Wendy screamed and threw all her weight against the door, desperately trying to force it shut, but the hand wedged between the door and the frame was terrifyingly strong.

The door was pushed open inch by inch. Through the widening gap, she caught sight of half a man’s face.

There was a grin hanging at the corner of his mouth, leisurely and cruel, like a cat toying with a trapped mouse.

"Miss Kale," he drawled with a strange laugh in his voice, "don’t be so eager to close the door."

Shock exploded through Wendy’s chest.

So that uneasy feeling earlier had not been her imagination after all. She had been targeted long ago. And this man even knew her surname.

Who the hell were they?!

An icy chill swept through Wendy’s entire body, cold enough to make her blood freeze. Before she could think further, another set of footsteps echoed from outside. There were more people.

Fuck!

How had she suddenly become someone’s target? Her instincts earlier had been right all along.

Cursing inwardly, Wendy shoved harder against the door with all her strength.

At that moment, another hand grabbed the edge of the door from outside. A cold mocking voice followed.

"Stop struggling, baby girl."

There was no way Wendy could overpower two grown men on her own. The front door was yanked open from outside.

She stumbled backward and crashed onto the entryway floor, staring in terror at the two men standing in the doorway.

"Who are you?!"

"Does that really matter?"

The buzz cut man narrowed his eyes as he slowly looked her over where she sat on the floor. Then he even let out a low whistle.

"You’re kinda cute."

Their lewd gazes crawled over her body, making Wendy feel physically sick, disgusted to the core.

"Enough talking. Let’s just take her back first." The buzz cut man gestured toward his companion.

After confirming Wendy was not carrying any visible weapons, the two men quickly closed in on her.

"Y-you people...who are you? I’ve never done anything to you..." Wendy trembled as she crawled backward, her eyes gradually reddening. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Sweetheart, it’s the apocalypse. Are you still this naive? You don’t have to do anything for others to come after you."

The buzz cut man laughed as though she had just told the world’s funniest joke.

In times like these, they could grab whoever they wanted. What did grudges or innocence matter anymore?

He suddenly lunged forward and grabbed for Wendy’s arm. At that exact moment, a red canister appeared out of nowhere in Wendy’s hand, and a burst of crimson mist sprayed directly into the man’s face.

He was too close to dodge. Almost instantly, a burning pain exploded through his eyes. His nose felt unbearably hot and itchy.

"What the fuck did you do to me, you bitch...Achoo!"

Before he could finish roaring, a violent sneeze interrupted him. Tears and mucus poured uncontrollably down his face like a burst pipe.

There was too much pain. Burning, searing pain.

At that moment, he genuinely wanted to kill her.

What the hell had she used on him?! Just seconds ago, her hands had clearly been empty!

The red mist continued spreading through the air.

His companion was affected as well, though not as badly since he had been standing farther away.

The moment he realized what was happening, he lunged toward Wendy and tried to snatch the red canister from her hand, his expression turning sharply vigilant.

He moved fast. His fingertips even brushed the small red canister in her grip.

But before he could seize it, the canister vanished completely.

The man froze on the spot.

What the hell?

The impossible scene blanked his mind for a split second. Before he could recover, another object appeared out of thin air in Wendy’s hand.

A knife.

The short blade gleamed coldly in the dim apartment. Wendy’s eyes turned icy. Without hesitation, she drove the blade viciously toward the man’s chest.

A wet, tearing sound rang out. The knife pierced straight into flesh. Warm blood burst into the air, splattering across Wendy’s cheek.

The man’s eyes widened in disbelief. He lowered his head slowly and stared at the knife buried in his chest. Then, with a furious roar, he grabbed Wendy’s wrist, ripped the dagger out of his own body, and kicked her hard.

"You bitch! You actually dared to stab me?!"

Blood poured rapidly from his wound. That kick had already used up nearly all the strength he had left.

He collapsed heavily onto the floor, gasping for breath as his face turned deathly pale within seconds.

Wendy was not much better off.

The kick sent her crashing backward into the sharp corner of the shoe cabinet. Pain exploded across her spine, twisting her face in agony.

But this was her only chance to fight back. If she failed now, they would kill her.

Grinding her teeth, Wendy forced herself to endure the pain radiating through her back. She snatched up the bloodstained dagger from the floor and stabbed the man again.

This time, he finally collapsed. His eyes remained wide open, frozen in death.

On the other side, the buzz cut man was still clutching his eyes. It felt as though his eyeballs were about to burst.

The substance Wendy had sprayed was far too intense. The agony had completely consumed his senses, leaving him unable to focus on anything else.

Before he could even begin adjusting to the pain, a heavy force slammed into his chest. Then he, too, dropped to the ground and lost consciousness.

After dealing with both men, Wendy threw aside the bloody dagger, rushed forward, slammed the security door shut, and locked it.

Only after confirming she was safe did she collapse onto the floor, breathing hard.

Thank God...

Thank God she still had her space. If she had not kept pepper spray stored inside, there was no way she could have taken those two down so easily.

Thankfully, they had underestimated her. They never considered her a real threat, and that arrogance had cost them their lives.

It took Wendy several minutes before she finally steadied herself. Then she rose to her feet expressionlessly, stored both corpses inside her space, and pulled out cleaning supplies.

Methodically, she wiped every trace of blood from the floor. By now, she was disturbingly practiced at it.

Thanks to killing members of the Kale and Sanders families before, she already had experience dealing with bodies. Otherwise, today could have ended disastrously for her.

Very soon, the bloodstains were completely cleaned. Nothing looked out of place anymore.

Calm and unhurried, Wendy returned to her apartment as though nothing had happened.

Not long after she got home, footsteps echoed through the corridor outside.

Chester and the others had arrived a little too late. They tried contacting the buzz cut man and his partner, but no one answered.

Still, before attacking Wendy, the two men had already informed them which floor she lived on.

Chester arrived on the tenth floor and stopped right outside Wendy’s apartment. He tested the door handle and found it locked from the inside.

The hallway was silent, too. Yet beneath the stillness, Chester caught the faint scent of blood lingering in the air.

His eyes darkened. He already knew what had happened.