Moreover, a pitch-black, armor-like carapace covered his entire body, including his face, and his scorpion pincers were serrated. These innate traits meant he had to crawl slowly through the ventilation ducts to avoid making a sound that would draw attention.
He also had to check the vents repeatedly to identify Gerard's room.
A faint scent of green sandalwood drifted over on the air.
The Cutter's spirits lifted.
He thought of his master.
The young man had named him Number One.
It was his master.
He was here.
The Cutter destroyed the cover over the vent.
He leaped down from the ceiling, his towering frame casting a dark shadow.
Xin Hexue looked to be in a very bad state.
His cheeks were wet, and clear droplets clung to his brows, eyelashes, and the tip of his nose.
His once-immaculate suit was much rumpled, and he had taken off his jacket.
The buttons of his snow-white shirt and vest were undone, and his sleeves were folded up once, exposing jade-white skin tinged faintly with pink.
He braced himself against the sink, the folds of his shirt stretched over his slender frame. He glanced toward the disturbance, his expression cold and wary, though the corners of his eyes were flushed red.
The Cutter watched his master anxiously. His nervousness made it difficult for him to use human language fluently, so he waved his scorpion pincers, trying to gesture. Their sharp edges glinted coldly.
Then he saw Xin Hexue turn pale. Gripping the edge of the sink, he began to dry heave uncontrollably.
It was as if he were enduring a pain that made his stomach spasm.
A round white pill fell from his mouth. The faucet was still running, and the gushing water washed the antidote down the drain.
Chapter 20: Face Blindness (20)
Disgusting...
So disgusting...!
How could there be such a terrifying-looking creature?!
An uncontrollable post-traumatic stress response sent Xin Hexue's stomach churning, but he had barely eaten anything all day, so he couldn't bring anything up.
The faucet continued to rush.
The white pill disappeared into the swirling water, and Xin Hexue seemed to hear a notification: "Points -75."
His face was pale, and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment.
Now there was something even more terrifying to deal with.
Xin Hexue had to stay calm, even though the sight of the mutant had left him cold and weak all over from the intense strain on his nerves.
He kept backing toward the door, having to face the mutant in case it attacked at any moment.
At last, his back met the cold wall.
Xin Hexue's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
The mutant approached one step at a time. Xin Hexue's nerves were taut, and when it was three steps away, he grabbed a ceramic potted plant and a glass aromatherapy jar from the shelf with lightning speed and hurled them at it one after another.
Crash! Clatter! The objects shattered on impact, producing a series of piercing sounds.
The mutant seemed stunned by the barrage. He stood rooted to the spot, broken porcelain and glass scattered across the floor around him. His carapace was drenched in the fragrant liquid, which dripped steadily down.
The scent was too strong, overwhelmingly pungent.
Number One slowly raised his head.
Xin Hexue was nowhere to be seen.
Taking advantage of the mutant's slow reaction, he had escaped from the washroom.
Number One didn't know why Xin Hexue was so afraid of him.
He hadn't shown any intention of attacking. He was only very worried about him.
Number One's nonhuman way of thinking allowed him to recognize the fear on the young man's face, but not its cause.
There had even been a hint of disgust in Xin Hexue's eyes when he looked at him.
Disgust.
Why?
Before his master went out today, Number One had helped straighten his clothes. His master had even praised the sweater he had knitted for the mechanical cat.
The washroom mirror covered nearly the entire wall above the sink.
The ceiling light and the wall lamps on either side were bright.
Number One slowly turned his head and saw himself in the mirror.
The deep-black carapace covering his body was like iron armor, impervious to bullets, but its color was dull rather than lustrous. His scorpion pincers gleamed with a cold, sharp light, sharp enough to sever a hair blown against them. They looked aggressive, utterly unsuited to the soft young man.
Number One's tail, which had been swishing rapidly, drooped involuntarily to the floor. He was dejected.
Xin Hexue hurried out of the washroom.
His body had released a surge of adrenaline in response to the danger. His heart was pounding so fast it felt as if he might retch it out of his throat, and his nerves were so taut that the hand he pressed against the wall was trembling.
None of these reactions were under his control; his body had responded spontaneously to the stress.
He had already passed through two corridors.
There was no sign of the mutant behind him. It seemed the mutant probably hadn't pursued him.
Xin Hexue's legs were weak, and, drained of strength, he had to hold on to the wall to remain standing.
Two guards appeared at the end of the corridor, running toward him as they hurriedly searched for something.
One of them, a young guard, spotted Xin Hexue. "Sir, what's wrong?"
As he asked, he couldn't help blushing like some inexperienced youth who had never seen the world.
The young man looked a little disheveled.
The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, leaving his collar slightly open. The graceful line of his neck led down to the hollows of his collarbones, which held an indescribably suggestive flush of pink.
His expression was cold as frost and snow, and he should have been pure white through and through. Yet now the corners of his eyes were wet and red, and he gave off an air, from within and without, of someone who would fall at the slightest push.
The young guard stammered, "You don't look well. Do you need help?"
Two coughs escaped Xin Hexue's throat, and his pale lips turned bright red. He reported to the guards, "There's a mutant in the manor. I saw it in the washroom. It jumped down from a vent."
The young guard's expression turned serious at once, and he asked where Xin Hexue had found the mutant.
The drug had taken effect, and Xin Hexue's body was already showing subtle reactions. After he explained the location, the two guards hurried off in that direction.
Xin Hexue leaned back against the corridor wall.
[The antidote went down the drain.]
He asked K, [Can I get my points back?]
K fell silent for a moment. [...The mall doesn't offer refunds.]
Although he could buy items for his host through the system mall, the mall was directly under the headquarters of the Great World company.
K only acted as a purchasing agent.
Xin Hexue gritted his teeth and could only walk slowly onward.
K explained, [I looked up the drug you were given.]
[It's a powerful aphrodisiac sold on the black market under the name "Karmic Fire." But it's mainly intended for Omegas. If the person given the drug doesn't engage in marking with an Alpha within two hours, they'll lose consciousness and die.]
For the time being, there was no other way to counter the drug except by relieving one's desire, so it was popular with some Alphas on the Lower City's black market.
The one stroke of luck was that Xin Hexue was a Beta. Because he had no glands, the drug's effect on him was reduced. He only needed to take care of it by hand within the time limit, as he had last time, even though this method was much less efficient than having sex.
Xin Hexue's head was so dizzy and heavy that he could no longer make out the way. He didn't remember where his turns had taken him as he followed the path ahead.
He turned the handle and opened the door to a lounge.
It was a spacious suite for guests to rest in. The Pei family had furnished the guest rooms thoroughly, with a sitting room, bedroom, and bathroom.
K said, [Your remaining three points can unlock the host body protection program.]
Xin Hexue struggled to stay lucid. "What kind of program is that?"
K explained, [Once unlocked, the body protection program can activate automatically under special circumstances, enhancing the host's physical capabilities, especially endurance.]
He even gave an example. [You won't lose consciousness and faint like last time, before the drug's toxins have been fully expelled.]
K was referring to the beginning of the story, when Xin Hexue had accidentally ingested the drug Xin Bao had put in the tea at the restaurant and passed out in the bathtub after using his hand once.
Xin Hexue was rendered speechless. "...Thanks for the reminder. Unlock it."
The Cutter had not forgotten his mission.
When the guards searched the manor and even reached the washroom, only broken pieces of porcelain and glass remained. The Cutter was nowhere to be found.
The guards discovered the damaged vent and climbed a borrowed ladder into the ventilation ducts, trying to find traces of him.
But dust covered the ducts, and the darkness made it hard to see with the naked eye. On top of that, the ducts branched in every direction, greatly slowing the guards' search for the mutant.
Some followed the trail through the ducts, while the others continued searching and stood watch at the various vents.
Although a mutant might have infiltrated the manor, only one victim had been found unconscious in the garden so far. The Pei family's own guards were all equipped with sophisticated, state-of-the-art light weapons designed to combat mutants, so news of the mutant did not cause widespread panic.
The guests merely moved the main festivities to the center of the wider, more open lawn.
With the pond, flowers, fine wine, and delicacies, it remained a picture of a peaceful haven.
Figures mingled, chatting and laughing at ease as wine cups passed from hand to hand.
These people had long been dazzled by a life of pleasure, their minds numbed by wine and sex. They had never paid attention to the chaos of the Sixth District's black market, much less seen or heard of the chaotic, barren wasteland of the Thirteenth District.
They occupied this Core District, an Eden in a land of bliss, a haven of comfort and shelter. Nothing here was to be feared, and every threat was laughable.
Qiu Yuan turned his wrist, making the vodka ripple in his glass. Through the translucent liquor, everyone's figures and faces looked distorted and blurred.
And black.