"You're awake."
Zeke stepped to the side of the bed, looking down at Mosquito Girl, who was tightly bound to the frame.
In the dim light, the three scars across his face looked especially cold and severe.
Mosquito Girl stared at his unmistakable face, and her heart nearly leapt out of her throat.
King.
The strongest man on Earth.
Why was he here?
Why did he capture her?
Could it be… could he be working with that bald-headed monster?
A thousand thoughts of dread spun through her mind in a storm.
Her brief awakening the day before hadn't left her with a clear memory of how she ended up in this situation—crashing into the ramen shop, then getting picked up by Zeke.
"Looks like you've recovered decently."
Zeke's gaze swept across the now-scabbed wounds on her body. His tone was flat, like commenting on the weather. "Blood sac's gone, limbs shattered, but you're still breathing. Lucky you."
Mosquito Girl didn't dare speak. She could only fix her terrified crimson eyes on Zeke—and on the glass of "blood" in his hand.
"That bald guy who slapped you into this state," Zeke said casually, "seemed quite interested in you. Or rather, in that organization behind you… the so-called 'House of Evolution.'"
Mosquito Girl shuddered violently.
Zeke caught her reaction instantly, continuing in the same calm, detached voice, "He's out there right now, 'looking for clues' about your base. Tell me—if he knew you were here…"
He leaned in slightly, casting his shadow over her pale, trembling face.
"What do you think he'd do?"
"No! No, please!"
Mosquito Girl broke down instantly.
What did "looking for clues" mean in his case?
It meant annihilation.
Absolute, inescapable, effortless destruction.
She could already see that bald figure bursting through the door and crushing her into dust with a flick of his finger.
The House of Evolution's base?
Against that monster, it was little more than a sandcastle waiting to be kicked down.
Even the one imprisoned in the deepest part of the lab—the so-called strongest creation, Carnage Kabuto—probably wouldn't last a punch.
Survival instinct overwhelmed her. She cried out, her voice twisted with desperation and fear.
"King-sama! Please, I beg you! Don't hand me over to him! I don't want to die! I can't bear to see him again!"
Tears, mixed with sweat born of terror, rolled down her pale and once-proud face.
Ding! Intense fear detected in Demon-level monster Mosquito Girl (triggered by association with Saitama). Intimidation Points +100!
Zeke smirked inwardly. As expected—Saitama was the perfect trump card.
Outwardly, he remained as composed and unreadable as ever.
"As long as you listen to me from now on, I could… talk to Saitama. That bald guy. Maybe convince him not to kill you."
"I'll do anything… please protect me… please…"
"Good. From now on, you're my maid."
Success.
The domestication plan was off to a great start.
Just then, an awkward "grrrrr…" sounded from Mosquito Girl's stomach. In the silence of the room, it was crystal clear.
Zeke's eyes dropped to the glass in his hand.
He stepped forward, holding the glass out until the rim nearly touched her pale lips.
"Drink."
Mosquito Girl had already been mesmerized by the thick, dark-red liquid. Her thirst was so unbearable she nearly lost all reason.
She believed it to be blood—fresh, rich, nourishing.
Without hesitation, she parted her small lips and took a cautious sip from the glass in Zeke's hand.
Then—
"Pfft—cough, cough!!"
She suddenly spat it out, her face contorting with violent disgust and even a flash of anger.
"What—what is this disgusting stuff?! So sour! So bitter! It's horrible! I want blood! Warm, fresh blood! Human blood! Animal blood! Anything but this!"
She complained like a child who'd been tricked, indignant and furious—momentarily forgetting the terrifying identity of the man before her.
Zeke's gaze turned icy.
Without even willing it, the King Engine ignited within his chest.
Thump—! Thump—! Thump—!
King Engine, Adept level.
The heartbeats were deeper, heavier, and more penetrating than ever—rattling the room with invisible shockwaves.
The windows groaned under the pressure.
At the same time, a dense, molten dark-red aura flared up around Zeke, swirling like a living flame from the depths of hell.
The dark red glow cast his sharp features in a light that made him look less like a man and more like a god of death—absolute, judgmental, terrifying.
The entire room dimmed under the weight of that energy, until all that remained visible were Zeke's cold, shining eyes behind the burning aura.
He slowly leaned in toward Mosquito Girl's face, twisted in fear.
Every word struck her like thunder:
"Picky?"
The voice was deep, like a funeral bell from the underworld.
"Do you want me… to drain the blood from your body… and let you drink it instead?"
"N-no—no!!"
Mosquito Girl thrashed her head violently, tears pouring down again. But this time, they were tears of submission, of pure, absolute terror.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! King-sama! Tomato juice is good! I'll drink it—I'll drink all of it!"
Without waiting for him to move, she stretched her neck as far as she could, lips locking onto the cold glass, drinking deeply and desperately.
She drank it even as her throat convulsed in protest.
Though mosquitoes could survive on plant fluids, blood had always been more nutritious. The tomato juice wasn't harmful—but it certainly wasn't pleasant for her.
Every gulp triggered her instincts to rebel.
But she forced it down, terrified of angering the man wrapped in a demonic red aura, whose presence felt even more psychologically tormenting than the bald demon himself.
Ding! Target submitted under pressure. Intimidation Points +20!
(Source: sustained humiliation-based fear.)
Zeke watched the scene with satisfaction as his points increased once again.
The dark aura slowly began to recede, and the heartbeats softened—though they didn't completely stop.
He took the now-empty glass back and glanced at Mosquito Girl's pale face, red from choking and effort.
"Good. Remember this feeling," he said in that same calm, detached tone. "To survive, obedience is absolute."
He turned to leave.
"King… King-sama…"
Mosquito Girl, her voice trembling with desperation, managed to whisper a final plea.
"Blood… Just a little… I need a little blood… to heal… to regain strength… Please…"
Zeke paused at the door.
He didn't turn around.
Only the deep, steady pounding of the engine in his chest filled the silence—along with Mosquito Girl's ragged, frightened breathing.
The pressure of that silence crushed her far more than any words could.
After several seconds, a cold voice finally echoed back:
"We'll see how you behave."