WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING
This Chapter is going to be a little dark, so if you canât accept this scenario. You guys can skip it.
Vikram just gave her a glance, signaling her to continue leading the way.
The two walked up the dark stairs to the ground level. He found that there wasnât even basic light inside.
It was only after Shalini made a bonfire on the ground that the full extent of the place became visible.
It was almost exactly as he had imagined. The bastards in this Savage Wolf Shelter were truly outrageous.
They actually built a dungeon-like space underground.
There were more than a dozen small spaces, each less than five square meters, all blocked off with iron bars. Inside, the women were held like imprisoned criminals.
Every one of them wore the same tattered clothes and looked sallow and emaciated. Several women, upon seeing movement, immediately let out piercing screams. It seemed they had only recently been captured by the Savage Wolf Shelter and feared that the newcomers had come to humiliate them again.
This was still considered better. Some women showed no reaction at all when someone arrived. Vikram saw nothing but endless emptiness and despair in their eyes. They had clearly grown accustomed to whatever was about to happen to them.
He also noticed that many of them had wounds of varying degrees on their bodies. It was obvious they had tried to resist but had failed miserably.
As they delved deeper underground, Vikramâs brows furrowed tighter and tighter. He turned to look at Shalini with unkind eyes.
Judging from Shaliniâs attitude when she had tricked Anjali before, this was definitely not the first time she had done something like this. Perhaps all these women had been lured here by her.
Shalini, feeling his cold stare, was filled with guilt, but she couldnât even justify herself.
In truth, she was only half at fault. If she hadnât tricked these women, she herself would have been the one locked up here. Even though Rahul was her step-brother, she had no confidence that she could escape humiliation. Even back on Earth, Rahul had never cared about her and had always wanted to fuck and humiliate her. The wasteland had only made him worse.
"Release them all," Vikram ordered in a cold tone.
Shalini felt the chill in his voice and her heart trembled. She nodded obediently and quickly released the twelve women, bringing them up to the ground level.
The imagined scene of them being humiliated again did not happen.
As they saw the light of day once more, a deep sense of confusion and bewilderment appeared on their faces. Even the eyes of a few women who had seemed completely numb earlier regained a faint glimmer of spirit.
Before Vikram could speak, Shalini stepped forward and said, "The man in front of you is the one who saved you today. If nothing unexpected happens, he will be your new master from now on. Do you understand?"
Upon hearing this, the dozen or so women first lowered their heads, then actually called out in unison, "Master."
However, Vikram, standing still, didnât feel pleased at all. Instead, he got goosebumps all over his body.
He really wanted to say that there were no slaves in the New Dragon Kingdom, but then he remembered that he had already made people wear his Enslavement Bracelets and even planned to make Shalini wear one. In the end, he closed his mouth and said nothing.
Ultimately, Vikram had no choice but to stop them. He raised his hand and said calmly, "I am not your master."
"The former Savage Wolf Shelter is a thing of the past. Those who once humiliated you are all dead now."
"Since Iâve rescued you, I have no other demands. As long as you keep todayâs events a secret and donât spread any rumors, you are free to stay or leave as you wish."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "If you choose to stay, this place will provide you with normal work, and you wonât have to worry about what happened before."
It was already good enough that Vikram had rescued these women from that underground hell. As for taking them back to his own territory, he had never considered it. He wasnât that idle.
If this group wanted to stay, becoming normal members of the Savage Wolf Shelter and surviving here wouldnât be a bad choice.
No matter what, the current Savage Wolf Shelter would soon become his subordinate force. As long as Shalini could manage it well, these extra people would only be beneficial to him.
No sooner had he finished speaking than one of the female survivors burst into tears. Even those who had suffered for a shorter time had been imprisoned in that dungeon-like place for over a month.
Now, hearing that they truly had a new lease on life, expressions of joy mixed with tears appeared on every face.
Although Vikram couldnât fully empathize with their emotions, he didnât interrupt them. He quietly waited for them to calm down.
As expected, after hearing his words, they all expressed their desire to stay and continue surviving in the Savage Wolf Shelter. After all, they had nowhere better to go. Trying to rebuild a life of survival elsewhere at this point would most likely lead to death.
Vikram nodded in satisfaction, his gaze sweeping over them.
He noticed that each of the women wore an iron brace on their left wrist. At first, he thought it was something Rahul Soniwalâs group had used to prevent them from escaping. But now it seemed the real purpose of these braces was to cover the totems on their wrists.
By doing so, they had cut off the womenâs ability to use the Survival Platformâs functions. They couldnât access tools from their backpacks or contact the outside world.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk~"
While sighing, Vikram thought to himself that if the Savage Wolf Shelter had used this time to properly train their subordinates, todayâs outcome might not have been so easily decided.
It also served as a reminder for him: in the future, when recruiting members for his shelter, he must prioritize quality over quantity to avoid repeating the mistakes of the Savage Wolf Shelter.
"Alright, Shalini. Find a proper place to settle them, then come back to see me."
After finishing his words, Vikram turned away and stopped looking at them.
Once Shalini left with the women, Vikram slowly walked toward the main entrance of the Savage Wolf Shelter.
The subordinate he had knocked unconscious with a single palm was still sound asleep, completely unaware of what had happened before.
Vikram, however, revealed a meaningful smile...
Then, a loud motorcycle sound echoed through the cold air as Alex, Chandan, and Steve finally arrived. The three of them parked the bike near the entrance and walked toward Vikram with serious expressions.
Chandan was the first to shout enthusiastically, "Boss! We have arrived! Just tell us who we need to kill!"
"Yes, Boss!" Steve joined in loudly, dramatically pulling out his alloy blade. "Just give the order and weâll start a bloodbath here!"
"Boss, now that weâve arrived, we can easily kill that bastard Rahul!" Chandan added with full confidence, puffing out his chest.
Vikram looked at the three of them standing there, weapons ready, and for a moment, he didnât know what to say.
He couldnât help but think of the Indian Police. Just like them, they always arrived with full energy... after the chaos was already over.
Still, these three had traveled a long distance in this freezing cold weather, all because of a single message from him. He couldnât bring himself to crush their enthusiasm or dampen their spirits.
Vikram let out a helpless sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.
"...Youâre a bit late," he said dryly. "The party is already over. Rahul and his main guys are dead."
The three men froze mid-pose, their excited expressions slowly turning awkward.
Chandan blinked. "Dead...? Already?"
Steve looked at his shiny alloy blade, then at Vikram, clearly disappointed. "We didnât even get to swing once?"
Alex, who was usually the calmest, just shook his head with a small smile, as if he had expected this.
Vikram couldnât help but chuckle at their dejected faces.
"Donât worry," he said, patting Chandanâs shoulder. "There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. For now, help Shalini settle the remaining people and secure the shelter."
The three of them nodded, though their shoulders were visibly slumped. And they didnât even know who Shalini was.
Chandan muttered under his breath, "We came all this way... riding in this freezing cold... and the boss already finished everything by himself."
Steve sighed dramatically. "Next time, Boss, at least leave one or two for us..."
Vikram turned away to hide his amused smile and walked back inside the shelter, with the three slightly disappointed but loyal subordinates behind.
â-
This was all dark, since I am a light warrior đ, I canât write many dark things. Still, I canât say about the future.