple. "Want to see real manhood?"
The door burst open. Zhang Li and Wang Jian froze at the scene—Xiao Ren's gun trembling, Mu Wanqing's eyes blazing with feral defiance.
"Put that down!" Zhang Li hissed. "You'll ruin everything!"
Wang Jian wrung his hands. "Just give him what he wants, Xiao Yang! You want this slut dead over—"
Midnight struck.
Every skull erupted with white-hot agony. The survivors clutched their heads—all except Xiao Yang, who'd braced for the temporal migraine.
00:00:00:10
His baton cracked Xiao Ren's wrist. The revolver clattered across bulletproof flooring.
BANG!
Xiao Ren's scream pierced the vaulted ceilings as his kneecap exploded. "MY LEG! MOTHERFUCKER—"
Zhang Li's shriek harmonized with her son's. "YOU'LL HANG FOR THIS!"
Xiao Yang examined the smoking barrel, then his left forearm. The glowing numerals read:
00-364-23:59:50
Ten seconds used. Fifty left.
"Look at your arms," he commanded, revolver now kissing Xiao Ren's sweat-slick forehead. The room gasped in unison—every wrist now branded with countdowns.
"Transfer your time." Xiao Yang locked hands with Xiao Ren's trembling left. "Leave yourself ten minutes."
The coward sobbed as golden light flowed between their arms. Mu Wanqing watched, wide-eyed, as Xiao Yang's display updated:
01-364-23:59:59
Wang Jian lunged forward. "Don't hurt him! We'll comply!"
Xiao Yang's gaze narrowed. "Why so protective, Uncle Wang? Unless..." The pieces clicked. "Is this bastard actually your seed?"
Zhang Li's porcelain face cracked.
Outside, the first snowflakes began to fall—supercooled crystals that froze songbirds mid-flight.