Chapter 6 – To Kill! sets the scene for a night riddled with tension, secrets, and shifting loyalties. Rajah Muda Saffir, having grown impatient and suspicious of Bududreen’s vague reports, begins to doubt the intentions of his supposed ally. Believing the first mate of the Ithaca might be scheming to keep Virginia for himself, the Rajah prepares for retaliation. Under cover of darkness, he lands on the island with over five hundred armed Dyaks. His plan is clear—take what he believes is owed to him: the chest and the girl. Bududreen, meanwhile, juggles double allegiances while attempting to outmaneuver both the Rajah and his fellow Westerners. His ambition blinds him to the chaos about to erupt.

Simultaneously, von Horn leads Virginia away from her father under the pretense of safety. His intentions are less than noble, colored by obsession and opportunity. Bududreen, signaling to his hidden men, prepares a surprise attack on the camp. With multiple forces moving toward a violent clash, the island becomes a trap waiting to snap shut. Number Thirteen, observing events from a distance, wrestles with his identity and a growing emotional depth. Though created as an experiment, he begins to grasp complex feelings—fear, longing, and guilt. His thoughts turn dark, even contemplating the death of Professor Maxon, the man responsible for his tortured existence. But a greater force begins to surface: conscience.

The storm of conflict reaches its height when Muda Saffir’s Dyaks charge the camp from one side while Bududreen’s traitorous crew approaches from another. The camp’s defenses collapse under the sudden assault. In the midst of this mayhem, Number Thirteen charges into the chaos. His goal isn’t revenge—it’s to protect the innocent. He finds Professor Maxon nearly overpowered and intervenes without hesitation. His strength proves formidable, scattering attackers and rescuing both the Professor and Sing. This selfless act redefines him not as a beast, but as something closer to man.

Virginia, separated in the confusion, evades capture through sheer determination. Her instincts guide her back toward the camp, only to find it aflame with violence. Seeing Number Thirteen battling attackers to defend her father forces her to confront her assumptions about his nature. He, once feared as a soulless creation, stands between life and death with nobility. Professor Maxon, badly shaken but alive, begins to see the unintended consequences of his experiments. What he sought to create in a lab now behaves with more humanity than those born of nature.

Beneath the surface of violence, deeper themes emerge. Von Horn watches the fighting from a distance, unwilling to risk himself yet ready to claim any credit that might arise. His cowardice contrasts starkly with Number Thirteen’s bravery. Meanwhile, Bududreen is captured by Saffir’s men, accused of betrayal and quickly stripped of any power he once held. The circle of treachery closes in on itself, leaving chaos as its only legacy.

Number Thirteen’s role begins to shift from creature to protector, and he embraces it despite the risk. His understanding of right and wrong sharpens, driven not by programming but by choice. These moments show that identity isn’t fixed by origin but shaped by actions and intent. As dawn approaches, the battered survivors count their losses. The camp lies in ruins, the attackers scattered, and trust shattered. Yet within the destruction, something unexpected has grown—hope rooted in transformation.

The events of this chapter strip away illusions. Allegiances are tested, intentions exposed, and characters forced to confront the consequences of their choices. Buried in a jungle of deceit, one figure stands redeemed—not by science, but by heart. The journey of Number Thirteen is no longer just a story of unnatural birth but one of earned humanity. And with that, the island becomes more than a backdrop to adventure—it becomes a proving ground where true character is revealed.