The Villains Must Win-Chapter 335: Apocalyptic Romance 45

A faint shimmer pulsed from Sasha’s ring—like moonlight rippling on water. The air itself seemed to bend for a heartbeat, and then, out of nowhere, something solid began to take shape in her hand.

Dylan’s eyes widened as a sleek, slender tool materialized between her fingers—a titanium lockpick, glinting under the flickering cell light.

"What the—" Jones’ jaw dropped. "Did that just—did you just pull that out of thin air?!"

Reyes’s mouth fell open. "You’ve got to be kidding me."

Even Dylan—logical, composed Dylan—was momentarily speechless, his scientific brain short-circuiting at the sight.

"That’s... that’s not possible," he whispered, taking a step closer to inspect it.

Sasha only smiled, twirling the lockpick with a practiced flick of her wrist. "Oh, it’s very possible. You just lack imagination. There’s so many things that you still don’t know."

Cloud folded his arms, leaning against the cold concrete wall. "Told you," he said dryly. "You’ll get used to it."

Alvaro grinned, watching the others’ dumbfounded faces. "Don’t worry, everyone reacts like that the first time. It’s her party trick. Cute, isn’t it?"

"Cute?!" Dylan hissed under his breath. "That’s technology I’ve never seen before. Or magic. Or both!"

Sasha crouched by the door, slipping the pick into the lock with practiced ease. "You can analyze it later, Doc," she said, her tone light, confident. "Right now, I’d appreciate it if you focused on keeping quiet while I save our asses."

The soft scrape of metal on metal filled the cell. She worked fast, fingers moving deftly, her expression sharp with focus.

"It must be one of those remarkable magical abilities I used to read about in novels," Jones said, eyes shining as though he were finally living inside one of his beloved stories. "This kind of thing is a really popular genre, you know. Heroes awakening skills, mysterious powers... all that epic stuff. It’s the apocalypse too!"

Reyes snorted. "Well, I want an ability too."

Jones smirked immediately—too quickly—like he had been waiting for the opening. "Oh, sure. Something noble, right? Like the ability to see through girl’s underwear?"

Reyes’s expression deadpanned so hard it could have cracked stone. "Only a pervert like you would think of that."

Jones gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. "I’m offended. Deeply. Emotionally. Spiritually."

"Spiritually my ass," Reyes muttered. "Why would that even be the first thing you think of?"

Before Jones could answer, Reyes stepped closer, lowering his voice as the wind stirred dust around them.

"Besides..." Reyes said, "if I ever awakened an ability, I want something useful. Something that could actually protect people."

Jones blinked—caught off guard by the seriousness. "Protect who?"

Reyes hesitated. His gaze flicked past Jones, toward the others—particularly toward her. And for a moment, something warm, quiet, and painfully obvious flickered in her eyes.

Jones’s lips slowly curled into a knowing grin. "Ahh... so that’s how it is."

Reyes froze. "How what is?"

"So you don’t want an x-ray power." Jones bumped his shoulder lightly. "You want something badass—like a shield skill. Something to keep someone safe." His grin widened, teeth showing. "Someone specific."

Reyes’s ears reddened instantly. "Shut up."

"Aha! I knew it!"

While the two bickered, Dylan crouched beside Sasha, still in disbelief. "Is it—some kind of nanotech? Energy materialization? Dimensional storage?"

Alvaro rolled his eyes. "She calls it her ’Mary Poppins bag of miracles.’ Don’t question it."

Reyes snorted. "I’d marry her if it means I can pull snacks and guns out of nowhere."

Sasha glanced up, smirking. "Sorry, sweetheart. My ring doesn’t come with marriage benefits."

Jones choked back a laugh, whispering, "Looks like she just rejected you."

A sharp click broke the tension. The cell lock gave way with a satisfying sound that echoed down the corridor. Sasha straightened, spinning the pick between her fingers like a magician finishing her act.

"Voilà," she said softly, eyes glinting. "Show’s over. Curtain’s up."

The others blinked, still processing what they just witnessed.

Dylan finally exhaled, muttering under his breath, "You are not human."

Sasha grinned wider. "No one said I was."

She placed a finger to her lips, signaling for silence, and eased the door open with a slow push. Beyond the bars lay a dimly lit hallway—empty for now, but humming faintly with danger.

"Alright, boys and girls," she whispered, voice a low purr. "We’ve got one shot at this. Let’s move before the next patrol comes around. And maybe... try not to scream if I pull out something bigger next time."

Jones gulped audibly. "Bigger? Like what?"

Sasha’s smirk deepened as she tapped the ring once more, a faint hum answering in response. "You’ll see."

And with that final nod, Sasha stepped into the shadows—her entire team trailing behind her, half terrified, half in awe.

Honestly, who wouldn’t be, when she casually pulled out four rifles, three pistols, two armalites, and grenades like she was giving out party favors.

Dylan stared at the pile in disbelief. "Just... how many items do you have in there?"

Sasha adjusted the strap on her bag and shrugged like it was no big deal. "A lot. Enough to last a small militia. And a lot of supplies too, so don’t worry about wasting bullets. Just... be discreet. My stash isn’t infinite."

Dylan narrowed his eyes. "Hold on—if you had all of this... then why did we risk our asses on that raid for medicine supplies?"

Sasha laughed softly, a hint of guilt flashing in her eyes. "Because I didn’t trust you yet. I had no idea if I could reveal this ability to you. You think I’d show a space ring to someone I barely met?"

Dylan looked personally attacked.

"Anyway," Sasha continued briskly, "I’ll explain everything later. First, we need to escape this place before Ben returns."

"So what’s the plan?" Jones asked as they slipped into an empty room—well, empty now because Cloud and Alvaro had taken care of the people inside with terrifying speed.

Sasha grinned as she pulled out a tiny detonator. "We’re creating a diversion, obviously."

Cloud had already planted grenades along the route.

A heartbeat later—

BOOOOOOOM!!!