Chapter 27: Love-Struck

The metallic monstrosity ceased its assault, returning to the center of the room, where it assumed a strange, symmetrical posture and remained motionless.

Iris had fallen into a state of unconsciousness. She was not doing well.

Mo Yu controlled his expression, preventing himself from laughing aloud. Feigning terror, he shouted into the air, "Alice! I know you’re here. Come out!"

*Tap, tap, tap...*

The rhythmic sound of leather shoes striking the metal floor emerged from behind the metallic monstrosity.

Mo Yu finally beheld Alice’s true form. Her hair cascaded like a silver waterfall, her crimson eyes were as vivid as blood, and her features were as exquisite as a painting. She wore a magnificent black gothic dress, with lace and satin accentuating her slender, graceful silhouette, paired with platform boots. Most eye-catching of all were the white rabbit ears protruding from the top of her head.

Alice approached slowly, her smile triumphant, imbued with supreme arrogance and a hint of murderous intent. She pinched the hem of her skirt and swayed, stretching her body as if deliberately showcasing her soft, slender frame. Finally, she placed one hand on her hip, tilted her body slightly, and spoke in a voice that sounded utterly pretentious and manipulative:

"Human, let me introduce myself. I am one of the Eight Sages, codenamed 'Lian Chi.' You may also call me by my name, Alice."

"Huh? You’re one of the Eight Sages?"

"Oh? Judging by your reaction, it seems you know what the Eight Sages are?"

"I’ve read the books you wrote—the research records on demon hunters."

"Mother’s research notes... I kept them in the treasure library specifically. You heart-stealing thief, how dare you peek at them? Truly unforgivable. Guess why I haven’t killed you yet?"

Lian Chi’s expression was playful, like a cat that had cornered a mouse.

The metallic monstrosity began to move, sliding to the left and right, circling around Mo Yu. Mo Yu analyzed her words. He had suspected Alice’s identity was not simple, but he had not imagined she was one of the Eight Sages. This was a legendary figure spanning most of history, a being whose existence dated back even further than Iris’s records. Although there were no historical accounts of "Lian Chi," judging by the power of the other Sages, she was an entity standing at the pinnacle of this world.

The strange thing was, why did she refer to them as "Mother’s" research notes?

As the leg blades of the metallic monstrosity extended toward him, Mo Yu’s expression remained unchanged. His nonchalant reaction displeased Alice greatly. "Answer me, human," she said with a hint of irritation.

Mo Yu shrugged. "Isn't the reason you haven't killed me just to torture me?"

"Yes and no. I have no interest in torturing you, but I am in short supply of experimental subjects. Recently, I’ve been researching how to graft a human head onto a dog; that would be quite interesting." Alice covered her mouth and giggled, her words chilling to the bone.

Mo Yu recalled the things he had seen in the petri dishes previously; this rabbit-girl was a mad scientist. Facing her threat, he sneered, "I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. My ability tells me that I will escape safely."

Alice’s expression turned cold. "Hmph, do you really think you can escape?"

Mo Yu lowered his head and chuckled softly.

"What are you laughing at?" Alice demanded angrily.

Mo Yu laughed even louder. He pulled the unconscious Iris toward him and held his short spear against her throat. "I’m laughing at how stupid you are. The hostage is in my hands."

Alice’s expression stiffened for a moment, but then she burst into hysterical laughter, pointing at Mo Yu. "Are you an idiot? You’re using your own teammate to threaten the enemy?"

"Why would you assume we are on the same side? I have wanted to kill her from the very beginning," Mo Yu replied. He pressed the short spear forward, the sharp tip piercing Iris’s neck, drawing a spray of blood.

"Stop!!!" Alice panicked instantly, shouting for him to halt. "You damn human! Aren't you her most loyal servant? You... you traitor!"

Alice was in disarray. Wasn't she supposed to be the one using Iris’s life to threaten Mo Yu? How had the situation reversed? She had intended to exploit an information gap, simply acting the part of the villain, but this human had seen through everything.

Mo Yu let out a sinister laugh. "Turn off the poison gas! Tell those rabbits circling behind me to get lost! And that thing behind you—tell it to shut up and stay back, and stop spewing out that disgusting stuff. Also, you, don't even try to use mental control. I guarantee I’ll kill her before you can even make a move."

These were all things he had experienced. He was using his foreknowledge to preemptively dismantle Alice’s plans.

With this string of warnings, Alice’s face turned completely black. In her view, even if Mo Yu had turned traitor, he was still just an ordinary human; she had plenty of ways to ambush him if she could just distract him. But Mo Yu had instantly sealed off every sneak attack she had conceived.

Breaking into a cold sweat, Alice truly felt the difficulty of dealing with a precognitive ability. She raised her hands. "I admit, I underestimated you."

The metallic monstrosity sank into the floor. The rabbit-beast chimera retreated.

"Don't try any tricks," Mo Yu warned. "I can see them coming in advance."

Alice acknowledged this, attempting to negotiate. "Let her go, and I guarantee you’ll leave safely."

"Are you listening to yourself? Do you actually believe that?"

"..."

"Alright, relax. Come, sit down. Let’s have a chat."

Mo Yu gestured to the space in front of him, activating his "sincerity is the ultimate weapon" mode.

Alice sat down obediently in a "duck-sit" position.

Mo Yu posed the question that puzzled him most: "What exactly is your relationship? Why do you have such deep feelings for her?"

Alice replied, "She is my proudest masterpiece."

"Masterpiece?"

The term was subtle.

Mo Yu followed up with another question, and this topic hit Alice’s enthusiasm. She became visibly excited, her expression bordering on manic.

"Yes! My proudest, most perfect masterpiece! You know she is a vampire, so aren’t you curious why she and her kin do not fear the sunlight?"

"I fused humans and vampires, creating a dynamic, reversible process. When she exerts her power, she becomes a vampire; when she restrains it, she reverts toward being human."

"Every complete reversal enhances her potential! As long as she is given time, she will become the most powerful existence in this world! It is truly a perfect state of coexistence!"

Alice’s expression was frantic as she opened the floodgates, detailing her research process.

Mo Yu felt a headache coming on and quickly interrupted. "Stop! Don’t say any more! Why does she turn back into a human?"

"Because of an inducer, of course," Alice answered. "It forces her to revert to human form and temporarily lose her vampire powers. Did you smell the fragrance in the air?"

"Oh? How long does it last?" Mo Yu pressed.

"About a day," Alice replied.

Mo Yu’s eyes lit up. "Where is it? Bring it here and let me see."

Alice looked puzzled, but she complied. A moment later, she returned with a small pink glass bottle.

After observing it, Mo Yu asked, "What is the formula?"

Alice raised an eyebrow. "What do you want with this? Even if I told you, you couldn’t make it."

"Just tell me."

"Vampire ashes, demon hunter blood, extracts from the Sea Dew Flower..."

Alice rattled off a list of names, all of which Mo Yu memorized. If he couldn’t obtain this potion, he would have to attempt to recreate it himself.

With the crucial intelligence in hand, Mo Yu attempted to apply maximum pressure, wanting to see just how far Alice would go for Iris.

"Take off your clothes."