At the same moment, on the top floor of the office tower—
Richard Nelson burst into the restroom and collapsed in front of a toilet, vomiting uncontrollably. His nose and eyes were running, and even strands of blood surfaced in the bile.
It took several minutes before the spasms stopped. Pale and shaken, he leaned back, gasping. For a moment, he thought BioTech had changed its mind and launched a sonic attack on the building.
The lost shipment had belonged to BioTech—high-end fashion made entirely of organic materials, worth millions of dollars.
The courier claimed he had no idea what had happened. All his electronic devices failed at once, and in the blink of an eye, the cargo was gone.
Nelson had traced all his accounts and even implanted a nanotech tracking chip in his body. The data confirmed the courier wasn't lying.
BioTech had said that shipment was a personal gift from their CEO to his wife. They demanded an explanation—immediately.
God knows where that shipment went.
Nelson had spent the entire morning on the brink of a nervous breakdown. He'd been trying everything to find out who the new CEO of BioTech was, so he could offer a personal apology—but turned up absolutely nothing.
The most terrifying part was that, after the higher-ups got wind of the situation, one of them personally called him to warn:
"Do not investigate further."
Nelson had asked in disbelief, "Why? I remember back when I tried to meet with Mr. Fujiwara, you didn't give me any warning like this… Who exactly is this Jiang Lian, that even you seem unwilling to mention his name—"
Before he could finish, the man snapped:
"Who gave you permission to say his name out loud?!"
Nelson froze. "...You're saying we can't even say his name?"
His superior's face flickered across his retinal display.
Nelson had never seen the man scared of anything—
But now? His jaw clenched, cheeks taut, body trembling. That wasn't just anxiety. That was raw fear.
Many media outlets assumed the new CEO, Jiang Lian, was merely a puppet installed by the Araki family—a distraction to keep the public from probing too deeply into the bloody power struggles within mega-corporations.
But if he was just a puppet, why would Nelson's superior—a man who'd never flinched before—look like he'd just heard the name of a monster?
It wasn't reverence. It was more like invoking a cursed legend.
Cold sweat broke out along Nelson's spine. He dared not ask anything more.
A long silence passed before his superior finally said,
"I can't tell you much. But I'll give you one piece of advice.
If you ever see him, run. Run as far as you can. Don't speak to him. Don't try to get close. Don't try to impress him."
"That's the most sincere warning I can give you, for all your years of loyalty."
The call ended.
Nelson, still chilled by his superior's terror-stricken expression, immediately contacted BioTech. He told them Zhou Jiao had just left the building—and that she was the one responsible for the lost shipment.
"Don't waste any more time," he ordered. "Bring her in now."
Meanwhile—
Jiang Lian had finally managed to kiss Zhou Jiao. He didn't want it to end too soon. He fought hard to suppress the urge to suck the saliva from her mouth, contenting himself with gentle, lingering contact—lips on lips, tongue against tongue.
But he wasn't human.
Even after learning restraint, it was difficult to suppress the intense surges of affection and desire surging inside him.
A few seconds later, he was staring deeply into her eyes, and his tongue—beyond his control—elongated ever so slightly, brushing lightly against her throat.
Zhou Jiao: "…"
You've GOT to be kidding me.
With a start, she grabbed his hair and pulled his head away.
"Enough! I've got work to do—you stay right he—"
Before she could finish, the doors burst open.
Dozens of heavily armed soldiers in BioTech uniforms stormed in.
They raised their rifles, sleek and black with blood-red targeting lasers, locking onto both Zhou Jiao and Jiang Lian.
Zhou Jiao froze.
What the hell is going on?
Did BioTech just turn rogue?
One soldier stepped forward and said coldly,
"Zhou Jiao, you are under investigation for endangering corporate property. Come with us."
She looked up at Jiang Lian.
He frowned slightly and stepped in front of her, gripping her wrist and pulling her behind him protectively.
Instantly, all the red targeting lasers shifted—now trained solely on him.
The soldier warned,
"This is a corporate enforcement operation. Stand aside immediately."
Zhou Jiao tilted her head slightly, lightly scratching Jiang Lian's palm with her finger.
She whispered,
"…Aren't you the CEO of BioTech? Why are they trying to arrest me?"
Jiang Lian stared at the soldiers, and behind his glasses, his eyes turned darker and more violent. A bone-chilling aura radiated from him.
The air grew heavy. In the shadows, something grotesque seemed to squirm—whispers of purple-black tendrils crawling just out of sight.
Every soldier blinked dizzily, then shivered in unison.
What… is this?
They looked around at each other.
Why were they suddenly afraid?
Some of them couldn't even hold their rifles properly anymore.
Jiang Lian didn't seem to notice.
What he felt was a deep, boiling rage—
and humiliation.
He had taken control of BioTech only to impress Zhou Jiao.
Now it turned out BioTech couldn't help him win her over—
It was trying to hurt her.
Even he had never dared to pursue her without caution.
How dare they?
The temperature plunged further. A layer of frost began forming on the floor tiles.
The soldiers felt something wet and cold crawl up their legs.
They could all hear the slick, slimy squelch of something crawling beneath them—but when they looked down, there was nothing there.
It was driving them to the edge.
One soldier snapped, raising his gun to fire at Zhou Jiao.
But before he could pull the trigger, Jiang Lian looked at him.
His wrist bent backward at an impossible angle with a horrifying crunch.
"AAAHHHH—AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The man dropped his rifle, collapsed to the floor, screaming in agony.
The others, hardened warriors enhanced through biochemical modifications, had never flinched at violence—until now.
They were terrified by the sound of their own comrade's pain.
Because they understood something.
That man hadn't even touched him.
And yet, he'd snapped his bones like twigs.
How?
What IS he?!
Is he even human?
A moment later, the same unseen force seized all their wrists—
and twisted.
A sickening crack echoed through the room as dozens of arms bent backward, shattered, dislocated, or splintered.
The soldiers fell—screaming, writhing, or paralyzed by fear.
They were no longer combat-ready.
Jiang Lian's eyes still gleamed with murderous intent.
He wasn't finished.
No matter what reason BioTech had for targeting Zhou Jiao, it was unacceptable.
They were just a tool—something he used to win her over.
And now, they had dared to turn that tool against her.
Unforgivable.
They must be eliminated. Completely.
Until now, Jiang Lian had never thought about protecting anyone.
He only knew destruction.
But just now, something had changed.
He realized that the urge to protect was even more overwhelming than the urge to destroy.
What if he hadn't shown up in time?
Would they have taken her?
Would they have hurt her?
He knew Zhou Jiao was calm, clever, strong, and agile—more capable than most humans.
But still…
He couldn't bear the thought of her getting hurt.
And the idea that someone else might touch her—
twist her arms behind her back—
drag her away in a BioTech truck—
It made him violent.
Monstrously violent.
That's when Jiang Lian had an epiphany.
He couldn't force himself on her.
He couldn't cage her.
He couldn't harm her.
But he could eliminate everyone else.
If the world had only two people left—
him and Zhou Jiao—
then she would be his alone.
Jiang Lian lowered his eyes, and behind his golden glasses, a flicker of glee lit up.
It was a brilliant idea.
No more strangers looking at her.
No one to talk to her, touch her, threaten her.
Just the two of them.
Together. Forever.
And with that thought, Jiang Lian began to walk toward the soldiers.
With every step he took, the room grew more distorted—
as if the space itself was infected by something unnatural.
A diseased, creeping madness…
spreading with him at its center.
Sticky, slithering sounds echoed through the air as the floor, walls, and ceiling were overtaken by inexplicable violet-black shadows. They crawled outward, spreading with eerie purpose, engulfing everything in sight. Within seconds, the entire office building had been consumed.
It was a scene straight out of a nightmare.
The soldiers stopped writhing and screaming. A fear that pierced the soul triggered an overwhelming survival instinct—they bolted toward the exit, desperate to escape.
If they didn't run, they would die.
This man—no, this thing—this creature that exuded suffocating pressure, was going to slaughter them all.
The way he looked at them was chilling. As if they were worthless, revolting trash—something to be utterly purged.
"Run!"
Someone shouted. Panic spread like wildfire. Screams and howls of terror rose in waves.
Everyone was fleeing—except for the injured soldiers of BioTech, and the clueless office workers who had no idea what was happening but were swept up by the chaos.
The entire floor was in total disarray.
But Jiang Lian had stopped advancing.
Because—Zhou Jiao had grabbed the hem of his coat.
He froze. Then turned around.
Zhou Jiao frowned slightly. "Come here. I need to ask you something."
Jiang Lian stared at her without moving.
She wanted to save those wretches.
The same wretches who might have touched her, hurt her, captured her.
If he did any of those things, she would no longer allow him to pursue her.
Unfair.
Jiang Lian's gaze locked onto her face, unwavering, as he slowly approached.
The tentacles crawling through the building shifted their attention toward her, casting a cold, sticky, suffocating presence that weighed heavily on her.
As if trying to strip the oxygen from around her.
But Zhou Jiao was used to it.
In fact, she rather liked the way he stared at her.
She enjoyed how much he craved her—how deeply, obsessively fixated he was on her.
She knew it was mutual.
He was obsessed with her.
And she… was addicted to his obsession.
…Who said that wasn't a form of love?
And who could draw a clear line between them?
Their eyes met.
It was as if something in the air was burning—thick and searing—like molten wax melting over her skin.
Only after a few seconds did she realize: it was the heat in Jiang Lian's gaze.
He stood in front of her. When she tried to pull her hand away, he caught her wrist like a serpent snapping down on prey.
"What do you want to ask me?"
Zhou Jiao's eye twitched. "Be honest with me. Where did all those things you gave me come from?"
It wasn't about pleading for those people's lives.
Jiang Lian's expression softened slightly, his terrifying aura fading. "I took them from BioTech."
"How did you take them?"
"There was a transport truck passing by. It had things I wanted. So I took them," Jiang Lian said calmly. "BioTech is my company. Taking their stuff is completely legal. Why?"
He paused, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, then added, "I love you. If you want anything from them, just take it."
Zhou Jiao raised a trembling hand to her forehead, fingers twitching slightly—perhaps moved by his sudden confession.
Jiang Lian immediately forgot all about the massacre. His gaze drifted down, locking onto her lips.
He'd just confessed. According to human social customs, he could kiss her now.
His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, barely restraining the urge. He waited, eyes fixed on her, hoping she would reward him by leaning in for a kiss.
If she did, he could finally let his tongue slip in and—
Zhou Jiao suddenly started laughing.
Jiang Lian: "?"
She laughed harder and harder, until she collapsed against his chest, breathless with mirth.
Jiang Lian wrapped an arm around her waist and shot the writhing tentacles a frigid glare, ordering them to back off.
He looked down at her, bottomless possessiveness in his eyes, baffled by her laughter. "What's so funny?"
It took a while for Zhou Jiao to stop laughing.
Breathless and flushed with amusement, she slowly straightened up and teased, "Do you know why those guys came to arrest me?"
Jiang Lian's expression turned cold. "Why?"
"Because you stole their stuff and gave it to me," Zhou Jiao said, eyes glittering with mischief. "Then my boss pinned the blame on me."
She burst out laughing again.
Jiang Lian: "..."