Apocalypse Queen: My Space, My Rules Chapter 185: The Fall of Black Bear

Just like last time, the missing boats made no sense at all. The people on board had no idea what happened. One moment they were fine; the next they were in the water, and the boat was gone.

Almost all their water transport had been taken. Or maybe "taken" wasn't even the right word. Was it even done by a person?

And their base had been wiped out too.

Black Bear couldn't believe what he was hearing.

It suddenly hit him. Bringing everyone out to attack Celestine Ridge might have been a terrible mistake.

Yes, they had taken over two key facilities there, but the loss was huge.

More than half of his crew was dead. Of the five brothers, only he and Goldilocks were left.

Their boats were gone. Their main base was gone.

Black Bear felt anger and panic twist together inside him. For a moment, he didn't even know what to deal with first.

Goldilocks stepped forward with a plan. "At this point, we've got no boats and no helicopters. We can't move supplies back to the estate anyway. Why not give it up and turn Celestine Ridge into our new base?"

Black Bear thought it over. It made sense.

"Send a message," he said. "Tell the guys over there to grab all the weapons and whatever supplies they can carry. Then come here—now."

They had already taken two key facilities and two of Harvey's villas. They had a new base now.

That was enough. They weren't leaving. They would settle here.

...

Mariella and Chandler fought their way into the central villa. Inside, only a group of terrified women remained.

Their clothes were torn. Their faces were pale, and they shivered all over.

"Where are they?" Mariella raised her gun slightly.

Some women screamed all at once. Chandler fired a shot into the air. The room went quiet again, but they continued to tremble.

"Talk. We don't have much patience," Mariella said coldly.

One woman, braver than the rest, lifted a shaking hand and pointed in a direction.

Mariella moved at once.

But Chandler's eyes shifted to the heavy floor-length curtains nearby. Something felt off. The light behind them wasn't right.

Most people wouldn't notice. But Chandler had been trained for this. His senses were sharp.

He stared at the curtains for a second. Just as he was about to move, a gunshot rang out from the direction Mariella had gone.

He turned instantly. Behind him, the curtain moved.

A gun barrel slid out through a gap.

Bang!

Chandler fired first.

As he turned, he swung his gun under his arm and shot straight at the shadow behind the curtain.

A man with a buzz cut and no shirt fell out from behind it. He hit the ground hard, a bullet hole in his forehead. Blood poured out.

A handgun dropped beside him, bounced once, and rolled to Chandler's feet.

The women screamed again, huddling together. Some were so scared they lost control on the spot.

Chandler ignored them. He picked up the gun and rushed to help Mariella.

Mariella was already locked in close combat with a large man. She held the dagger, which she had taken back from Harvey.

Chandler gave her a quick look, then jumped in.

"Keep him alive," Mariella said.

Chandler pulled a bayonet from his tactical belt. Within seconds, he overwhelmed the man completely.

The buzz-cut man was also shirtless. His steps were unsteady. It was clear he had just been drinking and fooling around.

Chandler knocked him down in a few quick moves. Two slashes—his wrist tendons were cut. Two more—his ankle tendons were severed.

The man collapsed, unable to fight. "Just kill me!" he shouted in despair.

Chandler drove the bayonet into his shoulder, then slowly twisted it.

The blade carved a deep hole inside the flesh. The man screamed again and again.

"You want it quick?" Chandler said coldly. "Then talk."

He pulled the blade out. Before the blood could gush out, Mariella took out a bottle of alcohol from her storage space and poured it straight onto the wound.

The man let out a scream that shook the room. He tried to jerk up, but Chandler stepped on him and forced him back down.

"Talk," Chandler said, voice icy. "Where is Black Bear's armory?"

Mariella shook the half-full bottle in her hand and said calmly, "I can disinfect the wound again if you like."

The man broke. "I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! Just... just kill me after!"

These two were monsters.

He used to torture others for fun. He thought it was a game.

But now the role was switched; he finally understood this game was never fun.