Perched on the rooftop beside the dark-skinned girl, Colin watched the people leaving below and asked, "Do they always pull this kind of stunt?"
The girl nodded. "Yeah. They're habitual offenders around here—whenever they spot someone rich, they kidnap them."
Her tone carried undisguised hatred. A few years ago, she had a warm, modest home. Her father didn't earn much, but it was enough—they were happy. Until the people below destroyed everything.
They once kidnapped someone important, which brought them serious trouble. To escape punishment, they framed her father as the culprit.
Then, to silence him, they killed him.
How could she ever forget such hatred?
But she wasn't strong, nor particularly clever. The only thing she could do was run fast. So she often sabotaged their operations from the shadows.
However, because some of those people were connected with the authorities, she ended up being branded a wanted criminal—forced to hide and survive on the run.
"You should get out of here," the girl said quietly.
Colin, who possessed the ability to read minds, quickly understood her story. Yeah… that must've been rough, he thought to himself.
"Leave? And where are you two planning to go?" a burly man suddenly called out as he approached with two lackeys in tow.
Startled, the girl turned sharply to see the three men closing in with predatory eyes. She straightened and said coldly, "The man beside me is someone powerful. Aren't you afraid of getting wiped out again?"
The man froze. The memory of what had happened last time sent a chill down his spine, and for a moment, he hesitated.
Colin stepped forward—and without warning, slapped him across the face.
The blow rang out like thunder. The man's head buzzed, his vision spun—and when it cleared, Colin was standing before him, smiling. His white teeth gleamed in the dusk—handsome at a glance, but terrifying up close.
"Move," Colin said.
The burly man stepped aside without a word, mind racing for a way out of this.
The girl grabbed Colin's hand. "Come on!" she hissed, pulling him along.
Watching them go, the man's expression darkened. If that big-shot really sides with her… then I'm as good as dead.
Fine then. I'll kill him first, find a scapegoat, same as last time. My life's worthless anyway—if I can take down someone like him, maybe it's worth it.
Just as he was about to signal his men, the girl hurled a bottle.
"BOOM!"
The bottle exploded, releasing a thick red smoke that enveloped the three men. They coughed and cursed, unable to open their eyes.
"Run!" the girl shouted, dragging Colin as they fled. "Hey—are you really some kind of big shot or what?"
Colin tilted his head and said, "This world belongs to me. I do whatever I want. If someone annoys me, I erase them from existence."
Given his abilities, it wasn't an exaggeration. Even someone like Clark—he had countless ways to make him vanish from this planet. After all, Clark had weaknesses. Colin didn't.
"Hehehe," the girl giggled, thinking he was joking to cheer her up. Honestly, it was a pretty funny line.
Evening.
Colin and the girl sat amid the ruins of an abandoned house. She was preparing food while he watched the sunset.
"Wait a bit longer," she said. "But I'm afraid you might not be used to my cooking."
"It's fine," Colin replied. "Even if it's poison, I can eat it."
It wasn't a joke—he meant it literally. The first time he'd ingested poison, it upset his stomach; the second time, nothing. His body had already developed immunity.
He even remembered injecting snake venom into himself once, only for his body to generate its own antivenom soon after.
His physical adaptability was monstrous. Throw him into a world without oxygen, and within a second, he'd adjust. That was just how his body worked.
"Hahaha, it's not poison," the girl laughed.
Her name was Isis—an optimistic girl with no family, no friends. Even the stray dog she'd adopted had been killed and eaten by others.
What kept her going now was the desire to help people. That was the meaning she'd given her life. She was kind—almost absurdly so. But kindness didn't mean naivety.
Helping others was the only time she felt alive.
Colin stared at the fading sun.
Then Isis approached, holding out a bowl. "Here. Eat."
The potatoes inside were ones she'd scavenged from a market discard pile. The greens were picked from the wild. The wooden spoon—hand-carved by her own effort. She didn't have enough for herself, yet she'd still given him the larger share.
Colin had never met someone like her before. Her kindness rivaled even Clark's.
He took a bite. "Not bad," he said.
"Really? I love it like this," Isis beamed.
Then, without warning, Colin finished everything in the bowl.
"Eh?!" Isis blinked. He ate it all? I didn't even get a bite!
Well, boys did eat a lot, after all. She rubbed her stomach—she hadn't eaten much since morning, and after running all day, she was starving.
Guess I'll have to find something else to eat… maybe I can catch something in the woods?
Her stomach growled softly. She was hungry, tired, and dizzy all at once.
"I'm still not full," Colin said. "Let's go eat again."
"Huh?!"
Moments later, Colin brought Isis to the most luxurious restaurant in the city.
But before they could enter, a waiter stepped forward to block them.
"Sir," he said politely, pointing at a nearby sign, "our establishment requires local attire. If you'd like, I can escort you to the fitting room."
He wasn't being rude—just doing his job.
Colin nodded.
Then a woman in a red dress nearby sneered. "You two didn't… save up for months just to eat here, did you?"
Isis scratched her head sheepishly. "I can't even save money…"
"This place isn't cheap," the woman said, folding her arms. "If you're just here to show off, don't bother."
"Oh my, look at that—two little beggars," another woman in a pale lavender dress said, pinching her nose with disgust and rolling her eyes.
Colin: "…"
Isis: "…"
"Let's just go," Isis murmured.
But Colin's patience had worn thin.
"Step back," he said coldly. "I'm about to start showing off."
Ah… so close.