Justice Iron Pot

Isle of Britain, City L.

Wayne Jenster emerged from the bathroom, his hair wrapped in a towel, unconcerned as water dripped onto the room's fine wool carpet.

He glanced at the half-naked woman on the bed and impatiently stepped forward to pat her cheek.

She opened her hazy eyes, seemingly pulled back from a moment of pleasure. She instinctively reached for Jenster's waist but was pushed away by his hand.

"If you're awake, hurry up and leave. I have important business to attend to later."

The woman shivered, finally fully awake. "What did you give me?"

"Something to liven things up. You use it all the time anyway, don't you?" Wayne Jenster picked up his wallet from the table, pulled out a thick stack of hundred-dollar bills, and threw it at her. "Here, the extra is a bonus."

The woman wanted to say something more, but her gaze was quickly drawn to the money. A flicker of joy crossed her eyes, and her sluggish movements seemed to quicken. She gathered the money haphazardly, stacked it neatly, and couldn't help but lick her lips as she counted it.

None of this escaped Jenster's notice.

He wore a look of disdain, yet felt a sense of boredom.

Ever since he'd encountered Paradise, the thrills of reality seemed so bland and uninteresting, making it hard to muster any enthusiasm. Similarly, those who had participated in the game were vastly different from ordinary people. He couldn't quite explain why, but he could vaguely sense it. Take himself, for instance. After surviving two near-death experiences, his perception and reaction speed felt like they had returned to his twenties, even stronger than when he was younger.

He had been so excited when he first discovered this that he could barely contain himself.

No amount of money could buy back time. He had accumulated enough wealth now, but his ever-increasing age constantly reminded him that his body was aging, a process accelerated by his unrestrained indulgence in alcohol and women.

And now, his abilities showed signs of recovery.

The limp woman on the bed was proof.

However, conquering such an ordinary specimen didn't bring Jenster much satisfaction. After all, with money, anyone could have their way with them. Beneath their beautiful faces lay nothing but a soulless lump of flesh. His prey shouldn't be limited to this.

That guy named Naruko was quite interesting...

Especially when killing.

That defiant gaze, the powerful physique, and those leopard-like movements...

Wayne Jenster grinned. Perhaps he could pull some strings to investigate Asahara Naruko's true identity. Of course, those who could participate in the Paradise game were either wealthy or influential, far harder to get than the woman on the bed.

But the more difficult the challenge, the greater the reward, wasn't that right?

"Ding-dong."

The doorbell rang.

Jenster picked up the intercom on the table.

"Sir, your room service."

"Come in," he said, pressing the unlock button casually.

The heavy oak door swung open, and a hotel attendant pushed a meal cart into the room. His eyes visibly lingered on the beautiful woman getting dressed. "Sir, I..."

"It's fine, you do what you need to do," Jenster chuckled dismissively. "If she weren't leaving, it wouldn't hurt to offer you some service too."

"You jest..." The attendant quickly lowered his head, pushed the cart to the dining table, and began setting out the food.

"Remember to contact me next time you need anything," the woman said, tying her high heels. She winked at Jenster and reluctantly left the room.

As the door clicked shut, Jenster's peripheral vision caught sight of the tablecloth under the meal cart being lifted.

A figure shot out from the cart like lightning!

"Shit!"

He roared, turning around just as he took a heavy blow to the head!

Instantly, his entire head felt like a gong was being struck, a buzzing sound resonating from the crown of his skull all the way to his teeth. At that moment, he saw the face of his attacker—a girl no older than sixteen or seventeen, wearing a white kitchen smock and holding a cast-iron pot.

"You little bastard!" Wayne Jenster gritted his teeth against the pain and swiped back at her. She clearly hadn't expected the blow not to knock him out immediately and reacted a beat too late. Just as she tried to escape, Jenster grabbed her collar.

He forcefully slammed the girl onto the floor and clamped his hands around her throat.

Blood trickled down from his head, turning his vision red. The metallic scent made his blood surge!

If it were before, a surprise attack like this would have laid him out, but he had transformed. Death was nothing more than this!

He unleashed his full strength, intending to strangle her to death. The girl struggled desperately, but the difference in their size and strength was too great. She couldn't pry his hands off no matter what—

"Bang!"

Another dull thud.

Jenster slowly turned his head, only to find the attendant standing behind him, holding a sturdy rolling pin.

"You fucking..."

He muttered and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Are you okay?!" Seeing Jenster's unconscious state, the attendant quickly stepped forward to help the girl up.

"Cough... cough..." The girl coughed violently for a while before recovering. "Damn it, how is this guy so tough?"

"Maybe you missed," the attendant said softly.

"How could I? I've practiced hundreds of times. Besides, I've hit so many people before, who could withstand it? This must be a demon's trick!" The girl suddenly realized. "Bran, go find a rope and tie him up tightly, so he doesn't struggle while dying when he wakes up."

"Leave it to me," the man called Bran said, quickly taking action.

The girl then pushed herself up, holding one eye. At this moment, her other eye emitted a strange glow. Though faint, up close it resembled a myriad of stars.

"As I suspected, my intuition was correct. This person is involved with a Demon," she muttered, following a faint, flickering green light in her vision. Soon, she found a pair of VR Goggles in the travel bag on the sofa. "Got it! It seems the Demon contacted him through this."

"Hmm, contacting him through a game? This Demon is quite trendy."

"Don't underestimate Demons!" the girl said seriously. "They are insidious, cunning, and possess incredible power. Once you fall for their tricks, you'll end up as their slave!"

"Yeah, yeah, you've said that a hundred times," Bran pouted, clearly unconvinced. "No matter how powerful they are, can they eat bullets?"

The girl thought seriously for a moment. "Probably not."

"Then that settles it?" Bran chuckled. "Besides, if they just trick people out of their souls and enslave them like in fairy tales, the big corporations these days do a much better job."

"While that may be true, Demons have the power to change the world. They also grow, until they become everyone's nightmare," she shook her head, disagreeing with her companion. "For example, the big corporations you mentioned originated from an organization called the 'Company,' and the first to invent the concept of a company was a Demon."

"Uh... Elodie, where did you hear all this?" Bran rubbed his forehead. "I'm guessing it wasn't from a history book, was it?"

"Where I heard it doesn't matter. What matters is cutting off the Demon's corruption of the world... and only we can do it." The girl put the VR Goggles on her head, then fumbled for the sofa and sat down. "I'm going to find the Demon. I don't know what risks await me this time. Listen carefully, Bran. No matter what happens, you must proceed as planned. If I'm not awake in thirty minutes, you leave the hotel by yourself. Don't get caught by the police."

"Hey, are you serious?" Bran frowned. "You can say whatever you want usually, but how are you going to catch a Demon through VR? And I'm absolutely not leaving you alone. Even if I have to crawl, I'll carry you out!"

The girl opened her mouth.

Her lips formed the words "Thank you."

Immediately, her body erupted in waves of green light!

Bran's eyes widened in astonishment. It was only now that he began to sense something was wrong!

"Elodie!"

He dropped the rope in his hands and rushed towards the sofa. However, the light came and went as quickly as it appeared. After a flash of light, the sofa was empty.