RED AND THE APOCALYPSE
Chapter 60 — The Most Dangerous Person in the Room
The ringleader stopped dead in his tracks.
For several agonizing seconds, he simply stood there, staring at Tokita. The silence stretching across the massive hall felt suffocating, broken only by the faint, rhythmically terrified breathing of his crew.
Slowly, the man took another step forward.
His expression was getting harder to read. The arrogant confidence was still plastered across his features, but beneath it, something fundamental had shifted. A subtle, instinctual alarm was ringing in the back of his mind.
Something was deeply wrong.
He couldn't explain it. His instincts were screaming at him to back away, yet his pride refused to let him submit in front of his people.
Without taking his eyes off Tokita, the ringleader's right hand crept behind his waist.
Click.
The cold metal of a pistol glinted as he drew it from his belt.
The moment the firearm appeared, the heavy atmosphere inside the hall turned icy. He raised it with agonizing slowness, extending his arm until the steel barrel was pressed directly against the center of Tokita's forehead.
Aoi's eyes widened in sudden alarm.
Nezuko's entire body stiffened, her jaw clenching.
Kaito's relaxed posture vanished, his expression instantly shifting to lethal seriousness.
Mira's breath caught in her throat, a choked gasp escaping her lips.
Even Natsuki, despite the burning resentment he harbored for Tokita, stared at the weapon with genuine, sharp concern.
The ringleader was sweating.
A single bead rolled down his temple. His hand trembled—just a faint, microscopic shake, but it was there. He told himself he wasn't afraid of Tokita's physical strength. At least, that was the lie he desperately wanted to believe.
In reality, he was terrified of something he couldn't even comprehend.
"What in the hell are you?" his voice came out quieter than before, stripped of its previous theatrical flair.
Tokita didn't answer.
He simply stared back at the man through the veil of his hair. No trembling. No pleading. No attempt to tilt his head away from the cold steel pressed against his skin.
Nothing.
The ringleader's eyes suddenly flared, emitting a faint, sinister purple glow. His ability activated instantly, his vision searching Tokita's body, hunting for the telltale aura or ripple of supernatural energy.
Nothing.
His eyes weren't deceiving him. Tokita wasn't an ability user.
The ringleader's jaw tightened until his muscles throbbed.
Then what the hell am I feeling?
A moment ago, he had instinctively stepped back from this kid. He had actually felt the sudden, overwhelming urge to turn and run. Now, even with a loaded weapon pressed flush against Tokita's skull, that primal instinct remained unchanged.
Run.
It made no sense. There were six bound captives sitting defenseless on the concrete floor. His own crew—armed to the teeth with rifles, blades, and bats—surrounded them completely. They had the high ground. They had weapons. They had numbers. They held every single advantage in the book.
Yet somehow...
Tokita was, without a shadow of a doubt, the most dangerous person in the entire hall.
Not just to the crew. Not just to the captives.
To everyone.
The suffocating pressure in the room continued to expand.
Aoi couldn't explain it.
Kaito couldn't explain it.
Mira couldn't explain it.
Nezuko couldn't explain it.
Even Natsuki could feel that something was profoundly wrong with the air around them. This pressure wasn't coming from a unleashed ability. It wasn't an invisible barrier or a radiating elemental aura.
It was simply... Tokita.
The ringleader swallowed hard, his throat dry.
Could he be hiding his aura? The thought suddenly surfaced in his mind, striking him like a bucket of ice water. His glowing eyes narrowed sharply.
No.
He immediately rejected the idea, trying to laugh it off in his head. That's impossible. Even among high-level ability users, concealing one's energy signature to this degree is practically unheard of.
And Tokita? He looked like the absolute weakest of the bunch. A sixteen-year-old kid with messy hair, slouching posture, and an annoying fringe covering his face.
There was no way.
"Captain?"
A voice broke the silence. One of the lieutenants stepped forward from the shadows. The man's eyes flickered with a vibrant green light as his own diagnostic ability flared to life. He stared at Tokita for several long seconds, analyzing every fiber of the boy's body.
Then, his face twisted in sheer confusion.
"He's... he's not an ability user," the lieutenant reported, his voice tinged with hesitation.
The ringleader remained dead silent.
The lieutenant pressed on. "That's what my eyes are telling me, Boss. He's completely normal. So why the hell is he talking big and threatening us?"
The ringleader didn't answer. Because he didn't have one to give.
He looked back down at Tokita. The pistol remained locked against the boy's forehead. Tokita still hadn't moved a single millimeter.
The ringleader tightened his grip on the handle until his knuckles turned white.
"Maybe you're just bluffing," he muttered, his voice barely audible. He forced a dry, raspy chuckle. "Yeah... Yeah, that's it."
He raised his voice, desperate to reassert his dominance so his crew could hear him. "Look at him! He's just a brat making empty noise!"
A few scattered, nervous laughs echoed through the hall from the armed men above, but they quickly died out. The ringleader himself wasn't smiling. His eyes remained locked on Tokita's face.
"Let's see how brave you really are when your brains are on the floor."
His finger slowly began to apply pressure to the trigger.
Tokita simply stared straight through him. No flinch. No panic. Not even a blink.
Sweat poured down the ringleader's neck, soaking his collar.
Why isn't he afraid?!
The gun was touching him. At this range, a bullet would shatter his skull before his nervous system could even register the sound. So why... why did pulling the trigger feel like the absolute worst decision he could make in his entire life?
The ringleader stared into the dark space beneath Tokita's bangs. For one terrifying second, his mind forced him to visualize what would happen if he pulled the trigger. He imagined the gunshot. He imagined Tokita's body falling to the floor.
And then, he imagined what came right after.
Darkness. Absolute, endless silence. And Tokita's face being the last thing he ever saw before his own heart stopped beating.
A violent chill shot straight down his spine.
What the fuck is wrong with me?!
He forced his lips into a wicked, desperate sneer. "You'd better watch your mouth, kid," he hissed, pressing the cold barrel harder against the skin. "I could kill you right now and not lose a single night's sleep."
Tokita's stoic expression didn't shift.
"Stop."
The sound of Mira's firm voice broke the stalemate.
The ringleader's eyes snapped toward her.
Mira stared directly at the man, keeping her breathing controlled despite the tremble in her hands. "If you kill him, you lose your leverage. And you already know I can help you."
The ringleader slowly lowered the pistol an inch, tilting his head. "What?"
"You heard me," Mira said, her voice remaining steady as she took control of her fear. "I'm a doctor. I can treat your injuries, perform surgeries, and keep your people alive. If any of your crew are sick, infected, or wounded, I can fix them."
The ringleader stared at her, the gears turning in his head. Then, a slow, predatory grin spread across his face.
"And your ability?"
Mira hesitated for a fraction of a second. "My ability allows me to heal physical trauma directly."
The grin widened, revealing yellowed teeth. "Well, now... isn't that convenient?" He took two heavy steps toward her, leaving Tokita behind. "You're exactly the kind of asset we've been looking for."
Mira kept her lips pressed tightly together, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a response.
Without warning, the ringleader whipped around and raised the pistol again. This time, the barrel was pointed squarely at Nezuko's face.
Nezuko froze, her breath catching as the black sight of the gun aligned with her eyes.
Mira's composure shattered. "What are you doing?!"
The ringleader smirked, looking back at Mira. "You asked what happens if I kill the red-haired kid? Simple. If he steps out of line, I put a bullet through this girl's brain."
Nezuko's eyes widened in horror.
"And if you think about pulling any funny business while treating my men?" The ringleader swept the gun across the rest of the bound group. "I shoot her first," he pointed at Aoi.
"Then her," his barrel shifted to Kaito.
"Then him."
Finally, he brought the gun back around, locking his gaze with Mira. "And then I kill whoever's left, starting with you."
Mira's face drained of all color. She sat entirely paralyzed. The ringleader had found the exact psychological leverage he needed to keep them bound.
Tokita remained motionless, his eyes hidden.
Then—
Natsuki exploded.
"GET THAT FUCKING GUN AWAY FROM MY SISTER!"
The roar echoed off the concrete walls like a cannon shot. The ringleader's head snapped toward him, his eyes flaring with instant rage.
For a split second, nobody moved.
BANG!
A deafening gunshot shattered the air.
"AGGGRHHH!! SHIT!! MOTHERFUCKER!!" Natsuki screamed out in agony.
His body jerked violently against his bindings as the heavy bullet tore straight into his upper thigh.
"AGH!!!"
He collapsed sideways against the frame of the chair, his jaw wide open as he gasped for air. Blood gushed instantly from the entry wound, soaking his pants and pooling onto the cold floor beneath him.
"Natsuki!" Nezuko's voice cracked into a desperate, agonizing panic. She thrashed wildly against her restraints, the wooden chair creaking under the strain. "Natsuki!! Damn it, answer me!!"
Aoi didn't scream, but her face twisted in rage. She bit down on the left side of her lower lip so hard that blood welled up and smeared across her chin, her eyes locked onto Natsuki's writhing body.
"Jesus!! What the actual fuck is wrong with you?! Huh?!" Kaito snapped violently, his veins bulging against his neck as he glared at the ringleader.
Mira was too terrified to form words. She trembled uncontrollably, tears spilling down her cheeks as the stench of gunpowder and fresh blood filled her nostrils.
And Tokita...
Tokita just sat there. Silently. Too silently. His head remained tilted downward, his face completely masked by shadow, not a single sound escaping his throat.
Natsuki, panting heavily as sheer agony radiated through his body, forced his eyes open. He saw the terror on his sister's face, the desperate rage in Aoi and Kaito's eyes. He knew what these monsters were capable of now. He couldn't let them shoot Nezuko. He couldn't let anyone else take a bullet.
Gritting his teeth until his gums bled, Natsuki forced himself to swallow his screams, his chest heaving as he stared blindly at the floor.
The ringleader calmly raised the smoking barrel of the pistol once more.
Slowly, he turned it back toward Tokita.
But as he aimed, his hand was shaking noticeably harder than before. Cold sweat poured freely down the side of his cheek, dripping off his jaw.
He had shot the blonde kid. He had demonstrated his absolute power. That should have made him feel in control. That should have made this easier.
Instead, the suffocating terror clawing at his chest had grown ten times worse.
Pull the trigger.
His index finger rested firmly against the curved metal.
Just pull it. End him.
Tokita looked up slightly, meeting his gaze through the strands of red hair.
Still nothing. No fear. No anger. Just that same cold, eerie, immovable stare.
The ringleader's breathing turned into shallow, heavy gasps.
Why can't I do it?!
Deep down, he already knew the answer. Every survival instinct hardwired into his DNA was screaming a dire warning: The absolute second that bullet leaves the barrel... everything changes. And there will be no surviving what comes next.
Tokita didn't need to shout threats. He didn't need to move an inch. He didn't even need to reveal a flash of power.
The ringleader simply knew.
Don't do it.
His jaw tightened so hard his teeth clicked.
Then, forcing a strained, pathetic smile onto his face, he slowly lowered the weapon.
"Listen, listen, listen," he muttered, exhaling a ragged breath as he tucked the pistol back into the waistband behind his back. "Fine."
The crew members looked at their leader in mild confusion.
The ringleader sighed loudly, running a hand through his hair to hide his trembling fingers. "I get what you're trying to do here."
He pointed an authoritative finger at Mira. "You're going to fix up our wounded. Every single one of them."
Mira remained frozen, silent.
"In exchange, as long as you play nice, none of your little friends get a bullet in the head."
He spun around and barked orders at several female members of his crew standing on the lower walkways. "You women. Step up."
Three heavily armed women walked over immediately.
"Take the girls to the women's dormitory. Lock them in."
Then he turned toward a group of men holding iron bars and rifles. "And take the guys down to the prison section."
The men moved without hesitation.
Aoi's expression hardened into ice as hands grabbed her shoulders.
Kaito glared directly at the men hauling him up, his eyes shifting toward Natsuki.
Natsuki was slipping fast. The blood loss from his leg was taking its toll. His vision was blurring into dark shapes, his ragged breaths turning into shallow gasps as his chin hit his chest.
Tokita's eyes slowly shifted toward the wounded boy.
He absorbed every detail. The torn fabric. The spreading pool of crimson on the floor. The pale, agonizing pain painted across Natsuki's face.
For a brief, fleeting second, a blinding fire of pure rage roared beneath Tokita's calm exterior. He wanted to shatter his restraints. He wanted to tear through every single person in this room, step by step, floor by floor.
But as his eyes locked onto Natsuki's limp body, reality checked him.
Natsuki was critically injured. If a chaotic firefight broke out right now, a stray bullet or the delay in medical attention would kill him before they could ever break out of the building.
Tokita clenched his fists behind his back until his skin nearly tore.
Then, slowly... he released them.
Not now.
He forced his pounding heart to slow down. He forced the lethal intent back into the dark depths of his mind.
Gradually, the crushing, supernatural pressure suffocating the hall began to dissolve.
The ringleader felt the air lighten, and he instinctively took a deep breath, glancing sideways at Tokita. The boy was quiet again, sitting passively as if he were just a helpless kid.
Somehow, that passive silence frightened the ringleader even more.
"Move the bleeding one carefully!" the ringleader shouted, his voice betraying a hint of panic. "Don't let him bleed out before the doc can look at him!"
Two men quickly approached Natsuki, untying his chair and lifting him by his arms. Natsuki tried to kick, to fight back, but the sheer pain overwhelmed his nervous system. His head fell back, his vision going completely dark as he slipped into unconsciousness.
"Take him away!"
The two men dragged Natsuki's limp body toward a dark reinforced doorway. Two other guards grabbed Kaito, shoving him forward, while Aoi was pulled in a different direction.
Mira and Nezuko were forcibly escorted toward a staircase on the opposite side of the hall by the armed women.
Tokita remained where he was, sitting calmly in his chair until the very end.
Ten men surrounded him.
Ten armed guards, yet not a single one of them made a move to grab him first. They hesitated, standing in a cautious circle, waiting for someone else to take the risk.
Finally, the ringleader barked, "Get him up! Move!"
Tokita slowly stood to his feet.
The ten men surrounding him immediately flinched, tightening their grips on their weapons and shrinking their formation around him.
Tokita's gaze swept across the massive, cavernous hall.
There were far too many branching corridors. Too many metal doors. Too many guards stationed on catwalks. The building wasn't just a hideout; it was a sprawling, reinforced maze.
His eyes briefly tracked Nezuko and Mira as they were pushed through a doorway leading toward the upper levels.
Then, he turned his head to look at Aoi and Kaito.
Aoi caught his eye through the crowd. Kaito did as well.
For a split second, none of them said a word. They didn't need to.
Kaito subtly twitched his hand behind his back—a fast, covert sign.
We'll find each other.
Aoi gave the smallest, almost imperceptible nod of her chin.
Soon.
And just like that, the group was shattered.
The women disappeared down the dimly lit upper corridor.
The men were shoved down a concrete stairwell toward the lower levels.
Natsuki was dragged away toward the makeshift infirmary cells.
And Tokita—encircled by ten terrified men holding loaded guns—was led deeper into the dark, winding heart of the maze.
The massive steel doors of the main hall slammed shut behind them with a heavy, echoing CLANG.
For the first time since entering the building, the six survivors were completely separated.
And in the pitch-black silence of the compound, none of them knew what nightmares were waiting for them on the other side.