"Aboli, what are you doing here?"
Aboli could see the sudden flash of shock and worry on Louis's face when he saw her in this place.
He strode at once, gripping her hand without hesitation and pulling her away, as though he couldn't bear her standing near the railing. His handsome face was sorrowful as he looked at her, his plum-colored lips endlessly spilling out the softest, most caring words of concern and nagging.
But Aboli hadn't forgotten—those very same lips had once whispered moans and sweet nothings to someone else.
In an instant, her gaze darkened.
"Ah!"
Louis's eyes widened as Aboli suddenly lunged forward, impossibly fast, her hands clamping tightly around his throat. Those thin yet not small hands carried an unnaturally great strength, making him feel as if his neck was about to be crushed.
Bang!
Louis's back was shoved hard against the railing, the impact ringing loudly. But all he could hear was the scream of his own spine.
His knees buckled as pain wracked him, eyes squinting shut, sweat streaming down his pale skin, which flushed red from both agony and suffocation.
Aboli lowered her gaze to look down at him. Then, all of a sudden, she bent her head and let her tongue trail across his cheek, licking away the sweat that ran down. Her long, narrow eyes narrowed further, brimming with sly malice, silver irises glowing as if illuminated beneath the gloomy sky.
Louis: "..." Damn it, disgusting!
For a fleeting second, he almost wanted to ask her how it tasted to lick his sweat.
But Aboli gave him no chance.
A searing pain exploded in his neck. The sensation of razor-sharp teeth piercing his flesh nearly made Louis cry out.
He remembered clearly—she had bitten down exactly where Lucas had left his mark!
Fuck, why are all these so-called protagonists acting like rabid dogs?!
Aboli bit down even harder than Luna or Lucas, and she didn't just bite in one place—she dragged her fangs further, tearing along the skin.
Louis could feel the warm trickle of fresh blood running down, soaking into the collar of his shirt.
He didn't even need to look to know his neck must already be a bloody mess.
"What's wrong? Why aren't you crying? Why aren't you blushing, Mom?"
Aboli suddenly lifted her head. Her lips were smeared with bright, fresh blood, reflecting in Louis's eyes like a devil's grin. She leaned closer, as if to scrutinize him, the stench of iron filling his nose and making him want to retch on the spot.
"Don't call me mom!"
The young man roared, his voice edged with fury, his eyes trembling as he turned his face away, struggling to shove Aboli off—but he couldn't budge her.
Aboli could plainly see the coldness and disgust in Louis's eyes, emotions he had never once shown her before.
For a moment, Aboli's heart panicked. But more than that—she was furious.
One of Aboli's hands clamped tightly around Louis's face, forcing him to look directly at her.
"What's wrong? Are you angry? Those two monkeys could make you feel good, but I can't, is that it?"
The young man pressed his lips into a hard line, refusing to answer her, his expression unyielding even in the face of death.
Aboli found him breathtaking like this—but the discomfort gnawing inside her was more substantial.
Why? Why wouldn't Louis beg her? Why wouldn't he try to please her even a little? It is evident that he treated those two monkeys completely differently.
"You deceived me, Aboli," Louis said slowly.
Hearing that, Aboli suddenly laughed.
"At a time like this, Mom, there's no need to pretend anymore."
She laughed knowingly.
"After all, you're not nearly as harmless as you make yourself out to be."
"You tried to kill me first," Louis said coldly.
"But you're still alive, aren't you? This was just a trial. Mom, you passed. From now on, I don't want you to be my mom anymore." Aboli gently caressed Louis's face, unwilling to let go.
Louis couldn't help but be secretly startled at her words.
Aboli didn't want him to be her "mom" anymore, but at the same time, she didn't intend to kill him—at least not yet.
Perfect. That meant the first step had succeeded: he had captured her attention.
But he had no intention of clinging to Aboli forever. He had promised Sylus he would reach Zone 5—only there could he find true freedom!
Meanwhile, Luna and Lucas exchanged grim looks in Louis's room.
"Lucas, Louis still hasn't come back."
"Luna, maybe Louis has abandoned us."
Lucas said it flatly. At once, Luna clutched her head and screamed, "No way! He must've just been delayed somewhere! We have to save him!"
Unlike Luna, who stubbornly believed Louis was being held back against his will, Lucas was equally stubborn in believing Louis had betrayed them to follow someone else—burning with the desire to punish him.
"Lucas, I'll tear apart anyone who dares stand in Louis's way!" Luna's eyes brimmed with tears.
"Luna, Louis deserves to be punished." Lucas's voice was cold as he strode to the door, leading the way out. Their destination is Silver Mansion's grand hall, or anywhere they might catch a glimpse of Louis.
"Look at that…"
"What's this, whose toys wandered off? Come claim them!"
Outside the grand hall of Silver Mansion, the young masters and ladies continued their endless revelry—feasting, drinking, and partying without rest, twenty-four hours a day.
Just then, two beautiful youths, delicate as porcelain dolls, suddenly appeared. They looked alike and were dressed identically—each wearing nothing but an oversized shirt that reached almost to their knees, barely covering what needed covering.
Their appearance immediately made the rich young guests mistake them for someone's lost playthings.
"Toys are meant to be played with. Since you've come out here, how about the two of you come with me?"
A slightly fat youth staggered over, his face warped by drink and lust, looking more like a starving ghost than a man. He swayed toward Luna and Lucas, asking with his mouth but already spreading his arms, ready to drag one under each arm back to his room.
A woman nearby witnessed this scene. Someone shouted in discontent as she rushed forward, "Hey! If you're going to play, then share! Why are you hogging them all for yourself?!"
Clatter!
At that moment, something round—like a ball—suddenly rolled toward the woman, bumping against the tip of her high-heeled shoe.
The "ball" rolled a bit more, revealing the still lecherous face of that fat youth.
He was dead—dead without ever knowing how. His head had been torn from his body before those filthy thoughts in his mind could be wiped away.
"Ah… aaaaaaaa!"
The woman froze for half a heartbeat before screaming aloud, stumbling backward.
She lifted her eyes in terror—only to see the young girl delicately licking the blood still clinging to her blade. Then, with a disgusted look, she spat to the side, muttering with dissatisfaction, "As expected, only Louis's blood is clean."
With that, she lunged forward, the tip of her knife thrusting straight at the woman!
The woman screamed, trembling in fear, but there was no escape. Meanwhile, the other guests who saw this scene had already scattered in panic—delicate dishes and fine wine crashing to the floor, the banquet thrown into utter chaos.
Clang!
Just as the blade was about to pierce the woman's throat, a gunshot rang out. A bullet struck, deflecting Luna's knife so that it only sliced a shallow wound across her skin. Even so, blood spurted out, and the woman collapsed with wide, terrified eyes—whether from fright or unconsciousness, it was impossible to tell.
Luna straightened, her cold gaze locking on the woman in the distance.
The Housekeeper frowned as she studied Luna and Lucas. She recognized them instantly—two experimental subjects.
Who would have thought that the test subjects, held in such high regard by those above and never once awakened, would suddenly stir inside Silver Mansion? If she captured them here, her merit would be enormous!
Excitement burned in the Housekeeper's eyes, too intense to hide. Pushing thoughts of Aboli aside, she shouted, "Capture the two test subjects! Protect the young masters and ladies!"
At once, the guards roared in response. As though a signal had been given, the mechanical augmentations built into their bodies shifted and unfolded as they charged straight at Luna and Lucas!