CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 56 "IT’S IN THEIR HANDS NOW"

Just like they respawned here, Ray sent them back inside the destructed prison.

The villagers were stunned to see that the prison had almost become a pile of rubble. But just then, the things Ray predicted happened. Gunshots rang out one after another.

The backup from the government came and began shooting upon seeing the prisoners spawning out of thin air.

"Stop!"

"We surrender!"

"We had a deal!"

"I’ll give you everything, but..."

The firing didn’t stop, and they were all killed. Once this ended, the official who was at the village stepped forward with a few other men. They all carried a sense of authority.

Among them was a bald man in a uniform who spoke, looking at the bloodbath. "How did these bugs respawn out of thin air?"

"It must be related to that guy," said the official. "But we shouldn’t have killed them; instead, we should have gathered information about that guy from them."

"I don’t think so," the man in uniform said, scanning the area. "There is nothing going to come from their mouths. Even if you got something on him, do you think it’s possible to catch up to someone who can use that thing?"

"So what do you suggest? It’s not like just sitting here and doing nothing will stop him from ruining the plan," asked the official, who couldn’t help but question the bald man in uniform’s bizarre answer.

"It means it’s in their hands now," the bald man replied.

...

On the other hand, once they were all gone, Rohan asked Ray, "Ray, tell me, what is this destruction you’re talking about? And why are Grandpa and Ahana here and not in home? No, first of all, what is this place?"

He bombarded Ray with many questions, but Ray countered, "I’ll tell you everything, but first, answer my questions."

He then asked, "Why did they suddenly agree to sell their land? What did those people from the government or Dunkens tell you? And secondly, why weren’t they surprised when they saw abilities for the first time?"

Ray had this question in his mind, since he saw that the villagers were vigilant of him, but they didn’t seem surprised. Rohan shook his head. "Stubborn as always," he said, then he explained.

"We have already met with those people who can use abilities," Rohan spoke, which shocked Ray, Ahana, and even Oldman Shan.

Seeing their surprised expressions, Rohan continued, "A week ago, those people came. They threatened us to sell the lands again, but when many of us didn’t agree like before, they showed us their abilities."

"I don’t know how to explain this, but they told us that a certain opportunity is underway, and when that opportunity comes, we can also get these abilities. But the cost of that opportunity is the agreement of our land."

This made Ray doubtful. "If they have such abilities, then they can just force you off the land. Why do they have to go through such a long process, from imprisoning you, to threatening you, to even taking those lands with a legal procedure? This... this feels so confusing."

Rohan nodded. "Same. This feels more confusing now, especially experiencing the abilities a second time. Now, tell me what your reason is."

It was Ray’s turn to explain. He started from the time he said his goodbyes to Rohan in the first safe zone after their very first mini-game.

After that, he told him everything that happened to him, up until today when he killed the prison guards to save them. "After that, you know everything." Ray stopped, letting Rohan digest all the information.

"Apocalypse is coming? The world is ending? Our world will turn like the one in Apex Survival?" It was all too hard to believe, but also too hard to ignore.

"Brother, I couldn’t believe it at first, but now seeing how things are turning out, I can’t help but fear. Why isn’t the government helping when they know everything?" Ahana spoke, expressing the same thought that was on everyone else’s mind too.

"Maybe we’ll soon find out that," Ray said with a resolute tone.

"I’m logging back into Apex Survival to look for that man, but before that, let’s bring your family here too." Out of 67 villagers, only 7 of them remained, while the other 60 were killed.

Rohan, Ahana, their father, and Grandpa Shan were not included in those seven people. The all seven were the ones who decided to stay back and listen to Ray instead of ignoring his warning.

He still asked them, "You are still free to leave if you want to. I don’t have the capability to save everyone, nor will I try to be a hero, so make your choice."

In the end, none of them chose to leave; they just wanted Ray to bring their families here safely.

Once Ray was ready to leave the pocket dimension, Rohan stopped him. "Take me with you; I know where their families live." But Ray denied him. "Not at this moment. Once I am in a safe place, I’ll return for you and my car."

Rohan decides to believe in Ray and talks to his family and other people. Meanwhile, Ray secretly goes to an unguarded area.

He appears on the terrace of a building next to the prison and sees that the military is now involved. He’s not surprised, but his curiosity only grows.

"Don’t tell me!" He then sees a pile of dead villagers’ bodies being treated as garbage and loaded onto a truck.

Ray, who had been feeling guilt over killing the prison guards earlier, now saw his guilt turn to rage after seeing how not a single villager was spared.

"How can those who are supposed to protect the people have now turned into killers?" His hatred toward those people only grew.

However, knowing he couldn’t save everyone and that these villagers were the ones who chose to leave, even when he predicted such an outcome, he decided to leave and save those who needed to be saved.

Before leaving, he filmed the entire incident, believing it might come in handy someday. "Now, how do I leave this place without being noticed?"