My Reborn Apocalypse Begins with a Divorce novel Chapter 229

Chapter 229

Alina quickly said, “Those three are employees at Shane’s company. They get along with him pretty well and often come over to hang out”

Ray chuckled. Ian and the others had clung to Shane’s coattails back in high school. Apparently, graduating and starting work hadn’t changed a thing–they were still planning to serve him loyally for life. Some people really knew how to brown–nose!

“Do you know where each of them lives?” he asked.

Alina paused for a moment, thinking, then gave an address. “Actually, Shane and I have been to all three of their homes, but we only went to some of the others once. Ace’s place, though—we went there often, so I only really remember that one.”

Went there often? But why only Ace’s house?

A guess formed in Ray’s mind, though he kept it to himself.

Opening his map, he checked–coincidentally, Ace’s house wasn’t far from a gas station, and it was one Ray hadn’t been to yet.

He wasn’t about to go out of his way for a trip, since he had been too busy collecting fuel these days. That was priority number

one.

But if Ace’s place was right next to a gas station, taking a detour wasn’t an issue. Of course, today was too late; he’d go tomorrow.

The next morning, Ray got up early. Beyond his daily fuel–collecting task, he planned to swing by Ace’s home.

Whether Ace was alive or not didn’t matter. It was along the way, so he’d check.

After breakfast, he first picked up Shane and Alina from their house. Once they were in the car, he knocked them out and had them sleep in the back seat while he worked.

By 2 PM, he had finished his tasks for the day. Excellent.

He drove into a residential area–modern apartments in a prime location. Before the disasters, second–hand units here went for roughly 5,000 dollars per square meter. Ace could afford this? Hah.

The residential area wasn’t as lifeless as he expected. Ray noticed some windows with people inside, seemingly shocked at the scene below. Of course, he couldn’t see their faces clearly, but he could guess.

Humans are stubbornly resilient!

He parked at Building 7 and poured half a cup of water over each of the two groggy passengers, waking them.

“Huh… did I fall asleep?” they asked, startled. In the end, they decided that maybe the warmth of the car had lulled them into

dozing off.

“This is… Ace’s neighborhood!” Shane suddenly realized.

“Heh, familiar with the area, are we?” Ray said with a grin.

Shane’s expression tensed, then he quickly added, “We’ve been here a few times, so it’s natural to know the place.”

“Oh, only a few times?” Ray drawled.

“Of course, only a few,” Shane replied, glancing at Alina for confirmation.

“Get out,” Ray said casually.

The couple didn’t want to leave the warm car, but they dared not disobey.

+25 Bonus

Thankfully, their thick winter clothes kept them from freezing immediately, though they were still shivering in the cold.

Ray pushed open the building entrance. The elevator, of course, was useless, so they had to climb the stairs.

By the sixth floor, Shane was panting and sweating profusely.

“Shane, you really need to exercise,” Ray joked.

Shane could only roll his eyes. Starving and exhausted, he had no energy for exercise.

Fortunately, Ace’s apartment was on the ninth floor. After climbing three more flights, they arrived.

Ray knocked on the door, hoping Ace was still alive. Otherwise, all this effort would be wasted.

A voice called from inside after a moment. “Who’s there?”

There was caution and a hint of ferocity.

Ray’s eyes lit up. The voice stirred memories. It had to be Ace!

He gestured to Shane to speak. Reluctantly, Shane went to the door.

“It’s me–Shane!”

“Boss!” The voice inside sounded relieved, even a little emotional, as the door opened to reveal… Ace.

Years had passed, but Ace hadn’t changed drastically–just matured. The tall high school boy had become a tall man.

At 1.82 meters and over 200 pounds, he was impressively strong.

“Boss, how did you–how did you get here?” Ace asked, bewildered. Then he slapped his forehead. “The car! Boss, you really went out of your way to get us!” He looked so touched he might cry.

Shane felt awkward. He could barely keep himself safe, let alone save his lackey. Even if the car was his, he’d never have planned to rescue Ace. His own safety came first.

“Come on in, quick!” Ace said, gesturing to Ray and the couple. He didn’t recognize Ray, assuming he was just their driver. Ray didn’t correct him.

Once inside, Ace shut the door, and the cold eased slightly. Outside, temperatures hovered around minus forty; inside, probably around minus ten.

In the living room, two figures were bundled under blankets. One adult woman, mid–twenties, with decent looks and a subtle charm in her eyes; the other, a small boy of three or four–Ace’s wife and son.

Ace’s wife lit up at the sight of Shane, her excitement clear. Ray noticed her reaction, and after glancing at the boy, he couldn’t help a knowing smile.

“Boss, I’ll pack a few things, and we can leave in a bit!” Ace moved toward the back to gather valuables–gold, jewelry, anything of worth.

“No need,” Ray finally spoke. “I didn’t bring them here to rescue you. I came to confirm a suspicion and, of course, to settle an old score with you.”

Ace froze, then studied Ray closely, Seconds later, he exclaimed, “Ray!”