Ch 7 : Let me go

Present…

TARCIA COUNTRY is the smallest nation, with a total population of 20 million. Its capital, SKEDAN, is home to roughly 25% of the population, while the rest live in smaller cities. Five kilometers from SKEDAN lies a large, forested mountain named DAN Mountain.

At its peak stands a lone house, with no other homes nearby, connected only by a rough dirt road leading to the main road below.Inside that house, two men sat facing each other. One was unconscious, his hands tightly bound with rope, while the other waited patiently for him to wake. The watcher was Lex Winchester, and the bound man was Jonathan Carter. This house is Lex Winchester's hideout

Night, 19:30..

"Hmm… hmm… hmmmm…"

"Ffuuuu… fffuuuu…"

"Ughh…" Carter slowly opened his eyes. In front of him was a table, and across it, Lex Winchester was humming calmly, blowing on a steaming bowl of freshly made noodles before slurping them into his mouth.

He clearly remembered that before he lost consciousness, the President had been infected and transformed. A sharp, stabbing pain pierced his heart. "W-What will happen to TARCIA now? The peace this nation held for years is gone."

Slurrpp…

"Ouch… ouch… fffaaaaa… fuuu… hot, hot… " Lex's face showed no worry or fear, just casual enjoyment of his meal.

Carter's blood boiled seeing Lex so carefree. He tried to stand but couldn't—he was still tied up. "You bastard… how selfish are you?! Humanity is facing a crisis out there, and you're sitting here stuffing your face, enjoying yourself, while holding a government military head captive and putting innocent lives in danger! Ughh… let me go now! We have to stop those monstrous things!" Carter shouted, his voice filled with hateful rage.

"Mr. Jonathan Carter, calm yourself first. Your mind isn't clear right now. If you go out like this, you'll turn into one of them," Lex said, then slurped again.

Slurrpp… "Ahh, what a taste."

"Who're you telling to calm down?! Your mind's the one that's messed up! You don't care about people's lives! You're a deranged lunatic, talking like this in a situation like this!" Carter snapped.

"Ohh…" Lex didn't respond immediately. He finished his last bite of noodles, stood up, and approached Carter, starting to untie his hands.

"Mr. Carter, in this world, some people think they can bend any situation to their will, but in my eyes, those people are crazy. And you're one of them, thinking you're special," Lex said."I can say with certainty, you can't do anything," Lex added with a laugh, freeing Carter and walking back to his table.

"You bastard!" As soon as his hands were free, Carter leapt from the chair and lunged at Lex from behind.A faint smirk crossed Lex's face, as if he'd anticipated Carter's attack. He swiftly dodged to the left.

"What the…" Carter, caught off guard by Lex's reflection, was stunned. Before he could react, Lex's fist slammed into his stomach.

"Brhughhaaa!"

Carter clutched his stomach, collapsing in pain, spitting up bile."Tch… tch… Mr. Carter, you should know your opponent before attacking. If you charge in like a rabid dog, death is certain. The apocalypse has begun—law no longer applies. Only strength decides now," Lex said. "Oh man, you ruined my good mood," he added, slightly frustrated, sitting back in his chair.

Carter, still on the floor, writhed in pain, unable to stand. "T-This psycho bastard knows how to fight… just who the hell is he? Did he create this virus to throw the entire NEON WORLD into chaos?" The thought shook Carter to his core, and he glared at Lex with burning hatred.

"Look, whatever you're thinking, I had no hand in it," Lex said, as if reading Carter's wild imagination.

"Y-You spread this virus, didn't you?" Carter said, struggling to sit back in the chair, barely able to steady himself.

"Well, I'd be happy to prove your guess wrong," Lex mocked.

BAM!

"Do you think I'm an idiot? You think I'll believe your nonsense?!" Carter slammed the table in anger. "How do you know about this virus—its true form, which even Dr. Evelyn Shelby didn't understand?!"

"Well, I just know," Lex said, not taking Carter's words seriously.

"Just know? If you don't want to tell me, fine. I know this is all your doing! First, you created this deadly virus and released it in the ICENTRICA continent to make people think it came from there. Then you kidnapped me to control the military forces, but I won't let that happen! Huff… huff…" Carter panted.

"Ohh… man, I thought you'd calmly agree to work for me, but I guessed wrong." Lex said, standing up. "Come, follow me. I'll show you something."

He walked out of the room.Carter, cautiously scanning his surroundings, followed Lex slowly. "If I find something to bash his skull in…" he thought to himself.

But Carter couldn't find any weapon to use for escape. After following Lex for a while, he reached a room with minimal furnishings—just a sofa, a chair, and nothing else. The emptiness of the house struck Carter as strange.

Unable to stand any longer, he sat down on the chair.

Lex picked up a file from the table and placed it in Carter's hands. Jonathan, startled, asked, "What's this?"

"It's my report," Lex replied, sitting on the sofa.

"The virus report?" Carter asked, a mix of shock, haste, and fear in his voice.

"No… my ten-year coma report," Lex said.

"Coma?" Carter asked, confused, unable to grasp what Lex was trying to show him.

"I was in a coma for ten years after an accident. I came out of it in December, right after this virus emerged in November," Lex explained, his tone serious.

"How do I believe this is true? Reports like this can be faked," Carter said, not even opening the file, distrusting everything Lex said.

"Sigh… Mr. Carter, that report has Dr. Evelyn Shelby's signature," Lex pointed out.Carter was shocked hearing Dr. Shelby's name. To confirm, he opened the report and saw his signature, real as could be.

"I have some doubts," Carter said. He couldn't process how someone who'd been in a coma for ten years, supposedly cut off from the world, could know about an emerging virus.

And how, in such a short time, had Lex become so strong—knocking Carter down with a single punch? Questions piled up in his mind, one after another.

"Yeah, I know your doubts: How- do -you -know- about -this -virus?" Lex mocked, mimicking Carter's thoughts. Carter's head throbbed with irritation.

"Think of it like I have a superpower to see the future," Lex said sarcastically, clearly enjoying Carter's frustration.Lex's words only infuriated Carter more. In such a critical, dangerous situation, Lex's carefree attitude was driving him to the edge of frustration.

" You think I'm some kind of idiot?!" Carter snapped, feeling Lex was treating him like a mindless fool, spouting nonsense and expecting him to buy it.

"No… you asked, and I answered," Lex replied calmly.

"You…fucking shit.." Carter's anger was spiraling out of control. "Calm yourself, damn it. I need to get out of here to avoid arguing with this lunatic," he thought.

Lex said nothing, just sat there on the sofa.

Sigh...

"Let me go," giving up, realizing he was wasting energy. Looking at the report, he began to believe Lex didn't create the virus. Instead, he thought, He must've overheard Dr. Shelby talking about the virus by mistake at the hospital. I can't waste time here—I need to get to SKEDAN fast.

"Okay," Lex said.

"What?!" Carter thought he'd misheard.

"You can go," Lex repeated.

"My gun?" Carter asked Lex. When Jonathan left for the meeting in his car, he had his gun with him. Lex likely took it when he kidnapped him and brought him here.

"Your gun and your phone are in your car, parked near the main road below," Lex said, his face showing no fear as he answered Carter's question about his weapon.

Carter didn't respond, searching for the exit.

"The way out is through the room where you were tied up. This is an underground area," Lex said, sensing Carter's urgency to escape.

"Hmpp," Carter grunted, standing quickly and heading out.

"Mr. Jonathan Carter, have you thought about my offer? Will you work for me?" Lex asked one last time.

"My answer is no, you bastard. And for humiliating me like this, I'll make you pay," Carter snapped, storming out of the room.

"Failed… hah… So much for the future hero the masses follow. I didn't have high hopes anyway…

Well, time to rest. It's going to be a long night for those staying awake,"

Lex thought, feeling a slight pang of regret that Carter didn't agree. But it didn't last—he hadn't expected Carter to comply, though he wanted to try.

-------

"Shit… I need to find my car and get to SKEDAN fast. How far is this place from SKEDAN?" Carter's frustration surged. Spotting a light in the distance, he quickened his pace. Moments later, he emerged from the underground area onto the surface, stopping to catch his breath.

"Huff… huff…" Carter panted, his body exhausted. He hadn't eaten in ten hours, and Lex's punch had left him weaker.

"Damn you, bastard… huff!" he shouted in anger, heading down the slope. The place felt familiar—the rough dirt road, the jungle, and, a few kilometers below, twinkling lights. He realized instantly.

"DAN Mountain?! Great, I'll reach SKEDAN in minutes!" Carter sped up along the dirt road in the darkness.

"There's still time. I can stop this virus with my 5,000-strong military force. It's only been two hours," he calculated. SKEDAN was just five kilometers from DAN Mountain. Carter was confident he could get there quickly and use his forces to eliminate the infected.

"My car's probably near the road below," he guessed, knowing larger vehicles couldn't reach the mountain's peak, only a narrow path. His guess was right—his car was parked off the main road.Soon, he reached the road, rushed to his car, pulled the keys from his pocket, and jumped in. He checked his phone—it was dead.

"Shit," he cursed, starting the car and speeding toward SKEDAN.