Chapter 1043: Who Gave You the Right?

Inside the office, Mayor Marks furrowed his brow as the alarm blared through the building—interrupting the blowjob he was enjoying from his secretary.

"What’s going on?" he asked, annoyed.

"Someone’s breached the central zone!" came a quick reply from outside the door.

"How many?"

"Uh... just one."

"..."

"One person? Then just take care of it. Why the hell are you sounding the alarm?"

"They say he’s a Tier 6 Awakened! And his ability is [Teleportation]!"

"Tier 6? Teleportation!?"

"...It’s him!?"

Mayor Marks stood up abruptly, adjusted his pants, and strode out of the office.

"I’m going to see for myself."

"Sir, that person might be here for you. You really shouldn’t go out there—it could be dangerous," one of the guards at the door said quietly.

"Just stay close to me. I’m Tier 6 too. With the two of you backing me up, there’s no reason to be afraid. I want to see what this Ethan guy is really made of—what kind of monster he must be to wreck the Harlan family like that." Mayor Marks paused. "Oh, and notify Victor. Tell him to meet us there."

"Yes, sir."

—

Outside...

Ethan was already in a tight spot.

There were way too many Enhanced inside the Safe Zone. With more flooding in from outside, the place was getting packed—shoulder-to-shoulder, no room to breathe.

And the snipers. There were way too many damn snipers.

He had to keep teleporting just to avoid getting his head blown off.

He used [Telekinesis] to control his machete and took out a few of them, but the ones farther out were out of reach.

The constant use of [Teleportation] was draining him fast. Even crystal cores couldn’t keep up with the energy burn.

They helped, sure—but the recovery was slow. And his teleportation burned through energy like a wildfire. He was using it too often, and his body couldn’t keep up.

Thankfully, Chris had sharp eyes. The moment he noticed Ethan struggling, he rushed in, took out two snipers, then grabbed one of their rifles and started popping heads like a pro.

The guy was getting scary good with a sniper rifle.

With the sniper threat gone, Ethan’s situation improved instantly.

Close combat? That was his playground.

There were a lot of Tier 5 Enhanced around, but unless they were Stage D—Tier 6—they weren’t much of a threat to him.

As for heavy machine guns? They didn’t dare use them. The place was packed with their own people. Firing one of those would just mow down their own side.

"Stand down!"

Just as the fight was heating up, a voice rang out loud and clear.

Everyone turned to look—and saw Mayor Marks standing at the entrance.

The Enhanced fighters quickly backed off, forming a loose circle around Ethan but no longer attacking.

Seeing that, Ethan couldn’t help but be impressed. The guy had serious authority.

He lowered his barbell bar and smiled at Mayor Marks.

So the man actually had the guts to show up in person. Bold move.

"You’re Ethan, right?" Mayor Marks said.

"Yeah, that’s me."

"You’re impressive for someone your age," Marks said, not hiding his admiration. "So, what do you say? Interested in joining the government? If you do, you can pick any room you want in here. I’ll make sure you live comfortably through the apocalypse."

Ethan nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I believe that. You guys really are living the good life in here."

The contrast was disgusting.

Outside, people were starving.

In here, they were lounging in luxury.

"So what’s your answer?" Now that he’d seen Ethan’s power firsthand, Mayor Marks was fully invested. He had big ambitions—and a powerhouse like Ethan was too valuable to pass up.

"Shouldn’t you be asking why I came here in the first place?" Ethan replied, still smiling.

"There may have been some misunderstandings between us, but we’ve never had direct conflict. Your real beef is with the Harlan family. How about this—I’ll hand over Victor Harlan, the head of the Harlan family, and let you deal with him however you want. Sound fair?"

"Mayor Marks!?" Victor had just arrived and caught that last sentence. His face twisted in fury.

"Perfect timing, Victor," Mayor Marks said, not even flinching. "Ethan here was just looking for you."

The Harlan family was finished. Victor was no longer useful.

If trading him could win over someone as powerful as Ethan, then it was a damn good deal.

Ethan turned his gaze to Victor—he’d almost forgotten about the guy.

Leaving loose ends was a rookie mistake.

Victor, meanwhile, wasn’t even looking at Mayor Marks anymore. His eyes were locked on Ethan, burning with hatred.

This was the man who killed his son. Killed his brother. Destroyed the Harlan family compound.

Everything the Harlan family had built—gone, because of him.

This grudge ran deep. No forgiveness. No coexistence.

But the bitter truth was, Victor no longer had the power to take Ethan down.

Still, he wasn’t ready to give up. He turned to Mayor Marks.

"Mayor Marks, how about a deal? Help me get revenge, and the Harlan family will serve you. Everything I have—resources, men—it’s all yours."

Mayor Marks hesitated, his expression unreadable. "From what I hear, the Harlan family doesn’t have much left."

"True, we’ve taken a hit," Victor admitted, "but I still have dozens of Tier 5 Enhanced under my command. And I’ve got a stockpile of crystal cores. I know those matter to you."

He knew exactly what buttons to push.

Sure enough, Mayor Marks’s expression shifted. For him, everything came down to profit. Loyalty, alliances—those were just tools.

"Ethan," he said, turning back, "what do you think?"

Ethan chuckled. "I think you two must still be dreaming. Who gave you the idea you get to decide whether I live or die?"

Before either of them could react, a machete tore through the air like a lightning bolt, aimed straight at Victor.

One of Victor’s bodyguards moved instantly, slashing at the machete with a combat knife.

Steel clashed—briefly. The machete’s raw force knocked the knife aside and drove straight into the guard’s chest.

The blade yanked itself free, spun midair, and shot toward Victor again.

"Protect Victor!" another guard shouted, throwing himself in front of his boss.

"Ethan," Mayor Marks said coldly, "this is my turf. You think you can just attack people here like I don’t exist?"

"Your turf?" Ethan smirked. "Where’s that confidence coming from?"

In the blink of an eye, he vanished—then reappeared right beside Mayor Marks, swinging his barbell bar down with brutal force.

At the last second, an energy barrier flared to life in front of the mayor.

BOOM—

The bar smashed into the barrier, shattering it instantly. The impact was partially absorbed, but the remaining force still slammed into Mayor Marks, knocking him back several steps.

He didn’t go down, though. Tier 6 could take a hit.

Ethan’s eyes flicked to the white-robed Awakened beside Marks—a Light-type, judging by the glow.

That guy’s ability was no joke.

Mayor Marks’s face had lost all trace of charm now. He glared at Ethan, his expression dark.

"You really don’t know when to quit. Fine. Don’t blame me for what happens next."

"Kill him!" he barked.

...