Inside the transparent cylinder filled with dense crimson fluid floated the body of an old man. His skin hung loose, like melted wax, and the fingers on his hands and feet were blackened and cracked, as if they might crumble at the lightest touch. He was frozen in an unnatural pose, arms stretched forward like a limp puppet. Only the wide-open eyes lent the corpse a ghastly parody of life, making the sight even more monstrous.
Even Ryu Seonyeon, who had seen much in his long years, felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Kang Jihan stood beside him, petrified. A memory flared—withered legs in a wheelchair, the wrinkled skin of a man who once drank his own blood to survive. The scream, the pain, the helplessness of a child—all that he had tried to bury surged back.
He clenched his teeth, swallowing back nausea.
Mateo's cold voice cut through the silence like a blade.
— There was a time when I wanted to kill this old man too, — he said softly, almost tenderly. — Admit it, Hwig… no, Kang Jihan. We both know no one walks through that kind of hell without scars.
There was pride and madness twined together in his tone. He smiled faintly at the red reservoir.
— Do you know how many people he consumed for his experiments? In the end it turned on him. His skin began to peel away, the stench of rot filled every room. Then he decided to change bodies with me.
Mateo laughed hoarsely, as if telling an absurd story.
— He tried to transfer his consciousness—cells, memory, everything. Lo Dan babbled about neural-link transplants… nonsense, of course. But the old man believed. And this is the result.
Seonyeon frowned. However insane it sounded, there was not a trace of deceit in Mateo's voice.
— I thought I would die, — Mateo continued. — But when I woke, everyone around me called me Chairman. And then I realized—those idiots thought the experiment had succeeded. Funny, isn't it?
He stroked the glass of the reservoir, eyes glittering with both awe and hatred.
— Six years have passed since then. That old man gave me everything—name, power, eternity. Because I survived. Only me. The rest rotted away.
His laughter came out as a rasp, more like vomiting than mirth.
— You're insane, — Jihan whispered.
— Of course! — Mateo shouted, tearing at the air. — How could anyone live through what they did to us and stay sane?
He stood with arms wide, like an actor on stage, eyes blazing with mania.
— But I'm no longer who I was. I am the head of Nebra Labs! With a single word I can erase a department—erase a city! The strongest obey me!
Ryu Seonyeon watched in silence. What stood before him was not a man—not even a monster—but the echo of someone else's agony, turned into a puppet of its own power.
Mateo's hand lingered on the glass.
— And the old man still lives, — he murmured. — I have to grant his wish. He wanted eternity—I'll give it to him, until his last organ rots in this fluid.
Then his gaze shifted to Seonyeon, suddenly soft, almost affectionate.
— When I first saw you in the Miran Hall… my heart stopped. You vampires are perfection. I knew then—that was true immortality.
— Save it, — Seonyeon said dryly. — Ryu Seonyeon isn't interested in that sort of thing.
Mateo pretended not to hear. He approached, step by step, face glowing with worship.
— Stay with me. I'll build a world for us. Everything you desire will be yours.
— And if I refuse?
Mateo's smile sharpened.
— Then I'll make you. Don't worry—I enjoy forced games.
— You're disgusting, — Seonyeon replied calmly. — There's nothing seductive about coercion.
Still, Mateo's expression didn't change. He nodded, as if forgiving the insult.
— Fine. We won't rush. After all, we have eternity.
— And why would I stay beside you?
Mateo's face hardened; his tone dropped into a threatening growl.
— …Did you lie to me, Seonyeon? Didn't you promise to make me your spouse?
Seonyeon stiffened. He had said that—half drunk, baiting him into confession.
Jihan clicked his tongue quietly. Told you that was a bad idea.
Mateo's neck cracked as he tilted his head; his eyes flared with rage.
— I showed you everything because of that promise! We were meant to be together!
— Even if I ever married, — Seonyeon smirked, — it would be him, not you.
Mateo froze. Despite the danger, Jihan smiled faintly; Seonyeon let out a short laugh.
— …If he agrees, of course, — he added.
Jihan winked back and glanced toward Seonyeon's pocket—the stolen access card—and then at the side door. A silent signal. Seonyeon understood instantly.
Mateo noticed the movement and sneered.
— Mr. Seonyeon, I'm disappointed. That you'd prefer this failure says everything.
— You're wrong, — Seonyeon said coldly. — Love isn't chosen by logic.
He began edging toward the door, distracting him. Mateo looked almost wounded.
— I've given you everything you asked for. I told you how the serum was made, spoke of Im Chinthe… even allowed you to stream it live.
Seonyeon froze. So did Jihan.
— What did you say?
— Oh, you thought I didn't notice? Of course I did. I simply allowed it. Your recordings are worthless—nothing will reach the outside. Too many people pay for our silence. You want a scandal? It'll be erased before it begins.
He laughed, running his fingers along the reservoir's glass where Im Chinthe drifted.
— No one will ever know the truth, — Mateo said—and raised his hand.
At once, dozens of red dots danced over Seonyeon and Jihan's bodies. Laser sights.
— …Snipers? — Jihan whispered.
Mateo lifted a small remote.
— Oh, relax. There's no one here. Just an automated defense system. I like control.
He grinned.
— Ever been shot, Seonyeon? They say vampires heal fast. Let's find out.
Seonyeon's eyes narrowed.
— You planned this from the start.
— And you planned to deceive me, — Mateo said lightly. — So we're even. I just want to see which of you dies first.
He pressed the button.
But at that instant a deafening explosion thundered above. The walls shook; dust rained from the ceiling. The lights flared—then died, plunging the basement into darkness.
— What the— — Mateo began, but didn't finish.
Jihan lunged, grabbed Seonyeon, and rolled them both behind the rows of tanks. Bullets slammed into the concrete where they'd stood seconds earlier.
Lo Dan's frantic voice burst in their earpieces:
"Hey! You alive? I thought the whole place collapsed!"
— Yeah, — Jihan gasped.
"Good. I detonated one of the charges to distract security. Police are on the way, our team's close. You've got twenty minutes tops."
Seonyeon and Jihan exchanged a look. The entry door behind them was destroyed.
— He mentioned a service corridor, — Jihan whispered. — There must be one down here.
— We'll find it, — Seonyeon said curtly.
— First—the remote, — Jihan added.
— Stay here, I'll distract him.
— No, I'm faster. — Jihan touched his wrist. — Trust me.
Seonyeon hesitated, then nodded.
From beyond the tanks came Mateo's shriek:
— You think I'll let you escape?!
Gunfire shredded the air. The glass of the cylinders burst; green liquid poured out, flooding the floor into a sticky swamp.
— Son of a… — Seonyeon hissed.
Before he could finish, a shadow lunged out of the darkness—Jihan.
He slammed into Mateo, driving a knee into his chest. Something cracked—maybe ribs.
— Watch your mouth, — he growled, pinning him down.
Mateo gasped, then grabbed the nearest shattered cylinder—the one already leaking. The liquid crashed over him, and the ancient body inside spilled free, collapsing onto his shoulders like dead flesh.
— Disappear! — Mateo screamed, jamming the sparking remote into the corpse.
Static hissed. Sparks flared.
Lo Dan's voice returned, urgent:
"Two o'clock! Exit that way!"
— Got it! — Jihan shouted and bolted.
Mateo, cackling madly, drew a revolver and fired. Bullets whined, ricocheting off metal. Jihan dove beneath a tank, heart hammering.
— Here! — Seonyeon called.
They met in the dark, breathing in sync. The vampire swiped the access card across a hidden reader on the wall. Click. The panel slid open, revealing a narrow stairwell spiraling upward.
They sprinted up toward the first level. When they burst through the door, they were met by the gleam of gun barrels—eight of them. Eight guards.
And at their head stood Lo Dan, smirking.
— Well, gentlemen. The president promised me the honor of dissecting a real vampire.
Jihan lunged forward, but Seonyeon caught his arm.
— What a clown, — he muttered, staring at Lo Dan. — Disappear.
The scientist's eyes dimmed. He nodded—and walked away.
Seonyeon turned to the guards.
— Downstairs. There's an intruder. Kill him.
For a heartbeat, doubt flickered in their eyes—but when the vampire's gaze burned crimson, they obeyed. All eight moved wordlessly down the stairs. Moments later, a deafening barrage shook the lower floor.
The corridors of Nebra Labs filled with echo—
and when the echoes faded, all that remained
was the breath of those who made it out alive.