One ignored the whispers, disbelief and suspicious gazes that followed him like shadows as he walked through the crowd.
Some of the mutants who engaged in mocking and betting on his death from earlier had silently vanished from the crowd. Afraid of getting recognised and remembered by someone as unsettling as One. Being remembered by someone like that wasn't always a good thing.
With the disappearance of these malicious groups, the earlier overwhelming crowd was finally reduced, with only some of the bold and reckless ones staying to watch the show, but none of them dared step forward nor engage in malicious slanders anymore.
One walked straight toward the fox girl's father. Then, without hesitation, he lifted the strength type abomination's head given to him by Marco and dropped it onto the ground with a dull, wet thud.
The impact made several nearby mutants flinch.
The head rolled slightly before stopping, its twisted face frozen in a grotesque snarl.
One never looked at the father, not even once.
To him, the deal was already fulfilled.
He simply turned his gaze toward the fox girl who stood beside Veronica.
For a brief moment, his eyes met hers.
Anna stiffened slightly.
One just nodded slightly, with hope that she understood the message.
Then he calmly walked back and rejoined his group.
Steven glanced at the head on the ground before nodding once.
"Let's go."
Without another word, he began leading everyone deeper into the sanctuary.
The group moved through the streets as the surrounding mutants instinctively parted to create a path.
Steven's sharp gaze constantly moved across the crowd with an intimidating stance and pressure.
Suddenly, Steven reached out and grabbed a nearby mutant by the collar.
The poor man had barely noticed the group before being violently pulled forward.
The moment he locked eyes with Steven's cold expression, his body reacted instantly.
A dark yellow liquid suddenly spilled from his trousers.
The sharp smell of urine immediately spread through the air.
Steven's face twisted into a deep frown.
"Disgusting."
He immediately threw the man away as if tossing away trash.
The terrified mutant crashed onto the dusty ground, trembling violently.
Steven stepped back slightly to avoid being splashed by the liquid.
His voice came out cold and direct.
"How do we gain residence here?"
The mutant looked like he might faint.
His entire body trembled as he struggled to speak.
"I— I— I…"
Steven's gaze hardened in annoyance.
"Speak."
The man swallowed hard before finally managing to answer.
His voice shook badly.
"The… the blind general handles matters related to residence in the sanctuary."
Steven raised an eyebrow slightly.
The man hurriedly continued.
"If you want land… you must first get permission from her."
He hesitated briefly before adding nervously,
"Then you must talk to Zach…He's an earth controlling mutant. He builds houses and structures inside the sanctuary. You must reach an agreement with him about the price before he will build anything."
Steven slowly turned his head toward Brant and Veronica.
The three exchanged brief glances.
The title of General was not something handed out casually, especially in a place like this. For someone to hold that title inside such a large sanctuary meant only one thing.
Power, authority, and terrifying strength.
Steven looked back at the trembling mutant.
"Where do we find this blind general?"
He hurriedly pointed toward the distance.
"At… at the castle entrance, She's usually always there."
Steven released him without another word.
The pitiful mutant collapsed to the ground the moment he was freed.
Steven ignored him completely.
"Let's go."
The group began moving again.
As they approached the central region of the sanctuary, the structures became larger and more organized.
Eventually, a massive structure appeared ahead.
The castle.
Its towering dark walls rose high above the surrounding buildings, made from rough black stone fused together by unnatural means.
At the base of its large entrance gates stood a single figure.
The group slowed slightly as they approached.
Even Steven was surprised. Because standing before the castle gate was a beautiful and mature woman.
Her figure was graceful yet powerful, with a well-proportioned curvy body that carried both elegance and curvaceousness.
Her waist curved gently into full hips.
Her posture was straight and confident.
Despite the harsh wasteland environment, her clothes were relatively clean, something extremely rare in a world where most people were covered in dust, grime, and dried blood.
Her clothing clung to her body just enough to reveal her balanced and attractive physique without appearing provocative.
Yet the most striking thing about her appearance was the thick white scarf wrapped firmly around her eyes, covering them completely like a blindfold.
The cloth was wrapped several times, ensuring that not even the slightest gap existed.
And yet, despite being blindfolded, she stood with absolute calm.
An invisible pressure radiated from her body.
A quiet but unmistakable sense of danger.
Approaching her felt strangely difficult.
Like stepping toward a sleeping predator.
Steven stepped forward to speak.
But before he could open his mouth—
The woman spoke.
Her voice was soft and charming. Smooth like silk.
Yet cold enough to send a faint chill through the air.
"I caught your scent from miles away."
She slowly turned her covered gaze toward them.
"You don't have the usual scent of the people living in this sanctuary."
Her lips curved slightly. She continued
"Tell me, What do you want?"
Steven did not hesitate.
"We plan to settle down on this sanctuary for a while, so we came to you looking for residence."
His voice was still calm and direct but with none of his earlier arrogance.
He gestured slightly toward the group behind him.
"We're all in thesesame group."
The blindfolded woman remained still for a moment, then her head tilted slightly.
An invisible ripple seemed to spread from her body.
Her senses expanded silently.
She began scanning them.
Not with sight, but with something far more intrusive.
Steven stood still under her invisible scrutiny.
His emotions were far harder to read.
Cold discipline and controlled aggression.
A blade hidden beneath layers of restraint.
For a brief moment, the woman's lips twitched slightly in what might have been approval.
Then,
After finishing her silent examination, the blindfolded general finally spoke again.
"The land is free."
Her words surprised them slightly.
But before anyone could react, she continued.
"However, you must leave your identification before claiming it."
Steven narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Identification?"
The woman raised a hand and gestured toward the enormous castle wall behind her.
"You add your name to the castle walls."
A faint pause followed.
"With your blood."
Steven stared at the towering wall.
The massive stone surface was densely covered with bloody handprints.
Hundreds, or maybe thousands of them. He didn't really know.
Some were old and faded into dark brown stains, while others looked relatively fresh, still dark red.
The palms overlapped each other in chaotic patterns, covering nearly every visible part of the wall.
It looked almost like a grotesque mural created from blood and desperation.
Steven frowned slightly.
His mind quickly processed the implications.
Registration, control and surveillance.
But ultimately, it wasn't a real problem.
"That's not an issue."
He said calmly.
Then he walked forward.
The rest of the group followed behind him.
As Steven approached the wall, he slowed slightly.
Up close, he noticed something strange.
The material of the wall.
His eyes narrowed.
This wasn't ordinary stone.
The surface was unnaturally smooth in some places and oddly resistant in others, even with so many bloodstains layered across it, the structure showed no signs of erosion or damage.
It almost felt alive.
Steven's gaze sharpened slightly.
"So this is what the castle is made of…"
He murmured quietly to himself.
Whatever material Malcolm had used to construct this fortress clearly wasn't normal.
But Steven didn't dwell on the thought.
Instead, he raised his right hand.
Dark energy gathered silently around his fingers.
The energy condensed and sharpened.
Within seconds, a thin blade of dark energy formed in his grip like a small knife.
Without hesitation,
He dragged the blade across his palm.
The cut was clean.
Blood immediately welled up and began flowing down his hand.
Steven didn't react to the pain, instead he pressed his bleeding palm firmly against the wall.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then,
The blood seemed to sink into the surface of the wall.
As if the stone itself were absorbing it.
A new crimson palm print slowly appeared among the countless others.
Fresh, bright and alive.
Steven lowered his hand calmly.
Behind him, the others watched silently as the wall accepted his blood.
The sanctuary had just gained new registered residents.