"Now, let him go, or I’ll crush his skull. If he dies, I’ll drag another one out and do the sa. Even if you stab Atlas, know that your fate afterward will be far worse than a life sentence for hijacking this plane."
The air inside the airplane grew thick with tension. The man holding Atlas hostage trembled, his lips quivering. He studied Penny and Zoren’s expressions, his heart pounding.
Hostage-taking was only effective when people cared enough to comply. But if no one feared for the hostage’s safety, then this wouldn’t work. It was more like shooting himself in the foot. Still, how could Penny and Zoren risk Atlas’s life so easily?
"You’re... bluffing," the man breathed out with a nervous laugh. "Do you think I’d believe you? Haha! This is not going to work!"
"Huh?" Penny furrowed her brows. "You don’t want to save your friends too? Aren’t you heartless? I bet they’d be disheartened if they heard about this betrayal."
"Shut up!" he barked. "I’m done with your nonsense, bitch! I’m telling you one last ti—"
"What did you just call her?" Atlas’s voice cut through the air, sharp and unwavering. Slowly, he turned his head, his eyes glinting with sothing dark. "What did you just call her?"
The man felt his entire body seize up the mont he locked eyes with Atlas. He still had his blade against Atlas’s neck, but the latter didn’t seem to care anymore.
"Stop moving," the man warned, shifting the knife slightly away. "I’m still holding my knife. If you don’t want to get hurt, then—"
His breath hitched when Atlas grabbed his arm, pulling it closer to his own neck. "Who said I’m afraid of getting hurt?" Atlas taunted, his voice devoid of anything but cold indifference. "I don’t like getting hurt as a preference, as a choice. After all, no sane person would willingly choose pain when other options exist. But that doesn’t an I fear it."
"Go on. Do it. I dare you," Atlas added, his voice and gaze unwavering. "If you have the guts."
For a mont, Atlas and the man locked eyes without a word. If an outsider had witnessed the scene, they might have thought the man was the one being held hostage. After all, he looked far more terrified than Atlas did.
"You..." Cornered, the man gritted his teeth, his ego, pride, and panic fueling his next move. "If you want to die so badly, then I’ll kill you!"
The mont his voice rang out, Penny shouted, "Second Brother!"
The man flinched—just enough for Atlas to tighten his grip on his arm. Atlas had never intended to provoke him into killing him. His real goal was to prevent the man from stabbing him in the first place.
"You—" The man barely had ti to react before he caught movent from the corner of his eye. He turned his head — only to see Hugo already in midair, launching himself off a seat.
For a split second, ti seed to slow.
’What the — Why are these people — They all belong in an asylum!’
That was the man’s last coherent thought before Hugo’s foot connected with his cheek, tilting his jaw with bone-rattling force.
Ti snapped back to normal, and the next thing the man knew, his body was flying away from Atlas. When he crashed into the opposite corner of the cabin, pain exploded through his back. The impact was so intense he couldn’t even scream.
Atlas, on the other hand, had ducked and pulled away just in ti to avoid getting caught in Hugo’s attack. Releasing the man’s arm at the last second, Atlas managed to soften his own landing, though he still hit the floor with a violent thud.
"First Brother!" Hugo was at Atlas’s side in an instant, helping him to sit up. "Shit."
He instinctively pressed a palm to Atlas’s neck, tilting it slightly to check the wound. "It’s not deep. It’s just a shallow cut."
"The knife’s actually pretty blunt." Penny’s voice chid in as she picked up the weapon that had been flung across the cabin. "Tch. Even if he stabbed him with this, I doubt it would have penetrated much."
Irritated, Penny glared at the man writhing on the floor. "That bastard. How dare he beat to killing him—" She took a step forward, ready to deal the finishing blow, but a hand caught her arm.
"That’s enough, Penny," Zoren murmured, shaking his head. "It’s fine, my love."
She frowned but didn’t argue. "Fine."
anwhile, Hugo refocused on Atlas. "How do you feel, First Brother?"
"I’m fine." Atlas touched his neck, checking the blood on his palm. "It stings, but it’s mostly just a scratch."
A small breath of relief escaped Hugo. "I’m sorry I couldn’t save you sooner."
"You did your best. Don’t apologize for that," Atlas reassured him. "Now, help up. I need to disinfect this."
"Okay." Hugo nodded, gripping Atlas’s arm to steady him as he stood. Once Atlas was on his feet, Hugo let go. "I’ll find sothing to clean and wrap that wound."
"Mhm."
With that, Hugo cast Penny and Zoren a glance. His eyes flickered toward the hostage-taker, but he forced himself to resist the urge to inflict further damage. The man was no longer a threat. Instead, Hugo turned to find first aid supplies.
But as they all busied themselves—Hugo searching for dical supplies, Penny batting her lashes at Zoren while he gave her a deadpan look, and Atlas checking his wound—none of them noticed the shift in the air.
A cornered animal always lashes out.
"Ouch..." The man groaned, clutching his stomach despite the fact that his back was what hurt. He lifted his head, catching sight of Hugo turning away and Atlas still distracted. His eyes darted over his head, landing on the ergency exit.
"You..." He gritted his teeth, summoning every ounce of strength he had left.
Fueled by adrenaline, he lunged.
In one swift motion, he grabbed the ergency door and yanked it open. The second it unlatched, he threw himself forward—snagging the hem of Atlas’s shirt in a desperate bid for survival.
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