"Make me sign a contract?" Fury blazed in Qi Yan's eyes. His voice was low and hostile, his teeth clenched as he all but forced the words from the depths of his throat. "I'd rather die!"
The humiliation and resentment of being forced into slavery crashed through Qi Yan's heart like a raging flood, even overwhelming his fear of the eerie power before him. His body temperature soared. Flames seemed to ignite every inch of him, consuming him in a frenzy until even the surrounding air grew unbearably hot.
"Aaaaaah-!"
As Qi Yan screamed, orange-red fire instantly covered his skin, turning his entire body into a blazing human torch.
The flames spread swiftly along the sheet-metal walls, warping every surface they touched, while the floor grew scorching hot. A deeply twisted madness shone in Qi Yan's eyes. All reason had vanished from his mind, leaving only one thought-
If I can't escape my fate, I'll take everyone down with me!
Kong Rui, Jiang Hong, Lin Xiao'an, even these Strange Creatures in front of me-none of them will survive!
A twisted pleasure filled Qi Yan's heart. Taking these humans and nonhumans alike to their destruction seemed like a final victory of his own.
Yet the boy standing nearby never showed the slightest emotion. His blood-red eyes quietly watched Qi Yan's madness, as though he were observing a meaningless struggle.
Just as Qi Yan charged at him in a frenzy, ready even to blow himself up and take the others with him, the boy raised his hand slightly, his movement almost casual.
At some point, a thin white cord had connected the boy's finger to Qi Yan's body.
The cord looked fragile, yet it bound all of Qi Yan's power in an instant like an invisible shackle. Qi Yan abruptly froze. Even