Chapter 41

Even many years later, Feitan would still occasionally recall the scene from today.

He didn't know Ray, nor did he know anything about her past.

His only impression of her was that she was brought back by Kuroro and was supposedly someone who could be used to blackmail the Chain Hand.

He was just a hostage, not someone who needed care or protection. When provoked by the other party, Feitan narrowed his eyes without saying a word and began to plan countless ways to torture him.

Without avoiding his companion, he walked straight up to the defiant woman and looked down at her coldly and condescendingly.

"You all go out first," he said.

His two companions knew his methods well. Although they were not afraid, they found it hard to appreciate them. Upon hearing this, they obediently cooperated and threw down their cards.

"Don't kill her. The commander hasn't returned yet to give the orders. Things will get complicated," Phinks muttered before leaving.

Feitan scoffed, "Do you think I'm a fool?"

Finks smiled.

Xiao Di made no comment. She picked up the cards from the ground, stacked them neatly, held them in her hands, and left with Finks without saying a word.

Only Feitan and Rae remained in the dimly lit room.

This woman seems very tough.

Feitan thought casually, his gaze sliding from her light golden hair and beautiful face down to her slender shoulders, slightly bent waist and fair calves, like an artist contemplating where to begin sculpting a work.

...Should we break her hand first, or stomp on her feet, which seem to be without any flaws for the time being?

Making incisions on the limbs can effectively prevent the prey from struggling excessively.

This idea lingered for a moment before the man in front of him noticed it.

Seeing Feitan's slightly surprised expression, she smiled and took the initiative to speak.

"Are you... trying to teach me a lesson?" The smile was pale but showed no fear. "But it probably won't work."

She was telling a scary story, but she was still laughing, her laughter as fragile and thin as paper, as if it would break at the slightest touch.

"Don't let my pampered appearance fool you, I used to... get beaten several times a day," she said. "I was also forced to eat all sorts of weird drugs. The worst time was when I was in front of the mirror, looking at myself like a corpse... It hurt so much, but when you're alive, there's no end to suffering. In fact, it's only when you're in pain that you feel like you're truly alive."

Feitan's original plan was thus disrupted.

...It's only in pain that you feel truly alive.

For this kind of person, ordinary methods are probably more like a stimulant.

He should let her experience what real pain is.

Those low-level experiences cannot compare to real hell.

Feitan bent down.

He maliciously grabbed the woman's chin and stared directly into her cold yet shimmering eyes.

"Do you like the feeling of being alive?" His smile was hidden behind his mask, his voice coming through the fabric, hot and sticky. "Fine, I'll make you realize that you're just a pile of rubbish unworthy of even dreaming of life."

...

Feitan hates Rai.

I disliked her from the moment I first saw her that day.

Even with her eyes closed in Kuroro's arms, her light blonde hair and outstanding face made her look like a meticulously dressed, perfect doll.

He hates this kind of perfection.

Such a presence itself is a provocation to him.

"Keep an eye on her." Kuroro seemed to have some important matters to attend to, so he didn't give any further instructions, only leaving a word of advice before hurriedly leaving. "With her here, we should be able to catch Chain Hand this time."

...After Lei was put down, Feitan quickly looked away.

He is both irritable and calm, and can actually be quite patient as long as he is not deliberately provoked.

Just like now, his mind was filled with disgust for Ray, but he continued to play cards with his partner without showing any emotion.

But Ray himself delivered himself to their doorstep.

He felt a thrill amidst his anger, a pleasure so deeply hidden behind his fury that even his companions failed to notice that Feitan could have avoided this pointless act of venting his anger.

He was just too smitten.

Her long, straight, smooth hair, her soft and beautiful face, her slender limbs that looked like they would break if you bent them, and her empty, bewildered eyes.

...is his most hated, yet also his most favorite type.

Beautiful and sweet things are best suited to decay that never fades.

Kuroro hasn't returned yet.

One of the key parts of his important plan is being carefully and cruelly dismantled.

Stripped of its human nature, the real pain is extracted, leaving only unknown fear. The bloodless lips are cold and slightly parted, as if trying to beg for mercy, but find that they can't even think of how to beg for mercy.

Feitan left Rae unharmed, yet bewildered and lucid, realizing that he was no longer allowed to experience the meaning of "living," and that in Feitan's hands, he was nothing more than a vessel.

He whispered a series of images in her ear, accompanied by appropriate gestures and terrifying mental suggestions, tearing her apart not physically, but mentally.

Even Illumi never truly treated her like that.

In his eyes, Ray was at least a human being.

Under Feitan's torment, Rae couldn't even find an outlet for the pain. The pain was so intense and suffocating, like being pricked by needles, yet it felt completely unreal. Her self-awareness was being erased more and more, and she became numb as she resisted the fear.

...And that utterly empty expression greatly pleased Feitan.

He withdrew his hand, preserving her last shred of clarity, and let her fall inch by inch into the bottomless abyss of fear.

The punishment was over, and Feitan knew that he should now stop all activity, open the door, invite his companions back, and restore everything to normal.

However, the nerves that were overly excited and tense were difficult to calm down quickly at this moment.

He closed his eyes, exhaled deeply, and then inhaled.

My palms are warm.

The fingers were still eager to try.

He wanted to continue... and get more.

This desire came on fiercely and was extremely irrational. Feitan did not move, maintaining his standing posture, quietly waiting for it to weaken and subside.

When he finally managed to control his out-of-control thoughts, he opened his eyes again and saw Ray in front of him, who turned his face as he moved.

There was nothing on that unrealistically beautiful face.

His eyes were vacant, yet subtly trembling.

She recovered from the fear of being "dismembered".

“…Is that all?” Feitan heard her speak.

Things quickly spiraled out of control.

When Phinks, outside the door, realized that too much time had passed and sensed something was wrong, he knocked on the door, but by then everything had already been settled.

It was at this time that Kuroro returned.

Little Drop had no idea what had happened. Curious, she peeked out from behind Kuroro as he opened the door, and then saw "a beautiful work of art" lying under the dim, cold light.

The girl who used to smile and provoke Feitan before they left was now acting strangely, as if she were being used as some kind of tool. Her hair was cascading down her shoulders, and she was expressionless. Feitan, as always, was dressed very conservatively, but he was now on top of her, his golden eyes glowing eerily, as if he was about to strangle her raised, vulnerable neck.

Phinks glanced over as well and whistled:

"Feitan, you were so kind this time, you didn't draw any blood."

He never seems to understand the atmosphere.

Feitan's expression darkened the moment the door was pushed open. As if he was unhappy that his draft had been spied on, he subconsciously shifted his body position slightly to block the woman beneath him.

Kuroro, who should have given instructions the moment he entered, remained unusually silent, neither ordering Feitan to stop nor indicating that he could continue.

...It was at this moment that Lei turned her face, presenting her pale and fragile face to Kuroro, and then she smiled at him.

No.

Kuroro thought.

This isn't right.

She shouldn't just be like this... She should say something to herself, or show some resentment.

Claire just kept smiling, and slowly, she looked away again.

It seemed that he meant nothing to her.

...Kuroro knew that he had to take some action no matter what.

He asked Feitan, "What are you doing?"

Feitan's voice was sinister and cold; judging from his current demeanor, no one could guess what he was thinking.

“I didn’t kill her,” he replied rather pointedly, guessing that Kuroro might be concerned about whether his plan to lure the Chained Hand would fail. “I didn’t leave any superficial wounds either; I just taught her a lesson.”

"...Okay, come down now." Kuroro's voice was also cold, revealing no emotion.

Feitan remained silent for a moment, then obediently stopped and walked away from the motionless Rae.

Finks peeked out again—

Before I could even get a clear look, a piece of paper flashed past my eyes.

Kuroro pulled this thing out of nowhere and threw it squarely at his face.

“The Chainman’s intentions are still unknown, but his comrades are very concerned about this… Phinks, you and Feitan go to the place mentioned in this letter and wait there. If they appear, they will definitely pass by there. Be careful to stay hidden.”

Then he said to Shizuku, "Shizuku, go and make contact with Nobunaga and the others."

"We all have to go," Phinks said, forgetting about the beautiful woman right in front of him. He focused on the intelligence in his hand and Kuroro, and asked him a question.

Kuroro nodded: "Mm."

“But…” Finks still had doubts.

Kuroro remained unmoved.

Feitan vaguely sensed something, and took the lead, walking past Phinks and stepping out of the room.

"You're dragging your feet," he said bluntly. "You're not going."

With his partner already made his stance clear, Finks had no choice but to hurry and follow.

Soon, Xiao Di also left.

The door closed again, and the man's footsteps echoed softly in the room, lingering by the bed before finally disappearing.

It took a while before Ray heard his voice.

He asked, "...Are you feeling very uncomfortable?"

His tone was as gentle and caring as ever.

She turned her face again and looked at him once more.

It was a light, indifferent look in his eyes.

“No,” she said to him, “he wasn’t like Illumi. ... It’s strange, that kind of thing would have destroyed me the most completely, but he didn’t do it.”

This made her feel a dizzying sense of freedom after a brief period of emptiness and confusion.

She was no longer in pain, but the other person became angry. He seemed about to do something even more terrible to her, but he never did, as if that would contradict some kind of principle of his.

...Thinking of this, a look of confusion gradually appeared in Lei's eyes.

"Do you want it?" she asked Kuroro. "...I guess it's better to treat me the same way as before. I don't feel used to being treated like an ordinary thing instead of someone who can be used at will."

"..."

“Brother,” Ray asked, “If I’m begging you like this, could you come over and hug me… I need you.”

As always, she opened her arms to him.

Kuroro seemed to have truly heard the other half of her sentence that she hadn't fully uttered at that moment.

Hug me.

I need real, real pain.

Whether before or after their reunion, he was merely a painkiller in her mind, used to temporarily suppress the pain symptoms known as "Illumi".

Her constant display of vulnerability—the idea that she absolutely couldn't live without him—was like a spider web used to lure her prey.

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Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!