Page 184 of Everdoll

I tutted and shook my head. “You shouldn’t hate us. We work for the sake of the community. Unlike you.”

“I—”

“What a shameless citizen you are,” I interrupted. “You broke the rules of Mars, as strict as they are. I wonder what they’ll do to you once this circus is over.”

“You have no proof.”

“Crysa isn’t as big as you think. Take me there, and I’ll track down every single soul related to you by blood.”

“And who’s going to judge me?” The woman snapped, rising to her feet in fury. “There is no Martian government anymore!”

Her words didn’t faze me in the slightest; my indifferent facade remained unshaken. “The white soldiers won’t let you live. You know that as well as I do.” Her face twisted in bitter hatred, and I let out a soft chuckle. “Well, it’s not like you can kill me either. If anything happens to me, Raymond will ruin you.”

“What do you want?”

I leaned back with confidence. I hadn’t even played my best cards yet.

“Oh, simple. You’re going to tell me what’s happening.”

Irritation flickered across her face. “I don’t know what’s happening either! Raymond summoned me like I was his servant, promising he’d save my family. That’s all.”

“And I’m telling you I’m going to destroy them. Whose word sounds more like a warning to you?”

She closed her eyes and released a long, weary sigh. “We’re currently on a private spacecraft. The one you see on the screen is another one.”

“So a custom cage was prepared just for me. I’m deeply moved.”

She grimaced at my humor. “We haven’t reached Crysa yet, but returning to Mars right now would be suicide. Acid rain has intensified, and irregular explosions keep occurring.”

“And Raymond is there right now?”

“Krivan and the white soldiers are with him. I think he intends to blow himself up. Otherwise, they never would have agreed to take your friends.”

“Blow… himself?”

“Krivan wants immortality, and umbra is currently alive inside Raymond. But it won’t last long.

I dipped my chin, frowning. “What is the white soldiers’ motive?”

“They want to contain the radiation Raymond is about to release.”

“Oh, great! Everyone wants my man. And I’m here, doing nothing. Thanks to him.” I let out an irritated sound. “I’ll kill you, Raymond.”

I attempted to stand up again, but the heavy chains around my wrists instantly pulled me back to reality. Hearing the harsh screech of metal grinding against metal, Aneta sighed again.

“Raymond will kill me…” she muttered.

“If you don’t unlock these—when they are unlocked, because one day they inevitably will be—I will kill you myself.”

Reaching out, she cupped my wrists and pulled a key from her pocket, grumbling under her breath.

“You were much sweeter as a child.”

As one wrist was freed, I flexed my numb fingers. “You knew me?”

“Of course.”

She unlocked the other shackle and drew back. “Don’t make me forget about Mina. No matter how much he cried, he always repeated the same thing: Mina, Mina, Mina…”