Chapter 1078: Let Me Get Away with This Too

“You don’t get to question me,” Ethan said coldly. “Either you kill her, and I let you live—or I kill you both.”

Kyle’s face twisted, emotions flickering across it like a storm. He was selfish—he’d always been selfish. Survival came first, no matter the cost. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with that. In his mind, it was simple: if you didn’t look out for yourself, you were dead.

But he couldn’t be sure Ethan would actually let him go if he did it.

Then again, like Ethan said—he didn’t have the right to doubt him. It was either both of them die… or take a gamble.

In the end, Kyle gritted his teeth. “Fine. I’ll do it.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

He actually agreed.

Diane’s eyes shut tight, tears finally spilling down her cheeks.

Even when Ethan had tortured her, she hadn’t cried.

But now, she did.

This—this betrayal—hurt more than anything Ethan had done. A thousand times worse.

Ethan yanked the dagger out of Kyle’s pinned hand, then stepped back, giving him space.

“Go on,” he said. “Let’s see your performance.”

Kyle staggered to his feet, blood still dripping from his wounds. He turned to Diane, who was still pinned to the ground by the two machetes through her hands.

“Mom… I’m sorry,” he said, voice trembling. “But one of us dying is better than both of us, right? You’ve always spoiled me, always gave me everything I wanted. This time… I hope you’ll do the same.”

Diane didn’t speak. She just stared at him, tears running silently down her face.

She wanted to see—wanted to see how the son she’d never once laid a hand on would do it.

Kyle stepped closer, slowly.

Everyone watched, holding their breath.

Was he really going to do it?

He stopped in front of her. A long, thorned spike formed in his hand again.

He muttered as he raised it.

“Don’t blame me, Mom. Blame yourself for raising me like this.”

“When we were kids, you always knew it was me who messed up, but you blamed him instead. You beat him every day, but never touched me.”

“So yeah, I’m selfish. I’m scared to die.”

“You let me get away with everything. Just let me get away with this too.”

Then he drove the spike straight through her throat.

Diane didn’t scream.

She just stared at him, eyes wide, unblinking, even as the life drained out of them.

She died with her eyes open—locked on her son.

The entire compound fell into stunned silence.

No one had expected it. No one had believed he’d actually do it.

Even Raymond’s expression shifted, like he was seeing Kyle for the first time.

The members of Fallen Star Squad looked equally shaken.

There really were people like this in the world. People who’d kill their own mother to save themselves.

Kyle collapsed to the ground, breathing hard. Then he looked up at Ethan.

“There. I did it. You said you’d let me go.”

“I did,” Ethan said coolly. “I won’t kill you.”

He turned to Chris. “Take care of it.”

“Got it.” Chris nodded and walked toward Kyle.

“You… you liar!” Kyle shouted, panic flaring in his eyes.

“I said I wouldn’t kill you,” Ethan replied flatly. “Didn’t say someone else wouldn’t.”

“You—! I’ll kill you!” Kyle screamed and lunged at Ethan.

He didn’t get far.

Chris kicked him square in the chest, slamming him back to the ground.

“Ethan, you want me to take his limbs or peel the meat off him?”

“Up to you,” Ethan said, floating the dagger over to Chris with a flick of his fingers.

“Sweet.” Chris caught the blade and drove it into Kyle’s thigh, then dragged it downward in one long, clean slice.

He clearly preferred the second option—skinning him alive. It was a specialty only he could pull off, thanks to the black energy edge he infused into his weapons. Without it, no one else could make cuts that clean.

“AAAHHH!!” Kyle’s scream tore through the air, raw and broken. “Ethan! I swear, even if I die, I’ll come back and haunt you!”

“Oh? Still got breath to talk?” Chris said, then stabbed the other thigh and dragged the blade again.

Kyle’s voice cracked into silence, his body convulsing uncontrollably.

The crowd watched in horror, many turning pale. Chris’s methods weren’t just brutal—they were surgical. Precise. Terrifying.

After more than ten minutes of slow, methodical torture, Kyle finally stopped moving.

Dead.

Ethan stood there, staring at the two bodies lying in the dirt—mother and son.

His expression was unreadable, but his eyes were heavy.

That family had been his nightmare for years. For the longest time, he’d wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, heart pounding.

Now, it was over.

The debt was paid.

The weight he’d carried for over a decade… finally lifted.

After dealing with Kyle and Diane, Ethan turned his gaze back to Raymond.

The moment their eyes met, Raymond’s entire body tensed like a drawn bowstring.

“Sean,” Ethan said, his voice calm but commanding. “Take Big Mike and Skinny Pete. Go talk to the survivors—get the full picture of this compound.”

“Got it.” Sean nodded, then motioned to the other two. The three of them headed out.

The surrounding Enhanced scrambled to clear a path, not daring to block their way.

Raymond’s face shifted the moment he saw them leave. He forced a smile and stepped forward. “Gentlemen, now that the personal matters are settled, why not come to my place for a bit? I’ve got food, wine, and a decent stash of supplies. We can sit down, eat, talk things out.”

He glanced at Ethan, trying to read his mood. “Kyle was one of mine, and he clearly crossed the line. I’ll prepare a proper gift to make up for it. What do you say?”

Ethan raised an eyebrow, his tone dry. “Food and wine, huh? While the people outside are starving, you’re living it up. Impressive.”

Raymond didn’t flinch. He kept his expression steady and said seriously, “It’s the apocalypse. Those with power live better. That’s just how it is.”

“Before the world ended, the rich partied every night, drove luxury cars, surrounded themselves with women. Meanwhile, the poor worked themselves to death just to survive.”

“They’d bust their asses for a month and still couldn’t afford a single meal in those circles. How’s that any different from now?”

He spread his hands. “The apocalypse just reshuffled the deck. Now, even the poor have a shot—if they’re willing to fight for it. Before, no matter how hard they worked, they’d never break out.”

“I’ve got power now. Why should I live like the people who don’t? You think those rich bastards before the fall would’ve shared their wealth with you? Let you live like them?”

Ethan stared at him, and for once, didn’t have a comeback.

He was silent.

Because, damn it, the guy had a point.

It was the first time someone had shut him up like that—and he had to admit, Raymond’s logic was solid.

Just then, Sean and the others returned.

They’d clearly finished gathering intel. With Skinny Pete’s [Enthrallment] ability, there wasn’t much they couldn’t dig up.

“Ethan,” Sean reported, “this compound was originally a government-established Safe Zone. The local city officials were actually doing a decent job. When the apocalypse hit, they responded fast—set up shelters, started rescue ops. That’s why so many survivors made it here.”

“They even rolled out a universal enhancement program. A lot of the people here are low-tier Enhanced because of that.”

“But then these guys showed up, killed off the government officials, and took over the place.”