The Gutter Rats of Building 26

Ethan sat on the edge of his bed, brows furrowed, recounting the events to Chloe.

"It was the workers from Building 26," he said flatly. "There's a new development going up a couple blocks over, so a bunch of the laborers rented out apartments nearby."

Chloe raised a brow. "But this complex isn't cheap. I thought Summit Glen was considered mid to high-end?"

Ethan smirked. "Ten guys crammed into a two-bedroom. It's cheaper than a trailer park."

Chloe nodded slowly, then her face darkened. "That means… they're actually more dangerous than that thug from before."

Ethan's gaze sharpened. "Exactly. Tony Chen was just a punk with a gun. People only feared him during peacetime because nobody wanted trouble."

"But now? With law and order gone, unless you've got firepower, people will eat you alive."

He continued, "These guys from Building 26? Blue-collar brutes. They haul steel and pour concrete for a living. Built like oxen, no hesitation in a fight."

"And they're not alone. Tight-knit group. They move as one, think like a pack."

Chloe shuddered. "So… what now? Should we strike back?"

Ethan's jaw tightened. "Of course. But I'm not going over there like some idiot. Their place is crawling with bodies. We already wiped out half their crew last night."

Chloe gave him a blank look. "But you've got guns."

Ethan looked offended. "So what? What if one of them cracks my skull with a rebar? Not worth it."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "You're not just cautious, you're… excessively tactical."

Ethan just grinned. "I call it risk optimization."

She sighed. "Still, you're not going after them… then how are you going to get revenge?"

Ethan rubbed his chin. "Simple. We'll let others do the dying for us."

He picked up his phone and tapped into the Summit Glen emergency chat—technically a community group chat.

Unsurprisingly, after the explosion earlier, the thread was blowing up.

"Was that an earthquake?!"

"Did a meteor hit the roof or something?"

"Jesus, what the hell was that boom?"

Ethan typed calmly:

"The workers from Building 26 tunneled in through the snow and broke into our tower. They killed Jack Monroe on the 16th floor. I caught them and drove them off. They were using explosives."

That message changed everything.

"Oh god, not again! First Tony, now these lunatics?"

"Those 26th guys were always shady. I heard they had fistfights on the construction site every week."

"How the hell did they even get in?"

Ethan replied again:

"They dug a tunnel under the snow. Came up through the ground floor and marched straight upstairs."

Now full-blown panic swept the thread.

"Collapse that tunnel! Lock the entrances!"

"Useless! They can smash any door down. Hell, they could climb through fourth-floor windows!"

Someone chimed in:

"Thank god for Ethan. He saved all our lives again!"

"Yeah, man's a damn hero. You're our protector now, Ethan!"

Ethan nearly laughed out loud.

Two weeks ago, these people were cursing his name, calling him selfish, a monster.

Now? Suddenly he was "their hero."

He typed coldly:

"I burned through most of my gear fending them off. I can barely protect myself. You're on your own."

Predictably, the chat exploded.

"You can't just leave us to die, Ethan!"

"If we're wiped out, you'll be alone. You want to spend the apocalypse by yourself?"

"Don't forget—others are watching you. You'll be next."

That last one struck a chord.

Ethan narrowed his eyes.

They weren't wrong. With all the videos and photos people shared of his safehouse, someone—somewhere—would eventually come hunting for him.

A new message popped up—private chat. From Uncle Ray.

"Ethan, you need help?"

"Those bastards from 26—I know 'em. Used to share a drink or two with their crew chief."

"But now they're raiding? I'll put a bullet in their heads myself."

Ethan chuckled, finally relaxing a little.

"How many are left?"

Uncle Ray replied:

"They started with over thirty. You smoked at least ten last night. Probably twenty-ish left now."

"Their boss is Tommy Huang—guy talks nice but his crew killed half of Building 26 already. I ain't siding with that."

Uncle Ray had served in the military. He wasn't just another scared civilian—he had ethics, discipline.

Ethan respected that.

And now, thanks to a few strategic handouts and a well-timed rescue, Uncle Ray owed him a favor.

And favors were more precious than bullets.