Harem Legion: Queens of the Apocalypse-Chapter 140 Eighteen Men a Day

Sovereign Vanguard, Female Dormitory, Springvale City.

Since Cliff had enforced the "Female Allocation Policy," the city had erupted in chaos - riots, breakouts, mass escape attempts. The number of female survivors plummeted from over 37,000 to barely 4,000. And the resistance still burned on.

Every night at 3 AM, after the soldiers finished their so-called fun, the dorm’s gate would lock. From 3 to 3:30 AM, the women got their only meal. Wake-up call at 8, breakfast, then forced labor by 8:30.

Life worse than death.

Those not selected by officers ended up serving an average of 18 men daily. In the apocalypse, the men lived each day like it was their last - you could imagine what that meant.

Every day, women fell ill, died from abuse, or took their own lives.

Vanessa Holmes lay on the bed, legs sprawled, eyes empty as she stared at the wall clock.

AM. Noon. 4 PM. 8 PM. Midnight. 2 AM. 3 AM...

Another day survived.

Cry? What for? Crying didn’t help anymore. Laughing might sting less. Her tears had dried long ago.

"Move! All of you, down to the second floor for food! Half an hour to eat, you’ve got one minute to gather! You’re late, I leave you behind!"

A male voice barked from outside.

Another night survived.

Vanessa lay on a narrow double bed. Her beautiful face twisted a little as she forced her legs together. They felt numb, like they belonged to someone else.

"Vanessa..."

A soft voice from the other side of the bed. A woman pushed herself up with an elbow and reached for her arm.

Vanessa turned - mechanically - to face her. Alyssa Star. Used to be a white-collar beauty.

"Please..."

Alyssa’s hand rested on Vanessa’s thigh. "Help me..."

Help?

Vanessa’s dull eyes sparked for a moment. Then Alyssa reached under her pillow - and pulled out a pistol.

A handgun. Left behind by a careless soldier. Alyssa had hidden it, but she didn’t know how to use it. She didn’t even know how to turn off the safety, how to check for ammo.

But Vanessa did. She’d been a cop before the world broke. She’d know.

That’s why Alyssa pleaded - for a way out.

Vanessa felt something stir inside her, and she snatched the gun. Swiftly popped the magazine - Type 92 military pistol, fully loaded. 20 rounds.

"Vanessa, please..."

Alyssa begged again.

A spark lit in Vanessa’s eyes. She gripped her shoulder. "Alyssa, listen. We’re getting out. We’ll eat first, get some strength, then we leave this hell. Together."

"No! I don’t want to! Vanessa, please. I just want to die. Just let me die!" Alyssa wept, shaking her head.

"Fine... I will - "

Suddenly, a rough voice outside cut them off. "Move it! Everyone in there dead already?"

Footsteps stomped closer. Vanessa pushed off the bed, legs trembling. She collapsed back down from the pain.

The door was open.

The soldier reached the doorway and froze - his eyes locked on the pistol in Vanessa’s grip.

"You... you - "The soldier had just reached for his gun, but Vanessa was faster. In one swift move, she grabbed her pillow with her left hand and raised her handgun with her right. "Bang!"

The bullet punched straight through the pillow and hit the soldier’s artery dead-on. His hands flew to his neck, eyes bulging, mouth open in a silent scream. He crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

The place was a 168-square-meter, four-bedroom unit. In the living room, over a dozen worn-out women sat slumped together. Seeing the scene unfold, they instinctively wanted to scream - but their throats were too dry. All they could do was tremble, mouths open, unable to make a sound.

Vanessa’s adrenaline surged. She leapt off the bed and quickly searched the dead soldier, grabbing a handgun, two magazines, and a grenade.

"Don’t scream!"

She rushed into the living room and spoke fast, eyes scanning the women. "Who knows how to use a gun? We’re getting out of here. I’m a cop. Trust me!"

"I can!"

A woman in her thirties raised her hand. She was still relatively new, captured by Cliff’s troops not long ago. Her name was Nora Jett.

"Catch!" Vanessa tossed the gun to her, then turned back to the rest. "Listen up, sisters! You don’t have to be afraid. We’re breaking out. I swear I’ll get us all out of this hell!"

"But... there are so many of them out there. Tens of thousands..." one woman murmured, her voice trembling.

"Then we die together!" Vanessa’s voice rose with steel. "You call this living? This is worse than death!"

"Right! We fight or we die!" Nora shouted. Her spirit was clearly stronger than most.

"Anyone else know how to shoot? Speak up now!" Vanessa pushed.

The women glanced nervously at each other. None stepped forward. One woman shook so hard she collapsed.

Still, deep down, they all knew Vanessa was right - this wasn’t living at all.

"Help her up. We’re heading to the canteen on the second floor. There are usually only four guards down there. That’s our first move."

Vanessa gave quick orders and glanced back to her room. Alyssa stood in the doorway. Her eyes had cleared; she’d made up her mind too.

The dorm was on the sixth floor, the top. Counting Vanessa and Alyssa, there were sixteen of them. Fear in their eyes, the girls started descending. The earlier gunshot hadn’t drawn attention. They reached the second-floor canteen quietly.

At the door, Vanessa whispered, "Stay calm. Breathe. One girl goes first. We’ll move in line."

Each girl had once been forced to attend to eighteen men a day. Shame had long since been stripped away. Inside the canteen, most girls wore nothing. Some clung to blankets to fight the cold, their bodies lifeless as they lined up for food.

No electricity. A single candle flickered near the kitchen. Girls would grab their food blindly and sit wherever they could find space.

Usually, one guard at either end of the canteen, two more fetching groups from floors three through six - four guards in total. The kitchen was run by old women, all over sixty-five.

Vanessa and Nora brought up the rear, both of them as bare as the others. Their hands, gripping guns, stayed hidden behind them as they stepped into the dim room.

To the right, a guard leaned lazily against a wall, puffing smoke. Left corner, another sat messing with a girl, not even aware of the danger closing in.