Ginkgo Heights was a well-known luxury residential complex in the city—famous before the apocalypse for housing dozens of beautiful female content creators, influencers, models, and online personalities.
Before the Gray Mist descended, Rick could only type thirsty, desperate comments in their livestream chats, hoping for even a moment of acknowledgment.
A nobody. A pathetic simp. Background noise.
But now, with his newfound supernatural abilities awakened during the apocalypse?
Why settle for virtual fantasies and parasocial relationships when he could forcibly "enjoy" the real thing?
"Spread out and search every floor systematically!" he barked to his assembled gang of armed thugs. "Find me an influencer—a famous one. Keep her completely untouched and unharmed. Anyone who dares lay even a finger on her before I do—I'll personally break both your legs myself."
Dozens of armed men—former criminals, opportunistic survivors, desperate cowards who'd pledged loyalty to power—rushed eagerly into Building 2 as he shouted commands.
"Rick," complained the rune-wielding young woman clinging to his left arm, her voice carrying a petulant pout, "why do you even want those influencers? Aren't we two enough to satisfy you?"
She had barely finished speaking when—
Rick's hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder with crushing force.
His entire arm exploded in size—swelling more than tenfold, becoming a grotesque muscular limb like something from a horror film—and his massive fingers closed completely around her head.
BOOM.
Her skull burst like a kicked watermelon, brain matter and blood spraying across the courtyard pavement.
That was Rick's Devil Fruit ability—consuming the dark-glowing fruit had granted him the power to enlarge any part of his body at will. And the larger the body part became, the exponentially greater its strength and defense grew.
He casually dropped the crushed corpse, already forgotten, then turned his cold gaze toward the second trembling young woman who had been clinging to his right arm.
In the old world, these two had been local "street goddesses"—minor internet celebrities with decent followings. Rick never even had the social status or wealth to line up and talk to them at events.
Now? He looked at them with increasing disgust.
Used goods. Boring. Replaceable.
"B-Brother Rick, please—please don't hurt me," the surviving girl begged desperately, tears streaming down her face. "You can go find your influencers, I won't complain or get jealous! I can be your second woman, your third, anything you want—just please don't—"
Rick yanked her roughly by the hair, his expression showing absolute boredom.
"I'm tired of her. She's yours now."
He tossed her toward his gang like discarding garbage.
"Thanks, boss!" multiple voices shouted eagerly.
The nearby gang members surged forward like starving animals finally given permission to feed.
Her screams filled the courtyard, mixing horrifically with the sound of dozens of thugs battering down the reinforced door of Building 2 with makeshift rams and crowbars.
The combined cacophony of violence spread through the entire residential community—sending waves of absolute panic into every occupied apartment as residents realized what was happening.
Top Floor, Building 9 — Natasha's Group
On the penthouse level, Jenna, Grace, Elsa, and Shay all huddled anxiously by the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, their faces pale as they watched the chaos unfolding below through gaps in the Gray Mist.
"Oh God... where's Elric?" Jenna whispered, her usual confidence completely shattered. "He should be back by now..."
"That man down there—Rick—he has superpowers too..." Grace said, her voice trembling with barely controlled terror. "If he searches systematically and finds Building 9... what do we even do? How can we stop someone like that...?"
None of them could bear imagining themselves in that poor woman's situation in the courtyard below—being passed around like an object among violent men.
"Enough." Natasha's sharp voice cut through their spiraling panic like a blade.
"Standing here watching and panicking accomplishes absolutely nothing useful."
Her commanding tone forced them to focus.
"With this time, we should be barricading the door. Move all the furniture—everything heavy. Then tie the bedsheets together into ropes and hang them out the window as an emergency escape route. If Elric can't get back in time, at least we won't die trapped inside like helpless prey."
"You're right!" Jenna nodded immediately, her athlete's instincts responding to clear direction. Even she couldn't argue—Natasha really was the calmest and most strategically minded among them in crisis situations.
The four women immediately began pushing heavy furniture toward the entrance—the massive sectional sofa, the solid wood dining table, anything that could serve as a barricade.
All except Elsa, who remained seated comfortably on the remaining loveseat, completely focused on her smartphone screen.
"Elsa!" Natasha snapped with genuine anger. "What are you doing? Do you want to just sit there scrolling social media and wait to die?"
Hearing Natasha's harsh scolding, Elsa didn't even bother standing up or looking guilty.
She simply tilted her phone screen toward the others so they could see.
"Teacher Natasha, I am doing something productive," she said calmly.
"I used the 'nearby friends' feature to add random local people. One of them pulled me into the official owners' group chat for Ginkgo Heights complex."
She gestured at her screen.
"I'm posting an appeal there right now—calling on all the residents to unite and resist the mob attacking downstairs. Organizing collective defense."
Her tone remained analytical and logical.
"When those thugs eventually break through every floor systematically... it's not only us who'll be doomed. Everyone in every building will suffer the same fate. Dozens, maybe hundreds of residents."
"So if we can unite the survivors and coordinate resistance, even if Elric doesn't make it back in time... we have a significantly higher probability of survival through collective action."
Natasha blinked in genuine surprise—then nodded slowly with reluctant admiration.
"...You're absolutely right. That's actually brilliant strategic thinking."
For once, she felt sincere respect for Elsa rather than viewing her as mere competition.
In such a short time under extreme pressure, Elsa had figured out a survival method that neither Jenna nor Grace could have conceived. Smart, resourceful, calm under pressure.
She might eventually become my biggest rival for the position of "first wife," Natasha realized with mixed feelings. I need to watch her carefully.
But survival took priority over internal politics.
"How is it? Did anyone reply in the residents' group yet?" Natasha asked urgently.
"Not yet—"
Elsa was about to put her phone down in disappointment when a notification suddenly popped up with a distinctive chime.
She grabbed the device again, quickly reading the new message—
—and her expression instantly turned strange. Confused. Almost amused.
"What happened? What does it say?" Natasha demanded.
Elsa didn't answer immediately. Natasha impatiently snatched the phone from her hands to check the message herself.
The newest post in the group chat read:
"I'm a resident in Building 8. I'm a superpowered individual. Offering FREE protection services to beautiful ladies who meet certain standards. DM me privately if interested. (Men, do NOT contact me. Will ignore/block.)"
"...Why does this message format look so familiar?"
Natasha stared at the screen blankly, a sense of déjà vu washing over her.
The wording, the tone, the specific offer—it was almost identical to something Elric had once posted in the Portland University campus group chat back when the apocalypse first started.
Unexpectedly, there was apparently someone else in Ginkgo Heights employing the exact same recruitment strategy as her husband.
A competitor? Another ability user collecting women?
"Looks like you just met your competition," a calm, familiar male voice spoke casually from directly behind her.
Natasha froze completely—then spun around with her heart racing.
Elric stood there in the apartment entrance, completely relaxed.
He was back.
"ELRIC!"
"YOU'RE BACK!"
"HUSBAND!!"
"THANK GOD!"
Natasha, Jenna, Grace, Elsa, and even the usually reserved Shay all rushed forward simultaneously, crowding around him with visible relief.
Even Shay—typically cold and emotionally distant—grabbed his sleeve tightly, her masked face showing obvious relief in her eyes.
In just eight days since the apocalypse began, Elric had become their backbone—their stability—their entire sense of safety and survival.
With him physically present and back, all their accumulated fear and panic instantly melted away like morning frost under sunlight.
"Mm. I'm back," Elric confirmed simply.
"Let me see that message properly."
He sat on the sofa, taking Elsa's phone from Natasha's hands to examine the group chat post more carefully.
Using his spatial exchange ability for rapid transit, the round trip to Sam's Supermarket hadn't actually taken long—he'd returned to Silverleaf Estates within approximately thirty minutes total, including the rescue operation.
And the first thing he encountered upon return was this intriguing message in the residents' group.
A "female-friendly protector with superpowers" recruiting beautiful women?
Interesting.
He immediately sent a friend request to the posted contact information, then opened their public profile while waiting for acceptance.
And froze in genuine surprise.
The profile picture wasn't a man at all.
It was a woman.
A strikingly beautiful woman with distinctive features.
One that Elric recognized instantly—a famous influencer with over 10 million followers across multiple short-video platforms and social media.
Known throughout the entire internet, notorious in entertainment circles for publicly rejecting every wealthy suitor who approached her—and especially well-known for preferring women romantically.
Her name: Erin Summers
Elric had actually watched several of her viral streams and videos before the apocalypse. He even vaguely remembered hearing rumors that she lived in some luxury complex... apparently Ginkgo Heights.
But he never expected her to post a message exactly like his own to the owners' group.
Though thinking about it more carefully... it actually made perfect sense.
Erin Summers liked women exclusively. Gaining a supernatural power during the apocalypse meant she would probably act exactly like a male survivor with abilities would—actively recruiting women, offering protection to attractive females, building a collection.
Except she was breathtakingly beautiful herself, which gave her unique advantages in recruitment.
Elric's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, his strategic mind already calculating.
Given her exceptional looks and online fame, she would definitely meet the System's compatibility standards—probably scoring in the high 80s or low 90s range.
If he located her, he could potentially take her in immediately and add her to his collection.
He didn't care even slightly what Erin's sexual orientation was. As long as she met the System's requirements and could generate Devil Fruit Tree rewards, Elric would claim her.
Unless...
Unless Erin was somehow stronger than him in direct combat.
But that scenario was practically impossible.
He had multiple Devil Fruit abilities, enhanced physical stats, combat experience, and strategic thinking.
A single-ability influencer who'd been surviving for only eight days?
She doesn't stand a chance, Elric thought with cold confidence.
"So," Natasha asked carefully, watching his expression. "What do you want to do about this Erin Summers situation?"
Elric smiled slightly—the expression predatory rather than warm.
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