I Spread my Genes to Level Up in the Apocalypse

"Who sent you here?" Ray glanced at Elsha before turning back to the beaten-up man, his gaze murderous.

The man felt a chill run down his spine the moment Ray glanced at him, as if an instinctual fear had overtaken him.

"Nooo…" he cried out as Ray's fist rapidly enlarged in his vision.

"I'll tell you everything."

He closed his eyes with a terrified expression as the wind blew in his face, almost causing him to wet his pants.

"Then tell me." Ray said lightly, a smile on his face as he loosened his fist and let it fall back to his side.

"If you had taken any longer, I would have killed you."

"Madman," the man muttered under his breath, sweat pouring down his forehead.

"Can you guarantee that I won't be killed if I reveal the information?"

"Did you really think you were useful?" Ray looked at the man with a cold gaze. "In front of me, you're nothing. Even if you don't reveal the information, I can very well get it from you after you die."

"You…"

The man looked at Ray with a look of realisation, his face filled with horror.

"Alright, I'll tell you." With a sigh, the man nodded and quickly narrated the entire scenario.

"So those people ordered you to assassinate me?"

"Yeah, they wouldn't have expected that, though they unanimously sent me on the mission, I was able to find out who they were, planning to blackmail them later. Who knew I'd meet the 'Monster of the Future City.'"

"'Monster of the Future City'? When did that become my name?" Ray muttered, confusion in his eyes.

"It's a term coined for you, and it's going viral."

"Really? Even in the Apocalypse, people still have time to spend on the internet," Ray commented lightly, then looked at the man again with a simple gaze.

"Wait… I can be your subordinate…"

"If you can betray your employer, can't you betray me?" Ray moved instantly, smashing the man's head into smithereens with a single punch.

The body fell to the ground with a sickening thud as blood pooled in the muddy ground.

The poor man might have lived a little longer if he'd kept his mouth shut and played his cards right.

After all, not everyone has the ability to communicate like Kikyo, and without it, how could Ray get the information from a dead man?

"Let's go," Ray said lightly.

"Can I take some people with me?" Elsha bit her lip while hesitating slightly.

Ray casually shrugged. "Sure, it doesn't matter to me. I don't run a charity, but it wouldn't hurt my base to have a few new people."

"Thank you." Elsha bowed politely before quickly running off.

When she reached the hidden room, she could already hear the shouts and cries of people fighting against each other, with the sick and elderly being the main targets.

Elsha's face turned cold as she slowly walked in, her footsteps echoing in the confined space.

The moment she appeared, everyone seemed to freeze.

"Why are you here, Elsha?" one of the men shouted, frowning, his eyes glinting with suspicion.

Before Elsha could respond, a girl came running through the group and hugged her tightly.

"Sis, take me with you," Ana pleaded, clutching Elsha tightly.

"Why do you want to come with me, Ana?" Elsha asked, her expression amused. She had seen Ana around several times, but they had never been particularly close—just exchanged greetings.

Ana put a finger to her lips and whispered, "Shh, it's a secret."

Elsha paused, then nodded with a smile. "Alright."

She walked up to the group, and the people around exchanged glances before turning their weary eyes toward her.

"Don't worry, I'm not here for you," Elsha said lightly. Her gaze shifted to the elderly couple sitting quietly in the corner. "Would you like to follow me?"

The grandma looked at Elsha with a gentle smile. "Okay, dear, I will follow you."

"And you, grandpa?" Elsha asked, turning her gaze to the old man beside her.

"Alright," the grandpa replied with a smile of his own. "You're a good person, Elsha. But if we follow you, we'll only become a burden."

Elsha glanced at the others in the room before returning her smile to the elderly couple. "I don't care about those people."

The grandpa sighed. "Very well, this is the path you've chosen."

With that, Elsha led the grandpa, grandma, and Ana out, all under the watchful eyes of those left behind.

"Wait! You can take the grandparents, but you cannot take Ana!" one of the men shouted suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Elsha asked, narrowing her eyes as a flash of killing intent surged within her.

Gulp!

The man nervously looked at the others for support, and soon enough, a few of them stepped forward.

"He's right—you can't take Ana away."

"These two old folks are already a burden. If you're willing to support them, that's fine, but Ana is strong and able-bodied…"

"We're worried you might die out there with Ana, and she's a capable woman. It's better if she stays with us so we can survive together."

"Yeah, that's right!" Another voice chimed in, and soon the room was filled with agreement, their confidence growing with every word.

Ana moved behind Elsha, her expression tense, her eyes darting warily between the people surrounding them.

"Did you know their intentions before?" Elsha asked quietly, sensing the growing hostility.

"No, but now that I see it…" Ana's voice trembled as she clung to Elsha, tears welling up in her eyes. She was clearly terrified by the realisation of what these people had in mind.

"Looks like you've finally opened your eyes," Elsha said calmly.

"Enough talking. Did you really think I couldn't see through your intentions?"

"What do you mean by that, Elsha?" one of the men shouted angrily, stepping forward.

Elsha met his gaze with an icy stare, her hand moving swiftly to draw a knife. Without a word, she began carving totems into the blade.

"Lightness."

"Sharpness."

"Royalty."

As she finished, the room fell silent, eyes widening in horror as she threw the knife with precision.

In an instant, a gaping hole appeared in the man's head, the blade having pierced through with lethal speed then the knife whizzed through the air, completing its arc before returning to her hand, as sharp and pristine as before.

"Not bad." Elsha nodded her head with a satisfied smile on her face as she walked away with the three people following behind her.

For a moment, the entire room was silent, the only sound being the sickening thud of the man's body hitting the ground. The shock of what had just happened settled over everyone like a heavy fog.

"Let's leave her be." one of the voices said and everyone agreed, only tinged with regret that they couldn't follow an Awakened person.

"Are we going to meet the big boss, Sis Elsha?" Ana asked with a smile, breaking the silence.

"How did you know, you little brat?" Elsha looked at Ana and playfully pinched her cheeks. "You spend too much time on the internet."

"Hehe," Ana giggled, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Is that why you wanted to follow me?" Elsha asked, but there was no disapproval in her tone.

She understood all too well—she had followed Ray for almost the same reason.

Protecting oneself wasn't a bad thing, and if Ana had stayed, her fate could have been far worse.

"Yeah," Ana admitted with a giggle, her attention soon drawn to Ray, who was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. Her gaze filled with fascination as she took in his figure.

"Is that the real Ray?" Ana jerked Elsha's body with excitement.

"Yeah, he's the one and only Ray," Elsha replied, her brows twitching slightly.

Without hesitation, Ana immediately ran over to him. "Hello, Mr. Ray!"

Ray slowly opened his eyes halfway. "Hello, you can just call me Ray."

"Thank you, Ray. My name is Ana, and I'm your biggest fan," Ana said excitedly, her face flushed with fascination.

"I see." Ray nodded with a smile and then glanced behind her. "Are you done, Elsha?"

"Yeah," Elsha nodded.

"Then let's head back. I have some unfinished business I need to take care of," Ray said, his eyes flashed with ruthlessness.

…

"Are you really sure that Ray can be killed by the sniper?" a man asked nervously, his sweat dripping down his back as he paced the room.

"No, he won't," another man replied calmly from his chair, looking bored with droopy eyes.

"Then why did you send a sniper after him? Are you crazy? If the sniper can be tracked, it's over for us."

"It's just a simple warning to him. Even if he's a strong awakener, if we can sway public opinion, we can destroy him," the man said nonchalantly.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Even if it doesn't work, it's worth a try." The man casually shrugged, his shoulders slumped in his chair. "He can't trace it back to us because even the sniper shouldn't know who we are."

"I hope so." The other man gave a deep look before leaving the place.

After he left, the man in the chair's eyes gleamed with a strange light.

"I hope Elyon fulfils his promise. As long as I can get into the big leagues of this city, I can definitely curry favours and gain some influence here," he mused, gazing out at the tall skyscrapers with a hint of fanaticism. "Just like how I controlled this country before the apocalypse."

Suddenly, a loud shout came from outside.

"What happened?" he wondered, looking around in confusion.

Before he could react, his entire world turned black.