Out of extreme caution, Yun Che held his breath, refusing to respond to the deceptively gentle, almost hypnotic voice outside the door. Ye Jin waited patiently for a full minute. In that agonizingly long minute, only the relentless ticking of the wall clock's second hand echoed in the deathly silence. He spoke again, his voice still as warm and soothing as a spring breeze: "Bambi, be good. I told you before, you're still young. Some things are hard to grasp, mistakes are inevitable. I won't blame you. Come out now."
This child-coddling tone, like the softest spider silk, yet suffocatingly viscous, coiled around Yun Che's heart. His face turned ashen, teeth clenched so hard on his lower lip it nearly drew blood. An overwhelming sense of absurdity seized him—he had infiltrated for five years, danced on the edge of a knife, transmitted dozens of top-secret intelligence reports critical to national security, weaving lies countless times right under Ye Jin's nose. This was clearly a life-or-death struggle between nations, a silent war of spies and demons! How could Ye Jin reduce it to such a dismissive, easily forgiven "childish mistake"?!
This condescending "forgiveness" chilled Yun Che to the bone more than any icy threat! Before the Demon King, he felt stripped of all armor and dignity by an invisible force, degraded from an enemy-feared agent to a helpless toddler, to be molded and crushed at will in the palm of Ye Jin's hand!
Fine beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead, trickling down his temples. The sense of impending doom rose like a frigid tide, threatening to drown him. The digital clock showed only three minutes left until the promised rescue time! Yet outside the window, utter silence reigned, not even the faintest hum of an engine! Had the rescue team... been wiped out? What about Qing Lan? Had he been exposed? Terrible thoughts churned in his mind.
Yun Che wasn't afraid to die, but he refused to die worthless. If he was destined to perish here today, he would at least use his life to protect Qing Lan, that deeply buried nail! He couldn't let both nails be ripped out at once!
Seeing Yun Che stubbornly silent, Ye Jin sighed softly. The veneer of feigned tenderness in his eyes receded like a tide, leaving only unfathomable, icy depths. He stepped back half a pace with elegant grace, his voice flat and devoid of inflection: "Open the door."
"Yes, Master." Cang Ming stepped forward. He didn't resort to brute force immediately. Instead, he tested the heavy door panel with a push, the vibrations under his fingertips instantly revealing the solid oak desk blocking it. He paused thoughtfully, then raised his voice, maintaining his usual calm and caution: "Mr. Yun, the obstruction behind the door is heavy. Forcing entry may cause debris to fly. To avoid accidental injury, please move away from the door. I'm coming in."
Yun Che tilted his head, confusion swirling like mist within him. What enemy warns before breaking down a door? He was a trained operative, armed and lethal! This "consideration" felt like the ultimate insult! Whether it was Ye Jin's absolute control or Cang Ming's current "courtesy," it radiated a disturbing message—they didn't take his defection seriously! As if it were just a trivial farce!
A wave of humiliated fury surged through him! Yun Che leapt down from the desk and silently slid into the shadows beside the door, coiled like a stalking leopard, ready to strike the moment the door opened! Yet, as his gaze fell on Cang Ming's figure, a flicker of hesitation crossed his mind. Five years working together, Cang Ming had been meticulous in his care, handling countless daily details. Though he knew Cang Ming was a demon, an enemy in stance, that camaraderie... wasn't fake. Yun Che simply couldn't bring himself to deal a fatal blow to this "half-friend."
He gritted his teeth, holstered the easily misfired Glock, and drew a gleaming military dagger from the sheath on his outer thigh. He gripped it reverse-handed, blade flat against his forearm. Holding his breath, he crouched low, muscles taut like a mountain cat poised to pounce in the darkness, awaiting the thunderous moment!
However, just as he focused entirely, a faint, almost imperceptible, yet spine-chilling sound came from beyond the door—a low, resonant hum, the sound of immense power gathering and compressing air behind the wood! Countless brushes with death instantly triggered the highest alarm! Yun Che's pupils contracted violently; a lethal chill shot up his spine! Without hesitation, he pushed off the floor with both feet, his body shooting backward like an arrow from a bow!
The instant his form cleared the doorway—
BOOM—!!!
A deafening roar like thunder shook the entire wall! The heavy double desk seemed struck by an invisible battering ram, hurled with terrifying force across the room! It slammed into the opposite load-bearing wall!
Accompanied by the sickening crunch of splintering wood, the solid wall cratered and cracked, spiderweb fissures instantly spreading! The sturdy oak desk shattered on impact! The desktop split from the center, the legs twisted and snapped under the colossal force, wood splinters and dust exploding outward like shrapnel! The massive shockwave sent Yun Che, who had just retreated near the window, staggering, nearly pitching him out of the unprotected opening into the abyss below! He barely caught himself on the remaining window frame, steadying his footing, his eyes wide with horror as he stared at the doorway!
There stood Cang Ming, gripping the severely warped metal door handle with one hand, expressionless as he peeled the heavy metal door panel, nearly torn from its frame, off its hinges as easily as peeling paper. He tossed it casually aside into an empty space, his movements fluid and chillingly efficient!
Yun Che's pupils dilated in shock! This wasn't breaking down a door! This was dismantling the building bare-handed!!
He knew some pure-blooded demons possessed superhuman strength, but Cang Ming, who managed the entire manor's provisions, always gentle-mannered, soft-spoken, who wouldn't even step on an ant... harbored such terrifying power?! The sheer dissonance was more intimidating than any cold muzzle!
Dust slowly settled. Cang Ming respectfully stepped aside. Ye Jin strode over the debris, entering steadily. A trace of playful amusement had lingered in his eyes, but the moment his gaze fell on Yun Che and registered his position—
Those rose-colored eyes instantly froze! His handsome face seemed coated in frost!
Behind Yun Che yawned the abyss! The entire glass wall was gone. He stood on a narrow window ledge, the gale-force wind tearing at his clothes and hair like giant hands! A slight shift in his center of gravity, one step back, even a slightly stronger gust—and he would plummet to his death!
An oppressive pressure, like a wave of solid ice, radiated outwards from Ye Jin! The air congealed like lead, suffocating! It was the aura of a high-ranking demon, saturated with towering fury!
Ye Jin took a step towards him.
Yun Che's heart hammered, pupils constricting! He jerked his dagger up, then instantly realized its futility against the Demon King! He swiftly switched the dagger to his left hand and drew the Glock from his hip! The cold muzzle pointed straight at Ye Jin's heart! His voice, strained with tension, came out hoarse and thick with desperate bravado: "Stop! Come any closer and I will shoot!"
Nervously, he shuffled back half a step, the hard leather heel of his shoe scraping the stone edge of the window ledge, kicking loose a few shards of glass. The sudden void beneath his foot sent a jolt of terror through his scalp! All his strength concentrated in his forward-leaning upper body! His entire balance teetered precariously, his back chilled by the howling wind!
This dangerous movement registered coldly in Ye Jin's eyes. He halted, a curve touching his lips—a smile that didn't reach his eyes, instead carrying a hint of stung malice. "Threatening me with death now? Bambi... am I truly more terrifying to you than death itself?"
His voice was soft, each word like an ice spike piercing Yun Che's eardrums. Yun Che ground his molars, resorting to reckless defiance: "Spare me the act! Falling into your hands is worse than jumping to my death! At least it's clean!" The memory of that two-hour-long, excruciating execution three years ago, every agonized scream still echoing in his ears!
The digital clock on the wall read: 00:20! Utter despair coiled around his heart like poison ivy.
A final spark of madness flashed in Yun Che's eyes! He stopped hesitating and pulled the trigger!
Bang—!
The bullet spun out, screaming towards the Demon King's chest!
He didn't care if it hit. He just needed the chaos, a chance to buy time for his last escape route—scrambling onto the outer ledge of the shattered window frame, climbing up to the seventh floor! If he was fast enough, it might just work...
However, the expected chaos didn't materialize. The deadly high-velocity lead projectile, mere inches from Ye Jin's chest, slammed into an invisible barrier—a force field denser and harder than diamond! With a piercing shriek of tearing metal—the bullet was split cleanly down the middle! Clink, clink! The two halves of metal casing fell to the floor, a mocking testament.
Yun Che's pupils snapped wide! But his survival instinct drove his body to react! He lifted his foot to step onto the outer window ledge! Yet, at this critical moment, he committed a fatal error—he forgot the old injury in his right wrist, forgot that under the powerful recoil of firing, he needed both hands on the gun to stabilize himself, and his left hand was still gripping the dagger!
The instant the trigger clicked! The massive recoil slammed into his gun-holding right arm! A sharp pain lanced through his previously injured right wrist! His body was violently shoved backward! Instinctively, he tried to plant his right foot to regain balance—
His foot found... empty air!
A profound sense of weightlessness seized his entire being! The world spun violently before his eyes!
"Ungh—!" A short, strangled gasp of horror escaped his throat! Icy wind knifed into his mouth and nostrils! His body tilted uncontrollably backward! Falling!