Ethan stood on his balcony, his body leaning against the window. If anything went wrong, he could retreat back into the room instantly.
Tony and his lackeys were lying unconscious on the neighboring balcony. But Ethan couldn't be sure they were really out cold.
What if this was all a trap they set up with Dr. Chloe, trying to lure him into a kill zone?
Maybe the moment he climbed over, they'd jump up and take him down.
To make things worse, there was a ten-inch gap between the balconies. The stainless steel railing was slippery from the snow.
If he attempted to climb over and Chloe gave him a push, he'd fall straight from the 24th floor.
So—
Ethan pointed his gun at the unconscious men on the ground.
"Tie their hands behind their backs with these ropes," he ordered. "And Tony's got a gun on him. Hand that over, too."
Chloe looked at him, exasperated. She hadn't eaten in two days, had only sipped some water, and just dragged ten bodies out to the balcony. She had barely any strength left.
Seeing how cautious Ethan was—unwilling to lend a hand—she bit her cracked lip and snapped, "You're being too paranoid!"
"Caution keeps you alive," Ethan replied flatly. "I won't risk anything."
With a gun pointed at her, Chloe had no choice but to obey.
She picked up the rope and tied the men's hands securely behind their backs. When she found the handgun in Tony's pocket, Ethan immediately aimed his gun at her head.
"Remove the magazine and toss it to me," he instructed.
Chloe looked back at him, biting her lip. "How do I know I can trust you? What if you turn on me after I've done all this?"
"You don't have a choice," Ethan said coldly. "Trusting me is the only shot you've got to survive in this hell."
Chloe hesitated but knew he was right. She couldn't bring herself to cross the line and eat human flesh, which meant she was doomed unless she took this gamble.
She followed his instructions, unloaded the magazine, and threw it to his feet.
Ethan checked it out of the corner of his eye—yep, it was Tony's gun. He nodded.
"Go back inside now."
Chloe carefully returned to the apartment, her heart pounding.
If Tony and the others suddenly woke up, Ethan could retreat indoors—but she'd be a goner.
Still, as Ethan had said, she didn't have a choice.
Once she was back in her room, Ethan stayed put. He didn't step out onto the balcony yet.
He picked up Tony's gun and inspected the clip—three bullets left.
He tossed the weapon into his dimensional storage, then went to the bathroom and grabbed a hose.
Instead of using the gun, he wanted to be quiet—save bullets, avoid attention.
With a loud splash!, water sprayed out from the hose. It arced through the air and soaked the unconscious men.
The shift from the warm indoor air—around 20°C—to the outdoor -70°C created a temperature shock of nearly 100 degrees.
The water hit their bodies, steaming at first, but freezing almost instantly.
From her room, Chloe hugged her arms. Watching people freeze to death like this was brutal.
The freezing water roused the men one by one.
A scrawny guy woke up first, his lips purple from the cold, screaming in terror.
He tried to crawl away, but his hands were tied and the ice made everything too slippery.
Tony Chen awoke too, dazed at first, then realization hit him—he had been drugged!
But now wasn't the time to be angry—his body was being encased in ice, his nerves screaming with pain.
All the men thrashed around, screaming in panic, trying to stand.
But the balcony was crowded, their limbs bound, and the ice robbed them of mobility.
"Ethan Cross!!" Tony shouted when he spotted Ethan spraying them from the adjacent balcony.
The reinforced window behind Ethan slid open slightly. He stepped into view, cold and indifferent.
"You've had your fun," Ethan said. "Now it's time to die."
Tony and his crew had murdered half the people in the building—nearly as many as Ethan had taken out.
If left alive, Tony would eventually come for him.
Ethan didn't gamble with his own survival.
What's safer than a dead enemy?
The men struggled, screamed, begged.
But the ice water seeped into their collars and mouths, freezing their soaked clothes into armor-like shells.
Two minutes later, their bodies stopped moving—limbs twitching, skin purple.
Three minutes in, they went completely still.
Five minutes later, they were frozen solid, ten men fused into one massive slab of ice.
Ethan turned off the hose to save water. In this state, without modern medical equipment, none of them had a chance.
He returned inside and locked the triple-reinforced doors behind him.
Then he called Chloe.
"You passed the test. You can come over now."
In her room, Chloe finally exhaled. She trembled as she answered, "Okay. I'm coming."
She grabbed her medical kit and fled the apartment like she was escaping hell.
Ethan opened the four layers of locks on his door, then stepped back, aiming his pistol toward the entrance.
He glanced at the monitor to confirm Chloe's status.
When everything checked out, he tapped an app on his phone to unlock the final electronic lock.
"You can come in now."
Outside, Chloe's pale hand pushed against the heavy door.
It took all her effort, but as soon as it cracked open, a wave of warm air hit her like an embrace.
Her eyes lit up. She hadn't felt this kind of warmth in so long.
She pushed harder and finally stepped inside.
Inside was paradise.
The icy grip on her body faded rapidly. It was so warm, she almost felt it was too hot.
Wrapped in six layers of winter gear—including two down jackets—Chloe suddenly found herself overheating.
Ignoring the gun Ethan still pointed at her, she frantically began peeling off her clothes.