"We do not need distractions," Donald said, his voice flat, dry, and hollow.Elizabeth shrank back against the passenger door, tears spilling over her eyelashes.The father who had raised her, who had always been her protector, was completely gone.In his place was an empty shell—a meat puppet operating on cold, basic programming.Thirty minutes later, the sedan pulled into the cracked, weed-choked yard of an abandoned shipyard on the southern canal.Rusting cargo containers loomed around them like giant tombstone monuments under the overcast sky.The air here was thick with the scent of brine, rotting wood, and a copper undertone that made Elizabeth choke.The car screeched to a halt in front of a cavernous, dark warehouse."Get out," Donald commanded, turning off the ignition."No!" Elizabeth pleaded, locking her arms around her seatbelt. "Dad, please, we have to go home. Something is wrong with you. Let's go to the hospital—"Before she could finish, Donald leaned over, unbuckled h

"I have found you," Alistair whispered, his tone cold and harsh. "What? What are you?" the puppeteer began, suddenly sensing a massive, scorching presence invading his connection.Before the cultivator could snap his fingers to trigger the deaths, Alistair acted.Through the golden threads of fate, Alistair sent three simultaneous pulses of celestial qi.At the Third Mainland Bridge, just as Donald’s leg lifted to step over the railing, a warm, golden barrier materialized beneath his foot, gently pushing him back onto the pavement. At the same time, a sliver of Alistair's pure energy shot into Donald’s forehead, instantly vaporizing the puppet parasite in his throat and putting him into a deep, safe sleep on the pedestrian walkway.At the hospital, the writhing black Sanguine Marrow curse-mark on Caleb Bolton's chest was suddenly enveloped by a brilliant gold seal.The holy energy neutralized the toxin instantly, restoring the old man’s erratic heart rate to a steady, calm rhythm.I

"Control yourself!" Kuro hissed, his voice low but sharp as a razor. "How many times must I tell you? Panic breeds suspicion, and we are currently surrounded by five elders who are looking for any excuse to skin us alive! Now, speak. What happened? Has Alistair Reid’s corpse been found?""N-No, Elder!" The subordinate swallowed hard, his face completely pale as he held up a high-grade, encrypted spiritual communication talisman.The surface of the jade was pulsing with an erratic, warning red light. "The bounty... the bounty you placed on Alistair Reid through the Dark Web ledgers... It's been forcefully taken down!"Kuro froze.The breath caught in his throat. "Taken down? Impossible! I transferred the advance payment! No one has the authority to pull a contract of that tier unless the target is confirmed dead or the client requests it!""Elder, there's another way the contract can be pulled.” the subordinate stammered, dropping to one knee as his hands shook. "They told me that some

Adam picked up his amulet, bowing deeply from the waist. "Thank you, Young Master. I will guard it with my life.""Ensure your personal guards are double-checking the security layouts at the hospital for Caleb and Donald as well," Alistair commanded, addressing Isabella, his posture straightening as his eyes shifted back toward the sprawling city skyline beyond the lake. "The enemy is growing desperate. A cornered rat will pull at any thread left dangling."“I will oversee it personally," Isabella promised, her confidence fully restored.“Good.” Alistair nodded in satisfaction.Just then, the trio heard footsteps coming from upstairs. They all glanced at the staircase just as Elizabeth revealed herself.She seemed a bit disoriented, with a hand on her head and a frown on her face.Her steps were a bit unsteady, and it was clear she had just woken up from a deep sleep. She still wore her clothes from last night when she paid Alistair a visit on the behest of the puppeteer, and the at

Alistair took the bag with a polite nod and made his way back to the VIP ward.When he pushed the door open, Sara was still sitting up, her eyes lighting up slightly as she saw him return."Here," Alistair said smoothly, placing the tray onto the overbed table."Thank you, Alistair," Sara said again, looking up at him with a complex mixture of hesitation and longing. She reached out to open the containers, the scent of fresh porridge and herbal tea filling the room. "You... you didn't have to bring it up yourself. You could have sent one of the nurses.""A promise made is a debt to be paid," Alistair replied, his voice level and entirely professional, maintaining the absolute distance of a stranger. "Now that the errand is complete, I will take my leave.""Alistair, wait," Sara blurted out, her hand freezing over the spoon.She bit her lower lip, her eyes searching his face desperately for a single spark of the warmth he used to give her. "Are we... Are we really never going to talk