[Quartz Sandstone Feed Trough x1: Crafting Complete!]
[Congratulations! You have successfully crafted your first livestock tool using the Workbench! New Basic Blueprint unlocked!]
[Blueprint: Basic Livestock Shed] Type: Level 4 Basic Blueprint Description: A fundamental livestock facility. Provides shelter, feeding, and breeding environments for small to medium animals (wild goats, chickens, rabbits, etc.). Simple structure with excellent ventilation and wind resistance. Required Materials: Wooden Planks x50, Hardwood x20, Lime Mortar x10, Hammer x1, Wedge x1.
"There it is!"
Looking at the newly unlocked blueprint, Chuck felt a surge of triumph. His logic was flawless. It seemed the Greenhouse—or whatever advanced cultivation facility lay ahead—was indeed tied to solving the fertilizer problem.
While that specific hurdle remained for another day, the livestock shed was within his grasp. He had most of the materials. If he pushed himself, he could finish it by sundown.
Thinking of Janet's blatant morning flirtation, Chuck felt a familiar heat in his lower belly. He was becoming increasingly desperate to taste those thick, sexy MILF lips. That woman knew exactly how to use her body to manipulate him into getting what she wanted, and Chuck, honestly, didn't mind the trade-off one bit.
Once the time is right, he thought, I'm going to discipline her properly.
Unfortunately, the lime burned by Elena and Kaylee yesterday had run out, leaving a small portion of the mortar unmade. As dusk approached, the shed's progress bar stalled at 80%.
Chuck washed the dirt from his hands at the water tower. Looking at the smoke rising from the newly built chimney on the roof, he shook his head. He wouldn't be able to finish a new batch of lime before dark. What doesn't get done today belongs to tomorrow's me.
While missing out on Janet's reward was a pity, he had other entertainment lined up.
After dinner, Chuck took the portion of taro and dried meat Elena had set aside, along with a jar of water. He stepped into the darkening artificial cave under the orange glow of the setting sun.
Inside, he heard the rhythmic scraping of stone against stone.
Valentina was sitting cross-legged on the floor, her hands and feet still bound by bronze chains. She was using a sharp piece of rock to carve something into the wall. Chuck didn't speak. He set the food down behind her and stood silently, looking at the wall.
The scratches were dense rows of Cyrillic script. Was she writing a diary? Who in their right mind writes a diary?
Sensing his presence, Valentina dropped the stone. With a metallic clatter of chains, the silver-haired Russian rose to her feet. She turned to face him, her green eyes burning with a fierce, renewed fighting spirit.
Chuck smirked, but he didn't move to fight immediately. "Forgotten the rules? We place bets before we start."
"..."
"If you win, I let you go. But if you lose this time..." Chuck held up both hands, spreading all ten fingers. "Ten minutes."
Valentina's eyes widened, her pale fists clenching so hard they shook. "Shameless! You are shameless!"
"Shameless?" Chuck laughed, his eyes turning cold. "If I were shameless, the first time you lost, I would have raped you until you were a husk and thrown your body into the sea."
He had to increase the stakes. Five minutes was barely enough time to get a hand inside her pants. He wanted more. He wanted to see this hardened warrior, despite all her hatred and defiance, forced to submit to his whims because of her own pride. The feeling of breaking such a woman was intoxicating.
"Take it or leave it," Chuck said with a shrug.
Valentina gritted her teeth, her muscular shoulders trembling with rage. But she had no choice. She needed that chance at freedom. She needed to kill this man to wash away her shame.
"I accept."
Chuck's smile widened. He stepped back and beckoned her forward. "Then come."
Two minutes later.
After several exchanges, Valentina thought she found a "weakness." She lunged forward like a wraith.
In truth, her life as a prisoner was physically better than her life as a fugitive. Chuck provided meat, vegetables, and starch. She was well-fed and rested. Her body felt explosive. She moved like a whip—fluid, powerful, and agile despite the chains.
She felt like she could actually win today!
She tightened her core and launched a lightning-fast low sweep at Chuck's legs. She put everything into it, confident it would unbalance him. Then, she'd pin him and beat him until his own mother wouldn't recognize him.
CRACK.
Her leg didn't hit his knee. Instead, it was caught and locked tight by Chuck's powerful arm.
Valentina's heart sank. She saw the mocking grin on his face and let out a roar of fury. "Hah!"
Using her grounded leg to jump and twisting her entire torso with incredible flexibility, she launched a desperation kick toward Chuck's head. It was a beautiful, gymnastic move, but ultimately futile since Chuck already held half her body weight.
Chuck used his free arm to block the kick and then seized her other leg. He tucked both of her white, muscular thighs under his arms, hoisting the 6-foot-tall woman into the air in a compromising, inverted carry.
Valentina's short silver hair dangled toward the floor. Blood rushed to her head as she realized how humiliating she looked. Her face flushed a deep crimson from a mix of vertigo and sheer rage. She flexed her defined abs, swinging her torso up to headbutt Chuck square in the face.
Chuck didn't flinch. He met her head-on.
THUD.
The sound was identical to yesterday. The bruise on Valentina's forehead, which hadn't even begun to fade, took another direct hit.
Her vision went black. Her body went limp like a marionette with cut strings. Chuck dumped her onto the fur rug like a bag of trash. He leaned against the cave wall, rubbing a faint red mark on his forehead.
"What is it with you and the headbutts?" he chuckled.
He had found a pattern. He couldn't match her for technical skill or agility, but he didn't need to. He just had to bait her, trade a minor blow for a solid grab, and once he had his hands on her... the game was over.
Valentina groaned, stars still dancing in her eyes as she struggled to sit up. Seeing Chuck leaning casually against the wall, the weight of her third defeat crushed her.
"Damn you! DAMN YOU!!" She pounded her fists against the ground.
As a woman, she had never felt inferior to men. She had survived longer than them on the battlefield. She had killed them. But for the first time, the thought "I can't win" flickered in her mind.
She immediately shoved it away. No. I can win.
The "trade-blows-to-grapple" tactic seemed invincible, but there was a way to break it. She just needed to stop reacting and start predicting. Her eyes filled with a stubborn, frantic light.
Next time... next time for sure!
She glared at him. "Again!"
Chuck's smile turned dark and meaningful. Most people would have broken by now, but her defiance was delicious. The more she resisted, the better the conquest would feel. He was tempted to go another round, but he couldn't break the rhythm of his "training."
"No." He pulled out his phone, set the timer to 10:00, and held the glowing screen in front of her face.
Seeing that cold number '10', Valentina's fighting spirit vanished, replaced by a suffocating sense of dread and humiliation. She knew what was coming. The doubling of the time meant his "exploration" would be twice as invasive.
She could have chosen death, but her pride and her desire for revenge forced her to accept this disgusting gamble. She had endured countless agonizing "ten minutes" on the battlefield. This was no different.
Without a word, she lay flat on the rug and closed her eyes, her face as pale as a corpse. Her athletic, leopard-like body was spread out before him, every curve a testament to her strength.
Chuck pressed the start button, set the phone down, and knelt between her legs. He reached out and grabbed her ankles, which were still linked by the bronze chains.