Kill to evolve: A system that demands blood
Chapter 43: Smacked

Chapter 43: Smacked

Chapter 43

Ronan remained quiet for a while, and everyone stared at him with anticipation, waiting for what he was gonna say next.

He finally spoke, voice flat. "He wants my body."

Karla’s brows furrowed, and Dez let out a laugh. "Is he gay or something?" he joked, but no one paid him any attention. Their focus was locked on Ronan.

"Yeah, keep going," Karla urged, her voice low, wary now.

Ronan’s jaw clenched. "He wants my power. My system. He said I was his vessel. Sick, right?"

Nobody spoke.

"He said it like... it was always supposed to be this way. Like I wasn’t the owner of the System and I was just holding on to it for him."

Karla stepped a bit closer, her expression unreadable. "What does that mean?"

"I don’t know," Ronan said, shaking his head. "But when he looked at me through that glass, it wasn’t like an enemy. It was like a man admiring his future skin."

Dez who had been planning to say something else instantly shut up.

"I felt it," Ronan muttered, eyes cold. "Back when the system first activated. That split-second delay, the weird commands... the way it sometimes felt like something else was thinking with me. I ignored it. Thought it was just part of the interface."

Mila finally spoke, quietly. "You think he embedded himself in the code?"

"I don’t know what to think," Ronan said. "But if he made the system... then maybe this was the goal all along. Groom the perfect host. And when the time comes—" he tapped his temple, "—he moves in."

A long silence.

Then Siena muttered, "We’re not letting that happen."

Karla nodded. "Hell no, we’re not."

"First, we need to get back to Sentinel order, there seems to be something wrong with Ronan’s system." Myles cut in, he’d been listening the whole time. Everyone turned to face him, brows knotted together.

"What do you mean?" Mila asked, clearly confused.

"His system shut down, right Ronan?" Myles asked.

Ronan nodded. "Yeah. Right after he activated the suppression field."

"So, during that time, you couldn’t access anything?" Myles pressed.

"Nothing," Ronan confirmed. "No interface, no commands. Just... silence." Ronan was sure it wasn’t the suppression field that shut it down, it was that man. The boss back then already told me the man could manipulate systems, and right now, he believed it.

"That’s not normal," Myles said grimly, stepping forward. "Systems don’t just shut down unless—unless something with higher access overrides them. Or disables them from the core."

"Wait, higher access?" Dez cut in. "You mean like an admin?"

"More like the original developer," Myles muttered.

Dez ran a hand through his hair. "So wait—if this guy can shut it down just by being near, or looking at him, then what the hell are we even dealing with?"

"We need a secure facility," Myles added. "And fast. Somewhere we can run full diagnostics without interference, it’s been a while since I’ve done this, I hope my skills haven’t gotten rusty."

Myles was system specialist/doctor, so he believed he might be able to restore Ronan’s system back. His system ability allowed him to scan and alter other system, but not control like that man could do.

"I’ll make the call, the helicopter should arrive anytime soon." Mila said, already pulling out her comm.

Ronan exhaled and leaned against the wall, shoulders heavy. The adrenaline had faded, and now that everything was settling down, the pain kicked in. His ribs ached, and there was a nasty cut along his arm that was still bleeding, he didn’t even realize when he had gotten the cut, and without his system to heal him, the wound hurt.

Karla’s eyes narrowed as she walked toward him. "You look like you got hit by a truck," she said flatly.

"I’m fine," Ronan muttered.

"You’re limping."

"Still fine."

"You’re literally bleeding."

"It’s just a scratch—"

Before he could finish, she reached out and smacked him across the back of the head.

"Hey, what the hell?"

"That’s for being stubborn," Karla snapped, then grabbed his wrist and turned it so she could see the wound. "Let me heal you."

"I said I’m good," Ronan tried to pull back, but she held tight. Who the fuck did this woman think she was to grab him so casually.

"You’re not. You’re bleeding all over the floor, and you’ve got half a lung left at this rate."

He glared at her. "Don’t exaggerate, I’m fine, now let go."

Then, to everyone’s surprise, Karla smacked him again—but this time, right on the butt.

A loud smack echoed in the room.

Ronan froze.

Everyone else did too.

"...Did you just spank me?" Ronan asked, his voice halfway between disbelief and horror.

Karla didn’t even flinch. "Yes. Maybe now you’ll stop acting like a tough guy and let me do my job."

Dez choked on a laugh. "Oh my god. Did that actually just happen?"

Mila covered her mouth, trying not to burst out laughing.

Even Siena who always had a cold expression raised her brows. "Well. That’s one way to assert dominance."

Ronan’s face turned red I’m embarrassment. "You could’ve just said something."

"I did say something," Karla said, her hand already glowing with soft green energy. "You didn’t listen."

"You assaulted me."

"I healed you," she said smugly as her ability began sealing the cut on his arm. "And you’re welcome."

Ronan sighed in defeat, letting her work.

Dez leaned toward Mila whispering, "I’m never crossing Karla. Ever."

Mila didn’t even look up. "Smart. She reminds me of my older sister."

Karla finished healing the last of the surface wounds and stepped back, hands on her hips. "There. Now try not to die again until we get you checked properly."

Ronan muttered something under his breath and avoided eye contact with everyone. Imagine getting embarrassed by a woman and being unable to do anything about it.

A low hum cut through the awkward silence that followed, growing louder by the second.

"They’ve come for us," Mila said, glancing out the shattered window toward the distance. Sure enough, the distinct sound of helicopter blades slicing through the air was growing closer.

Moments later, the heavy black Sentinel chopper came into view, descending with precision. The ground shook slightly as it hovered above the clearing, sending a strong gust of wind through the room.

"Everyone ready?" Siena called out.

Ronan shifted with a grunt. "Yeah. More or less."

"Try not to fall out mid-flight," Dez said, walking past him with a grin. "You might get spanked again."

"Keep talking," Ronan warned, "and I’ll shove you out first."

They all moved toward the extraction point as the side hatch of the helicopter opened with a hydraulic hiss. Two masked operatives inside gave a thumbs-up.

Karla helped Ronan climb in, ignoring his glare the entire time. "Don’t act like you didn’t need the help," she muttered.

"I’m fine now, thanks to the unsolicited assault."

"You’re welcome."

Once everyone was inside, the hatch sealed shut and the aircraft rose into the air, slicing away from the ruined facility below.

Inside the chopper, the tension slowly returned. Myles had already pulled out a tablet, syncing it to Ronan’s system, eyes scanning rapidly.

"This isn’t just a bug," he muttered. "Some of these lines look like they’ve been rewritten. This isn’t normal corruption—it’s intentional."

"You can fix it, though... right?" Siena asked from across the cabin.

"I can try," Myles said. "But I’ll need access to the core lab at HQ. This isn’t a quick patch, it’s more than that, and might take a lot of time."

Karla folded her arms. "What happens if you can’t restore it?"

"Then Ronan’s system might not be his anymore," Myles said without looking up.

Silence settled again.

Ronan stared out the side window, his reflection faint against the glass. His jaw clenched.

"I don’t care what that freak thinks he owns," he said finally. "This system is mine." Ronan had just realized it, that he had actually come to accept his system. It had become like a part of him he couldn’t do without, and no matter he had to sacrifice, he was gonna get it back.