Chapter 95: End Them!

(This Chapter might be edited soon please check back)

The three of them instantly froze, as they slowly turned around.

Then, from somewhere behind them, a chilling voice echoed through the now-brilliantly illuminated warehouse.

"Who the hell are you guys, and what are you doing here?"

***

Ethan swallowed hard before slowly turning his head.

There were people standing at the warehouse entrance.

Not one.

Not two.

There were at least six of them, all dressed in dark clothing that made them blend almost perfectly into the shadows surrounding the entrance. Their appearances were different, but the atmosphere around them was frighteningly similar. Every single one carried themselves with the kind of confidence that came from knowing they were stronger than everyone else in the room.

The man standing at the front was particularly intimidating.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed entirely in black, with dark hair pushed away from his forehead and a cold expression that made Ethan instinctively take half a step backward. The pressure coming from his body was faint, but Ethan could still feel it pressing against his skin.

A Sentinel.

And not an ordinary one.

Ethan’s eyes widened slightly.

Fuck.

He slowly looked toward Jake.

Jake looked toward Lara.

Lara looked toward the bags in their hands.

Then all three looked back at the strangers.

For one brief moment, Ethan considered throwing the potion at them and running.

Unfortunately, the warehouse only had one entrance, and the people standing there were blocking it.

"We can explain," Jake said suddenly.

Ethan almost laughed.

Explain what?

That they had climbed over the fence, broken into an Empire research facility, opened a warehouse containing classified Association products, and were currently holding several stolen items in their hands?

Yeah.

That explanation was definitely going to save them.

The man at the front narrowed his eyes. "Put the bags down."

Jake immediately tightened his grip.

Lara elbowed him.

"Jake."

"But—"

"Put them down before they kill us."

Jake reluctantly lowered the bags to the floor.

Ethan followed suit, placing his own bag down as carefully as though it contained explosives. His heart was pounding violently inside his chest, and he silently cursed himself for agreeing to this entire stupid plan.

He should have stayed in his room.

He should have slept.

He should have done literally anything else.

Instead, here he was, standing inside an Empire research facility with stolen products at his feet while a group of terrifying strangers stared at him like he was the criminal mastermind behind the entire operation.

One of the strangers stepped forward.

"Search them."

Two people immediately moved.

"Wait!" Ethan blurted out, raising both hands. "There’s no need to search me. I don’t have anything."

The stranger stared at him.

Then glanced at the bag beside Ethan.

Ethan followed his gaze.

"...Okay, technically I have something."

Jake slowly turned toward him.

"Are you seriously trying to negotiate right now?"

"I’m trying to survive!"

Before either of them could say anything else, the two strangers reached them.

Jake attempted to resist.

It lasted approximately three seconds.

The moment one of the men grabbed his arm, Jake tried to twist away, only for his entire body to be forced down with frightening ease. His face slammed against the floor with a muffled grunt.

"Fuck!"

"Jake!" Lara shouted.

She immediately tried to move toward him, but another person caught her from behind and twisted both her arms behind her back.

"Let go of me!"

Ethan’s eyes widened.

"Wait, wait, wait! We can talk about this!"

Nobody listened.

A pair of hands seized his wrists before he could even react, yanking both arms behind his back. Ethan stumbled forward, nearly falling over as something rough was wrapped tightly around his wrists.

"Fuck! You’re hurting me!"

"Stop struggling."

"I wouldn’t be struggling if you weren’t tying me up!"

The rope tightened and within seconds, all three of them were tied up.

Jake was forced onto his knees with his hands bound behind his back, Lara was sitting beside him with her wrists secured tightly, and Ethan was left in the same humiliating position, staring at the floor while silently questioning every decision that had led him here.

This was officially the worst night of his life.

Actually, no.

He had died once.

So perhaps this was the second worst.

"Are you people insane?" Jake demanded angrily. "We haven’t even done anything!"

The man in black looked at him with a completely emotionless expression.

"You broke into a restricted facility."

Jake opened his mouth.

Then closed it.

Lara sighed.

"Well... technically, yes."

Ethan glared at her.

"Whose side are you on?"

"My own. I’m trying not to get killed."

The atmosphere became strangely quiet.

Then Ethan noticed something.

The strangers weren’t wearing Association uniforms.

They weren’t wearing academy uniforms or security uniforms either.

And more importantly, they had bags.

Several of them. The same kind of bags Jake had brought for stealing the products.

Ethan’s gaze slowly shifted toward the floor.

One of the strangers had dropped his own bag near the entrance, and the contents inside were unmistakable.

Association products.

His eyes widened.

Wait.

He looked at Jake.

Jake had noticed it too.

Their eyes met.

Neither of them spoke.

The six strangers weren’t guards.

They had broken into the facility too.

They were stealing.

The realization hit Ethan so suddenly that his fear briefly gave way to confusion.

Then why the hell did they catch us? When they were doing the same thing too...

The man in black seemed to notice the looks they were exchanging.

His expression darkened. "You three saw too much."

Ethan’s stomach dropped. "Too much of what? We didn’t even know you guys were here untill you showed yourselves."

The man didn’t answer. Instead, he turned toward one of his companions.

"Get everything we came for. We’re leaving." He turned towards the tied up group before adding "And finish them off, don’t leave them alive, they’ve seen our faces and recognize us. So end them."