Fai's mind raced, a terrifying calm descending over the chaos. Death was closer than a whisper.
He had to get out of here.
He spun around and took his first desperate steps toward escape—toward freedom.
But luck wasn't on his side today.
"Hey guys, look—he's trying to get away," Zephyr sneered, a creepy smile splitting his face as he spoke. Then, without hesitation, he dashed forward at full speed toward Fai's direction.
"Say your prayers!!" Zephyr laughed. The pleasure he was getting from this was more than anything a normal person could imagine. He was enjoying the torture of another human being—if that wasn't madness, then what was?
In an instant, the wind mutant zipped forward, reappearing in front of Fai, his hand already cocked with sharp stripes of wind. He wasn't going to hold back. He was going in for the killing blow.
This was it. This was the end.
If that fist connected, would Fai survive? Was his body strong enough to stand a chance against such a strike? Could his [3 HP] be of any help at this moment?
These were the thoughts racing through Fai's mind as he watched the fist inch closer.
But just then, as the wind-charged hand shot forward, it was abruptly stopped midair—caught in an iron grip. The arm was twisted in an awkward, painful manner.
"Who gave you permission to touch my friend?" Johnson growled, veins bulging on his forehead. His eyes burned red with rage.
It happened so suddenly. Just moments ago, Fai had seen the fist rushing toward him at full force. He had even closed his eyes, mentally preparing himself for the impending doom that was meant to shatter his face.
But it never came.
His friend, Johnson had stopped the fist before it could come anywhere near him.
Johnson held Zephyr's fist tightly, anger boiling in his chest. He turned his head toward Fai, who lay behind him on the floor. Blood dripped from Fai's broken nose; his body was bruised, burned, and injured in countless places.
Seeing this only deepened the guilt and fury in Johnson's heart.
"Are you alright, buddy?" Johnson asked, worry heavy in his voice as his heart sank at the sight of the beaten Fai.
Fai was too weak to reply. All he could do was give a faint nod—an answer that sharply contrasted with the state he was in.
Damn… who am I kidding? Of course he isn't alright. This is all my fault, Johnson thought. I knew something like this could happen, yet I let him go alone.
His guilt gnawed at him. This had been a foolish mistake. This was the second stage of the assessment—people needed coins, and situations like this were bound to happen. So why hadn't he considered something so obvious?
If Sarah hadn't pressured him to go, he wouldn't have been here in the first place. And if he had arrived even a second later… there was no telling what would have happened.
But dwelling on it now was useless.
He was here—and that was what mattered.
Like my mum always says: there's no use crying over spilled milk. Either you clean the floor or leave it dirty. In other words, he had to get Fai out of here.
But first—
With anger burning in his chest, Johnson wasn't going to let these guys walk away. Not after what they had done to his best friend.
It was time they tasted their own medicine.
"You can rest, friend. I'll take care of the rest now," Johnson said.
"Who the f**k are you?" Zephyr asked, fear creeping into his heart. He could feel the strength in the grip crushing his fist—this was no ordinary mutant.
"Me?" Johnson replied sarcastically. "I'm the reason you should've never touched him in the first place."
As he spoke, his grip tightened even more. Letting his anger take control, Johnson pulled back his free hand and threw a punch with full force, his fist driving straight toward his opponent's stomach.
The moment it connected, droplets of saliva flew from Zephyr's mouth. His insides twisted violently, pain exploding through his body as he gasped for air.