Chapter 75: Scorching Breath, Susan's Delicate Body Trembling Uncontrollably
The cruiser's hull was being decomposed inch by inch in the violent cosmic rays.
The expensive super-alloy materials were as fragile as paper before the core storm, ruthlessly stripped away, and ultimately reduced to nothingness.
The entire starship was rapidly dissolving into a metal skeleton floating in the dark red raging waves.
However, inside this "coffin" that was heading toward destruction.
The space of less than three square meters, held open by Lin Nuo's Bio-field, was indestructible, like a divine realm!
Lin Nuo held Susan firmly against his hard chest.
His tall body, like a mountain range, completely enveloped her slender figure, isolating her from all the destruction and madness outside.
Susan's cheek was pressed tightly against the high-quality fabric of his shirt.
Beneath the fabric were the rock-solid contours of muscles.
In her ear was the sound of his heartbeat, so steady it didn't seem human, carrying a strange, ancient, and constant rhythm.
Thump, thump, thump…
Each beat was no longer a simple pulse of life, but more like a giant hammer striking against the laws of the Universe!
It shook her already crumbling defenses, while also bringing an absolute peace that made her soul tremble.
She could smell the unique scent on the man, mixed with a faint hint of tobacco.
Like invisible vines, it aggressively invaded all of her senses.
This feeling was incredibly bizarre.
Even though everything around them was coming to an end, in this man's arms, she felt a kind of holy tranquility.
It was as if as long as she was held by him like this, even the end of the World would be nothing more than a magnificent backdrop worth cuddling and admiring.
Her reason was screaming, rebuking her own sinking and betrayal.
But her body and instincts were greedily absorbing this protection and warmth from the devil.
Lin Nuo certainly didn't have such delicate and contradictory sensibilities as Susan.
From an angle the woman couldn't see, the deep eyes beneath his gold-rimmed glasses flashed with excitement.
That was a light akin to a Beast!
It was the look a hunter has only when they discover prey that exceeds all imagination!
[Ding! High-purity, ownerless Universe origin energy detected!]
[Core authority activated: Unlimited Plunder!]
[Currently stealing laws from the "Gamma Ray Storm".]
[Progress 1%... 15%... 57%...]
In his mind, the mechanical system prompts were flooding the screen crazily!
Lin Nuo could clearly feel streams of extremely pure energy being forcibly pulled and torn along the edges of his Bio-field!
That was the Universe origin energy capable of creating or destroying galaxies!
They turned into a roaring torrent, madly surging into his body!
This energy was too vast and violent.
For any other known carbon-based life form, under such high-concentration energy infusion, their genetic chains would collapse in an instant, and their bodies would be blown apart into the most basic particles!
But Lin Nuo was different.
Inside him, he had long ago fused the Hulk gene, symbolizing endless rage, as well as that holy constitution akin to a god from the Asgard royal family.
From the moment his physical body was modified by the system, it was no longer a mortal shell.
Instead, it was a "vessel" capable of containing infinite energy!
The moment the violent Universe energy entered his body, it was rapidly converted and absorbed by these two top-tier forces that had already reached perfection.
He could even feel every cell in his body cheering and leaping for joy, greedily devouring this food of the gods.
The muscle fibers became tougher and denser under the tempering of the energy, flashing with a faint light that was neither metal nor stone.
The density of his bones was increasing at a terrifying speed that defied physical laws, almost transforming into some kind of eternal, immortal divine substance!
The pleasure of rapidly soaring strength and the sense of omnipotence from controlling the great power of the Universe was a thousand times more intense than the satisfaction of any worldly desire.
This was a tremendous ecstasy stemming from the depths of his soul, like a leap in the hierarchy of life!
A low, extremely comfortable sigh escaped uncontrollably from Lin Nuo's throat.
The sound carried a metallic tremor, as if all the bones in his body were resonating at the same frequency.
"Lin… Mr. Lin?"
Susan in his arms seemed to have sensed something was wrong; her stiff body trembled slightly, and she spoke in a voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz.
She felt that the temperature of the arm the man was holding her with was rising rapidly, burning her skin with waves of stinging pain.
"It's nothing."
Lin Nuo recovered from the pleasure of his divine ascension and forcibly suppressed the ecstasy in his heart.
His voice carried a heart-stopping huskiness due to the violent impact of the energy.
"I just saw some interesting scenes and couldn't help but… feel a bit excited."
As he spoke, he diverted a sliver of his focus to secretly guide the system.
He separated an insignificant portion of the relatively gentle and pure life energy that he had swallowed and filtered.
Like a trickling stream, it silently flowed into Susan's body.
Although this energy was only one ten-thousandth of the total amount he had absorbed.
For an ordinary human, it was enough to cause an earth-shattering change in her body and the essence of her life!
This was not just to soothe the frightened little white rabbit in his arms.
It was even more so to brand her with a mark that belonged solely to him, from her genes to her soul.
From now on, her life would be connected to his, and her World would revolve around him!
Susan only felt a warm current suddenly coming from the palm of the man's hand pressed against her back.
At first it was just warm, but then it immediately became scorching hot, like a gentle lightning bolt, instantly flowing through her entire body.
The feeling was indescribable, as if every tired cell was being awakened and nourished.
The fear and fatigue of the past few days were swept away, replaced by an unprecedented lightness and vitality!
She opened her eyes involuntarily and, through that invisible force field, saw the wreckage of the disintegrating carrier Rocket again.
And the next second, she saw a scene that made her hair stand on end.
Reed was not dead.
Under the baptism of the deadly rays capable of vaporizing super-alloys, his body was not instantly evaporated like the others.
Instead, it presented a bizarre distortion that defied all biological common sense!
His limbs were disproportionately elongated, like melted rubber, floating softly and eerily in the vacuum.
His entire body was being forcibly reshaped by the Universe energy in a terrifying and painful way, turning into an indescribable monster!
But even so, his arms, stretched out of proportion, were still firmly wrapped around that host hard drive flickering with a faint light.
That crazed, nauseating appearance made Susan's stomach churn, and she almost vomited.
Just as she was about to see clearly the face of Reed, which no longer resembled a human face.
A large, warm palm suddenly covered her eyes, isolating all her sight into a dry and warm darkness.
The palm carried an indisputable force and temperature, making her quiet down instantly.
"Don't look at that kind of thing, lest you have nightmares at night."
Lin Nuo turned his head, his scorching lips almost pressed against her earlobe, his hot breath mixed with his deep voice.
Like a devil's whisper, it brushed past her sensitive, reddened earlobe.
"You should be glad that it is me protecting you now."
"And not… becoming like him."
Chapter 76: Fingertips Caressing, the Unzipped Back Zipper
In the darkness, Susan's senses were amplified layer by layer by the confined space.
Cosmic rays outside the cabin constantly bombarded the invisible force field, and the low, rumbling vibrations traveled along the metal wreckage, each thud pressing down on her already fragile nerves.
Lin Nuo's palm covered her eyes; his palm was warm, and the thin calluses on his fingertips gently caressed the edges of her eyelids. The pressure wasn't heavy, yet it left her no room to dodge.
Her eyelashes swept across his palm, the subtle sensation amplified by the weightless environment, and even the sound of her own hurried swallowing became exceptionally clear in this small, safe zone.
The woody scent on the man pressed in close—the crispness of cedar, the steadiness of sandalwood, and the lingering warmth of alcohol—entwined around her breath.
Susan tried to turn her head to avoid him, but the web of his hand quickly clamped onto the back of her neck.
That hand didn't squeeze her hard; it just rubbed back and forth against that patch of soft skin, as if reminding her that this, too, was under his control.
Her breathing faltered for a beat.
In this unsettling darkness, through the gaps between Lin Nuo's fingers, she caught sight of the pale, residual light on the bridge's holographic screen.
That was the final footage from the wreckage of Rocket.
In the corner of the screen, a vital signs detection module was still blinking red.
It clearly displayed the system's verdict: "Unknown large ship signal detected, threat level: incalculable."
Below the red alert, a faint green dot was still pulsing. Beside it, her name was marked: "Vital signs: Susan Storm, stable."
It turned out that at the very last moment, Reed Richards's system had detected the Star Umbrella cruiser. He had also seen that she was still alive.
Susan's throat tightened, and even breathing became difficult.
The next moment, a distorted arm extended from the corner of the screen.
The arm was stretched extremely long, the flesh having lost its normal form, dragging like rubber across the damaged console until it landed above the red button of the emergency escape control system.
Then, that hand pressed down.
The escape hatch was forcibly locked.
There was no hesitation, no looking back, and no attempt to confirm that green dot representing Susan's life.
Reed Richards never looked at her from start to finish.
He looked at his mainframe, his hard drives, and those data of his that were enshrined on altars.
As for the person Susan Storm, in his plans, she was merely a loss that could be recorded by the system, yet not worth prioritizing.
The string in Susan's mind that she had struggled to hold onto for years was snapped by this very scene.
In the nights of the past, she had comforted herself by saying, "He's just too focused; he actually loves me."
She had explained away the neglect as idealism, the indifference as pressure, and being abandoned time and time again as the loneliness of a scientist.
Only now did she see clearly that those explanations were all excuses she had written for him. He had never cherished her.
The storm outside the cabin continued to consume the wreckage; dark red tides churned, and metal fragments were ground into dust by the energy currents. Yet, Susanwent quiet.
She stopped struggling and made no further sound. Her entire body leaned into Lin Nuo's embrace, like a porcelain doll drained of its warmth, leaving only a beautiful shell and an empty interior.
Lin Nuo lowered his eyes to look at the woman in his arms, his gaze falling upon her pale profile through his lenses. The timing was perfect. Only a belief shattered by one's own hands could be easily reshaped by him.
The arm around her waist tightened, pulling her closer into his chest.
Their bodies pressed closer; Susan's back collided with his chest, and her unconscious grip wrinkled his expensive shirt. The soft sound of fabric friction, mixed into the roar of the storm, was faint enough to make one's ears burn.
Lin Nuo's hand, which had been covering her eyes, finally moved away.
Before Susan could even catch a glimpse of the wreckage outside, that hand slid along her brow bone, fingertips brushing past the loose hair by her ear, and came to a stop at the back of her neck.
He was in no rush to let her go. His fingertips slowly caressed that patch of delicate skin, as if soothing her, or perhaps measuring her.
"Don't be so tense." Lin Nuo leaned close to her ear, his warm breath pouring into her ear canal, stirring a few stray hairs. "The more you resist, the more it will only hurt yourself."
Susan's eyelashes trembled violently; she parted her lips, but no words came out.
Lin Nuo's hand traced downward along her taut spine, sliding slowly over the line between her shoulder blades through her royal blue velvet gown.
The half-unzipped zipper was stuck at the back, the edges of the metal teeth loosened, exposing a small patch of skin chilled by cold sweat.
His fingertips paused there without immediately moving past. This very pause was more tormenting than direct contact.
Susan could feel his fingertips pressing against the edge of the zipper, gently pushing down on the crooked little tooth. Once, then again. It was as if he were fixing her dress, or perhaps reminding her that this facade had already been torn open.
"Do you see clearly now?" Lin Nuo's tone was languid, falling against her ear, yet it was harder to avoid than the storm outside the cabin. "You thought that was a safe haven, but from the very beginning, it was a grave that would bury you."
Susan closed her eyes, her eye sockets aching.
Lin Nuo lowered his head, his lips nearly touching her ear, yet always maintaining a tiny distance. He held this distance perfectly; the heat drilled in, and the itch traveled all the way to her heart.
"In that blueprint of his leading to the stars and the sea, you don't even have the qualification to be picked up and examined."
His fingertips pressed slowly along the end of the zipper, avoiding more boundary-crossing areas, yet leaving the sense of control clear enough. "Susan, giving loyalty and love to such scrap is too much of a loss."
She finally spoke, her voice so hoarse it didn't sound like her own. "Stop."
"Why should I stop?" Lin Nuo's palm pressed against her back, the heat transferring through that patch of bare skin, making her fingertips curl. "Where did that stubbornness from just a moment ago go?"
He let out a low chuckle that rolled against her earlobe. "You've only just started to see clearly, and you already can't take it?"
Susan bit her lip, tears sliding from the corners of her eyes, but she had no strength left to push him away.
The wreckage of Rocket outside had already been shredded by the storm, and that distorted arm of Reed Richards was still tangled near the mainframe, twisted into an unrecognizable shape by the energy flow.
Lin Nuo raised his hand to cover her eyes again. This time, his palm didn't press down completely, leaving a gap for her to breathe. "Don't look at dirty things."
His other hand remained on the zipper at her back, his fingertips pressing gently against the protrusion. Susan's shoulders and back tightened, and every tiny reaction was captured in his palm.
Lin Nuo's voice dropped lower, carrying a wickedness beneath his refined exterior. "The water is too deep here; if you walk by yourself, you'll drown."
"Be good." He pressed against her ear, drawing out the last few words, slow and intimate. "I've tested the depth; I'll lead you across."
Susan's body did not resist again. She was trapped in his embrace, with his scorching chest behind her, the darkness covering her eyes, and the storm outside and his steady heartbeat in her ears.
Those obsessions belonging to Reed Richards, the seven years of waiting, all the self-deceiving love—they were peeling away inch by inch in the cosmic rays.
And Lin Nuo's palm remained at the end of her unzipped zipper. His rough fingertips pressed against that chilled skin, the pressure carrying both punishment and possession. "That is the greatest injustice to you."
Chapter 77: Exploring the Depths, Lin Nuo Demands to Know Who is More Excited
The Cosmic Storm came and went quickly.
When the last wisp of dark red energy tail vanished at the edge of the horizon, this airspace where the cruiser wreckage lay returned to a deathly silence.
Cold, vast, and filled with a void that devoured everything.
It was exactly like Susan's state of mind at this moment.
Red Queen's voice sounded at the right moment, her mechanical tone devoid of emotion, cutting straight through the silent atmosphere between them.
"The energy storm has passed; the ship has entered a period of stable, micro-gravity gliding. Bio-field energy consumption is at 0.1 percent, and hull structural integrity remains at 0 percent. It is recommended that the Commander perform an external docking or transfer as soon as possible."
In the narrow emergency cabin, only the slight, monotonous humming of the life support system remained.
Like a lullaby sung for death.
Lin Nuo loosened his arms that were restraining Susan, his movements carrying a composure that came from having everything under control.
He raised his hand unhurriedly and unbuckled the seatbelt on her chair.
The restraint vanished instantly, and the sensation of weightlessness followed.
Susan's body lost all weight, floating upward slowly and uncontrollably.
Her long hair fanned out silently in the air like a decadent deep-sea flower.
She did not cry out, nor did she even attempt to struggle.
This momentary float, to her, felt surprisingly like a release.
As if her soul could finally break free from this heavy and painful shell, drifting toward that eternal, silent Universe.
However, this hallucinatory freedom lasted less than a second.
A sturdy, powerful arm, carrying forceful strength and warmth, wrapped around her waist once more.
He effortlessly scooped her back from mid-air, dragging her back into the world filled with scorching heat.
The world spun around her.
Susan felt like a fallen leaf swept up by a gale; after a brief dizziness, her whole body went limp.
The anticipated collision with the cold metal bulkhead did not happen.
What met her was a broad, solid chest emanating scorching heat.
The texture of his muscles, separated only by the thin fabric of his shirt, pressed against her back like a brand.
She was completely enclosed by Lin Nuo in a half-held, half-seated posture, trapped between that expensive leather pilot seat and his tall frame.
Behind her was his body heat; in front of her was the cold control console.
An airtight cage.
There was nowhere to retreat, nowhere to hide.
"Don't move."
Lin Nuo's voice was even deeper and hoarser than before, revealing an undisguised sense of aggression.
He lowered his head, his high-bridged nose almost brushing against Susan's cold cheek.
The unique scent on him, a mixture of musk and gunpowder, domineeringly invaded all her senses.
Making it impossible for her to ignore his presence.
"Although my Bio-field protected you the entire time, with an energy tide of that magnitude, there's no guarantee there weren't some stragglers that slipped through."
He paused, his tone flat, as if a medical officer were stating facts.
"For your absolute safety, I need to perform a comprehensive, deep energy resonance screening on you. I need to confirm whether there is any residual cosmic ray energy passively attached to your body cells."
He said this with absolute seriousness, every word filled with scientific rigor and forceful authority.
But in those eyes hidden behind gold-rimmed glasses, what surged was not scientific inquiry.
It was an undisguised, scorching possessiveness, wanting to devour the prey alive.
Susan held her breath.
She certainly knew this was just a high-sounding excuse.
A fancy rhetoric packaging violation and control as a "safety inspection."
However, after experiencing the destructive life-and-death separation just now, and the heart-piercing pain brought by being completely abandoned by Reed, she couldn't even utter the simplest retort.
Her vocal cords seemed to have been frozen by that extreme chill.
All will to resist had turned into cosmic dust along with that departing spaceship.
She was like a marionette with all its parts removed, quietly, numbly, letting this strange, dangerous man manipulate her.
Lin Nuo was extremely satisfied with her obedience.
His fingers found the hem of her royal blue velvet evening gown.
Because of her struggle just now and her current sitting posture, the hem had rolled up into an elegant yet messy fold.
His fingertips, at the edge of the silky fabric, carried a certain forceful implication as they gently lifted it.
"High-energy radiation has strong penetrating power. Especially for an ordinary constitution like yours that hasn't undergone genetic enhancement, the defense capability of your cell walls is almost zero."
The man's fingertips, carrying a scorching heat that seemed capable of igniting everything, finally touched her skin.
It was an extreme collision of ice and fire.
His fingertips were as hot as a branding iron, while her skin, due to immense sorrow and fear, was as cold as a piece of ancient jade.
The heat traveled slowly and clearly up the curve of her smooth calf.
The sensation was too vivid; wherever it passed, it stirred up a patch of tiny shivers, like an electric current running through her.
Susan's body tensed instantly, and her breathing became rapid and ragged.
This was the body's most instinctive reaction to violation, having nothing to do with her will.
She instinctively wanted to close her legs, wanted to shrink back, wanted to escape this shameful touch.
However, her knees were forcefully blocked by the man's knees, which had been waiting there, possessing more strength, leaving her unable to move an inch.
At the same time, his large hand, which had been wrapped around her waist, clamped onto the softest flesh at the small of her back with the crook of his thumb, applying a little pressure, neither too light nor too heavy.
It was a warning.
It was also a silent command.
"Don't hide."
Lin Nuo's eyes were so dark they couldn't be fathomed, gazing at her flushed earlobes.
He was admiring a work of art, gradually revealing the most captivating luster under his own sculpting.
His fingertips wandered and probed wantonly at the edge of her inner thighs.
"The more it is at a time like this, the more you need to relax. If your muscles are too tense, it will affect the precise detection of bio-energy fluctuations."
There was a thin layer of calluses on his fingertips.
At this moment, that rough layer of calluses was rubbing repeatedly and slowly against her delicate skin.
Each stroke felt like reigniting a tiny yet impossible-to-ignore wildfire on her already numbed nerve endings.
"Radiation hazards are usually hidden in the deepest, warmest places."
He spoke medical terminology, but every word was filled with the oppressive sense of conquering territory and undisguised suggestion.
"It might look intact on the outside, but it might have already been riddled with holes, eroded by foreign energy on the inside. Just like your feelings for him."
"Therefore, I must probe deep enough and confirm repeatedly to ensure you are one hundred percent safe."
Susan was so ashamed and furious she was about to suffocate.
This sentence was like a deadly key, suddenly opening the floodgates of her shame and despair.
She bit her cold lower lip tightly, using pain to fight against the embarrassing, fragmented whimpers that were about to break through her throat.
Her cheeks and earlobes were already red enough to bleed.
She wanted to push him away, but her hands were so weak she didn't even have the strength to lift them.
She could only futilely and unconsciously clutch the crisp shirt on the man's chest, her fingers devoid of color from excessive force.
Lin Nuo looked down at her fragile appearance—on the verge of collapse, physiological tears overflowing from the corners of her eyes, yet powerless to resist—and swallowed his saliva.
He understood that this proud swan, which had once soared gracefully in the high sky, had already had its wings broken by his own hands, completely.
What remained was to patiently dye her completely, from the inside out, with his own unique color and scent.
He slowly leaned down, his scorching lips pressed against her already reddened, trembling, and sensitive earlobe.
Using a demonic, bewitching breathy voice, he said word by word into her ear:
"Now, tell me, Susan."
"Compared to that piece of trash who only knows how to push you away with indifference, letting you grow cold and freeze bit by bit in despair."
He paused deliberately, his scorching breath blowing into her sensitive ear canal, bringing a shivering itch.
"Is it me, using my body heat to perform a deep inspection on you and bringing you back to reality, that makes you feel safer."
His lips grazed her auricle, his voice lowered even further, laced with cruel amusement.
"Or, does it make you feel... more excited?"
Chapter 78: Testing the Depths, Mine Still Works Better in the End
Before Lin Nuo pressed his lips against Susan's, her fingertips first rested against his chest.
The touch was light, yet enough to make him stop half an inch away.
The gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses landed on her reddened lips, then shifted to the collar of her shirt, which she had crumpled.
Lin Nuo did not retreat; he simply cupped the back of her neck with his palm. His fingertips stroked the soft skin there, and the heat of his palm made even her earlobes burn.
"It's still not too late to push me away now."
He spoke against her.
His breath poured into her ear, stirring a few stray strands of blonde hair.
The ticklish sensation drilled straight into her heart, forcing her to turn her face away, though she couldn't truly pull back.
Susan's eyelashes trembled violently, and her fingertips tightened on his shirt; the movement that was meant to be a rejection ended up becoming a grasp.
Lin Nuo let out a low chuckle, the sound stifled in his throat, carrying a composure that was wicked to the bone.
"You couldn't even handle the beginning of the examination; where did that stubbornness from just a moment ago go?"
The next moment, he kissed her.
This kiss was not gentle, yet it remained measured, like a probe along the edge of a cliff. Each advance gave her a path to retreat, and each pause forced her back into his scent.
The scent of woody cologne mixed with the smell of metal and coolant in the cabin, intertwining in the narrow cockpit. The dim blue light of the instrument panel reflected between them, leaving nowhere for even their breathing to hide.
Susan closed her eyes, finally ceasing to push him away.
The time she had been pushed away by the indifference of Reed was like a windowless laboratory. She had waited inside for too long, until her expectations turned stale, her grievances dulled, and even her anger could find no outlet.
Lin Nuo, however, refused to give her the chance to continue pretending everything was fine.
He dismantled all her dignity—not crudely, yet cruelly enough.
He made her admit that she could feel pain, that she could hate, and that she longed for someone to hold her after the Cosmic Storm, rather than treating her as a pretty variable in a research report.
His fingertips slid from the back of her neck to her shoulder line, stopping beside the clasp on the back of her evening gown. He didn't rush to undo it, instead pressing lightly with his fingertips along her slightly protruding spine.
Susan's entire body tensed, her breath caught in her throat, and a faint sound almost escaped her.
Lin Nuo paused there, asking her from an extremely close distance.
"Relax. If you tense up like this, the energy readings will be off."
The sentence sounded serious, but the tail end of it drilled right into her earlobe, carrying a blatant wickedness.
Susan bit her lip and turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
"Do you have to be like this with every word you say?"
"Like what?"
Lin Nuo's fingers remained on the clasp. He pressed his fingertip down gently, and the small metal fastener emitted a crisp click.
"I am conducting a deep examination, Susan. Radiation residue likes to hide in places with high temperatures and low defenses."
He lowered his head, pressing close to her ear, his tone slowing down even further.
"The water is deep here; don't move around. Let me test the depths first, then I'll take you across."
Susan's face was burning red, and a mix of shame, annoyance, and a hard-to-admit reliance collided in her chest.
She should have cursed him for being shameless, but the rebuke stopped at her lips, eventually dissolving into a soft gasp.
Reed never looked at her like that.
When Reed looked at her, it was mostly to calculate risks, evaluate data, and judge whether the experimental variables were stable.
When Lin Nuo looked at her, it was as if he were confirming a precious trophy that had finally fallen into his grasp—dangerous, direct, leaving no room for retreat.
"Seven years, Susan."
Lin Nuo's voice fell against her ear, his warm breath causing her neck to flush with a delicate red.
"He made you wait in an underground laboratory for seven years, hid the engagement ring behind data, and categorized your tears as emotional fluctuations."
As he said this, his fingertips hooked the back zipper, slowly and deliberately pulling it down half an inch.
The rustling sound of fabric friction was amplified in the cabin; the instrument panel in the distance flickered rhythmically, and the starlight outside the window was cruelly silent.
"Now, I will let you know that you are not his accessory."
He paused, his palm resting on her back, steadying her softening shoulders through the thin fabric.
"You are a woman who can be chosen, favored, and protected with one's life."
Susan's eyes grew hot.
She hated her own wavering in this moment; she hated that Lin Nuo could always make the most high-sounding words sound so dangerous; and she hated even more that, knowing how wicked he was, she still craved the warmth of his palm.
The zipper clicked again.
Click.
The sound was very light, yet it made Susan feel as though she had been released, and yet also completely trapped.
She raised her arms, slowly climbing onto his shoulders. Her fingertips sank into the creases of his White shirt, leaving messy marks on the expensive fabric.
Lin Nuo looked down at her, his fingertips wiping away the tear at the corner of her eye with surprising patience.
"What are you crying for?"
Susan buried her face in the side of his neck, her voice muffled by his collar.
"I don't know."
Lin Nuo gently pressed the back of her head, not letting her escape again.
"Then don't think about it."
His chin brushed against the top of her head, his tone languid yet overbearing.
"Leave it to me."
When these four words fell, Susan's breathing finally lost its rhythm.
She knew this was not salvation, and Lin Nuo had never been a clean or harmless man.
But in this cockpit isolated from the outside world, in the cold light left by the Cosmic Storm, the danger he provided felt more real than the safety Reed had ever given.
At least in this moment, the person holding her did not push her away.
The dim blue light in the cabin slid past their shoulders, illuminating the crumpled hem of her dress, her loosened collar, and that half-open zipper.
All loss of control was locked within this narrow space; even the ticking of the instrument panel seemed to be covering for them.
Lin Nuo lowered his eyes, watching her finally shed her pride. His thumb traced a circle against her wrist bone, as if measuring his own territory.
He did not press for an answer again.
Because the way Susan gripped him had already answered everything for her.
Meanwhile, in Lin Nuo's mind, the system notification sounds rang out in succession.
"Ding! Target heroine Susan Storm's psychological defenses have completely collapsed!"
"Soul resonance level: 100%!"
"Ownership brand depth: 100%!"
"Congratulations to the host, special achievement unlocked, ownership locked!"
"Currently intercepting the core fate of the original Child of Fate, Reed Richards."
"Interception successful, triggering critical hit roulette."
"Critical hit successful!"
"Congratulations to the host, you have obtained an epic-level reward: Ultimate Molecular Reorganization and Stretching!"
A surge of energy, more concentrated than the previous Cosmic Storm, welled up from the depths of Lin Nuo's genes.
He could feel his cellular structure rearranging. The physical body that had been forged by the power of Hulkand the divine body of Asgard was endowed with brand-new characteristics.
Resilience.
A resilience capable of rewriting the laws of physics.
He could extend, bend, and reorganize himself at will, changing his limb forms just like Reed Richards, yet without having to suffer the side effects of losing the aesthetic of power.
His physique still maintained perfect proportions, his muscle lines restrained yet explosive. With his White shirt clinging to him, he still looked like the gentle and refined scientific elite.
But beneath this refined appearance, the molecular-level reorganization ability had already given his body a terrifying effect of dispersing force.
Kinetic attacks would be absorbed by his resilience; fists, artillery fire, ship-mounted main cannons—as long as they landed on him, they would be neutralized, dispersed, and swallowed.
He could be a shield, and he could be a spear.
He could even become a Shadow that penetrates everywhere, drilling into every crevice that enemies thought were safe.
Lin Nuo felt the new ability flowing within him, his gaze behind his lenses pressing down low.
He looked down at Susan in his arms, at the undried tear tracks at the corner of her eyes, and at her hand clutching his collar, refusing to let go.
A moment later, he leaned close to her ear, his tone excessively gentle.
"See, Susan."
"The things that Reed Richards studied for a lifetime—in the end, I still use them better."
Chapter 79: Covered in Red Marks, You Will Get Used to My Size
The black stealth cruiser cut through the night, sliding into the secret spaceport of the Star Umbrella Group located beneath Long Island.
The hangar dome was illuminated by cold white matrix light strips. The light fell onto the mooring platform, where security personnel and researchers stood on either side, their black uniforms and white lab coats creating a stifling sense of order.
The cabin door opened, and filtered air rushed into the cabin, carrying away the residual scent of the Cosmic Storm, while also exposing the slight disarray on Susan to everyone's view.
Lin Nuo took off the suit jacket that she had wrinkled with her grip and gently draped it over her shoulders.
As the fabric touched her skin, the lingering body heat and a cold, woody scent enveloped her. Susan's shoulders shrank back, and her fingers instinctively clutched the lapels, but she couldn't hide the marks that were impossible to conceal.
Lin Nuo slid an arm under her knees and the other around her back, lifting her steadily. They were so close that she could hear the steady heartbeat within his chest.
Susan let out a short, muffled gasp, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face in the front of his shirt.
That white shirt had been rumpled by her earlier, with two buttons undone at the collar. The edge of the fabric brushed against her cheek, bringing a warmth that was impossible to ignore.
She didn't dare look at the gazes directed at her from both sides.
Awe, curiosity, and fanaticism all weighed down on her, making her feel as though she had been branded with a brand-new label.
Lin Nuo carried her down the gangway, his pace calm. To him, the person in his arms had already completed the handover; her name, identity, and past attachments were all to be archived into his system.
A supervisor hurried forward, handing over a tablet terminal flashing with deep blue data, his head bowed low.
"Boss, as you ordered, Dr. Reed Richards' escape pod has been forcibly salvaged and recovered. It is currently stored in the highest-level isolation zone on the 7th underground level."
He paused, suppressing the excitement in his tone.
"Preliminary vital sign scans show that the target has undergone deep genetic changes, and structural stability is very poor."
"Understood."
Lin Nuo didn't take the tablet, his gaze merely sweeping over the edge of the screen as he carried Susan toward the private elevator.
"Have the biology department prepare; I want the most complete mutation report."
His fingertips pressed against Susan's back through the coat. The pressure wasn't heavy, but it kept her entire body fixed in his arms.
"Data, limits, capability boundaries—keep those."
He stopped in front of the elevator, his tone casual.
"Delete the ethical recommendations; don't waste my time with scrap paper."
"Yes, Boss!"
The supervisor's reply was kept low, yet the barely concealed excitement was still audible.
The elevator doors closed behind them, and the mirrored metal reflected their overlapping figures.
Susan saw herself in his arms, the suit jacket having slid down to her elbows, revealing half of her reddened shoulder and neck.
She wanted to pull the jacket up, but as soon as her hand moved, Lin Nuo's palm tightened.
"Don't move."
His voice fell against the top of her head like a pre-signed order.
"If you move again, those people outside will see more clearly."
Susan's breathing faltered for a beat, her fingertips stopping at the lapels, not daring to pull them up any further.
...
Half an hour later, in the top-floor presidential suite.
The suite featured a modern, luxurious design. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the New York nightscape spread out. Thick soundproof glass blocked out the traffic and the wind, leaving the room so quiet that only the sound of water remained.
Inside the luxury bathroom, hot water flowed into the whirlpool bathtub. Mist covered the metal and marble lines, and the lighting was softened by the steam.
Susan curled up in the bathtub. The warm water washed over her exhausted body but could not wash away the striking marks on her neck and shoulders.
She looked at the stranger in the water. Along her collarbone, the side of her neck, and her shoulder lines, red marks of varying depths hid behind the mist; the more she tried to cover them, the clearer they became.
These were the marks left by Lin Nuo.
Not documents, not agreements, yet harder to deny than any signature.
When the bathroom door was pushed open, her heart tightened, and she sank lower into the water. The water rose above her shoulders, revealing only her reddened eye corners and wet hair tips.
Lin Nuo walked in carrying a set of brand-new women's clothing. The hem of his trousers was slightly dampened by the mist, and his gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses swept from the counter to the bathtub, showing no intention of looking away.
"Put this on."
He placed the clothes on the glass vanity, his tone as if he were arranging a meeting agenda.
Susan bit her lower lip, her fingers clenching beneath the water, hesitant to stand up.
The water at least provided her with a shred of cover.
Once she left the tub, even that final self-deception would be gone.
Lin Nuo watched her hesitation and raised a hand to undo his shirt cuffs.
The silver cufflinks fell onto the vanity with a faint sound.
Then the second one.
The sound of fabric friction was amplified in the bathroom. Susan's shoulders tightened, finally understanding that this wasn't a reminder; it was an ultimatum.
This man could say it, and he could do it.
Furthermore, he had always been skilled at taking more decent words and turning them into more outrageous actions.
Susan closed her eyes and stood up from the bathtub. Water droplets fell from her hair, spreading a small patch of wetness on the floor.
Lin Nuo did not approach; he merely gestured toward the clothes with his chin.
His lingering was harder to endure than his approach.
That outfit was a custom-made suit for the highest-level administrative personnel of the Star Umbrella Group.
The dark gray fabric clung to her figure with sharp lines, and the silk shirt collar was modestly cut, yet it deliberately left her collarbones exposed to the light.
This was his aesthetic, and it was his rule.
Susan dressed with her back to him, her wet hair sticking to the back of her neck. When she raised her hands to fasten the shirt buttons, her fingertips slipped several times.
Lin Nuo walked behind her and reached out to hold the collar in place for her.
His fingertips brushed against the delicate, soft skin on the back of her neck and then paused beside the top buttonhole.
"Relax."
He said it very seriously, but his breath poured into her ear, stirring a few strands of wet hair.
"If you're this tense, how is the button supposed to get in?"
Susan's ears burned. She tried to dodge to the side, but he gently held her shoulder line with two fingers.
The force wasn't heavy, but it was enough to make her understand that she couldn't escape.
After the button was fastened, Lin Nuo didn't immediately let go. His fingertips smoothed out the wrinkles along the collar, as if calibrating an item about to be put into use.
"Can't take it when it's just beginning?"
His voice pressed against her ear, carrying a cruelty beneath a refined exterior.
"Where did that stubbornness from earlier go?"
Susan didn't answer, only biting her lip tighter.
When she had straightened her collar and turned around, Lin Nuo was already leaning against the vanity, toying with a ring between his fingers.
It was platinum, simple in style, perhaps even a bit shabby.
The moment Susan saw it clearly, her breath caught in her throat.
That was the engagement ring Reed had bought for her 7 years ago in a crude laboratory with the prize money from his first research project.
That ring had endured a long wait, countless disappointments, and her last remaining fantasies about Reed.
"Mr. Lin, please give it back to me."
She reached out, her voice low and hoarse.
Lin Nuo watched the weakness she revealed for an old object, a soft chuckle spilling from his throat.
He did not hand the ring back.
The next second, he flicked the platinum ring with his finger. It traced a silver arc and fell into the sensor-activated trash disposal unit nearby.
The sound of mechanical grinding started—short, clean, and cruel.
Susan stood where she was, watching that sliver of silver light vanish, as if watching the past ten years being pulled from her hands and ground into fragments that could never be pieced back together.
"Old things are unclean."
Lin Nuo said, his tone casual.
"Besides, it's uncomfortable."
Susan's hand remained in mid-air, her fingertips losing strength, slowly dropping.
Lin Nuo didn't give her time to compose her emotions. He stepped in front of her and grabbed her left hand.
His thumb and forefinger clamped around her slender wrist, his fingertips pressing against her pulse point. It was beating rapidly, revealing more honestly than any explanation could.
The man took another ring from his pocket.
A ring crafted from black gold, with clean lines. The surface was engraved with the Star Umbrella Group logo—the open black umbrella shimmering with a metallic luster under the light.
This was not a wedding ring.
This was authority, and it was ownership.
"From today on, you will wear this."
Lin Nuo gripped her ring finger, pushing the black gold band toward the base of her finger.
The size had been intentionally made half a size too small. When it reached the knuckle, it met resistance, the metal edge catching on her skin and bringing a distinct sense of oppression.
Susan frowned in pain, wanting to pull her hand back.
Lin Nuo tightened his palm, firmly holding her wrist bone.
He lowered his head, his thin lips close to her ear, his scorching breath drilling in, forcing her to be disheveled even in her attempts to dodge.
"Not getting used to it?"
As he spoke, his fingertips rubbed the ring, pushing it past her knuckle bit by bit.
"It's okay. Whether the size fits or not, you have to try it to know."
The black metal ring finally slid onto the base of her ring finger, leaving a clear red mark.
Lin Nuo lowered his eyes and watched for a moment, as if inspecting the result.
Afterward, he lifted her hand, his fingertips tracing a circle along the ring. His movements were languid, yet they made the back of Susan's hand tingle.
"Remember this feeling."
He smoothed her cuffs for her, his voice excessively gentle.
"After breaking it in a few more times, you will get used to my size."
Chapter 80: Thin Lips Against Her Ear, Susan's Delicate Body Trembles
The elevator walls were smooth as a mirror, reflecting Susan's pale face.
She raised her hand to touch her ring finger; the presence of the black gold ring was excessively strong, as if it had been forcefully embedded into the crevices of her bones.
The cold metal sensation clung to her skin, and every friction brought the force with which that man had pressed it onto her knuckle back to her mind.
The red mark at the base of her finger had not yet faded; a thin, narrow circle hidden under the light, like some kind of silent mark.
The executive suit she wore didn't make her feel any better.
The expensive silk shirt clung to her shoulders and neck, the buttons fastened to just the right position, dignified and flawless, yet every breath caused the fabric to brush against her skin, reminding her who had chosen this outfit.
The tailoring was too form-fitting, the waistline nipped in too precisely, so that even the curves of her posture when standing straight or turning sideways were clearly arranged.
She saw herself in the mirror—strange, beautiful, and also disheveled.
This ring, this outfit—everything bore the mark of Lin Nuo.
Dominant, calm, and particular to the point of suffocation.
Ding.
The elevator doors opened on the 7th underground level. The scent of disinfectant mixed with ozone pressed against her, the air freezing hard.
Everything here was covered in white; the corridor walls and floors were all cast from an unknown white alloy, and the light strips overhead cast a cold white glow, leaving the surroundings devoid of any human warmth.
The air was excessively quiet, to the point that even the sound of her high heels hitting the floor was amplified.
Every 10 meters, there was a security guard in a black combat suit standing guard with a gun, their masks covering their features, their posture uniform, like weapons programmed into the system.
Lin Nuo walked in front, his white shirt blindingly clean, gold-rimmed glasses pressing against his brow bone, his leather shoes stepping on the alloy floor with a steady rhythm.
Susan followed behind him, her high heels tapping out a faint echo, her skirt hem brushing softly against her knees with each step; her left hand hung at her side, but the black gold ring could not be hidden no matter what.
The two finally stopped in front of the heavy alloy door at the end of the corridor.
Beside the door was a huge one-way mirror; the dim glass reflected the white light of the corridor, and nothing could be seen inside for the moment.
Lin Nuo didn't turn around, his fingertips tapping lightly on the edge of the access panel.
"Want to take a look?"
His tone was steady, falling into the empty corridor with absolute clarity.
"See what is left of your former fiancé, who was willing to push everyone onto the experimental table for the sake of truth."
Susan's fingernails dug into her palms; the pain helped her barely stand steady.
She didn't answer, nor did she look at Lin Nuo.
Yet she still walked toward that glass, as if pulled by an invisible thread, her steps so light they were almost inaudible.
As she approached, the light sensor inside the glass turned on, and the scene in the isolation ward spread out before her eyes.
Ghastly white.
More blinding, more empty, and more suffocating than the corridor, making one want to escape.
Various high-end life monitoring instruments surrounded the hospital bed, cold-colored data jumping on the screens, the ticking sound rhythmic; listening to it for too long made her stomach tighten.
Lying on the hospital bed was a monster that could barely be identified as human.
He still retained a human outline, but had already lost most human characteristics.
His limbs were elongated and collapsed, like shoddy grey rubber hoses, lying limply on the bedsheets, with parts of his tissue hanging below the edge of the bed, presenting a semi-liquid form.
His face could hardly be called a face anymore.
The loose, sagging greyish-white skin was bunched together, his features blurred, and Reed's former contours were nowhere to be found.
There was no rise and fall to his chest; only the heart rate curve on the instrument beside him was still faintly jumping, proving that this body had not completely ceased to function.
"Ugh..."
Susan covered her mouth, a sour sensation rising in her throat, her spine held straight.
Fear, disgust, disappointment, and an unspeakable loathing all clogged her chest.
This was Reed?
That genius who once stood in the laboratory with nothing but formulas and stars in his eyes.
That selfish and arrogant man, yet the one she had spent ten years of her youth waiting for.
Now, lying on the hospital bed behind the glass, only the dregs of a failed experiment remained.
Just as she was about to lose her footing, a tall figure loomed over her from behind.
Lin Nuo placed his hands on the glass on either side of her body, trapping her between the glass and himself.
He didn't hold her forcefully, yet it was harder to break free from than an embrace.
The warmth of the man's chest pressed against her taut back, the thin layer of shirt fabric bringing a body temperature so clear it was disorienting.
Susan's breath caught in her throat; in front was the cold glass, behind was Lin Nuo's searing presence—there was nowhere to retreat.
Lin Nuo leaned down, his chin resting near her shoulder, the temple of his gold-rimmed glasses brushing against a few stray hairs beside her ear.
A warm stream of air poured into her ear, an itch drilling all the way into her nerve endings; she wanted to turn her head to avoid it, but her nape was gently held by his palm.
His fingertips pressed against that soft skin, stroking it slowly and methodically, as if calibrating how much she could still endure.
"Relax, Susan."
He spoke against her ear, his words gentle, yet the meaning was completely wicked.
"You are so tense that even the truth can't get in."
Susan bit her lip; the glass reflected their shadows.
She looked trapped in his arms, too fragile to have any room to resist.
Lin Nuo's gaze drifted past her to the out-of-control body in the ward, his tone carrying a restrained mockery.
"Do you see?"
"This is the end for geniuses."
"For the sake of those pretty words, for the sake of the high-minded ideals he thought he possessed, he could put you, his friends, and the entire city onto a risk list."
Susan's shoulders tightened, her fingertips clutching the side of her dress, the fabric crumpled into fine creases by her grip.
Lin Nuo saw it, withdrew one hand from the glass, and let it fall to her waist.
He didn't rush to tighten his grip, but simply let his palm rest along her waistline, pressing firmly through the shirt and skirt fabric to suppress her urge to back away.
"Can't you handle it just after seeing the result?"
He chuckled softly, his breath brushing against her earlobe.
"Where did that stubbornness you had earlier, pleading for him, go?"
Susan closed her eyes; the discomfort in her stomach was still churning, but what made her feel even worse was that every word Lin Nuo said stepped on her most humiliating spots.
She wanted to say that Reed was not that kind of person.
But the hospital bed behind the glass, the instruments, and the twisted body made this defense pale.
Lin Nuo held her left hand, the one wearing the ring, clamping his thumb and forefinger around her slender wrist; his force was controlled precisely—not enough to hurt, but enough to keep her from pulling away.
His fingertips pressed against the surface of the black gold ring, stroking gently along the umbrella emblem, as if checking whether his possession was still secure.
"Susan, you are a smart woman."
His voice was closer now, his articulation clear, yet the temperature was oppressive.
"Tell me, was the 10 years you wasted on him worth it?"
This question made her feel even more uncomfortable than the monster behind the glass.
Susan's lips were bitten pale; she couldn't utter a single word.
Lin Nuo didn't rush her, only raised her hand higher, letting that black gold ring face the white light of the ward.
The black metal emitted a cold, hard luster under the white light, forming a glaring contrast with her slender, white fingers.
"He was the one who abandoned you first."
Lin Nuo's fingertips slid from the ring surface to the base of her finger, pressing on that circle of red marks that had not yet faded.
"For his own ambition, he left you behind, made you wait, made you endure, and made you swallow all the grievances."
He paused for a moment, his tone carrying a touch of casual cruelty.
"I am just a businessman; when I passed by and saw a treasure that no one wanted thrown next to a pile of trash, I just picked it up, cleaned it, and put it where it belongs."
Susan's breathing faltered for a beat.
This statement was insulting to the extreme, yet she couldn't find a single word to refute it.
Lin Nuo's fingers moved up along the back of her hand, brushed over her wrist bone, and stopped there with a gentle clasp.
It was as if he were measuring the range of her struggle, and as if he were telling her that the range ended here.
Inside the isolation ward, the ticking of the instruments continued.
Outside the glass, the man's woody scent mixed with the faint scent of lotion on her in the narrow space, pressing down on her with nowhere to escape.
"Now tell me."
Lin Nuo pressed against her ear, his voice so low that only the two of them could hear.
"Do you still want to go back and stay with that pile of mud?"
"Rotting and stinking in a quagmire called ideals?"
Chapter 81: Whispered Flirtation, A Partner Must Be Capable of Control at Will
Inside the isolation room, shadowless lamps illuminated the hospital bed and equipment clearly.
Two medical staff members, dressed in sterile protective suits, were using a special alloy scalpel to cut a small tissue sample from that mud-like arm.
Throughout the entire process, the creature once named Reed showed no reaction; its body lay sprawled on the bed surface like gelatinous material that had completely lost control.
After leaving the main body, that piece of tissue quickly lost vitality; the pink color that originally retained muscle texture faded away, turning into a gray, silicone-like substance. The odor of mixed chemicals and decay seeped through the filtration system, still making one's stomach tighten.
Susan forced herself to look away.
The nausea in her stomach had not yet subsided, and she dared not look again at that scene which challenged human endurance, nor was she willing to show a more disheveled appearance in front of Lin Nuo.
She could feel that the heat-radiating chest behind her had moved away, but the woody scent the man left in the air remained, mixing with the lingering scent of lotion on her, intertwining and refusing to dissipate in the narrow observation room.
Lin Nuo had not gone far.
He simply changed positions, watching her patiently—watching how her fingertips gripped the side of her skirt, how her throat swallowed with difficulty, and how much effort she still used to maintain her composure.
This place was located on one side of the isolation ward; besides the huge one-way glass, there was only a small reception table and two metal chairs on the other side.
The cold, hard, grayish-white walls, paired with the rhythmic ticking of instruments, made this place not feel like a hospital, but rather like some kind of experimental chamber designed to dismantle the human heart.
Lin Nuo finally broke the silence.
He walked toward the reception table and pulled out one of the chairs to sit down.
The metal chair legs scraped across the floor, the sharp sound elongating in the room.
Subsequently, he raised his eyes to look at Susan, his fingers tapping twice on the back of the empty chair next to him.
"Come here, sit."
His tone was very light, so light it was as if he were arranging something already settled.
Susan's fingertips curled, she paused for half a beat, but still walked over.
At the moment, any resistance seemed like a joke.
She sat down in the designated spot, her movements restrained, her spine straight, still unwilling to let herself appear as if she had completely surrendered.
Out of instinct, she moved the metal chair half an inch to the side.
That distance was pitifully small, yet it was the only line of defense she had left for now.
Lin Nuo saw it but did not expose her.
He simply rested his hand on the edge of the table, his knuckles tapping rhythmically on the tabletop, and then pressed the service bell embedded in the corner of the table.
The door was pushed open, and a female secretary wearing a professional suit walked in.
She kept her head down, holding a silver tray with both hands, on which sat a glass of freshly poured warm water.
Her movements were so standardized they were stiff, as if every step had been pre-calibrated.
The secretary placed the water glass in front of Lin Nuo, her gaze remaining fixed on that area of the tabletop, not daring to look at Susan any more than necessary.
After setting down the water glass, she bowed and exited; the door closed again, returning this sealed observation room to the two of them.
Lin Nuo's fingertips touched the transparent cup wall, slowly turning it in a circle.
The warm water in the cup swayed under the light, casting shallow halos.
He picked up the water glass and brought it to his lips to take a sip first.
As he swallowed, his Adam's apple moved along the open collar of his white shirt; his posture was composed, yet it revealed a hint of nonchalance, deliberately shown for others to see.
A damp water mark remained on the rim of the cup.
Lin Nuo glanced at that mark, then rotated the cup, aiming the spot he had touched toward Susan's lips.
He handed the cup to her, his hand excessively steady.
This action had no superfluous explanation, yet it was more straightforward than any words.
It was as if telling her that since she had entered his territory, even the way she drank water had to be decided by him.
Susan's breathing became ragged.
Heat surged from her chest to her cheeks; she opened her mouth, wanting to say she wasn't thirsty, wanting to push that hand away, wanting to return this humiliation.
But Lin Nuo was sitting right beside her, his gaze behind the gold-rimmed glasses pressing down on her, patient and dangerous.
"What?"
He looked at her, his voice dropping lower.
"Not thirsty, or are you disgusted by me?"
The last few words landed very lightly, yet they pressed exactly on her sensitive self-esteem.
Susan's throat was painfully dry.
She knew that the more she resisted, the more opportunities she would give this man to amuse himself.
After a moment of stalemate, she finally lowered her head, closed her eyes, and took a small sip of the water from his hand.
The warm water slid down her throat, carrying the lingering woody scent from the cup's rim, scalding her stomach into a mess.
She didn't want to admit that she could even distinguish that the scent belonged to Lin Nuo.
Due to excessive nervousness, her lips trembled uncontrollably.
A drop of water spilled from the corner of her mouth, sliding down her chin toward the side of her neck, leaving a wet trail on her fair skin.
Lin Nuo's thumb reached out.
Susan wanted to dodge, but the back of her neck was caught by his other hand.
His palm pressed against the back of her neck, his fingertips pressing into that soft, delicate skin; not heavy, but enough to ensure she could no longer pull away.
"Don't move."
He leaned closer, his warm breath pouring into her ear, stirring a few stray hairs.
"You can't even stand steady when the water is shallow; if it were any deeper, I wouldn't guarantee you could hold up."
Susan's ears turned completely red, her shoulders and back tensed until they ached.
Lin Nuo's thumb wiped across the corner of her mouth, wiping away that drop of water.
He did not withdraw his hand immediately.
His fingertips lingered by her lips for a moment, the pressure very light, yet it was as if he were confirming some kind of boundary.
Susan raised her hand to block him, but her wrist bone was caught by him in one smooth motion.
The web of his hand clamped around her slender wrist, his fingertips against her pulse, pressing down slowly.
That black-gold ring shimmered with a dark luster under the light.
Lin Nuo lowered his eyes to look at the ring face, as if inspecting a piece of collection that had just been marked.
"Relax, Susan."
His voice pressed against her ear, excessively refined.
"You're so tense, you can't even listen to a single word of truth."
Susan bit her lip, not daring to make another sound.
She knew he was talking about Reed in the ward, and she also knew that this sentence hid another meaning.
Lin Nuo withdrew his hand, his posture as natural as if he had just wiped away water stains for her.
His gaze fell back toward the one-way glass.
"His current state is like a piece of chewing gum that has been chewed until it lost its flavor."
Susan's body was still tense, her lips still retaining the temperature of his fingertips—rough, warm, with a presence so strong she couldn't ignore it.
She looked in the direction of his gaze.
Inside the isolation room, two medical staff members were struggling to try and get Reed's arm, which had flowed onto the floor, back onto the hospital bed.
That arm had lost the support of muscles and bones, hanging wet and soft over the edge of the bed.
They had just lifted one end, and the other end slipped down again; the movements were absurd and terrifying.
"Look, it lacks the most basic resilience."
Lin Nuo's voice rang out in the observation room, every word clearly falling into Susan's ears.
"Apply a little external force, and it will be torn apart."
He paused, picked up the water glass, and drank the remaining water.
The bottom of the cup landed back on the table with a crisp sound.
"It is even harder to make it retract when it should."
Susan's cheeks burned as she listened.
She clearly knew he was evaluating Reed on the other side of the glass, but with those words strung together and spoken by him in that tone, they carried a double entendre that one could not ignore.
Lin Nuo turned his head to look at her.
He was not too close, yet he made Susan feel that the air had become thin.
"Miss Stone."
He called her by this name, yet his fingertips still rested beside her wrist.
"I think you should prefer a partner who is sturdy, powerful, and capable of control at will in critical moments."
If one were to break this statement down, it could still be classified as a medical judgment.
But Susan was not one who couldn't understand.
She almost immediately remembered in the zero-gravity cockpit how this man, relying on a physique that was unreasonably powerful, pressed her into the narrow cabin, forcing her breathing rhythm to follow his.
That kind of absolute control, placed alongside the Reed who was at the mercy of others behind the glass, was cruelly embarrassing.
"I don't know what you are talking about."
Susan looked away, her voice dry, failing to hide it successfully.
She reached out to pick up the water glass on the table, only to find that the cup was already empty.
Her fingers, with nowhere to rest, hovered in mid-air, finally falling back to the side of her skirt, crinkling the previously smooth fabric.
Lin Nuo looked at her, appearing shy and embarrassed yet forcing herself to stay calm, and did not push further.
He leaned back against the chair, his eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses quietly appreciating her predicament, as if waiting for her to admit the answer herself.
Inside the isolation ward, the instrument alarm suddenly sounded urgently.