Roman had not expected the counterattack. Before he could recover, Valerian seized a fistful of his hair and yanked his head upward, forcing his face away from the glass, a thin stream of blood already running from his nose.Roman's friends shifted uneasily, exchanging apprehensive glances before slowly rising from their seats, their bodies tensing as they prepared to intervene.“Give up now and hand over the property to me,” Valerian said coldly, keeping his grip firm. “You would not want to end up even more destroyed than you already are.”“You must be joking,” Roman spat, his pride refusing to let him yield.With a sudden burst of strength, Roman tore himself free from Valerian's grip and immediately drove his foot into him. The impact forced Valerian to stagger backward, his balance slipping for a moment as Roman advanced and attempted another kick.This time, Valerian was ready.He caught Roman's foot midair, stopping the attack effortlessly, then his eyes flickered toward the ta

As Valerian approached the entrance, one of the security guards immediately stepped forward, blocking his path."Yes, can I see your pass card?" the man asked, his tone professional, although his expression told a different story. His eyes slowly traveled over Valerian's clothes, lingering on his worn appearance with unmistakable skepticism, as though he were trying to determine what someone like him could possibly be doing inside such an exclusive hospital.Valerian didn't bother explaining himself.He simply reached into his pocket and produced the black card.The moment the security guard saw it, his entire demeanor changed.His eyes widened in recognition, and the skepticism that had been written all over his face vanished almost instantly. He straightened his posture and quickly stepped aside, opening the entrance for Valerian without asking another question."Please, go ahead, sir."Valerian walked through without acknowledging the sudden change in attitude.The moment he st

"Whistle did that to you?" Valerian's eyes turned red with anger, his voice trembling with barely restrained fury. "I'm going to fucking blow his brains off."Crystal sobbed, her body trembling as the memories resurfaced. Valerian forced himself to suppress his rage and reached toward her, gently wiping the tears from her cheeks with his thumb."Don't cry," he murmured, his voice softer now. "I'm going to fix everything, and I promise I'll make sure you get to step on Whistle's face yourself."Crystal lowered her head, another tear slipping down her cheek. Valerian carefully wiped it away.But the moment his thumb brushed beneath her eye, he suddenly stopped.Something had caught his attention.His brows knitted together as he stared at the moisture on his fingertip, his expression gradually shifting from anger to confusion.There was something unusual about her tears. Something he hadn't expected.Valerian's eyes narrowed as he looked back at his sister, his fingers still hoverin

"No, not any that I can think of. I was sent to prison, so I didn't have any enemies outside that I knew of," Valerian replied, his voice calm but firm.Minerva nodded slowly, though the answer didn't seem to satisfy her curiosity completely.“But I'm curious,” she began, her eyes drifting toward the paper in his hands, “how do you know so much about illnesses? You seem to understand things that even some experienced physicians struggle with.”There was genuine astonishment in her voice.Minerva had encountered some of the most accomplished physicians in the country, people who had spent decades studying medicine and specializing in complicated diseases, yet Valerian possessed a depth of knowledge that seemed almost incongruous with his background.Valerian's eyes remained fixed on the paper for a moment before he finally looked up.“I learned a lot during my time in Hellvane,” he answered simply.Minerva studied him for a moment, already knowing who had been responsible for much of t

"It's about my sister, Crystal. She has been suffering from blindness for five years now," Valerian said.Dr. Kaleb leaned back in his chair, his fingers resting against the edge of the desk as he listened."Go on.""Five years ago, Crystal was involved in an accident that damaged her eyesight. We never found out exactly what happened. She came home that day already blind, and from that moment onward, we tried everything we could to restore her vision. We took her to different hospitals, consulted several doctors, ran countless examinations, but every answer led to the same conclusion — they told us that the damage to her eyesight was permanent."Valerian paused briefly, his expression becoming more serious."But yesterday, I noticed something unusual."Dr. Kaleb's eyes narrowed."When Crystal was crying, I noticed that her tears were unusually thick and whitish. That isn't what normal tears should look like, so I looked at her more closely, and that's when I realized something w