Chapter 201

Bang!

Vladimir flung the apartment door open and stormed out. Linda’s voice calling after him echoed from behind, but he ignored it. Striding down the hallway, he shouted Linda’s name and spotted Bernard heading toward their home.

Bernard Alpha.

If only he had looked like the embodiment of the Alpha Class’s ugly sense of entitlement… but contrary to Vladimir’s hopes, the man had a striking appearance.

A towering build reaching nearly 190cm, jet-black curly hair that swayed with each step, and the same golden eyes as the other citizens. Only faint traces of age hinted at Bernard being in his forties.

To sum up: a silver-streaked, handsome middle-aged man.

That was Bernard Alpha.

Bernard immediately recognized Vladimir. With a face that practically said, “Perfect timing,” he briskly approached him.

“Oh, if it isn’t Vladimir.”

“Good morning, Mr. Bernard.”

Vladimir controlled his expression as best he could. After casually wiping the blood off his hand, he offered a handshake. The wound that had been there was long gone.

“……”

But Bernard didn’t take Vladimir’s hand. He merely looked him up and down with arrogance. Vladimir’s eyes twitched slightly, but he maintained his professional smile and asked,

“What brings you to a Beta-Class apartment complex on a weekend morning like this?”

“Where’s Linda Beta?”

“If you’re referring to my wife, she’s at home.”

“Your wife, huh. Hmph…”

Bernard scoffed.

He was one of those who didn’t understand the old-fashioned custom of “marriage.”

“Well, alright then. I’m just here to have a word with your ‘wife,’ so you needn’t be too concerned.”

The way Bernard stressed the word ‘wife’ made the mockery behind it obvious. With a dismissive “Well then,” he tried to walk past Vladimir.

But Vladimir wasn’t about to just stand there and watch. He stepped forward, blocking Bernard’s path.

“Let’s have a talk.”

“What’s the meaning of this?”

“That’s my line, Mr. Bernard. What do you think you’re doing?”

“What?”

Bernard’s brows furrowed.

His expression alone screamed displeasure.

Yes, an ordinary Beta-Class citizen would probably tremble and beg forgiveness just from Bernard looking at them like that.

But Vladimir was not within the bounds of that kind of ‘ordinary.’

Instead, he stepped closer to Bernard, as if to intimidate him.

Vladimir was just as tall as Bernard, allowing them to meet eye to eye.

“To be honest, persistently making advances toward a married woman doesn’t exactly look good.”

“Are you daring to express dissatisfaction with me?”

“I’m offering some advice. Shouldn’t someone from the Alpha Class behave with the dignity that befits them?”

“Heh, you’re an amusing fellow. Go on, keep running your mouth.”

“As much as you’d like.”

Vladimir growled his response.

“I know full well that you’ve been laying hands on my wife. And sure, by the laws of this city, my wife has no way of resisting you. She’s a foolishly kind woman—she thinks the world will end if she defies an Alpha.”

“She knows her place.”

“Right. But you know what?”

Vladimir placed his hand on Bernard’s shoulder.

“I don’t.”

“W-What? You…!”

That single sentence, that expression—

It struck a nerve with Bernard.

“What nerve you have. A Beta-Class insect like you, daring to stand on equal footing with me, Bernard Alpha? If you think I’ll tolerate every bit of nonsense you’ve been up to just because you crawled in from the outside world, you’re sorely mistaken.”

“Tolerate? Ha, hahahahahaha!”

Vladimir couldn’t help himself—he burst out laughing like he’d just heard the joke of the century.

“You, tolerate me? You? Hahaha!”

After a long fit of laughter, Vladimir wiped the smile off his face and looked at Bernard coldly.

“Let me give you a final chance. If you’ve got even a shred of pride left, and you’re capable of humbling yourself to talk with my wife and me, then say so now. If you come to our home and speak quietly, and leave just as quietly, you might be able to preserve the bare minimum of your Alpha-Class dignity.”

“……You bastard!”

At that moment, Bernard swung his arm wide.

Vladimir smirked coldly.

“Of course. There’s no way you’d do the sensible thing.”

He easily stepped back, dodging the punch. Bernard’s fist barely grazed Vladimir’s nose before slamming into the wall beside them.

CRAAASH—!

The wall shook violently from Bernard’s punch.

It didn’t crack or collapse—but that was only because the wall was exceptionally sturdy. If it had been ordinary reinforced concrete, it would’ve turned to dust on impact.

‘Definitely not normal physical strength.’

The Beta Class had great strength, but the Alpha Class possessed physical prowess far beyond that. Each member of the ruling class could rival—or even surpass—most Adaptees in strength and agility.

But so what?

Vladimir wasn’t just some resident of this little test city. He was one of the strongest in all of New Valhalla City.

Relaxed, he made his offer again.

“It’s still not too late, Mr. Bernard. Go apologize to my wife on your knees.”

“You bastard… Did you just say that?!”

“Seems like you didn’t hear me.”

Bernard’s face flushed bright red.

He had lost control to his rage.

He hurled another punch with all his might.

“Tch.”

Vladimir scoffed.

“Module Online. [Aegis].”

In that instant—

An invisible barrier blocked Bernard’s punch. Not wanting to cause too much commotion, Vladimir reduced the energy output but reinforced the shield’s physical durability.

Crack.

A sound rang out—Bernard’s arm bone had broken.

“Gaaaah!”

“Oh my, that’s unfortunate.”

At Vladimir’s reaction, a vein bulged on Bernard’s forehead. He glared furiously and screamed.

“You dare! You DAAAAARE!”

“Dare? What did I even do?”

“I’ll see you punished for this! I’ll have the City Council demote you both to Zeta Class immediately!”

“Hah.”

Vladimir scoffed again, prompting Bernard to rage even harder.

“It’s all because of you! Linda should’ve been mine! After retiring, she should’ve been scrubbing the floors of my mansion on her knees! But then you came along—!”

“Oh, that’s what this is all about.”

Vladimir sneered.

“Pathetic. Absolutely juvenile. Your mindset hasn’t even reached elementary school level. It’s the same childish instinct to pick on the girl you like.”

“Shut up! What the hell do you know!”

“Bernard Alpha.”

Vladimir’s voice dropped low.

“You don’t know your place.”

Thud.

In that moment, Bernard Alpha felt as if something massive had descended upon him. He didn’t know why, but Vladimir’s body suddenly looked enormous.

“Urgh…!”

“You thought you were something special because you lucked into a title in this tiny city?”

Crack…

An unseen force began to press Bernard down. This time, it wasn’t an illusion. Something invisible was crushing him with overwhelming pressure.

“Guuurgh!?”

“……”

Vladimir gazed down at Bernard in silence.

Bernard tried to resist in any way he could, but he couldn’t withstand the overwhelming force and dropped to his knees. He barely managed to catch himself with his hands, preventing a complete collapse, but even lifting his head was a struggle.

Murmur murmur.

Other nearby Beta-Class residents had come out to secretly watch the scene. For Bernard, it was so humiliating he wanted to bite off his tongue.

But now, he couldn’t even do that of his own will. The pressure weighing down on him only intensified, and his waist began to drop further and further.

“Uuuuaaaaaagh!”

Bernard let out a screech.

His body slowly began to sink into the ground. In the end, he found himself in a position known as five-point prostration before Vladimir.

And then—

Vladimir looked down at the suffocating Bernard and asked,

“Do you know what you did wrong?”

“Y-You son of a biiiiiitch!!”

Bernard thrashed desperately, but the more he struggled, the more his body was crushed.

A cracking sound came from his kneecaps pressed against the ground. His shinbones snapped and twisted, and his spine, unable to withstand the immense pressure, began to bend in the wrong direction.

His body was breaking down, piece by piece.

And the Alpha Class’s extraordinary regenerative ability only made it worse. As soon as his bones broke, they’d mend, only to break again, over and over—turning his skeleton grotesque and deformed.

The once-handsome middle-aged man now looked like a mouse run over by a car.

In Bernard’s mind, the concept of death began expanding its territory.

“Beg for forgiveness, Bernard.”

“Guuuugh! Aaaaargh! Khhk!”

With his neck and face crushed, Bernard could no longer form proper words. But Vladimir could still tell—he wasn’t repentant.

And then…

“Hehehe… Huhuhuhuhu!”

“……!”

Bernard began laughing.

Vladimir didn’t understand what he said—but somehow, he understood what it meant. The image of his daughter, Sasha, flashed through his mind—it was no illusion.

Vladimir snapped.

He instantly unleashed the full power of the [Aegis] module he’d been limiting until now. What would happen next was already decided.

Crunch.

Bernard was gone.

More precisely—he didn’t disappear. He changed.

The man who had barely retained human form suddenly exploded and scattered. Gore and viscera splattered in all directions, and where Bernard had stood, only a flat slab of meat remained—like something crushed in a press.

Screeeeeam!

Someone shrieked, and only then did Vladimir come to his senses. At the same time, he felt someone’s gaze.

He turned around—and there was Linda.

She stood frozen, her face pale, hands trembling as she stared at Vladimir. He thought she’d been in the room—but she must’ve sneaked out to watch.

Then Vladimir noticed other neighbors glancing at Linda. They knew she and Vladimir were married.

“Damn it.”

Vladimir knew it instinctively.

There was no way he could continue living a normal life here now. He hurried over, pulled Linda into his arms, and ran back to their apartment. The two stood at the entrance, facing each other.

“H-Honey. That just now…!”

“Calm down. It’s nothing.”

“B-But…!”

Vladimir gently wrapped his trembling wife in his arms. Her warmth flowed into his fingertips, and for some reason, it cleared his mind.

Yes—he now knew exactly what he had to do.

And he remembered something he had long forgotten.

This city is strange.

At some point, he had forgotten that he needed to leave this place. He had adapted and come to live here—come to believe this life was happiness.

I need to get out.

Come to think of it, he had no reason to keep living as an ordinary administrative manager at a juvenile education center. He was the heir of the Militech family—he could go back whenever he wanted.

“Linda, listen carefully.”

“Yes?”

“What I’m about to tell you may be shocking—but you need to stay focused and accept it.”

“W-What are you talking about?”

“This place is a Stingray Group experimental facility.”

Vladimir successfully resurrected the information buried in the dust of his mind.

How he came here, what he had done in the past—he recalled everything and quickly told Linda.

She looked shaken by the sudden confession.

But it didn’t matter. Even if she didn’t understand now, once they left this city, there would be plenty of time.

“Just promise me one thing—can you keep following me?”

“Y-Yes…!”

Though flustered, Linda nodded.

Good. Vladimir held her close and stepped outside again.

He ran straight to the education center where their daughter Sasha was, came up with a plausible excuse, and managed to take her out. Sasha was just as disoriented by the sudden situation, but Vladimir didn’t care.

Getting out of this city came first.

“The exit—where’s the exit…?!”

He led his wife and daughter, running without direction.

Before anyone could pursue them, they had to escape. As long as they reached New Valhalla City, everything would be fine.

But then came a strange sense of dissonance.

The more he tried to reach the city’s outskirts, the more he felt it—a creeping unease.

Just like when he first arrived, the symptoms of memory loss began resurfacing in patches, and Vladimir became uncertain of where he was even going.

His wife and daughter shouted something to him, but Vladimir couldn’t make it out. It felt like he alone was living in a different timeline.

Still, he managed to hold onto his sanity and reached the outermost boundary of Honeycomb City with his wife and daughter in tow. The guards tried to block them, but it didn’t matter.

“[Aegis].”

He immediately activated the module, subduing all the guards without lifting a finger. Then, with his family, he reached the exit gate the guards had been protecting.

Wiiiiiing—!

When he pressed the button on the locked gate, a siren rang out and the steel doors began to open.

“D-Dad, where are we going…?”

“I’ll tell you later. Just hold on.”

Somehow—

It felt like he would lose consciousness at any moment, so Vladimir focused all his attention just on staying awake.

Finally, the gate opened, and Vladimir led his family toward it.

But at that moment—

Something invisible blocked their path.

It was a thin thread. A very familiar one.

Vladimir raised his head.

And just as he feared—

Beyond the gate, from within the shadows, a familiar face appeared.

“Aaron Stingray…?”

Aaron Stingray stood in their way.

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