Pain and Pleasure (Please Vote)

Azeroth.

An unimportant timeline, Mount Hyjal.

Looking at the Lich "Reginald Winter," now reduced to a pile of bones in the mountain pass ahead, and the Dreadlord "Annaselonn," finally killed under the siege of several thousand elite soldiers, Jaina finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Warriors of the Alliance, the Burning Legion's attacks are growing more and more terrifying. We can't hold out here any longer. We must retreat!"

"We must put aside our hatred and support Thrall and the new Horde under his command."

"Brave adventurers, thank you for your help. I'm sorry, but my mana and mental energy are severely depleted. I can't take all of you to the Horde camp. The Night Elf sentinels will lead you onward. We'll go ahead first."

With the help of the human and High Elf mages, Jaina began casting.

Several dozen seconds later, an enormous mass Teleportation spell was finally completed.

Jaina breathed a sigh of relief.

She had yet to reach the legendary rank, so casting a spell of this level was indeed difficult for her, but it was necessary.

Mount Hyjal was vast.

There were dozens of kilometers between the Alliance camp and the Horde camp.

Teleporting directly would not only save time, but also conserve strength, allowing the exhausted soldiers to rest properly, the wounded to receive treatment, and everyone to recover enough stamina.

As for those greedy adventurers?

They had already been given the rewards they deserved. Nothing was owed to them.

If things truly became critical, they would definitely run away.

Unlike the Alliance warriors, who had to fight to the death.

"Warriors of the Alliance, follow me! We're going to the Horde camp!"

Jaina raised her staff.

Azure light descended upon one Alliance soldier after another.

Everyone was enveloped within it, making the adventurers look on with envy.

"Let's go!"

Jaina activated the mass Teleportation spell.

Every Alliance soldier relaxed.

Then,

There was a flash of light,

Everyone was still standing where they were,

But the mass Teleportation spell had vanished...

Jaina looked at her staff, then at the bewildered Alliance soldiers, and finally at the adventurers busy fighting over the Darkhold Chronicles and Unbroken Will.

She wanted to cry.

Father, teacher, Arthas, Kael'thas, Thrall...

Can any of you tell me where such a huge mass Teleportation spell went?

Exhausted, she could no longer cast a second mass Teleportation spell.

Jaina could only try a small-scale Teleportation spell.

Yet it failed twice in a row...

No, the casting had succeeded, but the Teleportation spell had disappeared...

Jaina was mentally exhausted and unwilling to waste any more mana, so she led everyone away on foot.

The exhausted and wounded Alliance soldiers could never outrun the countless Burning Legion demons, who hardly ever tired.

Three hours later, the Alliance was wiped out, and Jaina died.

One day later, the Horde was wiped out, and Thrall died.

Three days later, the Night Elves were wiped out, and Malfurion and Tyrande died.

The mighty Archimonde finally appeared, climbed onto the World Tree, and greedily absorbed its energy.

He grew larger and larger.

At last, he drained all the energy from the World Tree and the second Well of Eternity.

One year later.

Beneath the burning sky,

The entire world turned to ash.

New York Sanctum.

Ever since receiving the order from the Ancient One through Baron Mordo, the Sanctum's guardian, "Daniel Drumm," had been using the Sanctum's own power to monitor all of North America.

Suddenly, the calm expression on his dark face shifted,

His thick lips parted,

Revealing white teeth against dark skin.

"Finally detected it."

"Combined with the Sorcerer Supreme's observations, we can basically confirm that the unknown mage is in the western or southern part of North America!"

United States.

Some state, some district.

In an unknown place, Hydra's secret base.

Whitehall's private laboratory.

Joseph lay on a specially made test bench, enjoying the special treatment provided by a group of people in white coats.

He wore a strangely shaped helmet on his head, somewhat like the virtual helmets players had been anticipating for years, if one ignored the various inhumane instruments inside it.

Fine probes pierced his skull, while nine cc of milky-white medicine that enhanced neural senses was injected into Eli's body.

A weak current brought intense stimulation, like the electric chair that some people in some countries would never experience in their entire lives. Of course, it was nowhere near that intense. Instead, it brought unprecedented pleasure, as proven by a certain stubborn, unyielding protrusion.

A shadowless surgical lamp illuminated every wrinkle on his face.

Joseph seemed to spend a hundred years in a dream.

At times, he struggled in agony, veins bulging, face twisted, drenched in cold sweat;

At times, he moaned with pleasure, his old face flushed red, his body writhing in movements too embarrassing to watch.

Several data cables were connected to different medical instruments, including an expensive supercomputer.

Undulating waveforms monitored his vital signs and brain activity.

A full ten minutes passed.

Joseph suddenly opened his eyes.

"Ah!"

He screamed in agony, then, as the pain gradually weakened, his gaze began to focus.

Seeing everything before him, Joseph was confused:

Where am I?

Wasn't Eli supposed to have me tied to a table and whipped?

That place was pretty nice. Why did they move me somewhere else?

What are you going to do to me?

No!

"Very good."

Whitehall walked over to the test bench, idly playing with a long, sharp scalpel. He traced it over Joseph's face a few times, carefully adjusting the angle, a gentle smile curling at the corner of his lips. "I ask, you answer. First question: where is the Darkhold?"

"The Darkhold? What are you talking about? I don't know. You should look in a library!" There was a flicker of evasiveness and panic in Joseph's eyes.

Who is this man?

How does he know about the Darkhold?

Does he know Eli?

Is he one of Eli's people, or is Eli one of his?

Eli couldn't pry open my mouth, so he sent me here, to this man?

Heh heh.

I'm not afraid of ropes, whips, or candles. Why would I be afraid of a scalpel?

No one is taking my Darkhold!

Huh? Why does my face hurt?

No, it hurts a lot!

The pain, amplified a hundredfold, let Joseph experience the agony of childbirth. That feeling...

It feels so good!

Whitehall smiled gently and skillfully moved his fingers. The scalpel left a deep, long wound across Joseph's face.

The left side of his face.

From the corner of his eye to the corner of his mouth.

Very pretty.

He raised the scalpel and watched a drop of blood slowly fall from its tip. Listening to Joseph's scream, watching the fear in his eyes grow stronger and stronger, along with the pleasure hidden beneath that fear, he spoke as gently as he smiled. "Wrong answer. One cut."

Joseph's clenched fists turned white. He suddenly felt incomparably exhilarated as liquid containing a certain fertilizer shot from his lower body. A pungent stench spread through the air, moistening the entire summer.

Whitehall continued smiling as the scalpel carved a streak through the air.

An almost identical wound appeared on Joseph's right cheek.

Matching the left side.

Neat and aesthetically pleasing.

This beauty had nothing to do with art. It was a mathematical beauty, the inner beauty of an engineering man.

"Polluting the air. One cut."

Whitehall's smile grew broader. "Don't worry. I've dissected many bodies. A few years ago, I even specifically studied China's ancient Lingchi. I guarantee every cut will be swift and precise, as thin as a slice of lamb. I may not manage 360 cuts, but within 120 cuts, you definitely won't die. Even if you want to, you won't be able to."

Joseph swallowed.

He felt as though boundless terror had enveloped him.

He was not afraid of getting hurt.

Pain and pleasure went hand in hand. Many people did not understand that, but he enjoyed it.

But being carved into hundreds of pieces would obviously not be so pleasant.

How could there be such a terrifying person in this world?

At that moment, Joseph's fear of this man overcame the Darkhold's temptation.

"I'll talk. I'll tell you everything!"

As for updates, two chapters a day.

Thanks to "Li Xian of World of Warcraft" for the 1000 tip, thanks to "Ziyuan882" for the 100 tip, thanks to "Yue Mofa and Ze Xue" for the 100 tip. Happy New Year, everyone!