Chapter 181
Chapter 181
“Everyone should already know about the Desire Potion. According to our investigation, after the government banned its sale, the perpetrators began mixing it into beverages such as soft drinks and bottled water.”
Swan switched on the projector. Several popular, widely available drinks appeared on the screen.
“Damn! I bought one of those a few days ago and gave it to my in-laws,” a staff member suddenly cried.
“I bought one too. I specifically researched it online, and several major influencers claimed these drinks were good for children. I bought an entire case for my son!” another employee said in terror.
“Go home and throw them away immediately. That substance can trigger negative emotions and make people increasingly violent and cruel. Given enough time, it can even turn someone into a Fiend.”
They remembered the woman who had been brought in before. Although her mind had already broken, their examination revealed that she had undergone partial Fiend transformation.
“The records show that these beverages all came from a factory owned by the Guangming Group. We dispatched investigators, but they found nothing useful. The beverages produced there tested completely clean.”
“If we already know these companies are abnormal, why don’t we shut them down? Do we really need evidence?” Frog asked, unable to understand.
“There are too many. A third of the entrepreneurs in the entire Xia Kingdom have been coerced or bribed into joining them. Some companies manufacture only a trivial component. Who do we arrest? If we take them all down, the economy of the Xia Kingdom will collapse, and hostile foreign powers will move in. They won’t care whether Fiends erupt!”
The Illuminati already controlled most of Meilijia. They cared only about extracting profit, never about whether ordinary people lived or died. To them, using Fiends to control all humanity was the only thing that mattered.
As for whether the Fiends might turn on them, the Illuminati believed they could maintain control.
“That is why we must slowly cut away the rotten flesh and replace it with our own people. It may be slower, but it keeps the harm to a minimum.”
“This incident is different, though.”
John studied the documents in his hands.
“The Illuminati’s behavior this time is unlike anything they’ve done before. They have practically stepped into the open and declared war.”
“Even better. We can use this opportunity to wipe them all out!” Frog said excitedly.
But Swan, John, and Xiaoshuai were not nearly as pleased. All three sensed the situation was not so simple.
At the same time, inside the Central Tower, Wang Xu was leafing through the Yin-Yang Secret Codex. Four glowing orbs hovered over its pages.
“Three remain.”
Wang Xu stared at the three orbs with fanaticism in his eyes, then immediately regained his composure.
A shadowy figure sat on the sofa watching him. Frowning, the figure asked, “Wang Xu, aren’t you rushing things? You used Liu Ye to deal with that boy. The Illuminati won’t let this go.”
Indeed, Wang Xu had played a role in Liu Ye’s admission to Huicheng Hospital, in addition to the driver pulling strings.
Otherwise, Liu Ye could not have gotten inside so quickly. All the patients had already been assigned by then.
“It doesn’t matter. Ignore those useless fools. Liu Ye eliminated all their Fiend-transformed agents, so they cannot spare any manpower for now.”
Wang Xu glanced toward the distant hospital. If his earlier plan on the internet had not been inexplicably ruined, he would never have resorted to this method.
“The boy in the hospital shouldn’t last much longer. What about the other one?”
“Nothing has changed. Our people still can’t infiltrate that place.”
“No matter. Once Liu Ye gets out, we’ll lure him over there.”
“Understood!”
The shadowy figure nodded.
Back inside the Nightmare Prison, Liu Ye and the others came to their senses and discovered that they were in Huicheng Hospital.
Yet this version differed from the hospital they knew. Its equipment was terribly outdated, and cracks covered the walls. Zhang Ru looked out the window. Ivy smothered the entire building, while dense fog concealed everything beyond it.
Ding-dong!
A chime suddenly rang in their ears. Their clothes began to change, transforming into hospital gowns.
Then a familiar person appeared.
“Hahaha! Liu Ye, your day has finally come!”
Arrogant laughter rang out of nowhere. Patient No. 7 emerged from a room, but instead of a hospital gown, he wore a doctor’s white coat.
“So our roles have been reversed,” Zhang Ru murmured inwardly.
Zhang Yanyan and the others instinctively wanted to run. But when they saw Liu Ye standing perfectly still, their hearts immediately settled.
“Liu Ye, you ignored the road to heaven and charged through the gateless entrance to hell. Now that you’re in my territory, I’ll make you beg for life and pray for death! Seize him!”
A group of monsters in white coats charged out behind him, cameras growing from their heads.
The camera-headed Fiends had barely appeared when their shutters clicked. White light instantly enveloped Zhang Ru and the others.
They screamed, transformed into photographs, and fluttered to the floor.
“Hahaha! Liu Ye, this is the power I received from that great lord. Even you-”
No. 7 trailed off when he noticed Liu Ye still standing there.
He fell silent.
“Why are you still here?”
Liu Ye blinked.
“Where am I supposed to go?”
No. 7 panicked briefly, then quickly regained his composure. A smile returned to his face.
“Forget it! It doesn’t matter. Letting you die so easily would be letting you off lightly. I will repay the pain you caused me a thousand, ten thousand times over!”
In this dream world, No. 7 was now the orderly. According to the rules, patients were forbidden from attacking orderlies!
Liu Ye had tortured him before. Now it was his turn to torture Liu Ye.
No. 7 rushed forward and swung a fist at Liu Ye’s head.
Smack!
His fist struck Liu Ye squarely in the face. A scream followed.
“Aaaah!”
No. 7 clutched his hand and howled in agony. It felt as though he had just punched a stone wall.
Liu Ye touched his face, then grew anxious when he saw No. 7 writhing on the floor.
“Honestly, you only just started recovering and you’re acting up again. Is your bone overgrowth back? This is partly my fault. I forgot to give you a massage. Don’t worry, we can make up for it now.”
No. 7’s eyes widened in horror. He scrambled backward across the floor.
“What are you doing? Stay away! This is my territory, and all the people around us are my men. If you touch me, they won’t let you off!”
He looked around.
Where were his men?
No. 7 glanced back and discovered the entire group standing behind Liu Ye, striking arrogant poses at him.
No. 7 was speechless.