"Nothing of any value."
Aina waved her hand casually, and the dense fragments of memories before her—like startled fireflies—streamed back into Ruiwen's body.
The light that had faded from Ruiwen's eyes flickered back to life, the emptiness gradually replaced by confusion. He blinked, as if struggling to focus his vision.
"Who are you…?" Ruiwen's voice still carried a hint of hoarseness from the memory scramble.
Before Ruiwen could even gather his thoughts and finish his first question, Liyana chopped him on the back of the neck. His eyelids rolled up, and he crumpled to the floor once more.
It would have been some pointless question anyway—Aina wouldn't have answered him regardless. Liyana had no patience for his rambling.
"What do we do with this guy?"
Liyana looked at Xia Lun and Aina.
"Let him go," Aina said offhandedly.
"Let him go?" Liyana blinked, surprised. She hadn't expected Aina's answer to be so normal—so normal that it actually caught her off guard.
"This guy's just a small pawn under someone else's thumb. He hasn't done anything truly wicked, just scraping by quietly in the shadows." Aina shrugged, looking utterly unconcerned. "Of course, killing him wouldn't be a tragedy either—he's hardly a saint, and he did follow orders to move against La Di."
"Then what?" Liyana stared down at the unconscious Ruiwen, caught in a dilemma.
He wasn't some irredeemable villain—just a tool, forced by circumstance to carry out someone else's work.
"How about… we flip a coin?" Mo Lini suddenly perked up, bright-eyed.
"Flip a coin?"
"Yeah! Heads, we let him go. Tails, we burn him to death… Pretty fair, right?" Mo Lini flashed a naive smile, as though she genuinely believed her idea was brilliant.
A flash of alarm crossed Liyana's face.
She'd always known Mo Lini was innocent, but she hadn't realized the girl could be innocent to the point of being terrifying. If Mo Lini ever fell to darkness, she'd become an absolutely fearsome demon lord…
Liyana turned her gaze to Xia Lun, who had been silent all along.
Xia Lun sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Sometimes he felt like there wasn't a single normal person in this group.
"Look… why does it have to be 'let him go' or 'kill him'?" Xia Lun shook his head helplessly. "Why not hand him over to the Tribunal? This is a civilized city, not the middle of nowhere. And we've already got him secured."
Aina stuck out her tongue, as if the obvious solution had only just occurred to her.
Liyana froze for a moment.
Mo Lini wore an expression of sudden realization: "That's a good idea."
On the ground, Ruiwen's body twitched—as if, even in his unconscious state, he approved of the decision. If they'd been out in the wild, he wouldn't have been so lucky.
Liyana, never one to shy away from work, briskly hauled Ruiwen out of there, delivering him to the Tribunal as Xia Lun had suggested. Worried about trouble on the way, Luo Lun and Mo Lini tagged along as escorts.
After the girls left, Aina busied herself in the room once more.
A thread of blood seeped out from her robes. With a flick of her finger, it spread across the floor, rapidly forming an intricate crimson magic circle.
"What are you doing?" Xia Lun stepped closer, watching the formation with interest.
"Something's been bothering me," Aina said, pausing briefly. "Might have something to do with those missing young people in the West District."
"Oh? What is it?" Xia Lun wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"You saw it earlier in that guy's memories… A low-rank half-blood like him, and yet he gets a monthly blood supply…"
"Is that unusual?"
"Of course it is. Where did their blood even come from?" Aina snorted. "For lower-ranking vampires, blood is still an absolutely essential food. Inferior half-bloods even develop bloodlust sickness—that's why vampires never expand carelessly. Dealing with their kind is too much of a hassle. If, at night, some half-blood lost control and attacked humans on a whim, it would ruin the reputation of all vampires."
Xia Lun nodded thoughtfully. "So what do you plan to do?"
"So… let go of me first! My summoning circle's about to activate!" Aina squirmed uncomfortably under Xia Lun's grip, signaling him to keep his hands to himself.
She managed to struggle free from his embrace, slipped over to the sofa across the room, and straightened her somewhat rumpled robes.
Then she let out a light cough, shot Xia Lun a glare to remind him to behave, and her expression slowly turned solemn.
The summoning circle that had been laid down earlier erupted in dazzling red light, flooding the entire room like a tide.
As the light faded, a petite figure clutching a plush bear appeared at the center of the formation.
"Lady Aina," Niya, dressed in a gothic gown, lifted her skirt in a curtsey. Though her small face remained cold as a carved statue, the faint glimmer in her eyes betrayed her inner delight. She seemed to be in a good mood. "What business do you have summoning me?"
Aina had summoned only her, not Lady Feina… hee hee.
"Mm." Aina responded with a simple, innate aloofness. "There's something I want to ask you."
Niya's delight vanished instantly. Her heart gave a jolt, and a trace of barely perceptible tension crept into her voice: "Please, ask away, Lady Aina."
"The Yuelai family… they fall under your jurisdiction, don't they?" Aina's tone was flat and even, without any pressure or intimidation—but Niya felt an immense weight pressing down on her nonetheless.
"Y-yes, Lady Aina… Have any of them offended your authority?"
Niya clutched the bear tightly. She dropped to one knee, lowering her head, not daring to look at Aina's face—her expression turning fearful.
She frantically scanned through the Yuelai family's recent activities in her mind, trying to find any trace that might have provoked this lord. The room was so silent she could hear only her own heartbeat.
After a pause, Aina finally spoke: "Relax, Niya. Get up first."
Niya rose shakily to her feet.
"Please go to the Yuelai family and have them bring a man named Aolei to me," Aina said slowly. "He's done something wrong."
"Yes, Lady Aina!" Having received her orders, Niya's form dissolved into a crimson shadow and vanished without a trace.
The room once again held only Xia Lun and Aina.
Aina stood up from the sofa and stretched lazily, revealing a strikingly graceful silhouette.
"What's with that look, Xia Lun?"
"Nothing." Xia Lun stared at his wife. "Just don't scare the kid next time."
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
