Chapter 390: When did you wake up?
Not a sub-female?
Yuel’s gaze shifted to the male kneeling at his feet.
The man’s clothes hung in disarray. Pale skin that should have been unblemished was marred by dark bruises and finger-shaped marks. His eyes were swollen and red from crying, and he bit down so hard on his lower lip that it had nearly drawn blood.
Even so, he continued glaring at Layton.
His entire body trembled violently from fear, humiliation, and helpless rage.
Layton’s expression changed instantly.
A flash of panic and viciousness crossed his eyes.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" he barked.
"You’re obviously a sub-female I purchased from the auction house."
"I’m not."
The man’s voice broke as tears spilled down his face.
Desperately, he grabbed the hem of Yuel’s trousers as though clinging to the last piece of driftwood in a storm.
"Sir, please save me."
His fingers shook uncontrollably.
"My name is Reon. I’m an instructor at the Imperial Mecha Academy."
He struggled to steady his breathing.
"Two nights ago, I was attacked on my way home from the academy. Someone knocked me unconscious."
His voice cracked.
"When I woke up, I was here."
Tears streamed down his face.
"He... he injected me with something and forced me..."
The rest of the sentence dissolved into broken sobs.
He could no longer continue. The implications were obvious.
Kidnapping a male citizen of the Empire was already a serious crime. Kidnapping an educator from a prestigious academy and subjecting him to abuse was far worse.
Compared to illegal sub-female trafficking, this was an entirely different level of offense.
Yuel’s eyes cooled further. Layton was even more disgusting than he had expected.
Meanwhile, Layton’s face had become ashen.
He shot Reon a murderous glare before looking back at Yuel.
"Yuel." His voice lowered. "This has nothing to do with you."
He pointed toward Reon.
"Hand him over. Delete the photos."
Then he added, "If you do that, we’ll pretend none of this ever happened."
A calculating smile appeared on his face.
"From this day forward, the Imperial Inspection Department will stand firmly on your side."
Yuel slowly put away his communicator.
Then he smiled.
"That does sound like a tempting offer."
The tension instantly drained from Layton’s shoulders. A triumphant smile spread across his face.
Just as he’d expected. Someone like Yuel valued benefits above all else.
How could an insignificant stranger possibly outweigh the support of the entire Inspection Department?
Straightening his collar, Layton regained the arrogance of a man accustomed to power.
"Exactly." He chuckled. "Yuel, people like us shouldn’t ruin our relationship over an ant."
His confidence returned completely.
"Delete the evidence, and today’s events remain between us."
He spread his hands casually.
"From now on, if you ever need my assistance, I won’t refuse."
Then his gaze landed on Reon.
"As for this disobedient little pet..." A cruel smile curled his lips. "I’ll take care of him myself."
Yuel merely looked at him. He neither nodded nor objected. Nothing could be read from those deep-blue eyes.
Layton assumed that silence meant agreement. With a cold laugh, he turned around and strode toward Reon.
He grabbed a fistful of the man’s tangled hair and yanked his head up.
"See that?" His voice dripped with mockery. "You really believed someone would offend me for the sake of trash like you?"
Leaning close, he whispered venomously into Reon’s ear.
"A powerless nobody should know his place." His smile widened. "I’ll show you what true despair feels like."
The last trace of hope vanished from Reon’s eyes.
Of course. How foolish he’d been.
One man was a powerful official of the Imperial Inspection Department. The other was nothing more than an ordinary citizen with no influence, no status, and no one to protect him.
Who would risk offending a man like Layton for his sake?
The hope he’d briefly clung to was nothing more than a cruel illusion. Humiliation and despair crashed over him like a tidal wave.
Reon bit down hard on his lip.
A look of determination flashed through his tear-filled eyes.
Instead of enduring any more humiliation at this monster’s hands... He would rather die.
Gathering the last of his strength, he prepared to end his own life.
Then—
A wet, sharp sound echoed through the room.
Thud.
The noise was soft, yet in the sudden silence, it sounded deafening.
Layton froze.
The smug expression on his face solidified.
Slowly, he lowered his head.
His eyes widened.
A thick blue vine had burst upward from beneath the reinforced alloy floor. It had pierced straight through his back and erupted from his chest.
Fresh blood spilled across the room. Warm droplets splattered onto Reon’s face.
He stared in shock. For a moment, he couldn’t even breathe.
Layton’s body trembled. With immense effort, he turned his head. His gaze locked onto Yuel.
The man had never moved. His posture remained exactly the same as before.
"Wh... why...?"
Blood trickled from the corner of Layton’s mouth.
Yuel raised an eyebrow ever so slightly, as if surprised the question had even been asked.
Then he looked at Layton without the slightest hint of emotion.
The gaze wasn’t directed at a fellow official. Or even at a living person.
It was the look one might give a piece of discarded garbage.
"Your offer is certainly tempting."
The blue vine slid free from Layton’s chest.
Yuel’s voice remained calm and steady, as though they were discussing nothing more significant than the weather.
"But rather than working with you, I’d feel much more secure if the Imperial Inspection Department belonged to me."
His deep-blue eyes held no warmth.
"And unfortunately, you’re standing in the way of that."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"So I’ll have to trouble you to die."
Layton’s body crashed to the floor. Blood splashed across the room.
Reon stared blankly at the gruesome scene before him. Warm blood still stained his cheeks, carrying the metallic scent of death.
Slowly, he lifted his head and looked at Yuel. The fear in his eyes had only deepened.
Yuel didn’t spare him another glance. Turning around, he calmly walked toward the door.
Moments later, two males dressed in black uniforms entered the room.
Neither reacted to the corpse lying in a pool of blood. The sight clearly wasn’t new to them.
"Clean this up."
Yuel’s voice drifted in from outside. Then he casually tossed a small, exquisitely crafted vial into the room.
One of the men caught it neatly.
"Make him drink that."
Without waiting for a response, Yuel continued walking. His figure soon disappeared beyond the doorway.
The vial contained one of Jasper’s concoctions.
Once consumed, it would erase Reon’s memory of everything that had happened tonight.
...
After leaving the room, Yuel made his way through several winding corridors before arriving at a secluded corner deep within the underground complex.
No one else was around. The area was silent.
Suddenly, he stopped. Without looking behind him, he spoke toward an empty patch of shadow.
"You can come out now."
The silence lingered for several seconds. Then a figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
It was Xarion.
"How did you find me?"
He walked forward, genuine curiosity flickering in his eyes.
He was confident he hadn’t revealed the slightest flaw during his surveillance.
Yuel raised a hand. His slender fingers brushed lightly against a small mutant plant growing from a crack in the wall.
Instantly, Xarion understood.
Wherever mutant plants existed... Yuel’s eyes and ears were there as well.
"Rory sent you?" Yuel asked.
Xarion nodded. "Of course."
A helpless smile tugged at his lips. "Female Master was worried sick about you."
Personally, Xarion thought the concern was entirely unnecessary.
A man like Yuel—someone who could kill without batting an eye—wasn’t the type who needed protecting.
If danger appeared, it was far more likely to threaten everyone else.
"Heading back now?" Xarion asked.
"The target’s dead. Your business should be finished."
"You go ahead." Yuel’s gaze drifted elsewhere. "I’ll be back shortly."
There was still one matter left for him to handle.
Xarion didn’t press further.
With a casual wave, he turned and left.
Once his presence vanished completely, Yuel slowly placed a hand over his chest.
His expression darkened.
Without another moment’s hesitation, he turned and entered a hidden underground chamber nearby.
Bang.
The heavy metal door slammed shut behind him.
The moment it closed, Yuel fixed his gaze on the empty floor in front of him.
"Come out." His voice was colder than before.
A second later, the solid ground in the center of the room suddenly softened and rippled.
Something began pushing upward from beneath the floor.
A thick blue vine emerged from the earth.
Light shimmered at its tip.
Then, in the blink of an eye, the vine transformed.
Standing there was a chubby toddler who looked no older than two or three years old.
The little boy was completely naked, his jade-like skin glowing softly beneath the room’s lights.
His large blue eyes were almost identical to Yuel’s.
Short dark-blue hair framed his round face, and nestled among the strands was a tiny flower bud that emitted a faint, luminous glow.
His bare feet touched the floor as he stared at Yuel.
The moment he saw the icy expression on his father’s face, his tiny body visibly trembled.
Guilt flooded his features.
Lowering his head, he fidgeted nervously. Then, in a small, soft voice, he called out, "Daddy..."
Yuel remained unmoved. The adorable display failed to soften his expression in the slightest.
His gaze stayed cold. His voice stayed firm.
"When did you wake up?"
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