QT: Against My Will-Chapter 540 - 8.57 - Lucid Dreams - Monster Heist

"All the hints point at you." In a dimly lit room filled with a haze of smoke, Ru Quan confronted the man who had been smoking silently, "Your alibi is flimsy at best."

The air was heavy with tension, each word uttered cut through the smoke-filled atmosphere like a knife.

Victor held the cigarette close to his lips, a slight smirk playing at the corners of his mouth, "Are you going to arrest me, Leon?" His eyes, hidden behind a veil of smoke, showed neither innocence or guilt.

He didn’t kill Bertha. He saw no benefit in her death.

Ru Quan’s gaze hardened as he met Victor’s challenging stare. He took a step forward, the dim light casting long shadows across the room, "Is there something more to your connection with Shina Night that you’re afraid to confront?"

Victor’s eyes narrowed, "I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m done here." And with that, he stubbed out his cigarette and walked out of the interrogation room, leaving the officers with a sinking feeling in their guts.

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Victor’s wandering eventually led him to a familiar face. "What’s the matter, Elera?" his voice softened. His smug grin melted away, replaced by a mix of longing, "Still think having an open relationship was a smart move?"

"Yes," Elera replied, her voice steady but laced with a hint of defiance, "Having an open relationship has been an eye-opener for me. It made me realize what truly matters in life."

The only thing that mattered now was to create a safe and stable environment for her child, "My focus is now on the future, and that no longer includes you."

Victor reached out, his hand trembling as he gently pulled Elera into a heartfelt embrace. "Oh, Elera, I know you too well. You think I’ll come crawling back and seek the passion and intensity that only you can provide," his voice took on a silky tone, filled with calculated charm, "But you underestimate my resolve."

Elera stood frozen in place, her body tense with fear. She couldn’t help but reminisce about the days when she had been brazen and fearless in her interactions with Victor.

She had believed she held the power to sway him with her charm and allure, thinking she had him wrapped around her fingers. His carefully calculated actions, designed to make her feel special, had only fueled her confidence.

She quickly regained her composure. With the weight of her unborn child’s future on her shoulders, she couldn’t afford to be reckless.

"Is that so?" Her voice carried a mischievous glimmer, masking the shock that resonated in her eyes. "Then why are you still lingering around me like a persistent mosquito, Victor?" She quickly glanced towards the entrance, looking for an escape.

Victor chuckled softly, a dark edge to his amusement as his grip tightened around her delicate neck. "You don’t have to be afraid," he whispered, his voice tinged with a twisted mix of menace and fascination. "As long as you keep this vibrancy, I’ll find endless ways to entertain myself."

The shift in his demeanor sent a shiver down Elera’s spine, exposing the underlying manipulative nature she had failed to fully recognize in the beginning. It made her acutely aware of the fragility of her situation.

Just as the tension reached its peak, Victor let go of her just in time for the door to swing open with a forceful push, revealing Ru Quan standing tall in the doorway.

Victor’s eyes met Ru Quan’s unwavering gaze, devoid of any flicker of fear. The shadows cast by the dim light danced across his face, revealing a man who had long embraced the darkness within him.

Elera turned away from Ru Quan, no longer willing to place her faith in anyone. She couldn’t bear the weight of this anymore. All she wanted was a peaceful life, far away from this chaos.

She found herself inexplicably leaning towards Victor. She was furious at first and was determined to assert her own power over him, entertaining many thoughtss of breaking his heart in return.

But it seemed like Victor had an inkling of her intentions all along. Rather than confronting her or pushing her away, he decided to play along, willingly subjecting himself to the heartbreak she had planned.

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A few days later...

Lu Kai stood over Victor’s lifeless body, his frown deepening as he clutched the heart in his hand with a mix of apprehension and disbelief.

In a sudden jolt, Nathaniel’s eyes shot open, his heart pounding in his chest. He woke up on his bunk bed, looking around the dark room. When he found out it was just a lucid dream, he sighed heavily.

’Bing Shi won’t treat me like a squirrel with a nut allergy when she finds out I’ve been killing them in my dreams, would she?’ Lu Kai pondered.

A few people had been giving him an ick by how they always stuck to his Bing Shi, and he would often go through some lucid dreams to take out his dissatisfaction on them — like crushing their hearts in order to crush their obsession with his wife.

’I should be the one to treat her like a squirrel with a nut allergy.’ Memories of the day Nathaniel stumbled upon Bertha flooded his mind. The appearance of his wife had disrupted his train of thought, injecting a seed of doubt into his consciousness.

Start of the flashback... 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

° With a sense of horror, Bertha desperately longed to find Shina as quickly as possible, but the severity of her injuries held her back. "I don’t want to die yet. I have so much left unsaid, so much I need to make right," she sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked up, noticing Nathaniel drawing near, "Nathaniel... How...?" How did he find her?

° Without warning, Nathaniel lunged forward, his movements swift and calculated. Bertha gasped as his cold fingers passed through her chest, an icy grip tightening around her heart.

° Surprise and fear surged through her, momentarily paralyzing her spirit. For a brief moment, time seemed to stand still as she stared wide-eyed at Nathaniel. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, struggling to comprehend the depths of his malevolence.

° ’This... this feels so much better than a mere lucid dream,’ Lu Kai thought with a tantalizing smile lingering on his lips, ’To see hope flicker in their eyes before I extinguish it, it is a pleasure beyond words.’

° Having already granted Bertha a second chance in life (solely in response to the story she had written for him), he now regarded her with detached indifference. She no longer had anything of value to appease him, but he recognized the value she had brought to his wife.

° In a disconcertingly nonchalant manner, Nathaniel had effortlessly woven his threads of power, restoring her body to her former state piece by piece. With a final flourish, he completed the task, leaving her heart whole once more.

° Unfazed by the magnitude of his actions, Nathaniel turned away, leaving Bertha to grapple with the unsettling implications silently. He had accomplished the feat effortlessly, leaving behind an unsettling air of nonchalance.

° Despite the restoration of her body, a residual effect lingered within Bertha. The trauma inflicted upon her from her previous battle with Victor had taken its toll, leaving her weakened and vulnerable. As the adrenaline subsided, a wave of dizziness washed over her, causing her vision to blur.

° Unbeknownst to Bertha, her lifeless heart from a while ago had triggered her chip, alerting the authorities to her precarious state. In a race against time, emergency services were swiftly dispatched to her location.

° Lu Kai, with a touch of humor, found himself pondering the influence of his wife’s presence on his life as he continued with his midnight walk, ’Ah, the joys of being married,’ he mused, a wry smile curling his lips, ’I swear, she has a way of making me care about things I never thought I would.’