Bully and Brimstone

"Ahahaha, oh-oh～what are you doing now?!"

The next day, Ethan was taken to the examination room for a check-up. The doctor expertly ripped open a small device, which was an oval-shaped object, barely 2 centimeters in size, flat on both sides. The doctor applied a lubricant to Ethan's belly and placed the small device on his skin. As it moved automatically across the slippery surface, Ethan squirmed and giggled uncontrollably from the ticklish sensation.

After removing the device, the doctor walked over to Ms. Lamaya and shook his head. Through the curtain, Ethan caught a glimpse of Lamaya's lifeless expression as her lips twisted downwards in displeasure.

"What's going on? Hey, can someone tell me?" Ethan asked the doctor's assistant standing nearby.

The assistant smirked and replied, "Well, the thing is, you're not pregnant. Tsk, tsk, tsk. It's not looking good for you."

"What? I'm not pregnant? Hahaha! That's great news! A guy like me getting pregnant? That would've been a joke."

Ethan strutted out of the room, glancing at his wrist where a device displayed a reminder that it was breakfast time at Omega Fortress. Humming a tune, he happily made his way to the central dining hall.

The central dining hall was where all the clones living in Omega Fortress gathered to eat. Meals, accommodations, and work were all strictly organized here. Life was monotonous and repetitive, but in the year 2040, technology had advanced rapidly, making everything in the fortress incredibly efficient. For instance, in the dining hall, artificial intelligence had completely replaced human workers. All it took was a tap on the electronic menu, and within five minutes, a robot would deliver your meal to the serving window.

Ethan entered the dining hall, passing through the blue-lit automatic sanitation machine that ensured everyone's hygiene and safety. He continued to the serving area, where he picked up a plate of potato salad and a few slices of toast. But as he turned around, he was startled by the sight of three heavily pregnant men approaching him.

"Move it, you hear me?" One of the men, George, deliberately knocked Ethan's tray to the ground, causing his breakfast to crash loudly. But no one seemed to notice; everyone else continued eating as if nothing had happened.

Ethan was furious, but his growling stomach made him crouch down to pick up the fallen toast. George, however, went a step further and stomped on Ethan's hand.

"Ahhh!" Ethan yelled in pain, jumping up to confront George. Their argument quickly attracted the attention of Elia, who was eating nearby. Known for her fierce demeanor, Elia was a notorious tough woman in Omega Fortress. She stormed over and shot George a deadly glare. Intimidated, George slinked away.

"My hand's all red. Oh, by the way, thanks, Elia. Those pregnant psychos are way too full of themselves," Ethan said, rubbing his throbbing hand as he looked at Elia.

"Thanks? You ruined my plans, you idiot!" Elia snapped, flipping Ethan off. For a moment, Ethan imagined steam puffing out of her ears like some kind of enraged beast.

"Listen, your name's Ethan, right? In this place, whoever's pregnant is the boss. Don't mess with them. If you can't beat them, you better just endure it." Elia stormed off, her heavy footsteps making the floor tremble as if an earthquake had struck.

"What a moody woman… She's terrifying. Whatever, I need to focus on getting out of here," Ethan muttered to himself, taking a bite of the toast he had picked up.

After breakfast, Ethan sprinted towards the large door at the end of the tunnel like a wild horse freed from its reins. As he neared the door, a red light suddenly flashed, followed by the blaring of an alarm. Before he could react, the two black bodyguards appeared, grabbed him, and struck him with their electric batons.

"Ahhh! Nooo!" Ethan felt a surge of numbness before everything went black.

When Ethan opened his eyes, he found himself in a spacious office that appeared to be the command room. He looked around, rubbing his eyes, and noticed a tall man sitting in the central chair. The man turned around, revealing a stern face with thick eyebrows and broad shoulders. He was a middle-aged man, and his name was Jackson Wilson. Wilson's piercing gaze conveyed nothing but disdain.

"So, you're the one trying to escape?" Wilson's authoritative voice echoed through the empty room. Ethan felt a chill run down his spine as fear gripped him.

"I-I-I just wanted to go outside for a bit… get some fresh air," Ethan stammered, trying to come up with a believable lie.

"Don't you know the rules? No one leaves this place," Wilson growled, slamming his hand on the table.

"But why? This all seems so unreasonable!" Ethan raised his head, defiantly questioning the imposing figure of Wilson.

"Fine, I'll show you why." Wilson activated a projector, and the three walls immediately displayed terrifying scenes.

"Shoot her! Now! Kill her now!" Thousands of people in New York's Times Square chanted in unison, their voices filled with fear and anger.

In the center of the crowd, a pregnant woman stood sobbing, holding a white cat in one hand and a few bags of baby supplies in the other. She looked helpless and fragile in front of the police.

"She's about to give birth! Officer, you can't do this!" A middle-aged woman in the crowd clutched her two young children, shouting desperately. Her eyes were filled with despair. Around her, a few others were praying, hoping for a peaceful resolution.

But suddenly, the woman threw the cat aside and tore open her clothes, revealing a horrifying sight—thick, black hair covered her chest. Her body began to twist and contort, her limbs growing rapidly as she transformed into a giant creature with the face of a human and the body of an ape.

"Quick! Shoot her! She's transforming!" The crowd descended into chaos, people screaming in terror as they scrambled to escape the horrifying scene.

Gunshots rang out, and the beast that had been the woman collapsed to the ground, her massive body crashing onto the sidewalk. But the nightmare was far from over. The sound of gunfire attracted more of these creatures, drawing more human-faced apes to the square.

Wilson paused the video.

"Now you see it. The world out there is destroyed. You are among the last survivors of humanity, and this place, Omega Fortress, is the last safe haven on Earth," Wilson said gravely. Ethan's face fell, and he left the room in defeat.

Wandering aimlessly, Ethan eventually found himself in the boiler room on the fifth underground level. The massive space was dedicated to burning enough coal to generate the steam required to keep the gigantic power generator running. The boiler operator, Victor, was an elderly man nearing 70. His hair was gray, his skin weathered and dry from years of hard work. But despite the wrinkles that covered his face, his cheerful and optimistic nature made him appear kind and approachable.

"Hey, you stupid kid, what are you doing here?" Victor called out as Ethan nearly stumbled into a pile of hot coals.

Ethan was so lost in thought that he didn't hear Victor's warning until he stepped into the scorching coals, burning his toes.

"Ow, ow, ow! My toes!" Ethan cried out, tears welling up in his eyes from the pain.

Victor helped Ethan to a nearby bench and went into his hut to retrieve some burn ointment, which he handed to Ethan.

"You little fool, what were you thinking? Now look, you've burned yourself," Victor teased.

"Old man, don't blame me! Why didn't you warn me those coals were hot?" Ethan grumbled as he applied the ointment to his foot.

"I did warn you! You just didn't hear me. Serves you right," Victor replied, sticking his tongue out playfully like a mischievous child, his pocket watch swinging from his chest.

As they joked around, Ethan and Victor got to know each other better. Ethan recounted everything that had happened that day.

"Old man, did you know the outside world is gone?" Ethan asked, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Of course I know. I've lived here for decades. There's nothing I don't know," Victor replied, thumping his chest proudly.

"Come on, tell me more!" Ethan urged eagerly.