The sun was setting.
Under the last rays of twilight, Kevin stood up from the lawn in his garden. He took off his sweat-soaked vest, walked into the bathroom in his room, drew the curtain out of habit, and quickly washed himself.
It had been a week since he had transmigrated into this body. Since then, his life had inexplicably settled into a stable rhythm. This gave him plenty of time to adjust his mindset and integrate into this unfamiliar world. Eating, sleeping, exercising, studying—these routines had come to define his days.
Muscle memory, combined with the inherited knowledge in his mind, made learning medicine incredibly smooth, almost effortless. For the first time in his life, he felt like a genius. At the same time, he had been using the computer in his room to explore every aspect of this world, deepening his understanding of his new reality.
His biggest worry—social entanglements—had not materialized. The original owner of this body was an orphan. While it might have seemed heartless to think this way, Kevin couldn't help but sigh with relief; the situation was ideal. Exercise, of course, was a given. Both this body and the mysterious, extraordinary energy he now possessed made him indulge in it without hesitation.
After turning on the TV and catching a few news snippets, Kevin walked into the kitchen and began preparing dinner. By the time he finished, night had fallen.
The city's public security left much to be desired—far worse than the places he had once lived. After dark, few pedestrians remained on the streets.
"Beep! Beep!"
A car horn sounded from outside. Kevin frowned, walked to the balcony, and looked down. At the street entrance, a van was parked, and under the dim streetlights, he could see a man in the driver's seat waving at him. Clearly, the man knew him.
A cold premonition washed over Kevin. An acquaintance had come calling. He couldn't escape this ordeal after all. The original owner, a top student from a prestigious university, may have had a criminal streak, but even then, he must have known people. To occupy someone else's body and interact with their familiar contacts always made Kevin uneasy.
He went downstairs to the door.
"Kevin, quickly open the garage door and let me in! Damn it, those cops are really chasing hard."
The tall, thin man looked anxious. Seeing Kevin hesitate, he opened the door himself and stepped out of the van.
"Alright, alright, I'll do it myself."
Without waiting for Kevin, he walked in, opened the garage door, and drove the van inside. Police sirens still wailed in the distance.
"Unlucky… it's an accomplice," Kevin thought, a trace of helplessness in his toneless mind. The original owner's criminal connections explained the presence of this man and the van, which no doubt contained contraband—though Kevin didn't know exactly what.
After parking, the tall, thin man lit a cigarette and didn't offer one to Kevin. Their closeness was apparent; he knew Kevin didn't smoke.
"When did you get back? If I hadn't seen your lights on, I wouldn't have come. Good thing you were home. Otherwise, I'd have had to stay at Barrel's place, and he'd have taken some of my goods."
He patted Kevin's arm and turned toward the garage. "Don't just stand there foolishly, or the cops will question us if they come around."
Kevin followed silently, mulling over whether to sever all ties with the original owner's past. The main reason he had returned was to see if familiar surroundings would awaken more of the original owner's memories. That had succeeded, but it was clear the social circle was incompatible with him. Cutting ties seemed best. After all, even if he hadn't taken over this body, the original owner was already dead. A fresh start elsewhere was the safest path. Otherwise, incidents like tonight would keep happening.
As he followed the other man into the garage, the police sirens gradually faded into the distance.
"Mm! Mm!"
Suddenly, the van shook, and muffled sounds came from inside. The tall, thin man slapped the side of the vehicle, frowning. "Quiet down, or don't blame me for being impolite!"
It seemed to work. The van fell silent, though faint whimpering could still be heard.
Kevin's brows were tightly furrowed.
Living beings? And in the worst kind of situation imaginable.
The tall, thin man seemed to notice Kevin's expression and offered a fawning, lewd smile.
"Heh heh, a batch of high-grade goods I recently acquired. Definitely going to sell for a big price. Don't look so glum—I understand, I understand everything."
He patted Kevin's shoulder as he spoke, then stepped back. A few steps later, he pulled open the van's door.
"Wuwuwu!"
"Mm! Wuwu!"
Inside were six girls of varying ages and appearances—some young, some more mature, some childlike—tied up and crying. They looked first at the tall, thin man, then at Kevin, their eyes wide with terror.
"How about it? Pretty good, right? This is the best batch I've gotten in recent years," he said, his face full of showmanship. "You're really lucky. I just got some top-quality stuff that suits your taste yesterday, so today it's cheap for you, kid."
As he spoke, he even feigned a look of regret, as if to say, You hit the jackpot.
Then, he half-crawled into the van, and amidst the terrified whimpers, he pulled out a blonde girl with a loli-like figure. She wore a red Lolita outfit; her golden twin pigtails shimmered under the light. Her small, well-proportioned frame and crystal-clear eyes radiated innocence and terror.
The man threw her onto the ground and turned to Kevin. "How is it? Does it suit your taste? Made a fortune, huh? Don't say your brother doesn't take care of you. If you don't bring me two bottles of good medicine as a reward, I won't let you play for free just for this favor."
He spoke to himself, oblivious to Kevin's expression, which had grown increasingly grim.
Human trafficking. And all of them—young, beautiful girls, even children.
The girl who looked most like a teenager…
Beast.
The original owner of this body was a complete monster—more disgusting than Kevin had imagined. That last trace of guilt he had felt for occupying this body vanished entirely.
"What are you doing?!"
Kevin rushed forward.
P@tr3on Seasay for advanced chapters and early releases