Garron Romanov, Viktor's older brother who is 10 years older than him. He was not only the first son, he was also a legitimate heir to the Romanov family. He was different from Viktor in every conceivable way. A son born from a political marriage cant be compared to a mere Chinese Singer.
They had never been close, nor had they really talked much. They live in separate mansions, which only furthered the separation between them.
While Viktor developed a dislike for the general affairs of the family and thus never cared about the family's business, Garron has been part of it for more than 10 years before the apocalypse started. Viktor believes Garron knew everything about the Romanovs matters.
Either way, this older brother of his was never interested in him. So, why the sudden meeting?
The group of Sky Realm fighters confirmed their master only wanted to see Viktor. Thus, Viktor was escorted to another side of the city.
On their short trip, Viktor noticed there was something unusual to them. However, he only understood why right as they arrived at their destination. At first glance, the Sky Realm fighters are reminiscent of Romanov bodyguards, but they seem to be a military force with an insignia on their uniforms.
They passed through the gate and finally arrived in a red brick medieval fortress with 12 towers along its walls, the Novgorod Kremlin.
As Viktor walked in, he saw the old fort that had been turned into a military installation. A crude marking of the Rus Imperial symbol was painted right near the fence.
Viktor walked up the stairs, accompanied by a dozen of Sky Realm stage warriors. He would sometimes see groups of soldiers patrolling the place. Then, he was led to a room at the end of a hall, where a man in his late thirties was sitting on a luxurious swivel chair.
Viktor was a little startled to see his brother in this state. Although only two years had passed since they last saw each other, the man seems to be at least 5 years older. It appears he had been busy in the last two years.
Another thing he noticed is that every time he saw Garron, the latter would always wear a blazer. But this time, he wore a neatly pressed uniform.
The Sky Realm fighters who led him into the room saluted his brother, and Garron did the same to them before they left.
Seeing the confusion in Viktor's expression, the man in front of him decided to explain.
"Why do you look so surprised? The family is part of the government now… You are looking at the Rus Imperial Minister of Defense."
Viktor raised his eyebrows, but he was unable to say anything. Of course what Garron said took him off guard, as the Romanov family mostly preferred to control the government from the shadows. At least, that is how it was before the apocalypse. Seems like something had changed.
"Viktor, have a seat."
Viktor took the chair and sat right in front of the huge, classic wooden table.
The room was full of antique decoration, it felt like more of a palace and less of a military base. A strange feeling hung in the air, as if Garron had something planned, and Viktor didn't like the nagging feeling in the back of his mind.
"What can I do for you, brother?"
Viktor decided to ask what his brother wanted first. He didn't want to be bombarded with questions all of a sudden. But, he couldn't keep the small amount of venom from seeping in with his question.
If the man with the long mustache noticed, he didn't say anything. Garron was silent and regarded him for a bit before saying.
"So, you have now returned. Tell me, what are your plans for the future?"
Viktor was prepared to answer this question, so he gave the most jovial, light-hearted answer he could.
"Me? Future? Hahaha, brother, are you kidding? I have never cared about the future, nor will I ever be."
However, it appears that the brother remained unconvinced, and he was not amused with Viktor's answer. Once again, he decided to ask, this time in a more serious tone.
"Viktor, I don't believe for a second that you have no plans at all."
Now, Viktor was unsure, of what was Garron's intention, and what did he want to do with the information? He decided to play it safe and act like he was still the lazy, carefree illegitimate son of the Romanov family. "No, brother, I really don't have any plans at all."
Garron heaved a sigh in disappointment, and he was about to lecture Viktor. But the phone on the table rang before he could do so.
The brother looked at the caller and calmly answered, "So, it was ready? Good."
Garron then placed the phone back, stood up, and picked up a gun from under the table before putting it in the holster. He looked at Viktor with a serious gaze and said, "Follow me."
Viktor certainly had no way to reject the order. Hence, he followed his brother into another room and out to the field at the back of the fort. From the number of training dummies, target circles, and bullet holes, the field seems to be used for practice.
Viktor was surprised when they arrived next to around a dozen soldiers. Meanwhile, right across them, a group of people was kneeling in front of a red brick wall with their heads covered. From the still bloody wounds and the torn clothes, these people were just being tortured recently.
A shudder traveled down Viktor's back. He has a bad feeling about this.
Garron casually dragged him to the side of the soldier lines and told one of the soldiers there to open all the masks covering the prisoners' face, except for two prisoners kneeling at the end of the row.
There are 10 of them, but Viktor couldn't recognize any. Garron told him to look at the prisoners. They were a mix of people, both men, and women. A quick glance at them told Viktor they were Earth Realms.
From their expressions, it was clear they were terrified.
"They are the members of the yellow jackets, a thug gang. I believe that Olga, their leader, went to give you some trouble last month." Garron said as he gave the prisoners a disgusted glance.
That made Viktor realize, that their yellow jackets looked familiar. It seems that some of them were still wearing the exact same jackets as the ones they wore while they attacked him in the cabin.
All of a sudden, the Djinn, who has been quiet for some time spoke up.
<i can tell. That girl was the one who shot me from distance last time.>
So, a few of them did survive from being chased by the horde of lemmings back then. Now, the rest of the gang seems to have been captured by his brother.
Viktor decided to ask, "So, what are you planning to do with them?"
Garron ignored him, walked towards one of them, and said. "You have been brought here for your crime against the Imperial Family. Hence, all of you are sentenced to death."
Half a dozen men came and took out pistols before they started to shoot the prisoners on the back of their heads one by one.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Viktor only watched and sighed, as he tried to not let his emotions show. He had seen his family do such a thing before, but he will never gotten used to it.
Even though he knows the 'victims' must have done many bad things, he still couldn't help but feel a degree of pity for them.
But, one thing was still amiss. He stared at the two still covered.
"Oh, impatient, aren't you?" Garron asked with his gun still smoking. He stared at the two as well with a slight amusement on his expression. Viktor may not know him, but he knows that Garron's amusement would usually mean something bad is happening.
As they heard the gunshots, the two seemed to be panicking. They struggled against their binds and let out muffled screams of fear.
Two soldiers walked to the two remaining prisoners. They dragged them and pushed them down in front of Viktor and Garron, and soon after, the two bags were torn open. Viktor saw two people he recognized.
One was Captain Patroski, the head bodyguard of the bunker who betrayed him and the other one was Nicko, his tech entrepreneur friend who lived for two years in the bunker with him.
Viktor could understand why Patroski was here, but what about Nicko?
As if Garron heard the unspoken question, he decided to explain, "That man claimed to be your friend, but he sold information about you. Also, he decided to leave and betray you…"
Garron only glanced at them in disgust, before he handed his gun to Viktor and said.
"I want to see if you are worthy to be called my brother. Shoot them."
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