A loud "crack" echoed through the night, resembling the sound of an egg being smashed. The monstrous undead hound that had tormented everyone for half the night finally exploded. Bck-red blood spttered in all directions, mixed with chunks of dark, rotting flesh. A grotesque rain of decay fell to the ground, leaving behind a putrid mess devoid of even a scrap of intact flesh.

  The gruesome sight made several young women gag and retch, unable to stomach the sheer horror before them. Yet, the man responsible for this carnage, Lin Tao, remained utterly indifferent. If anything, he seemed to revel in the violence, as though it were mere entertainment. He didn’t even gnce at the remains of the undead hound. Instead, a sinister smile pyed at the corners of his lips as he swaggered toward the women.

  "Master Lin, are you alright?" Cao Mei immediately stepped forward, her face filled with concern as she approached him.

  "Alright? Of course, I am." Lin Tao raised his hands and spun in a slow, elegant circle, demonstrating his unharmed state. Then, he cast an amused gnce at Cao Mei, his eyes sweeping over her in a way that made her skin crawl. Lifting a single finger, he tilted her delicate chin upward and smirked. "Not bad."

  "L-Lord Lin…" Cao Mei stammered. A strange sense of unease welled up inside her. She was certain this was Lin Tao standing before her, yet something felt disturbingly wrong. He had never smiled so wickedly before, nor had he ever flirted so brazenly.

  "Oh, sweetheart, don't be scared," Lin Tao chuckled, suddenly leaning in and dragging his tongue across her cheek in a slow, deliberate motion. Then, he grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. "Come with me, darling. I need a little favor."

  "W-what kind of favor?" Cao Mei shuddered, goosebumps prickling her skin from his touch. Something about his blood-red eyes sent a jolt of fear through her. Her mind spun, disoriented, unable to tell whether Lin Tao was acting strangely or if she herself was losing grip on reality. A powerful intuition screamed at her—this man wasn’t Lin Tao!

  "You'll find out soon enough. Trust me, you’ll enjoy it." Lin Tao’s eerie grin widened as he led Cao Mei toward the rear of the armored Leopard vehicle. Just as he casually opened the trunk and motioned for her to sit inside, Bai Ru approached with a deep frown.

  "Lin Tao… are you alright?"

  "You women are really something else. If I weren’t alright, would I be standing here like this?" Lin Tao snorted impatiently, shoving Cao Mei into the trunk. She didn’t resist—she simply y there, uneasy and submissive.

  "But Mikael is still unconscious. Aren’t you going to check on him?" Bai Ru questioned. Something about Lin Tao unsettled her. The battle was over, but his loyal dog remained unmoving. Yet, he hadn’t even spared a gnce at it. Instead, his posture and demeanor suggested he was about to do something… inappropriate to Cao Mei.

  "Rex. That mutt’s got the resilience of a cockroach. He won’t die." Lin Tao waved dismissively before turning back to Bai Ru. "Now, why are you still standing here? Unless… you want to stay and watch?"

  His voice dripped with amusement as he suddenly reached for Cao Mei’s thighs, yanking down her beige pants in one swift motion. The ripping sound of fabric echoed in the night as her st piece of modesty—a pair of bck ce panties—was torn away.

  Cao Mei gasped, instinctively covering herself. But Lin Tao’s response was a sharp sp across her face. "What the hell are you covering up for? Haven’t you been dying for this? Don't py coy now. If you want to please me, you’d better put on a good show!"

  Dazed by the sp, Cao Mei barely had time to react before she felt a sharp intrusion—Lin Tao's fingers pressing deep inside her without warning.

  "Ah!" she cried out in pain. Under normal circumstances, she would have been ecstatic to be in this position with Lin Tao. But now, a profound discomfort gripped her. She y still, lifeless as a dead fish, unable to respond. The man touching her didn’t feel like the one she had long desired—he felt like a stranger.

  "You… You’re disgusting!" Bai Ru’s face turned pale as she watched in horror. She had always known that Cao Mei would eventually seduce Lin Tao, and she had accepted that he would never belong to just one woman. But this—this was different. He was doing it right in front of her, without a shred of restraint. The man she once depended on now felt utterly alien to her.

  "Disgusting? Hah! If I weren’t worried about the complications of taking you right now, you’d be next. But don’t worry, your turn will come soon enough." Lin Tao grinned wickedly, licking his lips as he pressed his fingers deeper inside Cao Mei. Then, growing frustrated with her ck of response, he ripped his hand away and wiped the glistening fluid across her cheek.

  "You’re insane! You’ve lost your mind!" Bai Ru gasped, stepping backward in fear. But before she could escape, Lin Tao grabbed her wrist and yanked her into his embrace. One hand squeezed her waist while the other roughly groped her backside.

  "Crazy? No, sweetheart, this is the real me. Ah… you have the scent of a virgin. Simply exquisite!"

  "Let go of me!" Bai Ru struggled, but Lin Tao’s grip was ironcd. His strength was overwhelming, making her futile attempts to break free almost ughable. He threw his head back and ughed maniacally, as though he were experiencing the greatest joy in the world.

  "Let her go, you bastard!" A furious voice suddenly roared from behind.

  Lin Tao froze momentarily before releasing Bai Ru and turning around. A sinister grin spread across his face. "Oh? Mikael, is that how you address your master? That’s not very respectful."

  "My master is Lin Tao—not you, you piece of filth!" Mikael growled, his voice hoarse. It was clear he was still gravely injured, his steps unsteady as he leaned on A’Xue for support. Blood-streaked drool dripped from his fangs as he gred at Lin Tao with undisguised hatred.

  "Mikael… What do you mean?" Bai Ru asked, trembling. Her eyes darted back to the man before her—his appearance was identical to Lin Tao’s, down to the st detail. But his presence… his aura… was something entirely different.

  "Oh dear, what’s the difference? He is me, and I am him!" Lin Tao chuckled darkly. "Don’t overcomplicate things. We are one and the same!"

  "Don’t listen to him!" Mikael snarled. "He’s a demon—a monster lurking within Lin Tao’s body!"

  "Demon? No, no, no…" Lin Tao wagged his finger mockingly. "Don’t insult me by comparing me to those lowly creatures."

  Then, spreading his arms wide, he decred with a triumphant voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself. I am the greatest being from the deepest pits of Hell—the mighty Demon Lord of the Infernal Fortress… Rasuur! Of course, what you see now is merely my projection in the mortal realm. But soon, my true form will descend upon this world, and all of humanity will kneel before me. Prepare yourselves! Worship me! For I shall grant you endless blessings! Hahaha!"

  As his ughter echoed through the night, a sinister green fme erupted from his body, shooting toward the heavens. The air grew unnaturally cold, sending chills through everyone’s very souls. But as quickly as it came, the eerie fire vanished.

  Lin Tao’s body trembled. Sweat poured from him as though he had just been pulled from water. His dazed eyes flickered around in confusion before, without warning, he colpsed to the ground, unconscious.