There was something inside the clothes...
Splash-
Water churned. The viewer count kept climbing, and the frenzied comments exploded into another wave of excitement.
They watched as the garment wrapped tightly around Yu Qing. Before long, tears began to glisten in his eyes.
He gritted his teeth and struggled inside the clothes. Perhaps after too many failed attempts to resist, he finally gave up and leaned against the edge of the bathtub, tilting his head back, his neck flushed and his whole body steeped in desire.
His long white hair had fallen loose, dripping wet. Droplets slowly slid down. Drip-
One accidentally landed on his ear, setting the bright red earring swaying. The chill pierced him to the core. "Mm..."
At last, Yu Qing unclenched his teeth, letting a trembling, muffled moan escape.
[Aaaah! Aaaaaah! Aaaaaaaaah!!! (Tip: +1,000 points)]
[So hot so hot so hot so hot! And that adorably clueless face, that innocent, dazed look, makes me... aaaaah!]
[Now I have something to dream about tonight. Wifey, hehe, wifey. (Tip: +200 points)]
Ding-dong, ding-dong-
The notifications of incoming points kept ringing in his ears. By the time he could finally push the garment away, Yu Qing was utterly exhausted.
He leaned against the edge of the bathtub in a sorry state, gulping down air, unaware that in the endless void, the BOSS had already methodically withdrawn the black mist that had formed a hand.
The pitch-black mist hovered behind him, writhing excitedly, as though agitated-or expressing dissatisfaction.
More, more, I want more...
A disembodied voice clamored in his heart. After a long moment, the BOSS lowered his scarlet eyes and muttered, sounding somewhat disgusted with himself, "How pathetic."
Yu Qing had said that sex was a tool for cheating, a despicable method. A superior being like him would never be ruled by desire!
With that thought, his deathly pale hand moved slightly, as though suddenly connecting to something. The murderous intent in his eyes sharpened in an instant.
At the same moment, splash-
In the bathtub, an invisible force violently raised one of Yu Qing's hands. He tried to fight it, but before long, his wrist had been cinched tight enough to bleed.
This was... the BOSS's power of control!
Once marked, he was the BOSS's puppet. An invisible string could attach itself to him at any moment and manipulate him at will. "Fuck!"
Pain shot through Yu Qing's wrist, and he could not help cursing inwardly. What the hell was that bastard's problem now?!
But... however furious he was, he kept it to himself. He liked this mark.
After all, it was his greatest bargaining chip for turning the tables. He would never die here!
Finally, splash-
Yu Qing gathered some strength, stood up, and bought a random outfit from the system shop. Then he slowly tilted his head, bringing his lips to his wrist with an almost morbid air, kissing away the blood where the string had cut into it.
Since he had tapped at random, the outfit leaned toward a medieval European style. The cuffs of the fitted shirt hung slightly open. The fabric was white, and once soaked, it made the red marks on his body all the more visible beneath it.
His long hair fell loose as Yu Qing tilted his head back, looking strangely like a vampire out of legend.
With morbid persistence, he kissed his slashed wrist, drawing the seeping blood into his mouth little by little, his gaze utterly devout.
Occasionally, he paused and spoke with a soft laugh. "Master, who upset you this time? Was that not satisfying enough?"
Hiss, hiss-
The thin string pulled upward, tightening around his wrist. Yu Qing continued, "Does seeing me in such a sorry state please you? Master, are you angry with me?"
Hiss, hiss-
"Oh, you're angry with yourself."
At those words, the invisible string finally loosened a little. Yu Qing slowly eased out a breath, the smile on his lips growing gentler and lovelier. "Really, why be angry? Every living creature has desires. Without wants or desires, life loses its meaning."
"So life is tied to desire. Indulging in desire proves just how vibrantly alive you are."
"You enjoy savoring vibrant life, don't you?"
Drip-
As his words fell, a drop of blood slipped from his wrist into the freshly changed water, sending ripples shimmering across its surface.
His wrist trembled, his breathing quivered, and pain drew a sheen of sweat across his forehead.
In the boundless silence, the spider lily pattern on the back of his hand gradually flickered into view. Finally, it vanished along with the invisible thread.
Splash-
The young man fell back into the water, temporarily free of its control.
His lips parted and closed, seemingly as he caught his breath. In reality: [Aaaaaah! Wifey is so wild, I love him!]
[Wait, what did he say?] The livestream chat grew excited. [What did he say?]
[I think he just recited some kind of spell? One that could turn the attack back on its caster? Aaaaaah! I don't really understand, but this love-hate thing is so good, so good, waaah!]
[So smart so smart, my wifey is so smart! Everyone the BOSS latches onto dies. He must have hit a sore spot just now, and that's why he's okay. How did he know? Aaaaah, how did he know?!]
"Heehee, heeheehee~"
The water settled, and everything fell quiet. The eerie laughter stood out in the bathroom, echoing through the hollow space.
"Heehee, heeheeheehee, going to die, going to be free..."
"Going to die, going to be free..."
It was a woman's voice!
Though somewhat hoarse, it was unmistakably a woman's voice!
The bathroom already amplified every echo, and in that cramped space, the malicious chill seeped ever deeper into the bones. Fewer comments appeared, but the viewer count had risen even higher than before, as though everyone was intently watching something...
While buying medicine and tending to his wrist, Yu Qing casually glanced at the livestream. The comment saying he had "hit the BOSS's sore spot" was still on-screen.
His eyes shifted, and the young man spoke as though nothing had happened. "I know the BOSS likes vibrant life. But he probably thinks people are most alive when they struggle before death, and believes he's found the meaning of life."
That was the only thought that had crossed his mind when the tentacle had gripped his throat and brought him to the brink of death.
-He had discovered the BOSS's perverse hobby. That alone would be enough to let him escape death countless times.
Bzz, bzzzz, bang!
Suddenly, the overhead light went out. The entire bathroom plunged into pitch darkness, so black he should not have been able to see his hand in front of his face.
Yes, he should not have been able to see his hand in front of his face.
In this instance, the BOSS's black mist enveloped the entire Sanatorium every night, sealing it so tightly that nothing could be seen. But today...
How could he see faint traces of light?
Yu Qing checked again. His eyes had not turned red, but he really could make things out now. He could see the bathtub beneath him, and... overhead... a figure?
His heart slowly rose into his throat.
Yu Qing's right hand instinctively clenched-
Another space seemed to have appeared on the ceiling, presenting itself vividly before him like a 3D projection. Inside it sat a woman.
In the faint light, Yu Qing saw that the woman appeared to be in an operating room.
She was thin, dressed in a bloodstained hospital gown, and sat on a battered, bloodied hospital bed, laughing nonstop as she obsessively, carefully combed her hair.
Her thick black hair was matted with blood, seemingly untended for a long time. It reached all the way to the floor, trailing winding red streaks.
And strangest of all, despite the sheer horror of the scene, the woman seemed to be rushing toward a new life!
Was this... a scene from before a patient was skinned?
A moment later, drip-
Yu Qing felt a chill on his forehead. Something seemed to have dripped from the ceiling, landing between his brows-red, cold, and sticky.
Then came, "Heehee, heeheehee~"
The woman on the hospital bed laughed, contorting into a strange posture as she twisted her body toward him, little by little.
Her hair shifted farther and farther back, and her face came farther and farther forward.
Yu Qing involuntarily quieted his breathing. His pupils silently dilated in the darkness. Just as he tried to get a clearer look, suddenly-
"Aah!"
Before you continue