Chapter 1
New York City suburbs, Seventh District Nursing Home.
The door opened, and a handsome young man of Chinese descent walked in. He was well-dressed, with striking pale green eyes.
"Professor, I've brought what you asked for."
He placed a photograph and two bank checks—each for three hundred thousand dollars—on the bed.
The elderly man picked up the checks, verified the account holder's name, then held the photo in his palm. Staring at the kind-faced woman in the image, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
Luke quietly picked up a towel and wiped the tears from the corners of the old man's eyes. He sat beside the bed in silence.
Time passed slowly. After a long while, the elderly man let out a weary sigh and regained his composure.
"After I die, please place this photo with my body."
"Understood. Any other wishes?"
"No."
The old man shook his head, then continued, "Young man, thank you for everything you've done for me. Now, you may state your request. What do you want from me?"
"Your soul."
"My soul?"
"Yes. Your soul."
Luke looked up. A strange glow flickered in his pale green eyes.
"Professor Landos, I need your soul."
The old man burst into raspy laughter, as if he had heard something truly amusing. His tone turned almost cheerful.
"So, I'm making a deal with the devil? May I know your real name, Lucifer? Or Beelzebub?"
"No. My name is Luke. I'm not a demon." Luke raised his palm, and green flames flickered above it. "I'm just a human with special abilities."
The deep green flames resembled the fire of the dead from hell. They burned brightly yet emitted a bone-chilling cold that pierced straight into the soul. The old man fell silent for a moment before forcing a smile.
"Superhuman? I encountered one while working in Norway—a beautiful girl with silver hair who could create ice out of thin air, even summon a small blizzard. What about you? What's your power?"
"I devour souls, digest them, absorb their memories, and strengthen myself."
"What an evil ability!" the old man exclaimed. Surprisingly, there was little fear in his expression. For someone on the verge of death, there was nothing left to dread—only curiosity remained.
"Why choose me? A dying old man with terminal liver cancer can't offer you much."
"This is both an experiment and a necessary step."
"Care to tell me about it?"
"Of course, if you want to hear it."
Luke pulled up a chair and sat in front of him, speaking in a calm, flat tone.
"My ability has a flaw. When I absorb someone's soul, I'm also affected by their negative desires.
Before you, I absorbed three souls in total.
The first belonged to a history professor whose body was dumped in the wilderness. His soul was filled with vengeful obsession. It took me months to track down and eliminate his murderer just to free myself from the entanglement.
The second was a scientist executed by firing squad. Deep-seated violent impulses transferred to me. That period was… unpleasant.
To avoid similar issues, I was extremely careful with the third target and chose Frank J. Thurston, the former governor.
As it turned out, that was a terrible mistake. Who would have guessed that the upright and just governor was secretly a sex maniac? To purge his influence, I had to go through a lot of trouble—dating numerous women and ruining the good reputation I had built over the years."
The old man gave him a strange look. "Sounds like it wasn't entirely a bad thing."
Luke shrugged. "My grandfather is very conservative. He doesn't like me bringing girls of various skin colors home overnight. Besides, I'm only seventeen. Doing that sort of thing too much isn't good for my development."
"Fair point!"
The old man laughed heartily. "So you saved the fourth target for me—an old man with no bad habits."
Luke shook his head. "Like I said, this is an experiment."
"From my previous experiences, I learned one thing: whether a person is good or evil, deep down they all harbor hidden desires. Desires are unavoidable. The only safe choice is a soul with no regrets."
"A soul with no regrets…"
The old man murmured, a flash of understanding in his eyes. "So you helped me fulfill my wish just so I could die without regrets… making me easier for you to devour."
"Exactly."
"Sounds fair enough."
"Thank you for seeing it that way."
Luke adjusted the pillow to make the old man more comfortable. "Any other last wishes? If there are, tell me. I'll help you fulfill them."
The old man stared quietly at the ceiling for a long time before speaking weakly.
"How much longer do I have?"
"Based on your current life force… at most two minutes."
"Can you… make it a little longer?"
"I'm sorry. I don't have that ability."
The old man remained silent. For the first time, despair flickered across his pale face. But his strong mind quickly suppressed it.
"Thank you for telling me all this."
"It's the least I could do."
Luke stood up and gently took the old man's frail hand.
"It was a pleasure knowing you, Professor Landos."
The old man gave him one last complicated look, then closed his eyes and passed away.
"Goodbye, Professor."
Luke bowed slightly. Green flames surged from his palm as he reached out and gently pulled out a tattered soul. He opened his mouth and swallowed it whole.
A flood of memory fragments rushed in: the joys of childhood, the carefree days of youth, secret crushes in college, confusion after graduation, helplessness on his wedding day, and above all, an endless passion for science.
Nuclear physics, electronic engineering, elemental chemistry, cytology… The old man's lifetime of knowledge became Luke's nourishment.
To his relief, aside from that one lingering regret, the memories contained no other messy desires.
"Thank you for your gift."
Luke bowed once more, placed the photograph in the old man's hand, and called the funeral home.
After the old man was laid to rest, Luke left the cemetery.
Outside the gates, his assistant Charlie Wells approached.
"Boss, board members from Wayne Enterprises and the executive president of LexCorp have called. They want to discuss the acquisition."
Luke removed his suit jacket and tossed it casually into the car.
"Tell them we'll talk in three months."
"Wayne Enterprises is offering fifty million," Charlie paused, "euros."
Luke put on his sunglasses and smiled faintly. "Charlie, what did I tell you on your first day?"
Charlie straightened up immediately. "Understood, boss. I'll handle it."
"Good."
The silver-white Ferrari roared to life with a burst of blue flame and sped away under the envious gazes of onlookers.