Chapter 194: Chapter 189: Desire is the Source of Chaos

"You bastards! Get out of my house!"

The lean young boy, like a cornered beast, held a long crowbar and roared viciously at the "unwelcome guests" who had broken into his home.

"Or else I’ll make you regret it!"

Behind him, a frail, sickly-looking young girl fearfully clutched the corner of his clothes, her head bowed in silence.

The three intruders were stopped in their tracks by the sudden roar.

Their eyes swept across the meager room, which was so simple it could be taken in at a single glance. An empty stove, a few worn-out stools, and a pile of worthless junk in the corner. The only things of any remote value were the siblings’ old cotton clothes—clean, but clearly washed until they were faded. This was definitely not the place they had imagined they could score a windfall.

The leader, a relatively stocky man with sparse stubble on his chin, frowned and exchanged a look with the other two.

Disappointment and resentment mingled in their eyes.

Just leave like this? It was chaotic outside, and finding another house wouldn’t be easy. Besides, the boy’s stubbornness had stoked a certain twisted desire within them.

Almost subconsciously, their gazes slid past the boy’s tense shoulders and landed on the trembling girl behind him.

Though the girl was young and thin, her loose, old cotton clothes couldn’t completely hide a budding figure, revealing innocent yet alluring curves.

And in the dim light, her large eyes, like those of a startled fawn, and her pale face possessed a fragility that perversely made one want to inflict harm.

The leader hesitated for a moment, his fleshy cheeks bunching up. He suddenly plastered on a "friendly" expression, a stark contrast to his earlier ferocity.

"Hey, kid, take it easy, take it easy!"

He leaned forward slightly and spread his hands in a placating, non-threatening gesture.

"Look at you. You’re not old, but you’ve got quite a temper. Can’t we just talk things out?"

"It’s a mess out there. Me and my boys, we’re just desperate. We’re just looking for some food and supplies to get by. We really don’t want to fight to the death with you. It’s not worth it, right?"

His gaze slid, seemingly unintentionally, over the girl’s slender neck and thin shoulders. His Adam’s apple bobbed almost imperceptibly.

"You’ve seen it for yourself."

The burly man continued in his feigned "heart-to-heart" tone, jerking his chin toward the window.

The faint sounds of crying and things breaking could be heard from outside, and the light of fires flickered through the cracks in the drafty window.

"This town’s in total chaos now. Even if we turn around and leave, can you guarantee the next group that comes along will be as reasonable as us?"

"When that happens, forget about your meager belongings..."

He drew out his words, his gaze once again flicking toward the girl, his meaning clear.

"Your sister... she probably won’t be..."

"You—!"

Aaron’s heart sank, and his palm gripping the crowbar was instantly soaked in a cold sweat.

He could feel his sister, Lina, flinch. A faint whimper was violently suppressed deep in her throat.

"So, you see, kid."

The burly man caught the flicker of hesitation and fear in the boy’s eyes. He was secretly pleased, and the smile on his face became a little more "sincere."

"How about we make a deal? You give us a little something to eat and drink, and maybe some pocket money we can use for trade."

"And we won’t be taking it for free."

He paused, straightening his back and raising his voice slightly.

"We’ll guard your door for you! How about that? A pretty good deal, isn’t it?"

"We’ll stand guard right here at your door. If anyone comes looking for trouble, we’ll fend them off for you! We guarantee no one will dare bother you and your sister again!"

A tall, skinny man with beady, darting eyes and a weaselly face immediately chimed in.

"Yeah, kid, don’t be stupid!"

"We’re being reasonable here. Anyone else would’ve just fucking robbed you already instead of wasting their breath talking to you!"

"Exactly! Exactly!"

The other thug, a short, stocky, bald man with a brutish face, added in a gruff voice. He cracked his knuckles and chuckled maliciously, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Lina and Aaron.

"Think about it. If those hungry wolves outside barge in, you think you can stop them with that scrawny frame of yours?"

"And when your sister falls into their hands... TSK TSK. Her fate won’t be settled with just a few pieces of dry rations!"

"Just listen to your big bro here. You lose a little money, we put in some muscle, and your sister stays safe. What’s not to like?"

The three thugs spoke one after another, constantly mentioning a "deal" and talking of "protection." They sounded like they were earnestly trying to persuade him, but their naked, greedy gazes repeatedly licked over the terrified girl’s face and frail body.

Aaron felt an icy chill shoot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, as if the blood in his veins had frozen solid.

He’d grown up hustling in the Workshop district; what kind of shady characters hadn’t he seen?

He knew damn well that these men wouldn’t be satisfied just by "looking for money."

’Their "protection" is just a ploy to break my resistance with the least effort, and then...’

He didn’t dare think any further.

His sister’s body was trembling even more violently. She could barely stand, leaning her entire weight against his back.

’How could I possibly compromise? How could I give up?’

’Our older brother finally caught the eye of someone important and managed to become a steward in a major merchant guild. We finally have money to treat my sister’s illness, and our family was just about to start a good life... How could I let these thugs destroy the happiness we fought so hard for?’

"Get..."

Aaron’s teeth were grinding, his voice terrifyingly hoarse.

The crowbar in his hand rose slightly again. The muscles in his arm trembled violently with extreme anger and fear, his knuckles white as he gripped the bar, veins bulging on his skin.

"I said... get out! We have nothing! If you don’t leave... I’ll fight you to the death!"

But in the eyes of the three thugs, their minds long twisted by chaos and desire, his bluff was utterly pathetic and weak.

The hypocritical smile vanished from the burly man’s face like a receding tide, replaced by an offended chill and the cruel delight of imminent success.

He no longer hid the sickening greed in his eyes. His gaze was fixed on Lina, as if it had already achieved Penetration through Aaron’s flimsy defense, foreseeing the moment he would taste his "delicious" prize.

"Kid, looks like you’re choosing the hard way."

He stopped wasting words and slowly took a step forward.

The scrawny man and the short, stocky bald one behind him also sneered, spreading out to semi-encircle them as they advanced menacingly into the room.

Every step closer was like stomping on the siblings’ fraying nerves. Surging in those three pairs of eyes was an undisguised, bestial lust and malice, ready to tear away all pretense.

Lina seemed to sense what was coming. She buried her face firmly in her brother’s back, her slender body shaking like a leaf in the wind. She could no longer suppress her whimpers, which escaped her lips in broken, mosquito-faint gasps, like the cries of a dying animal.

The last trace of color drained from Aaron’s lips, leaving them nearly as deathly pale as his sister’s face.

But he still clenched his jaw and spat out with hatred.

"Get! Get ou—!"

Before he could finish, a sudden commotion erupted outside. Then, with a loud CRASH, the wooden door—which the three thugs had already forced open once—was violently thrown from its frame!

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