Ethan was startled for a mere fraction of a second, but very quickly, he understood exactly what Julian needed. The man did not put up any resistance whatsoever. On the contrary, he reached up to firmly cradle the back of Julian’s neck, voluntarily parting his lips and fully accommodating the younger man’s relentless assault.

The kiss was far more forceful and frenzied than their usual intimacies. Their tongues tangled so intensely together that the only sound echoing in the quiet room was their heavy, suggestive panting. Julian’s hands threaded into Ethan’s hair as he rubbed his own burning body against the man’s sculpted chest.

The man’s body temperature, his scent, the sheer physical strength from the arm securely wrapped around Julian’s waist... everything was undeniably real. This physical vessel knew how to feel pain, knew how to yearn, and knew exactly how to respond to the passionate stimulation from this man.

When the kiss finally broke apart, both of them were gasping for air. Forehead resting against forehead, Ethan embraced Julian tightly against his chest, his large hand continuously stroking the young man’s heaving back. Julian closed his eyes, resting his chin on Ethan’s shoulder, feeling the warmth radiating between them as his heartbeat finally settled down.

The tidal wave of panic washed over and passed, leaving behind a profound, relieved silence.

"There is no need to call the doctor. I have something I need to tell you."

Constantly hiding certain things was never a brilliant solution, especially not from this man who always stood tall to shield him from every storm.

"Ethan..." Julian’s raspy voice spoke up, shattering the heavy silence: "I once told you that I am a brainwave implanted into this body, but... that is not the entire truth."

Ethan did not interrupt him. He merely stroked Julian’s back gently, signaling for him to continue.

"I... do not belong to this world." Julian took a deep breath, pushing every single word out with extreme difficulty as he laid bare his most monumental secret: "In my memories, this place, this very world we are currently living in, and all the people existing here... are, in reality, nothing more than a book."

He felt the rhythm of Ethan’s hand on his back pause for a brief second, but he remained resolved to finish speaking.

"I know the plotline. I know the tragic ending of the original Julian. I know exactly how certain future events will unfold. Initially, I truly thought I had simply transmigrated into a novel by accident, and that as long as I struggled to survive and avoided the worst possible ending, everything would be fine. But then, things gradually spiraled wildly out of control. Plot elements that never existed in the book began to surface. CORE, the Genesis Project, the code A-01..."

Julian let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh: "Even right now, I genuinely do not know if those memories of transmigrating into a book are real, or if they are merely fabricated strings of data that they forcibly implanted into my head since I was a child."

"I cannot even clearly distinguish who I truly am anymore. Am I the me of this world, or the me of my past life? Are we one and the same, or entirely different entities? What is the truth behind everything? I am becoming increasingly lost."

Having confessed all this, Julian waited in agonizing suspense for a reaction from Ethan. He braced himself for utter shock, profound suspicion, or at the very least, a dismissive chuckle implying that he was merely speaking nonsense due to immense psychological pressure.

But there was absolutely nothing.

Ethan did not laugh, nor did he display any signs of panic or interrogate Julian regarding the future events within that supposed plotline.

His hand simply resumed rubbing gentle circles on Julian’s back. His calm, steady voice echoed through the quiet room, striking directly at the softest, most vulnerable spot in Julian’s heart.

"In that other world... were you all alone?"

Julian had been thoroughly preparing to explain and convince his man that he was not suffering from delusions, that everything he had spoken was the undeniable truth. Never in a million years did he expect the man’s reaction to be the complete opposite of what he had anticipated.

Yet, that single, solitary question... instantly reduced Julian to tears.

His throat choked up as an unprecedented wave of agonizing sorrow flooded his eyes. In his previous world, he was the wealthy, powerful crown prince of a massive empire. He possessed a glamorous exterior, but hidden behind the facade was the oppressive dictatorship of his father, the endless string of soulless matchmaking dates, and days upon days of living an orchestrated life without a single person who genuinely understood him.

Julian’s lips parted, but he could not force a single word out. All he could do was bury his face deeper into Ethan’s shoulder, sinking into a weeping silence.

The peaceful stillness between the two of them did not last long before urgent, almost violent knocking hammered against the door.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Boss!" Helen’s voice called out from the hallway, catching both of them completely off guard. What could have possibly happened to warrant Helen rushing over here in person?

Ethan furrowed his brows, he stood up, but maintained a tight grip on Julian’s hand as he walked over to open the bedroom door. Helen stood outside, holding a tablet that was flashing the red lights of an active security alert system.

"What happened?"

"Breaking news." Helen took a rapid, panicked breath, her complexion looking exceptionally grim: "Just moments ago, the entire server containing the hidden archives of that private hospital... was completely wiped clean."

"Wiped clean?"

"Yes. And not just a standard deletion, but a remote annihilation utilizing a military-grade overwrite algorithm. Every single file related to A-01, the digital evidence regarding the trust fund sources, absolutely everything... has vanished entirely. There is zero possibility of recovery."

They had acted far too swiftly. It was as if they had cast a massive net, simply waiting for someone to touch the lock before instantaneously triggering the self-destruct protocol.

"Not only that..." Helen swallowed hard, swiping a finger across the tablet screen before handing it to Ethan: "Your highest-level secure work inbox just received an anonymous email. The IP address was routed through dozens of countries and anonymized through countless virtual servers. It is completely untraceable."

Ethan took hold of the tablet, while Julian, standing right beside him, leaned his head over to glance at the screen.

Against the pitch-black background of the encrypted inbox, there was only a single, concise line of text.

[Do not dig up the graves of the dead. Next time, we erase the living.]