318-319

Chapter 318: Tainted Witness 

Back at the base of the outpost, Jay fired a signal flare into the sky. 

But after waiting half an hour with no zipline descending, Jay grew puzzled. 

“What’s going on? Didn’t we tell Levi to wait for our signal at the outpost?” 

Roy frowned. It was only nine in the morning, hours before the agreed-upon two o’clock deadline. Levi shouldn’t have left the outpost. 

“Could something have happened?” Jay wondered. 

At that moment, Drasa, who’d been mostly silent, spoke up. 

“There’s a secret passage at Amacham that leads up. You can follow me.” 

Jay hesitated. Drasa’s presence at the bottom of the canyon already suggested Amacham was up to something shady. 

Who’s to say Drasa wouldn’t lead them into a trap? 

“I think it’s worth a shot,” Roy said. 

Since Drasa had seen Roy’s strength and still offered to help, it likely meant she had no ulterior motives—unless she had a death wish. 

“Follow me!” 

Drasa led Roy and Jay to the base of the opposite cliff, where a cave was hidden behind a cluster of bushes. You’d miss it if you weren’t looking closely. 

The three crawled into the cave and found an elevator. 

“So this is how you got down here?” Jay asked, scanning the surroundings. The cave had clearly been excavated long ago, proof that Amacham had been planning this for a while. 

Drasa didn’t have much to say. She was just a hired hand for Bartholomew and knew little about the bigger picture. 

Luckily, Jay didn’t press further. The three stepped onto the elevator, which slowly ascended, soon reaching the top of the canyon. 

To their surprise, when they opened the hidden door back into the outpost, they ran into an old acquaintance. 

“You’re finally back, my dear Drasa,” Bartholomew said, lounging in a chair with a smug look. Her expression shifted the moment she saw Roy and Jay emerge. 

“And you brought guests? Oh, isn’t that Mr. Roy Black?” 

Jay and Drasa were in full gear, their faces obscured, but Roy’s equipment had been shredded by Asmodeus, making him recognizable. 

“Bartholomew. It’s you,” Roy said. 

“Damn it! Why’d you bring him up here?” Bartholomew snapped. 

It sounded like Bartholomew knew Roy was part of this operation. Amacham likely had someone on Hammer’s warship. 

This tech company’s reach was terrifying—seemingly infiltrating every department of the federal government. 

Bartholomew tried to stay composed. Behind her stood four heavily armed mercenaries holding strange firearms Roy had never seen before. 

“Didn’t expect to run into you here, Mr. Black. I thought Drasa had taken care of you.” 

Her words were clearly meant to sow discord, and they worked. Jay subtly stepped away from Drasa, trying to pull Roy with her. 

But Roy didn’t budge. He patted Drasa’s shoulder. 

Whatever Drasa’s intentions were before, she’d saved Roy once. He judged people by their actions, not their motives. 

“Miss Bartholomew, why don’t we talk about why you’re here? This is a military restricted zone. Even as a Pentagon partner, Amacham needs clearance to enter. Did you get approval?” 

Jay snapped out of it. Bartholomew was the real problem here—Drasa was small fry in comparison. 

She raised her gun, aiming at Bartholomew. The four mercenaries behind Bartholomew mirrored her, aiming at Jay. 

The tension in the outpost became palpable, like a powder keg ready to blow. 

“Bartholomew, answer Black’s question! Did you sneak into this restricted zone without permission?” 

Bartholomew’s face darkened. She had snuck in, aiming to silence Drasa. 

Drasa had completed her mission and was promised freedom from Amacham—a deal Bartholomew had no intention of honoring. Drasa knew too much, having done plenty of dirty work for her, some even behind the company’s back. She had to be eliminated. 

To ensure it went smoothly, Bartholomew had come in person to handle Drasa. 

But Drasa had brought Roy along, and now Bartholomew was in a bind. 

Last time, at the Oak School entrance, Roy had flipped her car in front of her, leaving a lasting impression. 

Since then, Bartholomew had been terrified of Roy’s retaliation, upgrading her security team. And now, it seemed that decision might pay off. 

Her expression softened suddenly. 

“Mr. Black, I miscalculated today. How about we call it even and pretend this never happened?” 

Roy flashed a bright, sunny smile. 

“What do you think?” 

Bartholomew was the one at Amacham who’d been targeting Roy. Several of his past troubles traced back to her. 

Now that he’d caught her red-handed, there was no way he’d let her slip away. 

“Mr. Black, must we make this ugly? Aren’t you worried that if a fight breaks out, the two ladies beside you might not make it?” 

Threatening him with Jay and Drasa? Roy’s smile grew even brighter. 

“Miss Bartholomew, I hate being threatened.” 

The outpost fell so silent you could hear a pin drop. Everyone was on edge—one wrong move could spark a firefight. 

Roy found it odd that Bartholomew was so bold. He’d shown his physical resilience at Oak School, yet she still took such a hard stance. 

Did she have some kind of trump card? 

Roy studied Bartholomew and her four mercenaries. The most suspicious thing was those unfamiliar firearms they held. 

Was that her ace? 

After a tense standoff, Bartholomew was the first to crack. 

This was military territory. If things got loud and other outposts caught wind, she’d be done for. 

“Mr. Black, there’s no point in dragging this out. How about this: hand over Drasa, and I’ll ensure Amacham never bothers you again. Plus, I’ll throw in a hefty compensation.” 

Jay and Drasa both looked at Roy. 

Jay didn’t want Roy to compromise—Bartholomew’s actions clearly violated military interests. 

Drasa felt similarly but for a different reason: she didn’t want to be handed over. 

Roy, of course, wouldn’t betray Drasa, who’d saved him. And he didn’t trust Bartholomew one bit. 

“I’ve got a better idea…”  

Fear Domain activated! 

Roy didn’t bother talking further and unleashed his Fear Domain. 

Bartholomew instantly succumbed to terror, but to Roy’s surprise, the four mercenaries behind her were unaffected, raising their guns to fire. 

Roy was faster. In a blur, he drew and fired, planting a .50 caliber “peanut” in each mercenary’s head. 

As the four hit the ground, Jay and Drasa realized what had happened. 

“That’s it?” Drasa stared at Roy, incredulous, relieved she’d abandoned her mission. This guy was unbeatable. 

“Of course. You two keep an eye on Bartholomew. I’m checking these mercenaries.” 

It was the first time Roy had seen humans immune to his Fear Domain. Something was off. 

Pulling off the mercenaries’ masks, Roy was stunned to see all four had identical faces. 

Jay, coming over to look, gasped. 

“Clones! Damn it, I knew Amacham was up to something!” 

It sounded like Jay knew something about clones. 

“Jay, care to fill me in?” 

Jay nodded, as this didn’t seem to involve classified military info. 

“About six months ago, Amacham developed cloning tech. It cuts labor costs and handles high-risk tasks, so lots of departments adopted it. The military and FEA got hit hard.” 

Her words made Roy think of the Ghost Mirror incident. He’d found Paxton’s special forces unit suspicious back then—could they have been clones too? 

If so, the FEA was deeply compromised. Paxton might be Amacham’s man, explaining his control over clones. 

With that sorted, Roy ignored the clones and woke Bartholomew with a slap. 

Coming to, Bartholomew glared at the trio with venom. 

“I’ve lost. Just kill me!” 

“Happy to oblige!” 

Roy pressed his Smith & Wesson M500 to her head, but Jay stopped him. 

“Black, she’s a high-ranking Amacham exec. She knows a lot. If we hand her to General Hammer, it could cripple Amacham.” 

Jay, the pro intelligence agent, had quickly weighed the pros and cons. 

Roy grinned, intrigued. If it meant hitting Amacham harder, he was in. 

“Great idea. Let’s do it.” 

Bartholomew’s face twisted as she erupted. 

“You bitch! Don’t think you can use me against the company!” 

Surprisingly loyal for someone like her. 

Roy yanked off his sock and stuffed it in her mouth to shut her up. 

Drasa seized the moment to twist the knife. 

“I’ll be a tainted witness. I’ve got recordings of this woman—enough to keep her locked up for a long time.” 

Drasa was cunning, always recording her missions. 

Bartholomew wasn’t dumb, though. She used jammers during most in-person meetings, so Drasa’s recordings were limited but still damning. 

Bartholomew shot Drasa a murderous look, but it was too late. 

“Nice work. Tie her up. I’ll check on Levi.” 

Levi hadn’t sent the zipline as planned, meaning something was likely wrong. 

Given Bartholomew’s presence, Roy suspected Levi had been taken out by Amacham’s people. 

At the outpost’s terrace, Roy spotted a figure on the other side of the canyon. The guy ducked back upon seeing him. 

Roy took a running leap across the canyon. 

The canyon was over a hundred meters wide. The move shocked not just the guy on the other side but Jay and Drasa too. 

Midair, Roy realized he’d overestimated himself. At about eighty meters, he started falling, still twenty meters short. 

To avoid plummeting, he briefly shifted to Nephilim form, using wings to boost himself, then switched back. 

Luckily, Jay and Drasa didn’t see, and the guy who did was quickly dispatched by Roy. 

But Roy was too late. Levi was dead, killed by Amacham’s spy on Hammer’s warship. 

Roy found a military ID on the guy, who’d likely used his status to enter the outpost and ambush Levi. 

This crime would be pinned on Bartholomew too. If she hadn’t been caught, she’d have walked free. But now… 

“Your Excellency Black, thank you so much!”  

Hammer, face grim, shook Roy’s hand. 

“No need for thanks. I’m just keeping my end of the deal. Just don’t forget your promise, General.” 

“I won’t! But thanks are still in order. Without you, this could’ve spiraled out of control.” 

Hammer only grasped the situation’s complexity after Jay’s report. The Laytons’ tampering in the base, Amacham’s schemes—he’d been clueless. 

Worse, there was an Amacham spy on his warship. If that got out, Hammer’s career as a lieutenant general was toast. 

But with Bartholomew caught and Drasa as a tainted witness, there was a chance to salvage things. 

“General Hammer, what’s the plan for this woman?” 

Hammer’s face twisted with disgust. 

“She’ll face a military tribunal and get what’s coming. Amacham’s in for a rough time.” 

Roy smiled. That’s exactly what he wanted. 

“General, you’ve got a lot on your plate. I won’t keep you.” 

Hammer nodded. 

“Alright, get some rest. Once you’re ready, I’ll arrange your trip back to the American mainland.” 

A guard escorted Roy to a room at Fog Island’s dock. Jay stayed behind to report more details. 

In the room, Roy had just taken off his shirt to crash when someone knocked. 

Guess who? 

Chapter 319: The Pinnacle 

Hell, the royal city of the Lust King. 

This place was teeming with succubi, catering to every taste—whether you preferred mature women, elegant ladies, young girls, or even lolitas, you could find them all here. 

As a result, many male demons flocked to this city in search of pleasure. 

The Lust King, Asmodeus, was delighted by this. 

Succubi were naturally gifted with powerful spellcasting abilities, but their physical strength was lacking. 

They needed cannon fodder to protect them while they cast their spells safely. 

Today, however, everyone in the royal city could feel the seething anger of the Lust King. 

Even Asmodeus’s daughters were keeping their heads down, acting like obedient succubi. No one dared to stir up trouble at a time like this. 

The last thing anyone wanted was to be summoned by the Lust King, lest they become an outlet for Asmodeus’s fury. 

But Adela had the misfortune of being called to the palace, and she could only brace herself to face the Lust King. 

The Lust King’s palace was entirely pink—not because Asmodeus had a girlish heart, but because pink was the color of the sin of lust. 

Just as the sin of wrath was red, the palace of the Wrath King was drenched in crimson. 

As Adela walked through the palace, she passed decorations symbolizing desire and furniture designed for intimate encounters. 

Soon, she arrived at the audience hall and saw the Lust King seated on the throne. 

Adela knelt before Asmodeus in respect. “Greetings, Mother!” 

“Adela, you’re here,” Asmodeus said. 

Though Asmodeus’s expression was calm, Adela could sense the raging volcano beneath that serene facade. 

It made her tread even more carefully. 

“No need to be nervous, Adela. I called you here for a task,” Asmodeus said. 

“Whatever you command, Mother, I’ll see it done!” Adela replied earnestly. 

Asmodeus nodded with satisfaction. “Good. I want you to return to the human world and find Roy Blake. Bring him to Hell—alive. Use whatever means necessary.” 

Adela’s head snapped up in shock. “Mother, why bring him to Hell alive?” 

Bringing a human’s physical body into Hell was far more difficult than dragging their soul. The spatial barrier between the human world and Hell prevented physical crossings. 

Most demons could only possess humans to enter their world, and humans typically entered Hell after death, judged guilty by Heaven, with their souls cast into the abyss. 

To bring a human body into Hell, one would either need a passage between the worlds or perform a reverse sacrifice—summoning a human body to Hell through a ritual. 

Honestly, the idea of a Hell demon performing a sacrifice to summon a human—or a half-demon—was almost comical. 

In all the eons of Hell’s existence, no demon had likely ever done such a thing. 

“Adela, some things you don’t need to question. Your job is to follow my orders!” Asmodeus’s voice carried an overwhelming pressure, forcing Adela to the ground. 

It felt like a mountain was crushing her. Adela quickly responded, “Mother, I wasn’t questioning you! I was just curious. Whatever you command, I’ll do my best to accomplish!” 

Satisfied, Asmodeus withdrew her pressure and nodded slightly. “Good. Your task is to activate the mark I left on Roy Blake. Leave the rest to me.” 

Adela, just getting back to her feet, looked confused. A mark from the Lust King on Roy Blake? Had Mother met Roy in secret? And why was she so angry? 

Adela was full of questions but didn’t dare voice them, keeping her doubts buried. “Yes, Mother. I’ll handle it immediately.” 

“Go,” Asmodeus said. 

As Adela left, Asmodeus’s true emotions surfaced. Her face twisted with anger, greed, and longing. 

“Roy Blake, no one escapes my grasp. No one!” she hissed. 

Then, as if struck by a thought, her expression shifted to one of frustrated desire. “Damn it! Why haven’t I felt that peak sensation again since that time?” 

While the Lust King wrestled with her obsession with the pinnacle of pleasure, back on Earth, a man and a woman were also chasing their own peak. 

“Tch, Delasa, is this your way of thanking me?” Roy teased. 

Delasa struggled to think, her mind on the verge of shutting down. It took her a long moment to respond. “I… didn’t mean for this… I just… kinda wanted it… too…” 

Her words came out in broken gasps. 

“Is that so? I thought you came to me for this specifically,” Roy said, deliberately teasing with ambiguous words. 

Delasa shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “No… it’s not like that… I’m not that kind of person…” 

Her face flushed red with urgency, and Roy quickly soothed her. “Alright, alright, I know you’re not that kind of person. You’re just… a little more open with me.” 

His words hit like an arrow to the heart, draining Delasa of all strength. 

[Ding! Obtained Delasa’s Conquest Chest! Open it now?] 

Looking at Delasa’s tear-streaked face, Roy gently wiped her tears away. 

He could tell from her inexperience that she hadn’t done this often. 

But this skinny sniper had a delicate, almost fragile appearance, like Bambi from a Disney cartoon, making Roy unable to resist teasing her. 

Coupled with the loneliness in Delasa’s heart, she was like dry tinder meeting a spark, igniting fiercely in Roy’s presence. 

What a curious feeling. 

The only issue was that Delasa’s frail frame seemed so delicate that Roy worried he might break her if he wasn’t careful, so he instinctively gentled his approach. 

But Delasa didn’t appreciate it. She craved the rough treatment—it made her feel alive in her numb assassin’s life. 

Well, no choice then. Roy had to exert himself within the limits of what her body could handle. 

And now, Delasa looked like she might pass out at any moment. 

Had he gone too far? 

Just then, Roy heard a knock at the door. 

Who kept interrupting his rest? 

Roy threw on a pair of pants and went to answer it. 

As expected, it was Miss Jay. “Blake, I got a bottle of red wine from General Hammer. Wanna have a drink?” 

Then she noticed Roy, sweaty and disheveled, and caught the strong, oceanic scent wafting from the room. She instantly knew what was going on. 

“Forget the wine. Time’s tight, mission’s urgent. Let’s get straight to it!” Jay said. 

“Wait, I—mmph!”  

As long as she didn’t say “no,” it wasn’t against her will, right? 

Jay resisted at first but soon melted into Roy’s skilled kisses. 

In the heat of the moment, she even let go of the wine bottle. 

Luckily, Roy’s reflexes were quick, catching it before it ruined the mood. 

In a daze, Jay found herself lying next to Delasa. Seeing the sniper’s tear-streaked yet blissful face, the intelligence officer’s expression grew complicated. 

“Stop staring. You’ll have that look soon enough,” Roy said. 

Jay turned to him. “Never. I’ll never submit to a man!” 

Roy wasn’t surprised by her words. 

He’d always known Jay was fiercely competitive, always trying to one-up him. Even in this situation, she refused to back down. 

Well, no choice then. Roy would have to teach her with raw strength that some things couldn’t be changed with words. 

Compared to the slender Delasa, Jay’s figure was much fuller. Roy had noted before that she was the quintessential American girl, with curves in all the right places. 

The experience was incredibly smooth, and Jay’s stubborn refusal to yield only made it more entertaining for Roy. 

The more she resisted, the more determined he was to make her crack. 

And so, without realizing it, Roy went a bit too hard, leaving Jay in an even worse state than Delasa. 

Her skin flushed a vivid hue, and she started babbling incoherently. If someone recorded this and showed it to her, she’d probably die of embarrassment. 

In the end, Jay, like Delasa, passed out with tears streaming down her face, a blissful expression on her unconscious features. 

[Ding! Obtained Miss Jay’s Conquest Chest! Open it now?] 

That was no easy feat. Roy had put in serious effort to earn those two chests. 

By his count, he now had seven chests. Might as well open them. 

This time, it shouldn’t be as bad as last time. With two of Asmodeus’s chests as a guarantee, it couldn’t go too wrong. 

[Opening Cliff Leiden’s Fate Chest…] 

[Gained 1 Memory Attribute Point!] 

[Gained 1 Will Attribute Point!] 

[Opening Elsa Leiden’s Fate Chest…] 

[Gained 1 Constitution Attribute Point!] 

[Gained 1 Memory Attribute Point!] 

Roy had expected the Leidens’ chests to be lackluster, so he used them as fodder. 

But pushing his Constitution to 90 points was a pleasant surprise. 

Next up were Delasa and Jay’s chests. 

[Opening Delasa’s Conquest Chest…] 

[Gained 1 Agility Attribute Point!] 

[Gained 1 Constitution Attribute Point!] 

[Gained Special Ability: Psychic Teleportation!] 

Roy: ??? 

He hadn’t expected Delasa’s chest to yield a special ability. Where did this come from? 

[Psychic Teleportation: Derived from the mutant Magik, Illyana Rasputin. Allows the creation of teleportation portals, with precision and distance dependent on your mental strength.] 

Magik from X-Men? So, Delasa’s alternate-world counterpart must have played a role in an X-Men film. What a lucky break. 

This was his second Marvel-derived ability, and a highly practical teleportation skill at that, filling a gap in his mobility. 

This unexpected win made Roy even more excited for the next openings. 

[Opening Miss Jay’s Conquest Chest…] 

[Gained 1 Strength Attribute Point!] 

[Gained 1 Agility Attribute Point!] 

Jay’s chest didn’t deliver anything special, despite Roy thinking she seemed familiar, likely having played several roles. 

[Opening Dren’s Conquest Chest…] 

[Gained 2 Agility Attribute Points!] 

[Gained 2 Constitution Attribute Points!] 

Dren’s chest was underwhelming too. Delasa’s success was clearly a fluke. It all came down to Asmodeus’s chests. 

[Opening Asmodeus’s Fate Chest…] 

[Gained 10 Memory Attribute Points!] 

[Gained 10 Mental Attribute Points!] 

[Gained 10 Will Attribute Points!] 

[Gained Special Ability: Song of Lust!] 

Jackpot! 

Not only 30 attribute points but also a special ability. 

And the surprises didn’t stop there. 

[Special Ability: Domain of Desire and Special Ability: Song of Lust can be fused. Proceed with fusion?] 

Obviously, yes! 

[Fusion successful!] 

[Special Ability: Domain of Desire and Song of Lust fused into Incarnation of Desire!] 

[Incarnation of Desire: You are the embodiment of all sentient beings’ desires. No one can escape your control! Your voice, your appearance, your gaze—all can intoxicate others with boundless desire. 

Passive Ability: Greatly enhances charisma and amplifies the ability to gather lustful energy. Your desire-based abilities affect all creatures, even those without sentience. 

Active Ability: You can now transform into the form of desire itself.] 

Transform into desire itself? Another new transformation? 

The ability sounded like something a villain would use, but Roy was, of course, a charming and righteous hero. 

Having too many forms could get tricky, with some abilities exclusive to specific forms. It’d be nice if all passive and special abilities could be fused into one. 

[Opening Asmodeus’s Conquest Chest…] 

[Gained 5 Memory Attribute Points!] 

[Gained 5 Mental Attribute Points!] 

[Gained 5 Will Attribute Points!] 

[Gained Original Sin Fragment (Lust)!] 

Another Original Sin Fragment. Roy was a bit disappointed. 

Sure, the 15 mental attribute points pushed his Mental stat to his second-highest, but he wasn’t thrilled about the fragment. 

He pulled the two Original Sin Fragments (Lust) from his inventory. The one from Asmodeus’s chest was as big as his fist. 

As he held the two fragments, he felt a strange attraction between them, like magnets pulling toward each other. 

Could these fuse too? 

Roy brought the fragments closer, and suddenly, pink ripples flashed through the room, an invisible force affecting everything. 

Roy thought he heard seductive gasps, and even the unconscious Delasa and Jay seemed affected. 

What was this…? 

(Magik) 

(End of Chapter)