Top floor of MF Tower.
Old Montford lay on his sickbed, his face covered with a full-face oxygen mask. He was old and gaunt, connected to various medical devices.
The blaring alarm seemed to startle him; his cloudy eyes weakly turned to the side, cracked lips half-open as if wanting to say something.
Zane sat casually by the bedside, peeling a bright red apple: “What do you want to ask? Are you worried about the Group? Or your own safety?”
“Haak…” Old Montford gasped hurriedly, his withered hand repeatedly reaching for the silver button by his bedside.
A long string of apple peel suddenly snapped and fell onto the gray-black floor with a soft “yo-da” sound.
Zane’s smile faded for a moment, then widened again as he pressed the silver button for Old Montford.
The old man visibly relaxed.
Since being confined by his son on the top floor, this once mighty lion had become a frightened bird, wanting to flee at the slightest sound.
But this time, after pressing the button, no one came.
Old Montford finally understood. His gray-green eyes fixed on Zane: “You… you…”
“You think I did it?” Zane suddenly leaned close, veins bulging on his hands gripping the bedrails, “My dear father… you’re still so foolish.”
“Time’s almost up; the Butcher is coming up soon. Guess how the sleeve will kill you?”
Old Montford’s eyes widened, inexplicably bursting with strength as he grabbed Zane’s collar tightly: “Impossible… Butcher… impossible…”
Zane ignored the choking sensation in his neck, staring coldly and saying word by word: “Outsiders think the Butcher is our greatest creation, but for years, no matter what you tried, you couldn’t make him acknowledge a Master. That became MF Group’s biggest secret.”
“Remember Lumi? Your little daughter, my Montford Family’s Little Sister. She is now the Butcher’s Master.”
“Not only the Butcher, but even those humanoid monsters in the Adam District have obediently submitted to her, even…”
Zane stopped, leaving the sentence unfinished.
Old Montford paid no mind to the unfinished words, overwhelmed by the shock of what had been said.
His expression was a mix of disbelief, unwillingness, and anger that pleased Zane greatly.
Zane tore his father’s hand away, stood up slowly, and leisurely pulled out a syringe from a nearby shelf: “The old bastards in the Council are probably almost dead. You always said Lumi didn’t seem like a Montford. I think she fits better than you.”
“At least in terms of state independence, you raised a snake that will bite you back, while she trained those cats and dogs to be obedient.”
Old Montford’s eyes turned terrified upon seeing the syringe, even showing signs of weakness and begging.
Zane merely lifted his crimson lips, revealing fangs laced with poison: “You should feel happy. I’ll let you die with dignity.”
The dark green liquid was slowly injected into Old Montford’s shriveled, wasted body.
The drug worked fast; he struggled wildly like a fish out of water.
A young man standing by the bedside lowered his eyelids, a few hints of divine sorrow on his handsome, gloomy face: “Thanks for MF Group’s grace.”
The machine sounded a long beep; the man on the bed reluctantly closed his eyes.
Jiang Huaying and the Butcher arrived at the top floor.
Compared to the chaos and noise downstairs, the over four-meter-high ceiling space was terrifyingly empty.
They encountered no obstacles, passing through one door after another, heading straight to the innermost chamber.
As if knowing they had arrived, the last tightly shut metal door slowly opened.
Jiang Huaying took a deep breath, preparing herself: “Let’s go.”
Now, only Zane remained a threat.
The Butcher did not move, raising a hand to grasp her waist and gently placing her on the ground.
“Imon?” Jiang Huaying’s barely maintained spirit faltered halfway, puffing her cheeks and looking at him.
The Butcher looked, then picked her up and put her down again.
Jiang Huaying, now like a strange puppet, said, “…”
Was this his way of stopping her from entering?
She grabbed the Butcher and stepped forward: “You go in yourself? What if Zane uses some special weapon against you?”
“It’s safe outside.” The sleeve answered offhandedly.
“I don’t want to. It’s safer with you.” Jiang Huaying decisively bypassed him and stepped inside.
The Butcher said nothing, picked her up again with one hand, and put her back where she was.
Jiang Huaying was so angry she wanted to bite him, but then a faint, ominous low laugh echoed from inside the room.
Zane’s voice slithered like a wet serpent across her skin—cold and sticky: “Disobedient pets should be discarded. Later, your brother will give you a more obedient dog.”
The red light in the Butcher’s eyes flashed violently as he raised his double-edged great axe and stepped into the room.
Jiang Huaying wanted to follow but felt another warm body press against her back.
“Ah Ying, let the sleeve handle it. After all, it’s hard to kill the sleeve.” Sinclair clung to her like a boneless creature, burying his head in her shoulder to take a deep breath, emitting a low, satisfied sigh.
Ah Mang smells so good.
I really like Ah Ying.
I want to be with Ah Ying forever.
Sinclair hated Zane as well, but if the Butcher died inside, that would be good.
Even better if they both fell—then Ah Ying would be his.
The opened door closed again.
In the vast space, the Butcher and Zane faced each other.
Since Zane was alone here, he had prepared accordingly.
The wall behind him slowly cracked open, and one by one, two-meter-tall mechanical monsters crawled out.
Flesh and machinery, heat and cold.
Brutality, primality, savagery…
T3E specialized.
When Sinclair appeared in the room to relay a message, the battle was already over.
The remnants of mechanical monsters lay everywhere.
Zane, with a broken diaphragm, was held by the Butcher against the wall, blood dripping down.
“Tsk, what a pity,” Sinclair looked at the still intact Butcher and quickly retreated.
But the Butcher looked rough.
Like a wild beast whose reverse scales were touched, his back arched, breathing heavily.
“Cough cough cough…” Zane, fearless of death, continued to speak, “You’re angry because you know I’m right… hahaha…”
“Shut up!” The Butcher roared in fury, fingers clenching tightly.
Zane’s neck cracked dangerously; his face flushed red.
“Hey, don’t kill him!” Sinclair hurriedly shouted, conveying Jiang Huaying’s order, “Ah Ying said to spare this guy’s life. After such a huge mess in MF Group, it still has to operate. He’s still useful. He can’t die anytime soon.”
Hearing Jiang Huaying’s name, the Butcher seemed startled and suddenly loosened his grip.
Zane fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
But he seemed not to feel pain; his smile grew wider and more deranged.
“Why stop?” Zane’s blonde hair was disheveled, blood dripping from his pale jaw, a gorgeous yet sinister specter crawling out of hell.
Every word he spoke was accompanied by coughing blood, a broken breath from his throat, but he paid no mind.
His hatred was like a sharp blade, continuing to provoke the Butcher’s nerves: “Kill me…”
“Even in death, we bleed the same blood, forever inseparable.”
Forbidden feelings were pierced by Zane’s own hand at this moment.
In a self-destructive way, he bled into the chests of these two monsters.
“Impossible!” Sinclair’s pupils contracted, his whole body bristled, fangs bared, instinctively objecting.
The Butcher only glanced at Zane and turned to leave.
Just before stepping out the door, a low, hoarse voice came: “We will always be together.”
She had promised.
Always together.
No turning back.