Keep Dancing

Baldy held Yellow Hair back and spoke calmly, "You've probably been starving for days. Yesterday's supply haul was pretty good. Why don't you swing by 201 sometime and have a chat?" With that, he turned and walked off, leaving a confused Yellow Hair trailing behind.

Inside apartment 603, Mick exhaled a deep sigh of relief, his tense shoulders finally loosening. Angela also let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

But Baldy's words echoed in Mick's mind, gnawing at him, "A lot of food… better than starving to death at home." The temptation was like poison, eroding what little willpower he had left.

Meanwhile, Baldy and Yellow Hair headed to apartment 701. They knocked firmly on the door, and Baldy called out in the same smooth tone, "We've got plenty of food. Come by 201 sometime. Staying alive is more important than anything else. Better than dying of hunger, don't you think?"

Suddenly, a door opened—but not 701.

Cassius stepped out from the neighboring apartment, his expression dark. "Keep it down. You're being annoying."

Baldy and Yellow Hair exchanged bewildered glances. Every other man in the building treated them with fear and deference. Who the hell does this guy think he is?

"You've got a death wish, huh?" Yellow Hair growled, marching toward Cassius. "Is that how you talk to us?!"

But as he stepped inside, his words caught in his throat. His eyes widened in shock, rendering him speechless.

"What's wrong with you?" Baldy asked, stepping forward to see for himself. He froze when he spotted the scene inside.

The dining table was covered in food—fresh, plentiful, and almost surreal in this starving world. But that wasn't the most shocking part.

A woman sat beside the table, calmly eating.

"Th-that's… that's the influencer from 701, isn't it?" Yellow Hair stammered, his voice cracking. The last few days had been hell on everyone. Most women, no matter how attractive, had become gaunt and hollow from lack of food and water. But this woman—Maisie—looked healthy, almost radiant.

"You've got some serious connections, huh? Eating like a king, got a pretty woman in your house too," Baldy sneered, stepping inside with an air of superiority. Yellow Hair followed closely behind him.

Cassius smiled casually and shut the door.

Maisie, far from panicked, walked to the sofa and curled up comfortably. She eyed the two men with mild curiosity but remained calm.

Baldy's gaze roamed over her, unable to hide the greed in his eyes. He licked his lips and sneered at Cassius. "Look, be smart about this. Hand over the food and the girl, and you'll save yourself a lot of pain."

Cassius tilted his head slightly, his face deceptively innocent. "But she's mine. Why would I hand her over? That's not going to work for me."

Baldy's eyes narrowed. "You're really pushing your luck, kid."

Meanwhile, Maisie fought to suppress a smirk, her thoughts filled with dark amusement. These two idiots are dead men walking. They just don't know it yet.

"Step back. I don't want you getting splattered with blood," Yellow Hair sneered, pulling out a knife. Without hesitation, he lunged at Cassius.

But before the blade could even come close, a shadow loomed over his face—a fist.

BANG!

The impact sent Yellow Hair spinning through the air. His entire face caved in, and he hit the floor like a ragdoll. Baldy's eyes widened in horror. On the sofa, Maisie sat frozen in shock. She had known Cassius was dangerous—he had a gun, after all—but this? His physical strength was terrifying.

If I had any lingering thoughts of betraying him before, they're gone now, Maisie thought nervously. I don't want to end up like that.

"Maisie," Cassius said with a calm smile, "open the window, will you?"

Obediently, Maisie got up and opened the window. Cassius, meanwhile, grabbed Yellow Hair by the collar and effortlessly lifted him off the ground. The man weighed at least 130 pounds, yet Cassius hoisted him with one hand as if he were weightless. Baldy's hands started trembling uncontrollably.

Without a second thought, Cassius hurled Yellow Hair out the window.

THUD.

The heavy impact echoed outside, but no one paid any attention. People were numb to it by now. Every day, someone gave in to despair and threw themselves off a building. It was just another sound in the background.

Cassius dusted off his hands, sat back down, and smiled. "Have a seat. Join us for a meal."

Maisie, now completely compliant, returned to the sofa with graceful ease, her behavior unnervingly docile. Baldy watched her, his mind racing with fear. What the hell did this guy do to her?

As she sat beside Cassius, her every move was calm and elegant. Baldy felt no desire for her anymore—only an overwhelming sense of dread.

"So," Cassius began casually, taking a bite of food, "how am I doing so far?"

Baldy gulped, unable to touch the food.

"You think I'm beneath you?" Cassius's eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous gleam flashing in them.

"N-no! Of course not!" Baldy stammered, shaking his head. "It's a misunderstanding. Really!"

"Good," Cassius said, his tone relaxing. "Now, tell me—what's the situation outside?"

Baldy didn't dare lie. He spoke quickly. "It's chaos. People are killing each other over supplies. All the nearby convenience stores and supermarkets have been looted by residents from other complexes."

"And what's your boss planning?"

"Our boss said… once we finish the supplies we have now, we'll raid the neighboring complexes," Baldy admitted nervously.

"How much do you have left?"

"If we ration carefully, it should last about a month," Baldy replied, his voice shaking slightly.

"By the way, is this what your boss is looking for?" Cassius asked, pulling out his gun. Baldy's scalp tingled, cold sweat dripping down his neck. All this over bread and bottled water, and now my life's on the line.

He nodded frantically.

Cassius set down his chopsticks, signaling that he was done eating. "What are you standing there for? Eat. It's your last meal before I send you on your way."

Tears welled in Baldy's eyes. "I was wrong! Please, don't kill me! I'll give you all my supplies, everything! Just spare me!"

"Eat," Cassius said coldly. "Don't waste it. And don't forget to thank me." His gaze turned icy, sending shivers down Baldy's spine. Trembling, Baldy shoveled food into his mouth, chewing like it was the worst meal of his life.

He had always thought Cole was ruthless, but now he realized this young man was even worse. He swallowed hard and muttered, "Th-thank you…"

Cassius leaned back, his voice calm but deadly. "Good. Now, jump out the window. Don't make me shoot you. Bloodstains are a pain to clean, wouldn't you agree?"

Baldy backed away, shaking his head in terror. His hands trembled as he raised them in a desperate plea. He soon found himself cornered, his back pressed against the wall.

"We… we have no grudge against each other! You don't have to—"

BANG!

The gunshot echoed through the room. A small red dot appeared on Baldy's forehead before his lifeless body slumped backward and tumbled out the window.

Maisie swallowed hard, her eyes wide with fear. This man… he's terrifying. Completely unpredictable. Ruthless to the core.

Downstairs, Cole and his men flinched at the sound of the gunshot.

"Boss! It's Baldy! He fell from the building!" a lookout on the balcony shouted.

Cole rushed to the window, his face darkening as he spotted Baldy's corpse sprawled on the ground below.

"Boss," one of his subordinates hesitated, "if that guy with the gun isn't coming after us, maybe we shouldn't mess with him either. No need to provoke someone like that. We'd lose more than we can afford."

Cole clenched his jaw but knew the man was right. If that gunman decided to retaliate, they wouldn't stand a chance. Reluctantly, he pulled out his phone and sent a message to the building's group chat.

"We have food and drink here at 201. Stop by sometime."

The message was a thinly veiled attempt at reconciliation, though Cole's mind was already brewing other plans. Let's keep things civil—for now.

Back upstairs, Cassius chuckled as he read the message. Plenty of time to deal with them later. Right now, food is the priority.

He glanced at Maisie, who was massaging his feet without a hint of defiance. Cassius smiled faintly. Better let her rest for the night. Don't want her dropping dead from exhaustion.

"Hey," he said casually, "weren't you a dance streamer? Show me a dance."

Maisie perked up immediately. "What kind of dance would you like, Master?"

Cassius raised an eyebrow, smirking. "What do you think?"

Understanding dawned on Maisie's face. She smiled seductively, turned on some music, and began to sway, her alluring curves moving perfectly in time with the rhythm.