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nViktor would love to just live a laid-back lifestyle like how he has always been doing, where he could just party every day without much concern about the state of the world.

nHowever, now that the world has changed he certainly must adapt to survive. Otherwise, his life would not even be in his control anymore.

nFrom what he could glean from his conversation with Captain Andrei, it was true that his family, the Romanov, is somehow still in power. However, the stories he heard from the other party made him worried.

nThe world may now be filled with various kinds of monsters, but what worries Viktor the most are still humans.

nHumans may be less tough and strong than the monsters, but their schemes as well as viciousness knew no end to their depth. From Patroski’s unexpected betrayal, to him misjudging Anton, deep down, Viktor has to swallow his anxiety about going into the nearest survivor city.

nAnother fact that he got from his observation was, although Andrei and his team were all extremely powerful people, it was clear that they were mere foot soldiers in the grand scheme of things.

nThey are nothing but the bottom of the food chain, eating and surviving from the scraps of the mighty, yet they could easily threaten his life.

nViktor could not imagine how his life would be when he reached home.

nThe smartest thing was indeed to find a sanctuary within his family. But, that was if he didn’t have the Djinn with him. With the power and sheer potential in his grasp, he certainly has a much better plan in mind.

nThe plan was to spend a few weeks in the wilderness to increase his strength first before reaching out to the nearest civilization.-.

nFrom the initial thought of it alone, Viktor swore he could faintly feel weariness settle in his bones. Killing beasts for a few weeks without end, all to accumulate strength, would be a burdensome activity – a torturous one for someone like him. But now, thanks to the fact that his life was literally on the line, and thus, he must force himself to try.

nHence, he made up his decision and announced it to the group.

n“I have no plans to enter the city at the moment. If anyone would like to come with me, now is your time to decide.”

nViktor spoke without hesitation in front of all 23 people, who had been with him for the last two years.

nTheir response, however, was something that he expected.

n“What are you thinking, Viktor? Are you crazy?”

n“You have seen how dangerous it is out there!”

n“No! We will be much safer in the city!”

nWhen he made the decision, Viktor was prepared to leave by himself. However, he was still hoping that a few would be willing to accompany him.

n“Master, I will come with you!”

nThe first one who spoke up was Barry, the kid who had been serving him.

nViktor looked as the kid prepared his bag in full spirits, and he offered the kid a happy nod and slight smile.

nIt was apparent that saving the kid’s life was not a mistake. Viktor thought that with Barry coming with him, the kid would have more time to pay for his kindness by becoming his servant.

n‘Very good servant indeed!’ thought Viktor inwardly.

nNext, Viktor shifted his attention to the two bodyguards Torri and Boris. Noticing the look given to their direction, the two immediately went into private discussion between two of them. Apparently, the forbidden couple needed to talk to each other before they could come to a decision.

nHe has no idea, why is it so hard to just follow him? After all, he is a very generous boss.

nWith the two still unable to come to a decision, Viktor set them aside for the moment and stared at his friends instead. He was hopeful that they would agree, but still prepared himself for bitter rejection.

nThe truth was, they were nothing but friends tied by convenience. Nicko was there so he could help Viktor look good in the eyes of the media, as he was a successful technopreneur.

nMeanwhile, Eva, the smoking hot princess girlfriend, was bound to him as an arranged convenience by the family. She was a girlfriend nurtured from his family to become the ideal wife, a rare specimen that would always understand his needs. If she decided to not follow him, she would certainly be missed the most among others.

nAs usual, Viktor could see the majority of them thought he was just being crazy like always, and would not follow him. Especially after they saw all those gruesome and bloody sights happening in the outside world.

nNicko was also a part of that group, as he tried to reason with him.

nHowever, the more words he heard from Nicko, the more Viktor felt irritated instead.

nEventually, he decided to not wait anymore and just leave with Barry.

n“Alright then, I will not ask again… good bye.”

nAs Viktor walked away, Nicko’s expression turned into one of pure panic, and the man quickly dashed and stopped him. Unfortunately, it was not because he wanted to come with Viktor, he was actually worried that the captain would cause problems if he returned and found Viktor no longer with them.

nWhen he saw how determined Nicko was to stop him, Viktor finally realized that he was a fool. Thinking about those people in the first place would only waste his time and energy.

nWith his current strength and speed, knocking Nicko out would be an easy feat, but to his surprise, Nicko pulled out a gun.

nHe aimed the handgun at him and said.

n“You shall not leave until the captain agrees to let you leave!”

nJust like that, the whole situation made everyone tense. The two bodyguards stopped discussing and prepared to grab the weapon, but then Nicko shouted.

n“Do not move, or I swear I will shoot him!”

nViktor stayed silent as he calculated in his head whether his speed would be fast enough to dodge such a close-range shot. Before he decided, something interrupted him.

nBang!!

nSomeone hit Nicko at the back of his head with a metal pan and this knocked the latter out instantly.

n“I am sorry… I am sorry…” the culprit muttered apologetically. “Did I hurt him?”

nViktor’s mouth was wide open as he didn’t expect this person to take action. To his complete surprise, his savior was Eva, the princess whom he knew as too fragile to hurt people before.

nThe beautiful princess was still a little bit shocked for hitting Nicko like that, but she quickly caught her breath, collected herself, and said with conviction.

n“I am your girlfriend… so I am coming with you.”

nThe firm and determined expression on her face honestly amazed yet amused Viktor at the same time. They have been together for the last two years, but this was the first time he saw her make such an expression.

n“Are you sure?” asked Viktor again. He didn’t want her to give up halfway nor planned to let her do so.

n“Oj.” (yes)

n“Master, we are coming with you.” The two bodyguards said, interrupting their moment.

nThat incident made the guards realize that their first and foremost purpose was to protect him.

nWith no one else capable of stopping them, all five took their bags and exited the warehouse in the middle of the night as the darkness quickly shrouded them away.

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