In a dark basement in Sheridan, an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old boy cowered in a corner. Beside him stood a burly, heavyset man.
The man continuously tightened the leather belt in his hands, his face full of mockery. "Haha, you little beast, you still fell into my hands! Keep running! Hmm? It’s a blessing that I took a fancy to you. Haha..."
The boy lying on the ground glared with disgust, but his starved body had no strength left. As the man drew nearer, the boy gradually fell into despair. He could clearly see the rolls of fat on the man’s face and his yellowing teeth, all while enduring the stench radiating from his body.
The boy quietly glanced around, ready to end his own life at any moment. No one cared anyway.
"Haha, that’s a good boy. I haven’t tasted a virgin yet. Today, I get to enjoy myself too. Haha!" After speaking, the man looked down, grabbed the boy’s chin with one hand, and forced his face up.
Seeing the disgusting mouth about to touch him, the boy couldn’t hold back and retched. However, with a stomach empty for days, nothing came out.
The boy’s reaction clearly angered the man. His face visibly darkened with rage.
"You think I’m disgusting? I haven’t even called you dirty yet! You’re just a bastard born to a slut, you—"
"Don’t talk about my mom! Don’t you talk about my mom!" The boy abruptly stood up and rammed into the man. Perhaps driven by extreme anger, he unlocked a hidden potential and actually sent the heavy man stumbling back several steps.
This obviously infuriated the man even more. He whipped off his belt and lashed it viciously at the boy.
"Damn it, you dare to fight back? I’ll beat you to death, you little bastard." Cursing, he whipped the leather belt down again.
The boy bit his lip hard. Even as the pain turned his face pale and cold sweat beaded on his forehead, he refused to beg for mercy. He only silently counted in his heart. "One, two, three, four, five... sixteen, seventeen, eigh—"
Suddenly, the man’s agonizing scream rang in his ears. "Ah... Fuck, which blind fool is this?!"
"I’m your worst nightmare." After speaking, Ginny Kane delivered another swift kick to the man.
The man was kicked straight to the ground. Looking up, he saw a stunningly beautiful woman standing before him. His eyes, squeezed into mere slits by his fat, roamed up and down her body with lust.
"Yo, where did this little slut come from? Why bother with this little bastard? Follow me, and I promise you’ll live luxuriously... Ah!"
Before the man could finish, Ginny stepped forward and punched him square in his babbling mouth.
"You’d better scramble out of here before I actually get mad. Otherwise... hmph."
Seeing that Ginny was not someone to be trifled with, the man scrambled to his feet and ran away, though he kept looking back at her nervously.
The boy on the ground leaned against the peeling wall and slowly stood up. "Cough... cough... you need to go. He probably went to get help. Hurry... hurry and leave."
Ginny stepped forward and supported him. To think that the renowned Mason Ryder was like this before the apocalypse. Who would have thought that the top-ranked wielder of the Gold Ability, the big shot who could instantly slaughter dozens of zombies, was currently such a pitiful wretch?
It seemed that in her past life, that scumbag had succeeded. Otherwise, Mason wouldn’t have adopted that unapproachable aura during the apocalypse, always acting alone and never speaking. That behavior had led everyone, including herself, to believe that he was mute.
Looking at the boy covered in dirt from head to toe, Ginny suddenly felt like she had discovered the joy of raising someone, just like gamers who loved character-nurturing simulations.
"It’s fine, don’t worry. I definitely didn’t come alone, and my combat skills are pretty good anyway. Let’s go. I’ll take you to... uh... clean up a bit. Do you have anything you want to bring with you?"
After she spoke, the boy clearly froze, his eyes full of questions.
"Relax, I’m not going to hurt you. Just come with me. Besides, what could I even do to you in your current state? Let’s go, stop dawdling. If that scumbag comes back, I might not be able to get you out."
Mason finally nodded. He stumbled over to the pallet on the ground, tore open the pillow, and took out a shoulder bag before walking back toward Ginny.
"Let’s go. I don’t have anything else to bring."
Ginny nodded and led Mason away.
"Brother, your dear sister is back! Aren’t you going to come out and welcome me?" Ginny shouted as soon as she opened the front door.
In the kitchen, Sean Kane’s lips curled into a smile. While continuing to stir-fry the spicy chicken, he replied, "Didn’t you tell me to cook a few extra dishes because you were bringing a little boy toy home?"
Mason’s eyes widened. He thought, "A boy toy? What the hell? Does this beautiful girl who saved me want to... keep me as a sugar baby? Did I just escape the wolf’s den only to enter the tiger’s lair?"
Seeing Mason’s wary gaze, Ginny rolled her eyes rather ungracefully. "I was joking! My brother is just spouting nonsense. Come on, I’ll take you to wash up first. Otherwise, how are you going to eat like this?"
With that, she led Mason straight to the guest room on the first floor.
In the kitchen, Sean wore a triumphant smile after hearing his sister’s words. Hmph, that’s what she got for ordering her own brother to cook for another man.
"Here, this is a new towel. The clothes are newly bought by my brother and have never been worn. They might be a bit big on you, but we can go buy you some after dinner. Go shower now. Also, here’s some ointment. For the places you can’t reach, my brother can help you apply it when you come out."
After putting the items down, Ginny turned and left.
Mason stared blankly at the tidy bedroom and the brand-new clothes, standing somewhat awkwardly behind the door. Even his breathing was cautious.
After a long time, he let out a deep breath, took off his clothes, and threw them directly into the nearby trash can. Grabbing the towel, he walked into the bathroom.
Ginny walked into the kitchen and saw her brother still busy. "Wow, it looks like I’m in for a treat today. This looks delicious, haha."
"Is that kid the guy whose screen name is a period? Are you sure he’s the top Gold Ability user? Why does he look so weak?"
"It’s definitely him. We’ll just have to wait and see. He obviously needs time to grow. In his past life, the things he encountered must have forced him to mature."
After Ginny finished speaking, neither of them said anything else as Sean continued cooking.
Half an hour later, Sean had finished preparing the meal, but there was still no sign of Mason.
"I’ll go check on him. Ginny, if you’re hungry, eat first."
"It’s fine, brother. I’ll wait for you guys. Go take a look."
Sean walked to the door of Mason’s room. After knocking, he asked, "May I come in?"
Inside the room, Mason was applying the ointment. Hearing Sean’s voice, his body flinched. He quickly put down the medicine and got dressed before stepping forward to open the door.
As Mason opened the door, Sean stared at the fair-skinned, handsome boy in front of him and froze for a moment before saying, "Are you done washing up? We can eat now."
"Y-Yes... I’m done. Wait, I... I need to clean the bathroom." After stammering nervously, Mason hurriedly turned back inside.
"No need, the housekeeper will clean it later. Let’s go, time to eat."
As he spoke, Sean reached out to grab Mason’s arm. The moment his hand touched the boy, Mason recoiled in terror, taking two rapid steps back.
"S-Sorry. I... I can walk by myself."
Sean didn’t understand why Mason had reacted that way, but seeing his fierce resistance, he didn’t press the matter.
"Alright, let’s go eat then." With that, Sean turned and walked toward the dining room.
Mason took a deep breath, patted his chest to calm himself, and followed.
When Ginny saw Mason walking over, she instantly understood why he had been targeted by that disgusting man in the basement. She thought, "He looks a bit... well, androgynous! He’s even prettier than me! Oh my, these looks..."
Considering Mason’s trauma, Ginny didn’t stare too openly. She figured there would be plenty of opportunities later. After all, if Mason agreed, they might be living under the same roof in the future.
There was no need to worry about not having enough time to admire a handsome boy!
After finishing the meal, however, Mason wanted to leave.