CHAPTER 33

"What's going on here, Hexia!?"

I ignored Atlas and was about to chase after that jerk, Helios, but I couldn't because Atlas grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the fitting room. I tried to struggle, but I came back to my senses when I realized I was only wearing my underwear.

"Young lady, I think it would be better if you got dressed first," Atlas said seriously, still holding my arm.

I was still fuming because of what happened. That coward! How dare he just leave when we weren't done fighting! I forcefully pulled Atlas' hand off my arm. I grabbed a dress from the floor and got dressed.

What else could I possibly cover up? Atlas already saw me in my underwear! Damn it! I feel my blood boiling with anger towards Helios. He always runs away like a coward. Is he insane? Such an arrogant man, yet so cowardly. He's lucky I didn't stab him with a piece of broken glass. If I actually stab him, I'll make sure he definitely bleeds out and runs out of blood.

"Helios was here earlier," I complained to Atlas as I turned to face him.

He was holding a large paper bag in his left hand, his brow furrowed in concern.

"We were about to kill each other, but he ran like a coward!" I exclaimed, frustration evident in my voice, as I pointed in the direction Helios had taken. "Cowardly bastard," I muttered under my breath.

I grabbed a long gown hanging nearby. Fortunately, the long gown I had chosen remained undamaged, and thank God because I don't have a plan to find another one. I was too exhausted to continue shopping. I didn't even try to stop Atlas when he took my gown and carried it for me.

"Alright, I understand. Can you please calm down?" he said to me calmly.

"How am I supposed to calm down!" I couldn't help but shout at him. "He's getting on my nerves. I swear to god," my voice trembled slightly as I chuckled bitterly. "The next time I see him, I won't just scratch him. I'll make sure whatever weapon I have will leave a deep mark on him, especially when I used Saf at him," I seethed.

Atlas simply shook his head at my outburst. "Your back is bleeding. Let's go home so Ria can treat your wound."

"I need laser treatment for this. I chose a backless long gown, Atlas. I can't have a scar on my back while wearing something like that," I requested.

He nodded. "Sure. Ria will do the laser treatment for you later when we get to the warehouse—"

"Oh my god! Are you okay, Ms. Hexia?"

Both Atlas and I turned right and saw the saleslady who had assisted us earlier. She covered her mouth and took my hand, leading me out of the fitting room. There was blood scattered on the fitting room floor, and I knew it was from either Helios or me.

"I apologize. Please come out so we can take care of the mess in the fitting room."

Atlas and I exchanged glances. He nodded his head towards the hallway exit of the fitting rooms, indicating that we should leave. I nodded back and followed him. With every step I took, the fabric of my clothes rubbed against my back wounds, causing me to wince.

We sat on a long ottoman, waiting for the saleslady who had assisted us earlier. I sat with my arms crossed, pouting in frustration as we waited. After a few minutes, the saleslady returned to update us on the situation.

"I apologize, Mr. Collazo and Ms. Hexia. We checked the CCTV footage from before the incident in the fitting room, but we couldn't find anything. It seems like our CCTV system malfunctioned. I apologize for the inconvenience. As a token of our apology, we can give you a voucher—"

"No, it's okay. Just put the long gown in the paper bag so we can leave," Atlas interrupted the saleslady and handed her the long gown he was carrying. "I'll talk to your manager later."

"O-okay, Mr. Collazo. I'm so sorry again."

Atlas only nodded in response before we stood up to leave immediately after the long gown was placed in their black paper bag.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

"Care to explain to me what's happening inside the fitting room, and I ended up seeing you just in your underwear?" Atlas asked seriously as he drove back to the warehouse.

I scoffed. My eyes were rolling as I stared out the window while watching the trees that we passed by.

"I just told you what happened earlier," I replied quickly. I sighed as I remembered the incident again. "Helios suddenly entered while I was taking off my clothes because I was going to try on the long gown I chose," I explained seriously, my gaze still fixed outside the car window.

"He's also following me, Atlas. That's my hunch," I turned to him, and he was still looking seriously at the road while driving.

"You might be right, or you might not be."

"I'm right, okay," I replied. "Many people want to know who you are and what you are. Maybe Helios was also sent by his underboss to kill me because you're going to be the next. Both Helios' underboss and him are in faction uno, aren't they?" I asked him as my brow furrowed.

"Yeah," he replied in a low tone.

I sighed and crossed my arms. "Now it's spreading on our website that you're my husband. Are they out of their minds?" I complained, looking out the window. "That damn Helios. He just wants to ruin lives," I muttered to myself.

"Maybe because of those fake news, I'll be the next target to use against you. I wouldn't be surprised if that happens, but they're even better than fake news, huh."

"Just don't mind them—"

The car we were in jerked violently as we heard gunshots followed by what sounded like bullets raining down on us, specifically at the back of the car. Thankfully, our car was bulletproof.

"What's happening!?" I shouted at him, gripping the handle above me. Atlas quickly turned the steering wheel and sped up.

"They followed us," Atlas replied quickly.

"Who?!" I shouted again as whoever was shooting continued to fire at us.

When I didn't get an answer from Atlas, I quickly turned around. A black car was following us, also driving at high speed. I looked back at Atlas, who was seriously driving back to his warehouse.

"I'll help you. Just keep driving back to the warehouse, okay?" I said seriously to him.

"Sure. We're almost at the Rarito," he replied quickly, seeming surprisingly calm.

I nodded and unbuckled my seatbelt. I knew Atlas or Oceanus' cars had secret compartments for their guns. I raised the long seat in the back and found a hidden AK-47 inside. A grin spread across my face as I saw it. I quickly grabbed the rifle and checked the magazine. I attached the magazine to the gun and kicked off my sandals to make it easier to move.

"Be careful, you might not be able to handle the recoil of that," Atlas warned.

"This is easy for me, Atlas. My training would be useless if I couldn't control the recoil of your rifle," I laughed.

I made sure the magazine was securely attached. The familiar sound of the rifle being cocked filled the car. I tossed the extra magazine I'd grabbed from their stash onto the dashboard so I could easily reach it if I needed to reload. When I was sure everything was okay, I fastened my seatbelt again and double-checked the lock to make sure it was secure.

"That's not my rifle, Hexia. It's Oceanus' rifle."

I rolled my eyes and buckled my seatbelt back on. "Whatever."

"Just drive, and I'll handle them."

"Okay."

I opened the door and flinched as they fired a barrage of bullets at the open door. The door was destroyed by the force of the gunfire. I froze for a moment and looked at Atlas.

"Shit. We're screwed. This car belongs to Oceanus, right?"

"Yeah. Don't worry, he can buy a new one."

I couldn't help but laugh at his words. When I couldn't hear the continuous gunfire anymore, I leaned halfway out of the car, only up to my waist. I wouldn't fall out entirely because I was wearing a seatbelt. When my position seemed precarious, I shifted a bit more until my thighs were exposed.

I aimed the AK-47 I was holding at their car and fired continuously. My lips curled up in a smirk when I saw the bullets penetrate the car.

Who would be stupid enough to attack us without a bulletproof vehicle?

"This is going to be easy," I muttered to myself.

I aimed the rifle at their tires, but they managed to dodge just before I pulled the trigger. I wasted a lot of time, but some hit the front of their car. I saw a guy pop out of the sunroof and point his gun at me.

I was too stunned to react at first, but I felt Atlas grab my arm and pull me back inside. Just then, our opponent fired. My heart raced as I gripped my gun tightly. Atlas and I ducked as the backseat window shattered.

I don't know why, but I felt a thrill of excitement as I heard the continuous gunfire. I was envious. Why didn't Atlas have a gun like that?!

"I want that," I panted, barely catching my breath, as I turned to Atlas. He calmly swapped out the empty magazine in the gun I was holding.

"You want what?" he asked, his brow furrowing as he drove, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

"Their gun. I want one like theirs. What kind of gun is that? It's a machine gun, right? Where can I get one?" I said, a grin spreading across my face despite the adrenaline coursing through me.

"That's an M249. Don't worry, I'll get you one. I'll talk to Oceanus after this. Maybe he knows someone who can get us the gun that you want right away," he replied, glancing at me briefly.

I nodded, the grin still etched on my face. My senses were overwhelmed, the recent gunfire still sharp. Yet, a dangerous excitement surged within me, fueled by the adrenaline of the chase.

As we passed under the Rarito arch, the shots from our pursuers stopped. I started to reload my gun while smirking. This was my chance. I leaned out of the car, gripping my rifle. I aimed at their vehicle, and adjust my stance for stability as the car sped on.

"Just hit their tires, Hexia," Atlas instructed, his tone steady even as chaos erupted around us.

I gave him a quick nod. "Noted."

I took a deep breath, focused, and aimed carefully at the front tire of their vehicle. I pulled the trigger. The shot rang out, and satisfaction washed over me as their car swerved violently, its tires screeching in protest. For a few seconds, it careened from side to side, the driver struggling to stabilize it.

Then I noticed a man in a black mask leaning out of their car, his machine gun raised toward me. But I was faster. With steady aim, I fired again, the bullet hitting him squarely in the head. His body collapsed back into the car, lifeless, and I barely held back a triumphant grin.

Suddenly, thick clouds of smoke poured out on the side of the road, covering the asphalt in a dense fog as if some dry-ice machine had gone wild. The smoke spread across several meters, and in the middle of it all, a loud, bone-shaking rumble echoed. The road ahead began to rise, lifting like some kind of gate, and had another driveway under it.

"Oceanus, meet us in the underground parking lot. This is an emergency," Atlas said, his tone dead serious as he spoke into his earpiece.

With a determined look, he floored the gas, the car accelerating towards the road that

suddenly lifted in front of us.

"Keep firing, Hexia," he instructed, his voice calm despite the chaos.

"Got it," I replied, bracing myself.

Even with the swirling smoke and limited visibility, I kept my aim steady, firing at any sign of movement from the cars behind us. Bullet after bullet sprayed across the road, holding them off as we approached the entrance to the underground parking lot.

At last, we passed through, descending into the dark, sheltering shadows of the parking structure. I let out a shaky breath, my heart still pounding as I looked back. No one was following us anymore. The passageway grew darker, and the lights from street lamps glowed as we moved farther into Atlas's underground parking lot.

Sweat beaded on my forehead from the adrenaline rush while my heart pounded in my chest. When we reached the end of the road, Atlas parked the car, and Oceanus, looking flustered, was waiting for us.

"Atlas—"

He stopped mid-sentence, his jaw dropping in shock at the sight of his car. The rear window was shattered, the side mirror was missing, the passenger door was gone, and the car was covered in scratches and bullet marks. He walked past us and inspected his car like a madman.

"What did you do!?" he shouted. "You ruined my car!"

"It's not our fault. The people who were following us are the ones who did that," I replied, walking towards him.

I handed him the AK-47 and patted his shoulder.

"I want the M249 machine gun, Oceanus," I said with a grin. "Let's start firing as soon as you get me a machine gun. Atlas has agreed, and you can't refuse."

His eyebrows furrowed as he turned to Atlas before looking back at me.

"Excuse me!? You have no right to order me around right after you ruined my car! I thought you were just buying clothes for Hyperion's birthday party, but what is this!? It looks like you came straight from a war zone!" He was acting like a madman, going hysterical.

"You're overreacting again, Oceanus. It's just a car," Atlas interjected, holding a phone in his hand as we looked at him. "Now find someone who can sell us an M249 that can be delivered here within a week."

Oceanus groaned in frustration and ran his hand through his hair. "We get most of our firearms from Iraq, Atlas. I'll just talk to Theus, maybe he has something ready—"

"Don't. Look elsewhere. Try asking Ismael, maybe he knows someone who has a stock of machine guns."

"This is unfair! You're going to pay for all the damage to my car. I want an exact replacement for whatever was damaged," Oceanus complained. His gaze fell on the rifle I had given him. "And you touched my AK-47!?"

I raised my hand and punched him in the stomach. He winced slightly.

"Asshole! What do you expect us to do? Not shoot them!?" I shouted back. "Thank goodness your car is bulletproof, or both Atlas and I would be dead."

"You're already an evil person, you'll not die easily!" he retorted. "You know you were the first one to use it. I haven't touched it since because it's for emergencies only."

I rolled my eyes and grabbed the paper bag from the backseat. Thankfully, it wasn't damaged. My poor long gown had been through so much before making it back to the warehouse.

"What do you think happened to us earlier? Was it a game? Training? It was obviously an emergency!" I shouted at him again.

"Stop fighting—"

"Hexia!"

I turned around when someone grabbed me and pulled me forward. A strange man stood in front of me, ready to stab me with a pocket knife. Before he could, Oceanus stepped in.

He landed a powerful punch on the man's neck, knocking him unconscious. The man fell to the floor, dropping the knife.

"That's mine, you know," I complained.

"You almost got stabbed, idiot."

"Take him to the torture room while he's unconscious. We might be able to get some information about who ordered them to follow us," Atlas said, walking towards the open elevator.

Oceanus and I nodded and followed him into the elevator. Oceanus carried the unconscious man like a sack of rice.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

I blinked repeatedly as I watched the man who had been following us earlier while we were on the way to Atlas' underground parking lot. We were already here in the torture room, waiting for this guy to answer, but he did not speak.

"I'm getting sleepy," I mumbled to Oceanus and nudge him.

We were both in our pajamas, ready to rest in our rooms, but Atlas called us here. His torture room was designed in all white, with drawers on each side containing various torture tools.

Ria had already treated the wounds on my back when we got to the lobby. She had put a bandage on them because she found some large cuts. I knew I got those from Helios pushing me hard against the full-body mirror in the fitting room. Ria would be doing laser treatment on me tomorrow to remove the scars. As usual, she used a high-tech laser from Pallas.

Of all the torture rooms I've seen, Atlas' torture room was the cleanest. I almost thought he was a clean freak.

"Who's your boss?" Atlas asked the man in front of him seriously.

The man was tied to a metal chair, his body restrained. The gag had been removed from his mouth, and we were waiting for him to speak.

"Do you think I'll just tell you that?" the man laughed.

I walked towards him, my brow furrowed. I stopped in front of him and clenched my fist.

"Oh, what are you going to do, Ms. Hexia? You're lucky I didn't stab you. If I had gone through with it earlier, you'd be dead now," he boasted, smirking at me.

I just smiled and walked to the side, opening a drawer there. I put on brass knuckles on my right hand and returned to the man tied to the metal chair.

"Hexia," I heard Oceanus and Atlas call out to me.

"You think you can scare me with that? You're just a woman—"

He couldn't finish his sentence as I raised my hand and punched him. It hurt more because I was wearing brass knuckles. I saw his blood splatter on the floor from my punch. There was even some of his blood on my brass knuckles.

"You're right. I'm just a woman," I said to him coldly.

The man laughed quietly at what I said. Slowly, he lifted his head, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips, and I was caught off guard by what he did next. My eyes shut instinctively as he spat at me—blood mixed in his spit, some splattering onto my face and the silk pajamas I was wearing.

I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself. I'd just showered, and now it looked like I'd need to wash up again, thanks to him! Disgusting!

"Whore!" he shouted. "You should be grateful I'm tied up, or that wouldn't be all I'd do to you. I guess the rumors were true—that Atlas has a beautiful wife," he laughed mockingly. "Nice choice, Atlas."

I couldn't control my reaction to his words. I reached behind Atlas' waistband and pulled out the pistol. I knew he always carried one wherever he went, and it seemed my instincts were spot on. He didn't try to stop me as I took it. I checked the chamber—it was fully loaded.

"Were you raised by your parents to disrespect women?" I said, my voice cold as I aimed the pistol at his shoulder and pulled the trigger. The deafening gunshot echoed through the torture room, mingling with the man's scream in front of me. Blood burst from his shoulder.

"Or maybe you don't even have parents anymore?"

"Fuck you!" he yelled, writhing in agony.

"You and Oceanus can go back to your room now, Hexia," Atlas ordered.

"No," I shot back, not even glancing at him.

"I'm taking out my anger on him for Helios, Atlas. Until he confesses who his boss is."

"As if I'd tell you—"

"Shut the fuck up! I'm not talking to you!" I shouted at the man tied to the metal chair.

I pressed the muzzle of the pistol against his wounded shoulder, twisting it to increase the pain. He screamed again, struggling against his restraints.

"Who's your boss?"

"I-I won't tell you," he gasped, fighting through the pain.

I scoffed at his defiance. "Fine, I'm easy to talk to."

Turning my back on him, I walked over to Atlas to return the pistol I had taken. But just before handing it over, I swiftly turned back and shot him in the other shoulder and knee. He screamed once more, desperate to escape from the chair.

"You handle this. We're leaving," I told Atlas, stifling a yawn in front of him.

I walk inside the empty restroom and grab a tissue beside the rack after I wash my face. I heard footsteps and glanced back to see Oceanus watching me from just outside the restroom.

"You okay?" he asked.

I nodded quickly. "Yeah, why?"

"Nothing. Just thought I'd ask," he replied with a shrug.

I stepped out and raised an eyebrow at the sight of the lifeless man in the chair. Blood was pouring from his neck, and it looked like Atlas had slit his throat. The floor was soaked with blood, and Atlas' clothes were stained as well.

"Did he say who his boss was?" I asked Atlas as I approached him.

He shook his head, still looking at the dead man in front of us. Then he glanced at Oceanus and motioned for him to take care of the body.

"No. But he did give a clue about which faction his boss belongs to. He was too loyal to reveal a name."

"What faction?" Oceanus asked.

"Faction tres," Atlas answered, turning to look at us, his brow furrowed in deep thought.

"And I don't think this is going to be good."

SHANGPU