Chapter 265: Invader Part 5
After my passionate time with Mily, I knew I had a few things to settle before the Mayor called me.
First, I headed back to the underground slump—nah, not to shove in everyone’s face that I’m living the high life while they’re still in a place where a bath is a luxury.
Me? I’m way too mature for that.
I came for James. The least I could do for Leon was take care of his last remaining blood relative.
The moment I stepped in, all eyes turned toward me. Whispers ran through the crowd, followed by greetings.
Barn already announced to the whole area that I’d earned the Mayor’s grace—which, in their minds, meant good food, good drinks, a nice place, and a sweet life.
Not that they were entirely wrong.
"LEON MY FRIEND!" Barn came up to me, acting all friendly.
Normally, I would punched him for getting too close now that I’m wearing clean clothes, but I was still riding the high from a good fuck.
"Fetch," I said, tossing a few bean cans. I leaned back and watched them scramble over each other like dogs, claws and teeth everywhere, all for a bland food.
I bet they would revolt the moment they found out Diamond Rest had better food—and even grew its own fruits and vegetables.
No wonder. I even had to sign an NDA before leaving—apparently, nobody was allowed to talk about how grand Diamond Rest really was.
They crowded around, asking what it felt like to live with the Mayor’s blessing. I didn’t want to hurt their feelings too much.
"It’s like life before the world collapsed," I said, leaving it at that and walking away, committing every envious face to memory.
On my way to my old quarters, I noticed a bunch of women trying to flirt—some winked, others tried the classic leg-spread move.
With how dirty they looked, my interest vanished immediately.
Only women with a high enough standing—like Sera—actually looked decent here.
Speaking of which, she came running toward me.
"Leo..."
I walked right past her. That should be enough to shatter any delusions she had about riding my c*ck to boost her own status.
I knew she wasn’t a gold digger before, but in this place, anyone would turn into one if the chance presented itself.
Besides, she already got a fiance. I bet she would blame him too, saying that if he didn’t exist, I would’ve taken her as my wife—which was never going to happen.
I found James at our old spot.
"Pack your things," I said. His eyes widened, then filled with excitement. He hugged me tightly without a word.
"Where... are we going?" he finally asked, a mix of hope and disbelief in his voice.
"You’re coming with me," I said, letting a small smile slip. "From now on, you’ll be living in Paradise."
James grinned, a spark of relief and joy lighting up his face.
But before we could get far, a bunch of scavengers blocked our way.
"Leon, I heard you’ve got the Mayor backing you. How about sharing some goods with us?" a man carrying a large machete called out.
Ah, I remembered him—arrogant, filthy, and really loud.
"Yeah, well, I’m not exactly stingy," I said, smirking. "But I’d rather feed it to pigs than to a human who looks like one."
His jaw twitched. I wasn’t pretending to be weak anymore.
It was time to remind everyone who annoyed me where they stood. This guy had a special spot on my list—James told me he used to bully us.
I didn’t wait for him to speak.
"Fetch," I said, tossing a stick across the dirt floor.
"If you behave, I might even give you a cold beer."
"FUCK YOU!" He snapped and lunged at me.
"Bad choice." With a small sidestep, I dodged his punch and countered with one of my own.
Bang!
His body flew into crates before slamming onto the floor. Blood pooled immediately from his head. He was dead.
"Anyone else feel like attacking me? Maybe it’s time I show you why the Mayor took me in." I rolled my shoulder and cracked my knuckles.
I hate to admit it, but all this apocalyptic setting had definitely messed me up more.
No one answered. They stepped aside.
I gestured for my little brother to follow, and we headed straight for Diamond Rest.
Along the way, he spoke up. "Why did you act like an asshole?"
"With my strength and status, a lot of people will try to leech off me. It’s better to make sure everyone knows I’m not someone to mess with."
He frowned. "I can understand why you killed that bully, but you didn’t have to be a douche to everyone else."
I chuckled lightly, shaking my head. "Everyone else? They weren’t exactly saints either. Down here, you either take respect or you get stepped on."
He didn’t say anything and stayed quiet. I didn’t bother explaining myself further either.
By the time we reached Diamond Rest, his mood had done a complete 180. Whatever had weighed on him before vanished.
"Bro! Bro! What’s that?" he exclaimed, eyes wide as he took in the place.
"That’s an ice cream store? Can we eat one?"
"Ice cream? You mean like the delicious stuff from before?"
I could practically see him salivating.
"Yeah, of course. But first, take a bath and change your clothes. We’re high rollers now, so we need to dress the part."
I took him to one of the clothing stores. The Mayor had given me cash that worked as legal tender here—and enough of it to live comfortably.
Once we were ready, we headed to the ice cream parlor and got him exactly what he wanted.
We even ate at a restaurant, ordering steak that practically drained my budget—but it was fine.
Once I showed the Mayor I’m the strongest here, I could ask for an unlimited supply of money anyway.
’This is the life... finally, this world doesn’t feel so unbearable anymore.’
