Volume One: "The Nature of the Devil Does Not Change, and the Heart of the Dead Devil Regrets Nothing"
Scarlet King looked at Ikalat, then pointed at his shadow and said in a flat, cold voice:
"You, Ikalat… and the Shadow. Find us a suitable place to rest, while Lin Yuan and I go steal the compound."
While the Shadow dragged Ikalat and the two of them traveled through the darkness, Lin Yuan carried Scarlet King and flew into the sky—heading for the United States of America.
Within 0.000001 seconds, Lin Yuan crossed 10,000 kilometers… and they arrived in the Nevada Desert.
They stood atop a sandy hill at dawn, and it was obvious the laboratory was inside a military base. Scarlet King spoke to Lin Yuan:
"Make me meet one of the senior officials in this lab."
Lin Yuan turned, confused:
"Why do you want to meet an official?"
Scarlet King moved instantly, grabbed Lin Yuan, lifted him, and said with icy sharpness:
"Do what I say… without extra talk."
Then he threw him with force that shattered the sound barrier—straight toward the lab.
Lin Yuan slammed into the ceiling and broke through it. He brushed dust off his body and spotted several scientists staring at him. He scratched his neck awkwardly and said:
"Ah… sorry, emergency landing. Do you have any clothes?"
Lin Yuan followed one of the janitors into a medium-sized white changing room, chose blue underwear, then put on a wide, beautiful, gleaming yellow robe bearing the emblem of a golden dragon.
He stepped into the corridor and headed toward the officials' office. The air inside the lab felt suffocating. The farther he went, the more he heard the clanging of heavy metal and loud screams… and with them, painful memories surged up. He ground his teeth and whispered to himself:
(The same place… the same smell… the same cursed place I hate.)
He kept going until he reached the gate to the officials' office. He straightened his clothes, took a breath, and entered.
The room was nearly empty—yet inside were eleven people. The moment Lin Yuan walked in, every head turned. In the center sat a man with white hair, a thick beard, carefully groomed blond hair, cold features, blue eyes, and a large nose. He asked in a booming voice:
"What brought Lin Yuan here?"
Lin Yuan's nerves spiked under the pressure. He shut his eyes, forcing the words out through a stammer:
"S-Sir… I—I have an important guest… I want your s-secretary to—t-to go meet him…"
Then he blurted it out quickly, like tossing bait into a fire:
"He has important information about China's plan to invade the great United States!!"
Silence fell.
The highest official spoke at last, voice cold:
"Hah… fine. No problem. Michael Gale… go with Lin Yuan, and check on this guest in the private rooms."
[In the private rooms]
Scarlet King was sitting there, but his clothes were different this time: all black, with a coat draped behind him, a classic black military cap, classic black shoes, and a black cloth covering his entire face.
Michael Gale sat in the chair across from him and asked:
"What information do you have?"
Scarlet King answered with absolute coldness:
"I have no information."
Michael Gale shot to his feet in rage and shouted:
"You want to die, right? You're actually insane. You'll die—and Lin Yuan will face a severe punishment."
Scarlet King replied with steady calm:
"Everyone says I'm insane and that I love brutal killing… but cooperating with me carries tremendous benefits. And you refused those benefits—so you're useless too… which means there's no reason for me to keep you alive."
Michael Gale backed away tensely, trying to hold his ground:
"You're inside a military base. You won't escape."
Suddenly… Michael Gale felt the room tilt in a strange way. Heat flared around his neck. He grabbed his throat… and felt something hot. He saw blood. He tried to scream… but nothing came out.
Then… Michael Gale's head dropped onto the floor.
From Scarlet King's perspective… Michael Gale truly had died: blood blasting from his neck, his head on the ground.
Then the head was crushed under an octopus-shaped hand.
A red creature emerged from the shadow: a melted, deformed face; flattened hair standing in the air like spikes; a disgusting, warped body; a melted mouth; and an opening that revealed a heart beating with life. The creature knelt and said in a distorted voice:
"I present my greetings… my great lord [Information Deleted]."
Lin Yuan stood in the corner behind Michael Gale… stunned. He yelled at Scarlet King:
"Y-You… are you insane?!"
Scarlet King's form shifted… and he transformed into Michael Gale's exact appearance, perfectly identical. He raised his hand toward Lin Yuan and said coldly:
"Don't worry. Everything is going according to plan."
Scarlet King (in Michael Gale's form) left the private room and headed toward one of the scientists. Lin Yuan followed, and the creature slipped into his shadow.
Scarlet King asked in a cold voice:
"Where is the compound that was injected into Lin Yuan?"
The scientist trembled and answered quickly:
"Sir Michael Gale… it's in the Director's office. The compound… Q—It's in the Director's office in Section D."
Scarlet King stared at him with a look that nearly suffocated him with terror, then walked past and headed for Section D.
On the way, he stopped one of the janitors.
"Where is the supreme director's office?"
The worker kept cleaning as he answered, indifferent:
"It's right next to you, Mr. Michael Gale."
Scarlet King entered the supreme director's office with slow, cold steps… and found it empty.
Family photos lined the room. A table sat in the center, and a bookshelf stood behind it. A simple office… yet Scarlet King and Lin Yuan began searching for the compound.
[After five ghirliha]
At last, Lin Yuan found the compound under the director's chair. But… it wasn't one.
There were two compounds instead of one.
It was a crushing victory for Scarlet King.
But at that moment… they heard the door opening.