Jack put on his clothes and completely ignored the calls of the two women. He awkwardly rushed out of the screening room and sat on the stairs leading to the third floor. He let out a heavy sigh, pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and after taking a puff, he gloomily spoke to the empty corridor, "Rashul, if you use any tricks on me again, I will choose to destroy this body of mine, leaving you with nothing!"
"Oh! No, no, no, you misunderstand me, my dear avatar…"
Suddenly, a man's mocking voice echoed in the originally empty corridor. Jack's shadow, elongated by the energy-saving light, slowly floated up like a person who had just stood up from a lying position, eerily hovering in front of Jack, resembling a ghost from a horror movie.
The shadow elegantly waved its hands and spoke in a frivolous tone, "I really don't understand why you're angry. I haven't used any underhanded means; I merely amplified the desires within you. That's your own thought, and it has nothing to do with me. If you didn't have such thoughts, what could I do to you? Moreover, as a strong and handsome man, you should know how to enjoy life!"
Jack's face turned pale, his eyes cold and filled with resentment, while the black shadow continued to chatter, "Besides, those two girls came to you willingly; you can't let them down. At the moment of eruption, didn't you enjoy it too? Look at that woman named Cao Mei; she smiled so brightly when she swallowed your essence! Oh no… my friend, you shouldn't look at me with the eyes of an enemy; that's equivalent to being hostile to yourself. Don't you think that's awkward? Fuck, who hates themselves?"
"Rashul, you are you, and I am I! Even if I am a fragment of your split soul, I have a conscience, and you… do not!" Jack's voice gradually grew more thunderous, with a cold light flickering in his eyes.
"Conscience? Haha… You're talking about conscience with a demon living in hell? That's fucking ridiculous!" The shadow of Jack floated, dramatically spreading its arms and bending down as if staring intently at Jack, disdainfully saying, "That kind of thing is a deadly virus to me. Only cowards need a conscience. When the whole world is crawling at my feet, what use is conscience? To be made into a joke?"
"Maybe so, for a madman like you, conscience is worth nothing. But don't forget, you once had a conscience!" Jack fixed his gaze on the shadow in front of him, his voice slow and heavy.
"Yes, you are the conscience I once had, which is why I severed you from my soul, because I realized long ago that you were the source of my weakness!"
Rashul seemed irritated as he waved his hand and shouted loudly at Jack, "Look at yourself now! Once you recognize who you are, you'll understand what a damn thing conscience is! You clearly want those beautiful women, yet you put on a moral high ground, pretending to be noble. When others cling to you shamelessly, you act like a whore, shyly spreading your legs like a Thomas. And those countless times you risked your life to save those clueless survivors, almost losing your own life in the process—what did you get in the end? You saved them, but didn't they stab you in the back? Talking to me about conscience? Go to hell!"
"I don't want to waste my breath on you. I just want you to understand that you are you, and I am I. Don't confuse the two. No matter whether what I do is right or wrong, as long as I don't regret it, that's enough!"
As he spoke, Jack flicked away the cigarette butt in his hand, stood up from the stairs, looked at his shadow, and said with an unusually serious tone, "And you came out again without my consent, using your tricks on me. My patience is very limited. Don't forget, before you completely demonize me, this body still belongs to me. You know my temper!"
"Fine! Who told you to have the same temper as those hypocritical guys? It's all a disgusting smell!" Rashul shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly, "Don't think I came out here just because I was bored. I have a lot to do. I'm here to give you a piece of advice: you better not go to that Southern State again. There's something there that even I don't know about, and I don't want the body I spent so much effort creating to be wasted on you!"
"You know the promises and wishes I carry!" Jack said, putting his hands in his pants pockets, speaking lightly.
"To hell with your damn promises and wishes! If you dare to destroy my body, you know what will happen to you!"
Rashul angrily swung his fist straight at Jack's nose, but Jack didn't flinch at all. Instead, he sneered disdainfully, standing calmly in place. Just as the shadow's fist was about to make contact with his nose, it suddenly stopped. The next moment, the shadow, which looked like a real person, suddenly dissipated, like a bowl of black ink being splashed out, returning to Jack's normal figure. However, in the air came Rashul's gritted voice: "Next time, this fist will land on your soul!"
"Go ahead and try!" Jack laughed fearlessly, turned around, picked up the food on the ground, and strode toward the room where Bai Ru was.
There were quite a few guest rooms on the third floor, luxurious and spacious. As Jack walked down the long corridor, the soft beige carpet underfoot cushioned his steps. He noticed bright light coming from the last room at the end and frowned in confusion. He didn't know if Bai Ru was still awake, but just then, a door he had just passed opened gently. There stood Lu Jia, wearing a set of Marcus-colored satin pajamas, her big belly protruding behind the door.
"Hmm? Why aren't you resting yet?" Jack stopped, turned around, and asked with a smile.
"A person... feels a bit unaccustomed!" Lu Jia stood on the ground with her delicate white feet, her knee-length skirt revealing her well-proportioned calves. She leaned against the door frame, smiled shyly at Jack, and asked, "Have you finished watching the movie? I have something I'd like to ask William Fang and the others for help with!"
"Oh, it should be a while longer. Should I go downstairs and call for you?" Jack pointed downstairs, quickly diverting his gaze from Lu Jia's chest, which was prominently raised with two noticeable points and had very obvious wet marks. He guessed that Lu Jia was experiencing some pregnancy-related issues and could only seek help from someone more familiar, like William Fang.
"Then I won't need it, I'll wait a bit longer!" Lu Jia, leaning against the door, quickly shook her head. Seemingly sensing Jack's surprised gaze, she instinctively looked down and immediately noticed something inappropriate on her chest. Lu Jia's face turned bright red, reaching her ears. Feeling quite uneasy, she rubbed her bare feet together and slightly shrank back. To ease the awkwardness, she awkwardly changed the subject, saying, "Lin... Brother Lin, who were you talking to just now? That person's voice was so strange!"
"Uh... it's Michael, he's had too much to drink, so his voice sounds a bit strange!" Jack was taken aback; he didn't expect that from such a distance, Lu Jia could still hear his conversation with Rashuel.
"Well, then... I'll take a break now, good night!" Lu Jia nodded, blushing as she gently closed the door.