Apocalypse: Building And Hoarding My Way Through.
Chapter 71: Humans Are Always Humans.

Chapter 71: Humans Are Always Humans.

{You and Kato are both human and monster. You can communicate with each other through a special mental link. This link allows you to converse silently without others being aware.}

Scarlett’s mouth fell open slightly as she read the words, her disbelief mounting. Slowly, she turned her gaze back to Kato. He was smirking again, his predatory confidence unshaken.

"Scarlett, what’s going on?" Garvin pressed, his voice tinged with impatience now. "You’ve just been staring at him without saying anything."

Scarlett shook her head quickly, attempting to compose herself. "It’s nothing, Garvin," she replied, her voice a little too tight. "I’m fine."

Kato chuckled, the sound low and sinister as his voice echoed in her mind. ’You’re not used to the mental link, are you?’ he taunted.

Scarlett’s gaze locked onto his, and she felt a cold shiver travel down her spine. ’How do I control this link?’ she demanded silently, her thoughts a whirlwind of confusion and questions.

’You’ll learn,’ Kato replied, his smirk widening even more. ’It’s simple. Focus on me or hold my gaze, and I’ll hear your thoughts.’

"Scarlett, you’re acting weird," Louise interjected, his tone laced with irritation as he brought her back to reality. He turned his attention to Kato, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "And you, who the hell are you? We’ve never seen you among the survivors before. Have you been in this prison the entire time we’ve been clearing it?" His hand shifted on the grip of his gun, ready for any sudden movement.

Kato turned to Louise with a disarming smile that didn’t quite reach his cold, calculating eyes. "I’ve been here all along," he said smoothly. "Nice to meet you, by the way. I’m Kato."

"He looks scary," Maya whispered to Larry, her trembling hands clutching his arm tightly.

"And why didn’t you come out before now?" Larry questioned, his voice sharp and suspicious. "You expect us to believe you’ve been surviving here alone? Without food, water, or anything else? That doesn’t add up."

Kato’s smile deepened, his expression both amused and menacing. Slowly, he raised a hand, and before their eyes, a tin of sardines materialized, shimmering into existence as if summoned from thin air.

Gasps erupted from the group, and the survivors, excluding Scarlett and her companions, stared in disbelief.

"He has powers too!" they chorused, their voices a mix of awe and fear.

Larry’s brows furrowed as confusion settled on his face. "How come we weren’t able to sense you?" he asked, his expression puzzled.

’That’s because he’s SS-ranked, while you’re only S-ranked,’ Scarlett replied inwardly, heaving a heavy sigh. The weight of her words hung heavily in her own mind, but she masked her unease.

Kato chuckled softly, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Perhaps you were too tired to notice me," he replied, his expression now serious, though his eyes still glimmered with amusement.

"That’s true, though," Ethan murmured under his breath as he stepped closer to Kato, his curiosity apparent. "Finally, we’ve found someone else with powers like ours. I just hope your goals align with ours."

"And what are your goals?" Kato asked, his tone darkening slightly as his gaze fixed on Ethan’s midsection. "Slaying monsters? Eating fresh flesh and drinking warm blood? The intestines and livers are particularly... satisfying." His eyes seemed to bore through Ethan, as though he could see every organ, the intestines, kidneys, the rhythmic pulse of blood coursing through veins.

"What the heck are you saying. What’s with the obsession for food?" Larry interjected, rolling his eyes at Kato. "Sure, it’s nice to eat well, but that’s hardly a goal."

"You’ll understand the bigger picture when we’re alone," Ethan said, brushing off Kato’s unsettling remark with a warm smile. "I believe everyone with powers should share similar goals, unless, of course, they’re someone like Victor."

Kato gave a slight nod but said nothing.

The middle-aged man, his expression stern, stepped forward, addressing Kato. "And what do you mean by humans will always be humans?" he asked, his voice filled with a mix of frustration and desperation. "Even with your powers, you’re still human. There are four of you with powers now. You can protect us! We won’t agree to you leaving us here. What if you get killed or turn into senseless monsters who can’t control themselves?"

Louise’s temper flared. "Can you just shut it, old man?" he snapped, his voice dripping with anger and frustration. "Whether you like it or not, we’re leaving. Do you even remember how you people hated Scarlett because she was bitten by a monster? And now you want her to stay here and protect you forever? How convenient."

"Whatever you say, we don’t care!" another survivor chimed in, their tone defensive and tinged with panic. "We’re talking about our lives here! There are monsters waiting outside, maybe they’re just biding their time, waiting for you people with powers to leave before attacking us."

Scarlett had been staring at her shoes, tuning out the escalating tension, but she felt Kato’s piercing gaze on her. Slowly, she looked up, her eyes locking with his. His voice echoed in her mind.

’Told you... humans will always be humans. Let’s eat them now as revenge for their selfishness and bad behavior. Aren’t you hungry? Or are you still bent on eating animals? No wonder you couldn’t discover the mind link before, you’ve never tasted human flesh. You’re only able to use it now because of me. Without me, you wouldn’t have unlocked it.’ Kato said inwardly.

’I’m not killing anyone just to be able to access some stupid mind link whenever I want or just to grow in ranks,’ Scarlett replied inwardly, her expression hardening. ’If they don’t want to let us leave, we’ll ignore them and go anyway. They can’t stop us.’

Kato’s smirk faded slightly, his amusement replaced with a glint of challenge. ’Oh, really? Fine. Let’s see how you handle this.’ With that, he broke their mental connection and walked to a chair, sitting down with his arms crossed over his chest, watching the scene unfold.

Scarlett drew in a deep breath and turned to the survivors, her voice firm and resolute. "We’re leaving," she announced. "We can’t stay here forever, and we have a mission to complete."

"You can’t go anywhere. That’s for sure," the middle-aged man growled, stepping closer to Scarlett. His sudden movement was too quick to register, and before anyone could react, he drove a knife into her abdomen.

Scarlett staggered, her eyes widening in shock as pain lanced through her. The man’s voice trembled with both anger and fear. "I know you can regenerate," he said, his hand still gripping the knife, "but take this as proof of how serious I am about you people with powers not abandoning us here."

Gasps erupted from the other survivors, and chaos threatened to break out. Garvin stepped forward, his expression thunderous as he aimed his gun at the man. "You’ve gone too far!" he shouted. "Step back before I shoot."

Scarlett gritted her teeth, her hands instinctively clutching the wound as blood seeped through her fingers. But she straightened, her regenerative powers already kicking in. Her voice was calm, but her eyes blazed with fury. "That was a mistake," she said coldly, her words cutting through the noise.

Kato, still seated, chuckled softly, his gaze fixed on Scarlett. "See?" he said, his voice dripping with mockery. "Humans. Always humans."