Munch! Munch!
Dim light lit the room.
A lavish meal smoked on the cold stone table at the center of the room.
"Hmm...hmm..."
Crack!
The hums of a man rang in the room as he greedily tore a chicken leg, biting into the tender, seasoned flesh.
A fat man wearing a suit sat on a wooden chair.
The chair barely supported his weight.
A man calmly stood beside him, a servant.
His eyes glued to the lavish meal, glued to the fingers of the governor.
The chubby fingers separated the juicy white chicken flesh from the well-seasoned, crispy skin.
He munched on the oil-dripping, crunchy skin. The tender flesh followed.
The man standing beside could only gulp hard, swallowing his drooling saliva.
The governor grabbed a glass of red wine from the side, quenching his thirst.
Creeeack!
The door screamed.
The governor jumped slightly, startled.
"Lucian,"
His mood instantly lightened.
Lucian entered the room.
"You are back!"
He wiped his palms with a white cloth.
Lucian's eyes widened for a second.
Malice flashed within his usually cold eyes, but he quickly hid it away.
"Father, I have returned,"
Lucian bowed, but his fists clenched.
The governor's eyes turned sharp.
His fake joy diminished.
"Quickly, tell me everything that happened."
He questioned eagerly.
Not if his son was alright; if he was injured or tired, but what happened.
Lucian showed no reaction.
He started explaining in detail.
As Lucian explained, the oily lips of the governor only crept up.
A wide smile spread on his face.
His eyes gleamed with joy and excitement—a malive he couldn't contain.
His mind raced with countless thoughts and possibilities.
"Good! Very good!"
He slapped the stone table, satisfied.
"Hahahahaha..."
The governor laughed heartily.
He didn't even let Lucian finish explaining what happened in the laboratory.
"The heavens are blessing me,"
He looked at the ceiling.
"I knew there would be an opportunity,"
The malice in his eyes increased.
"Marek, you are the cause of the deaths of 180 people."
With the years of political struggle, the governor knew what this mistake meant. He knew how precious this was.
It could shake the entire foundation of the commander within the base.
"You can suppress us in the council,"
The governor trembled.
Finally, he had him in his grasp.
"But can you stop the people from speaking?"
He only needed to let the news spread among the survivors.
The commander led to the death of 180 people, many of whom were not soldiers. He disregards the lives of the survivors.
The survivors would lose their trust in him. They would resist his commands. They would lean toward the governor's side.
The governor only needed to extend a helping hand.
His faction would grow.
'Taking control over the entire base will be just a matter of time.'
The governor's eyes shone.
'Lucian contributed immensely. I can promote his competence and push him to replace Marek.'
Caught in his ecstasy, he didn't even notice his own son, Lucian.
Lucian trembled; the hidden malice in his eyes resurfaced, about to burst out.
"No..."
The governor's face froze.
A realization befell, and his joy vanished.
Rationality returned.
'If Marek retrieved the items from the laboratory, he must know.'
The brows knotted. The face darkened.
THUD!
Suddenly, the door flew open.
A soldier rushed in.
"Governor, the commander summons you immediately!"
He spoke hastily.
'It came to this,'
The governor stood up.
'So be it. As long as I have his failure in my hands, he wouldn't dare announce the contents of the experiments to the entire shelter,'
The governor walked out, leaving Lucian and the servant in the room.
The servant had his eyes glued to the lavish table, almost unable to control himself.
"Get out,"
Lucian's calm voice snapped him out.
"Sir?"
The servant glanced at him.
"GET OUT!"
Lucian roared; the malice and anger came to the surface.
"Yes, yes..."
The servant trembled in fear.
He glanced at the table regretfully, his eyes filled with desire, but he dared not disobey.
The servant ran out of the room.
SLAM!
Lucian slammed the door shut.
Swoosh!
He glared abruptly at the lavish meal.
"You fat pig,"
His teeth gnashed, eyes turned sharp, murderous.
While humans suffered outside, while they couldn't even scrape a piece of rotten bread, the governor ate such a lavish, wasteful meal?
Lucian's breath turned ragged.
His face twisted in anger, hatred.
Memories resurfaced in his mind—memories of his childhood.
...
"Orson!"
A beautiful woman reached for the fat hands of a chubby man.
Tears streamed down her bruised face.
Slap!
A palm descended, landing on her face.
"Aghhhhhhh!"
The woman screamed.
She collapsed on the floor.
Glass shards pierced her palm.
The once-luxurious room around was beyond recognition.
The furniture torn, the table broken, glass shattered on the ground, books all around.
"Cursed is the day I married you!"
The woman cried, spewing hatefully at the man before her.
Orson, the governor, swayed around, his bulging cheeks red.
He was drunk.
"Hicc-hicc..."
In the corner of the room, a young boy hugged his teddy bear close to his heart.
The boy trembled in fear, tears streamed down his face.
"I'll divorce you!"
The woman threatened, crying.
"BITCH!"
Orson grabbed her hair, pulling her up.
"I just slept with another woman!! Don't make a big deal out of it!"
Thud!
He threw her on the ground.
Lumps of hair remained in his fist.
"It's already the third time this month! Just die! I would rather die than live anymore like this!!"
The woman screamed.
"THEN DIE!"
Orson grabbed her hair again.
THUD!
He slammed her beaten face to the floor.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Glass shards pierced her face.
"YOU CAN DIE, BUT YOU CAN'T DIVORCE ME!"
Blood smeared on the floor.
"F-Father..."
The boy trembled in the corner, his voice begging.
"Mother..."
His back slid down the wall, a wet puddle on his pants grew larger. A warm liquid flowed down his leg.
"Please stop it..."
He closed his ears.
"You are my wife! The wife of the governor! You can't smear my reputation! Even if you die, you can't divorce me!"
The governor let go of her and walked out of the room.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
His wife wailed in the room.
Wailed at her miserable fate.
...
"Hufff...huff..."
Sweat drenched Lucian's back.
He leaned on the cold table.
The scent of delicious meals filled the air.
But he held his chest, struggling to breathe.
The screams rang in his mind, fresh as the day he heard them.
A thirst for revenge flashed in his eyes as he remembered those painful memories.
Another set of memories surfaced.
The memory of his mother's death.
The governor wailed.
"Even when she died..."
Lucian gnashed his teeth.
"You cried to put on a facade. To get the sympathy of people! YOU NEVER CARED FOR HER!"
Thud!
He collapsed, hitting the ground.
"Aghhhh....ahhhh!"
Madness overtook him.
"I want you dead!"
Blood flowed from his teeth gums.
"No! Death would be too merciful for you!"
His eyes sharpened.
"I'll take everything you hold dear!"
Murderous intent surged.
"I'll personally strip you of the facade you tried to maintain."
BOOM!
The air around trembled.
Invisible barriers appeared, shaking the surroundings.
"I'll strip you of the very power you so much desire and worship!!"