At the base, Alex stared at the child while she sat on top of the pile of money.
Since he still hadn't managed to steal anything comfortable enough for himself to sit on, he had simply given the little girl the most interesting place available for her to play.
Besides, Alex was confident enough in his abilities to rob another armored truck or even another bank if necessary, so he didn't really care as he began listening to the child's story.
"I used to live with Mommy and Daddy… but Daddy was really mean. He hit Mommy whenever he could and dragged her into the bedroom… and she never looked like she liked it very much…"
Elizabeth's voice trembled slightly.
"But she always said she was okay, so I didn't think much about it. Then one day Mommy left saying she would come back… but she never did…"
Tears began falling down Elizabeth's face as she continued speaking.
Still, after a few moments, she forced herself to continue.
"After Mommy left… Daddy started treating me really badly too…"
Her small hands tightened against her clothes.
"He started hitting me and… and leaving me alone at home. Sometimes he only came back after several days…"
Elizabeth sniffled weakly.
"I'm strong just like Mommy said I was, so I could handle being hungry… but it hurt so much…"
Her voice became increasingly quieter as memories of the past resurfaced in her mind.
Still, when she felt Tyon gently patting her head beside her, she continued.
"Then one day I went to play at the little park in front of the house while Daddy was gone…"
Elizabeth lowered her head.
"But when I came back… Daddy locked me outside and didn't want to open the door anymore even when he was sad…"
Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face now.
"I know I was a bad girl like he always said… but I didn't want to leave…"
The moment she finished speaking, Elizabeth completely broke down crying and tightly hugged Tyon beside her.
Meanwhile, Tyon looked toward Alex as if waiting for permission.
After hearing the entire story, Alex maintained a calm expression and firm posture.
Then he slowly looked at Tyon before lightly nodding his head, silently allowing Elizabeth to stay.
Without saying another word, Alex turned around and started walking toward the exit.
Tyon looked confused by his father's reaction but ultimately ignored it.
Instead, he stayed beside Elizabeth while hugging her as she cried heavily.
Even as a curse, Tyon understood that what she had suffered was unbelievably cruel.
So he simply remained quiet and tried to comfort her.
Meanwhile, outside the base, Alex stood completely speechless after hearing Elizabeth's story.
Especially because he already knew things like this happened in the world.
But meeting someone who had actually lived through it made him realize how detached he had been from reality until now.
Until this point, the creation of Sanctuary had only existed so he could use the organization to live a better life.
But now Alex realized that was no longer possible.
Not because it was impossible… but because now he couldn't stop imagining how many other Elizabeths existed out there suffering through the exact same thing.
How many people like him had been forced to run because others viewed them as monsters.
Or how many mutants like Ray had suffered because of this cursed world that ruined everything it touched.
Alex realized he couldn't ignore people like them anymore.
He understood it would probably be easier for him if he simply looked away.
But if he turned his back now, his entire life would become one massive regret.
Because he possessed the strength and the potential to rule.
And just like Meruem once said—
"A king does not stand above his people. He stands before them."
Alex slowly exhaled.
"I think I finally understand what he meant…"
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"Protecting my people is what I'm supposed to do."
Taking a deep breath, Alex finally realized he had been searching for the wrong goal this entire time.
It wasn't revenge.
Nor was it finding some peaceful place where he belonged.
None of that would ever truly make him feel complete.
He didn't need to search for a home.
He needed to build one.
As for Elizabeth's situation, Alex still felt anger.
But now, with a clearer mind, he understood that anger alone would only create more problems instead of helping her.
What he needed to do now was give her a sense of belonging here.
And maybe… find her mother.
If that was even the right thing to do considering what she had done by leaving Elizabeth behind.
Still, Alex couldn't fully blame her either.
SIGH!
Alex already felt exhausted just imagining everything he would need to do to transform this group into something truly imposing.
"ALEX!!"
While lost in thoughts about the future, Alex suddenly heard someone shouting his name.
Turning around, he saw Ray returning alongside three people.
Two men… and a severely injured woman being carried in the arms of a shorter man.
The moment Alex saw her condition, he reacted instantly.
Without hesitation, he rushed toward the short man, grabbed the injured woman from his arms, and sprinted back toward the barrier.
Everything happened so quickly that Boris didn't even have time to react.
From Josh and Boris's perspective, Ray had merely brought them to the supposed "base" of Sanctuary.
But the moment they arrived, Raymond shouted a name toward an enormous pile of rubble covering an entire section of the destroyed district.
At first, the two men were about to question whether Raymond had gone insane.
Then suddenly—
A gigantic figure appeared out of nowhere with terrifying speed, snatched Kara from Boris's arms, and disappeared instantly.
For two full seconds, both men froze completely.
Then panic exploded across their faces.
They immediately turned toward Raymond, ready to attack while assuming this had all been some kind of trap.
But the moment they saw Ray himself looking just as shocked as they were, they realized this wasn't his doing either.
"ALEX!!!"
Ray immediately started running toward the rubble.
Before Josh and Boris could even process what was happening, Ray passed directly through the debris and vanished as if he had never existed at all.
The sight completely stunned them.
But neither of them had time to think about it.
Kara had just been "kidnapped."
So forcing himself to move, Josh gathered his courage and ran toward the rubble.
The instant he touched it, he passed straight through and suddenly found himself standing in front of a massive warehouse.
Seeing this happen, Boris quickly followed behind.
To his absolute shock, he also passed through the rubble effortlessly.
It felt like magic.
Still, both men forced themselves to focus and quickly entered the warehouse.
But the moment they stepped inside, both of them felt as though they had just walked into the mouth of a dragon.
The place itself looked relatively normal.
But for some reason, it felt as though the entire warehouse was surrounded by monsters.
The air felt unnaturally heavy.
Even their own shadows looked darker… more threatening somehow.
Near the far end of the warehouse, several containers had been arranged like walls with a small opening between them.
Inside that passage, a burning barrel illuminated the darkness.
Josh and Boris froze momentarily because of the suffocating atmosphere surrounding the place.
But suddenly, an argument ahead snapped them back to reality.
"FOR FUCK'S SAKE, ALEX!!! I FINALLY MANAGED TO BRING THREE PEOPLE TO SANCTUARY AND YOU GO AND KIDNAP ONE OF THEM!!!"
"Stop yelling, Raymond. First, it's freezing outside for someone with injuries like hers. Second, have you studied medicine like I have? Do you even know what to do in this situation?"
The moment they heard the argument, Josh and Boris both started questioning how they had ended up in this insane place.
Still… the second voice had a point.
Kara's condition kept worsening, and leaving her exposed outside definitely wasn't a good idea.
Before they could think further, both men stepped forward into view.
And finally…
They saw the owner of the second voice.
The man Ray had called Alex.
But instead of a normal person—
What stood before them was a monster.
A towering being over two meters tall with four eyes, four arms, black markings covering his body, and long black hair flowing down his back.
The moment the two men saw him, the strength left their bodies entirely.
Not because of his appearance.
But because of his aura.
Neither of them could explain it.
They only felt one thing upon seeing him.
Primitive.
Instinctive.
Fear.
The first one to react was Boris.
For some reason, his knees suddenly gave out as cold sweat poured down his body.
Boris had a complicated relationship with his mutation.
The biggest problem with it was the animalistic instincts that came alongside it.
And right now—
Those instincts weren't warning him.
They were forcing him to move before he could even think.
Josh stared at Boris in complete disbelief after seeing him kneel.
But remembering all the times blindly following Boris had saved his life before, Josh slowly lowered himself as well until both men were kneeling in front of Alex.
Meanwhile, Alex had simply been examining how severe the woman's injuries were.
So when he suddenly saw the two men kneeling before him like subjects greeting a king, he became visibly confused.
"What the hell is wrong with you two?"
"Alex, these are the new recruits you wanted me to find."
Hearing Ray say that while staring at the two kneeling men before him, Alex couldn't help but think that maybe he was somehow destined to be surrounded by weird people.
"Uh… welcome to Sanctuary. We're having some problems with accommodations right now, but we'll solve those soon enough… and please, stand up."
The moment they heard that, Josh immediately got back to his feet.
Boris, however, struggled to stand properly and couldn't even look Alex in the eyes.
Not out of embarrassment.
But pure fear.
Seeing the strange behavior from the two men, Alex simply ignored it and turned his attention back toward the woman lying in front of him.
To simplify things greatly—
Over sixty percent of her body was covered in second and third-degree burns.
And she was unconscious.
Honestly, that was probably for the best considering the amount of pain she would feel otherwise.
The bandages wrapped around her body were amateurishly done using dirty pieces of cloth that could easily cause a severe infection.
And to make things even worse, she also had a gunshot wound in her abdomen.
Thankfully it wasn't bleeding anymore.
But that only made Alex more nervous.
With the kind of treatment she had received until now, she wouldn't survive the day.
And even if he helped and treated her personally, at best he could only extend her life for another day or two.
"U-Um… sir… I'd like to know how Kara is doing."
Josh finally gathered the courage to ask.
Alex, still focused on analyzing her injuries, answered almost immediately without even thinking.
"Terrible."
His expression darkened slightly.
"Besides the high probability of infection from those wounds, the bullet in her abdomen needs to be removed before the tissue closes around it because the bullet is still inside her body."
Alex crossed his arms.
"If she stays like this much longer, she's going to die."
The warehouse suddenly felt colder.
"I can extend her lifespan a little if I intervene… but without a hospital or proper medicine…"
Alex slowly shook his head.
"I'd say she dies the day after tomorrow."
The moment Josh heard that, it felt like the ground beneath him shattered.
He was just about to desperately ask if there was anything they could still do—
But Ray interrupted first.
Apparently, he had already understood what Alex was planning before Alex even said anything.
"Not again, Alex."
Ray narrowed his eyes immediately.
"You're not going out to do that again."
Ray didn't know Alex well enough to predict all of his actions.
But if there was one thing Ray understood about him, it was the fact that Alex always wanted to go out and steal more things for everyone.
Earlier, before Ray had left to recruit people for Sanctuary, Alex had literally talked about how badly he wanted to steal a sofa for the base.
So Ray immediately realized what Alex was thinking now.
Medicine.
Medical supplies.
Maybe even equipment.
Which was insane in countless different ways.
Hospitals and pharmaceutical transport routes were heavily monitored.
Even the trucks carrying medicine had tracking systems installed, and the FBI was immediately alerted whenever one disappeared.
"Ray, I know."
Alex sighed while continuing to examine Kara's condition.
"But it's necessary."
His voice became calmer.
"I'm not going to let someone under my protection die like this."
Ray opened his mouth, wanting to argue further.
But then he realized Alex was right.
If they simply turned their backs on people suffering like this—
Then how would they be any different from the Institute?
Seeing Ray fall silent, Alex smiled faintly before beginning to think through a more complicated plan.
Even if he stole a truck and removed the trackers, there was still another problem.
He didn't know which medicine Kara actually needed.
And while Alex had studied a bit of medicine before, it was only superficial knowledge.
He knew how to stitch wounds.
He knew basic emergency treatment.
But this?
This was beyond him.
Not with the amount of time they had left.
"Alright, Ray."
Alex finally looked toward him.
"Do you know any doctor we could bring here? Someone trustworthy?"
"There is one, but—"
Before Ray could finish speaking, Alex interrupted him while beginning to stretch his shoulders as if preparing himself for yet another public incident.
"Wait… what are you people talking about?"
Josh suddenly interrupted in confusion after hearing the conversation.
The moment Alex heard that, a grin slowly spread across his face.
"If we can't buy medicine and can't go to the hospital…"
His four eyes gleamed slightly in the dim warehouse lighting.
"Then we'll just steal the medicine and kidnap the hospital."
A dangerous smile formed completely across his face.
"We're already the villains anyway."
____________________________________
Hey guys, I'm finally starting to move things forward. It was difficult bringing the story to this point — seriously, it was hard building it up until here — but now that I've reached this stage, I've started to really enjoy it. If it's going to be like this from now on, then I'm happy.
Speaking of that, this chapter will probably come out together with one or two more, just like a wise man once said would be interesting to do. Thankfully, my schedule isn't too tight right now, so I was able to make it happen.
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As always, if you enjoyed it, feel free to send power stones or rate the story, it really helps a lot.
And if you have any constructive criticism or anything that could help me improve, don't hesitate to say it, I always read everything.
Also, just so you know, I really enjoy reading your messages, it genuinely makes me happy to see people enjoying the story.
Good night.