Yuan pushed himself up from the bed.
Across the room, Sylas was still grinning, clearly enjoying himself far more than he should. He was just about to lie down when his eyes landed on the sheets.
He froze.
His expression twisted in pure disgust.
"…No."
He straightened immediately, looking at the bed as if it had personally offended him.
"I changed my mind," he said with heavy arrogance.
"You can sleep here."
At that moment, Yuan was standing by the window.
He wasn't listening.
His gaze was fixed on the dark outside, his eyes sharp, calculating. His mind was already several steps ahead.
Good.
I brought Sylas here exactly for this reason.
If something happens in a cheap lodging like this, traces will be easier to erase.
No witnesses. No clean connections.
This place is perfect.
While Yuan was deep in thought, Sylas moved.
Silently.
He stepped up behind Yuan and, without warning, pressed his body against his back, deliberately close. There was a smug smile on his lips.
Yuan felt it instantly.
His muscles tensed.
He pulled away sharply and spun around.
Sylas laughed.
Yuan didn't.
Instead, he lifted his leg and kicked him away.
"Do that again without warning," Yuan said coldly,
"and I'll seriously throw you out that window."
Sylas burst out laughing, clearly amused.
"Oh?" he teased.
"So should I announce it first next time?"
Yuan's patience snapped.
He shoved Sylas hard, sending him stumbling toward the bed.
"Don't get the wrong idea," Yuan said in a low, icy voice.
"Just because we exchanged a few words doesn't mean we're close. Got it?"
Sylas didn't respond.
Instead, he turned away and looked out the window.
The sky was dark, but a single star was visible through the clouds.
For just a moment, his expression softened.
A memory flashed through his mind.
Then, just as quickly, he looked away.
He sat down in the old chair near the wall and leaned back, closing his eyes. He dozed off there, sitting upright.
Yuan didn't sleep.
He watched.
At3:54 a.m., he stood up quietly.
Sleep wouldn't come.
He glanced at Sylas.
Sylas was asleep on the chair, but his face was tense, as if even rest couldn't fully reach him.
Yuan turned back to the window.
That's when he saw it.
A car.
It had stopped not far from the hotel.
A man stepped out, holding a phone to his ear, speaking in a low voice.
Yuan's eyes narrowed.
He recognized him.
The same man who had aimed a gun at Sylas earlier.
Yuan clenched his teeth.
He followed us.
He watched carefully.
The man walked around the hotel, circling it slowly.
Yuan's expression hardened.
He slipped out of the room and moved downstairs quietly. The reception desk was empty.
He exited the building without making a sound.
The man was gone.
But the car was still there.
Yuan moved around the back of the hotel.
That's where he found him.
No people.
No lights.
No cameras.
The man was still on the phone, walking toward an even more isolated area.
Yuan followed silently, like a shadow.
Tch.
"I'm not letting anyone steal my target."
He checked the surroundings one last time.
No cameras.
Then he moved.
In one swift motion, Yuan grabbed the man from behind, locking his arm tightly around his throat. His other hand clamped over the man's mouth, cutting off any sound.
The man struggled, slipping on the icy ground.
Yuan stayed balanced.
He forced him down.
The man hit the frozen surface hard.
Yuan grabbed his hair and slammed his head against the icy ground once, brutally.
Then he tightened his grip around the man's throat.
It was over.
Yuan stood up calmly.
He turned on his phone flashlight, examined the body, then scooped up snow and packed it around the man's neck and head.
He turned the light off.
And disappeared.
Back in the room, Sylas was still asleep.
Morning came with noise.
Sirens.
Police cars surrounded the area.
Sylas woke up to the sound, rubbing his eyes.
"…What the hell?"
He looked out the window and froze slightly at the sight of flashing lights.
Then he turned toward the bed.
Yuan was lying there with his back turned.
Not asleep.
Watching.
Sylas frowned.
"These noises this early…"
"…Did someone get murdered or something?"