The sharp, relentless thuds of fists and boots echoed across the room, blending with Duyen's agonized screams. Even Cai Ying shuddered at the brutality they unleashed on her. She clutched her head, wanting to scream herself.
Wasn't this more than enough already!?
She wanted to tell those towering men to stop, but the words froze in her throat. Something seemed to chain her feet to the ground—cowardice gnawed at her. Was it because she feared they'd turn on her next? Gritting her teeth, Cai Ying backed into the corner, turning her face away, pretending she couldn't see Duyen's existence. But Duyen's screams kept haunting her ears.
Then, suddenly—silence.
Duyen stopped screaming.
Cai Ying cracked her eyes open, sneaking a glance—and froze in shock. Her hand flew up to her mouth. Duyen's once-flawless suit lay wrinkled, soaked in blood. Her entire body was bruised and bleeding, her face... unrecognizable. A mangled mess of flesh, her teeth shattered almost entirely.
"Oh my God…"
Cai Ying clawed at her own hair in horror. Wasn't this just supposed to be a warning? Valko only said they'd "teach her a little lesson." How could they torture her this far? She felt bile rise in her throat, nearly vomiting on the spot. Dropping to the floor, she hugged her stomach, trying to hold herself together.
The men finally stopped, panting, staring down at the wreck they'd created. Jinsung blurted out, shocked,
"Holy shit! That's disgusting!"
"Ew, man. She looks nasty as hell."
Even they couldn't bear to look at her face anymore—even though they were the ones who caused it.
Duyen lay motionless, twisted unnaturally. She didn't look like she was breathing. The men exchanged uneasy glances. Cai Ying's lips trembled.
"She… she's dead?"
Her words made them all tense. None of them wanted to be tied to a murder charge, not over this. But Kai crouched down, pressing his fingers under Duyen's crooked nose.
"She's still breathing."
Relief swept over the group—except Cai Ying. Her dread only grew heavier. She was at her breaking point.
If Duyen was alive, then maybe… maybe it could stop here?
One man wiped the blood from his cheek, glancing at Kai.
"Maybe we should call it quits, Kai. Any more and she's really dead."
"Yeah, maybe," Kai muttered, scratching his head as if weighing dinner options.
"So what now?" another asked.
Kai looked at Duyen's twitching body on the floor, then spoke with chilling nonchalance:
"We've got time. Strip her naked and toss her out on the street."
"What?" Cai Ying could hardly believe her ears.
The men burst into laughter. To them, it was a fantastic idea.
But one of them added, grinning: "Why waste her like that? She's still kinda hot, if you know what I mean."
Jinsung cackled. "Hot? Ten minutes ago, maybe. Now she's uglier than my dog."
The other man shrugged. "Ugly or not—we're not picky."
They reached for their zippers.
Cai Ying's blood ran cold. She had heard them clearly. Were they really about to—?
Kai grimaced, looking disturbed.
"That's disgusting. Just strip her and throw her out. The homeless will get their fill. You don't need to get involved."
But the three men ignored him, closing in on Duyen.
"No…" Cai Ying staggered to her feet, her fear boiling over into fury.
"STOP IT!" she screamed.
Everyone froze. All heads turned toward her. She stood, clutching her stomach, face pale, trembling with nausea, but forcing the words out:
"Isn't it enough already? Valko just wanted you to teach her a lesson. And now… now you're going to do this?"
Kai stared at her quietly, but the others burst out laughing.
"Oh, right. I forgot we had the little princess here with us."
One lewd bastard tore a bloody scrap of fabric from Duyen's ruined vest and tossed it at her. Cai Ying recoiled, gagging at the bloodstained cloth.
"Here, sweetheart. Cover your eyes. And your ears, too—I'm gonna be a little loud."
"Ha! Loud, he says! Disgusting pig," another snorted.
Only Kai's expression softened. "You should leave, Cai Ying. I'm sorry you had to see this."
But she wasn't listening anymore. Her fists clenched. Her voice rose, burning with rage:
"ALL OF YOU! AND THAT BASTARD VALKO! NONE OF YOU DESERVE MINA!"
Her scream silenced the room. Every man froze, laughter dying in their throats.
"I finally understand why Mina keeps her distance from you," Cai Ying spat, laughing bitterly. "Because you really are… nothing but trash!"
Smack!
Kai's hand cracked across her face, knocking her to the floor.
She held her cheek, staring up in disbelief. His cold, terrifying eyes glared down at her.
"You're just some girl from a little soap company. Shut your filthy mouth."
Her eyes widened. He had dragged her family into it—mocking their lower status.
"No one insults me or Valko. Anyone who tries… ends up like her."
He jerked his chin at the men. A signal.
Their target had shifted—from Duyen to Cai Ying.
Tears welled in Cai Ying's eyes. She stumbled back until her spine hit the wall.
"Mina… Mina…" she whispered between sobs.
But Mina wasn't here. Mina was never here for her. That realization shattered her completely. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the end.
A loud crack split the air.
Cai Ying peeked one eye open—and nearly peed herself. Everyone else stared in shock.
"...Duyen."
Duyen was on her feet, swaying, clutching a bloodied baseball bat. One man lay unconscious at her feet.
But the real horror wasn't how she'd stood back up. It was her face.
"Oh my God…"
Her face—had completely healed!
The bruises were gone. Her features were back in place, whole again. Even Kai trembled, pointing at her.
"How… how the hell is this possible?"
Duyen suddenly spat a mouthful of blood against the wall—along with a broken tooth. Yet, disturbingly, a new tooth was already growing in its place with blood, alot of blood.
"I… I don't know what's happening…" she gurgled through the blood. Gripping the bat tighter, she glared at them, then at Cai Ying. Her new teeth sprouted as she forced the words out:
"Don't you dare touch her… Don't touch Dao's friend… or Mina."
The men shuddered. Even Kai and Jinsung exchanged fearful glances.
"What do we do, Kai? She's… terrifying."
Kai barked, voice shaking, "Get her! Take her down!"
The mob surged forward.
But Duyen was faster. Stronger.
The bat swung like a storm, cracking, bending under the force. Men dropped like dominoes. Kai's face paled. How had she become this strong?
"You bitch! You won't walk away from this!" He raised his bat—but screamed instead.
"ARGH! WHAT THE F—!?"
He spun around. Cai Ying had stabbed a small knife deep into his hip. Pain locked up his legs, but fury consumed him. He raised his bat to crush her.
"I'LL KILL YOU TOO!"
"DON'T TOUCH HER!" Duyen roared, charging toward them—
And then the lights went out.
The room plunged into blackness. Chaos erupted.
"What's happening!?"
"Why's it dark!?"
They fumbled blindly, afraid to strike.
In the dark, Duyen's hand found Cai Ying's. She whispered, "Come with me," and pulled her toward the door.
"They're running!"
"Shit, I can't see!"
"Use your phones, idiots!"
A few beams of light flicked on, weak and shaky.
"What the hell…" Kai muttered—
A violent gale tore through the room, toppling everyone like rag dolls. Phones clattered away.
The lights flickered back on.
Kai squinted through the brightness, shoving bodies off him—only to see her.
A woman stood in the doorway.
She was breathtaking. A skintight dress hugged her curves. Long, fiery-red hair curled and shimmered around her face. And her eyes—unnatural, bone-blue—pierced into him with a dazzling smile.
He stammered, "Who… who are you?"
The air thickened with a sickly-sweet perfume. His body locked, frozen. Drool slipped from his lips as his tongue turned to stone. Around him, the others struggled too, paralyzed.
The woman stepped inside, locking the door behind her with eerie elegance.
"You know," she purred, her voice dripping like honey, "I never planned to get my hands dirty with scum like you…"
Kai wanted to speak, but his jaw was numb.
"…But the other day, you dared to touch what you shouldn't. You dared to lay your filthy hands on her."
The floor split open. Nine writhing black tendrils erupted, coiling around the ten men. Lights flickered violently, walls trembling as the room warped in impossible ways.
"She belongs to me. To me alone. TO ME!"
"SHE'S MINE!"
"MINE!"
"M͉̅ͮ͒ͤI̍̅̀̎̊N̺̻̔̆ͅḚͭ̉̇͟!"
Reality itself seemed to shatter and reform, colors bleeding and twisting. The men wailed, but no sound escaped. Kai's flesh burned, melting, reforming, melting again. He screamed inside his head, but his mouth no longer worked.
After a while, it looked like it was over. He could move? His cloudy eyes tried to look around and try to move his limbs.
Wait? Where are my hands?
Legs! Where are my legs!
Kai panicked! He wanted to scream but couldn't. His voice seemed to echo inside his body.
Can't! Can't open...mouth?
Shana stood there stroking her chin. She looked at the "artwork" right in front of her with satisfaction. It was a giant mass of flesh writhing with a living pulse. A pale mass of flesh that showed blood vessels. No mouth, no arms or legs. Just large, round eyes without eyelids. Cloudy and constantly brimming with tears.
"Don't worry. I left your organs intact. Try to conserve your energy. You'll need it."
The lump of meat twitched helplessly.
"Anyway," she whispered sweetly
"welcome to your new home."
---
Meanwhile, Mina, Dao, and their friends raced downstairs. They found Linh frantically beating at a locked door.
"Didn't I tell you to call security!?" Naomi cried.
"I did!" Linh sobbed. "They refused to help! I don't understand why!"
"Valko… it must be him…" Dao muttered.
But Mina shoved past them, pulling out her Royal Garden VIP card. She swiped furiously at the door.
"Shit! Shit! You bastard! You fucking bastard!" she cursed, over and over—rage no one had ever seen in her before.
At last, the lock clicked—only for the door to rattle against a chain.
"Goddammit!"
Mina screamed, ramming her thin shoulders until they bruised. Dao yanked her back and kicked the door twice. The rusted chain snapped.
The door swung open.
And they froze.
The room inside was a nightmare—blood spattered everywhere, teeth scattered like gravel, scraps of Duyen's clothes soaked in red.
But no people.
Not a single soul remained.