Chapter 16: You Must Be Lying to Me

He had indeed gone mad.

At the beginning, he could dissect her organs with undivided attention, conducting experiments with various chemicals and the X-virus, observing the changes in her powers under a microscope.

He discovered a sacred luminous energy within her cells, the same mysterious power present in Danny.

Surprisingly, this luminous energy did not repel the dark power inherent in vampires but rather complemented it within her body.

He also found that this luminous energy could kill the X-virus, making it the only substance known to humanity capable of doing so.

However, killing the X-virus with this energy also meant its depletion.

This was undoubtedly a groundbreaking discovery, the answer he had been fervently seeking for over two centuries. Yet, he found no joy in it.

After her death, while dressing, he saw in the mirror the deliberate bite marks she had left on his neck.

She did it on purpose.

Was it to intentionally inflict pain on him, or did she want to create a memorial?

How adorable, he thought.

He couldn't help but smile, a hint of sweetness rising in his heart.

The second time he looked in the mirror, focusing on those bite marks, he was surprised to find the sweetness diminished, replaced by a heightened sense of emptiness.

The third time, he stared expressionlessly at the bite marks, and after an indeterminate period, the sweetness had disappeared, leaving behind a stifling emptiness.

The fourth time, he couldn't control himself from gazing at the marks, his eyes cold and emotionless. Only he knew that the profound sense of oppression had made his heart desolate, unable to muster the slightest interest in anything else.

The fifth time, he dared not look in the mirror again.

Whenever he closed his eyes, he would recall her looking at those bite marks before her death, her enchanting smile that touched the soul.

Recollections of her every expression, whether alluring or icy, were equally captivating to him.

He would also remember the sweetness of her lips, the fragrance of her hair, and the softness of her figure.

Sleepless nights became his new reality.

He lay in bed, staring at the ceiling in the darkness. His eyes remained open from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., and he rose promptly.

Throughout the night, her image dominated his mind.

No... not just for one night.

He missed her every moment.

So, every day, he went to G2N, the place that held her, seemingly insane. He spoke softly to her lifeless body, his expression tender as if she were still alive in the glass jar.

Sweetheart, are you punishing me?

He felt genuinely insane.

The once strong-willed man gradually lost control of himself. Due to unprecedented insomnia, he stopped sleeping altogether, standing motionless in front of the glass jar containing her immersed body, staring at her without blinking.

He stared like this for entire days or perhaps many.

Yet, he still felt it wasn't enough, his heart hollow, as if something were missing.

He didn't know what was missing.

Unable to resist, he touched the glass jar, tracing the contours of her face tirelessly, over and over again, tirelessly.

His tone when speaking to her gradually transformed into whispers between lovers.

He: "Sweetheart..."

But there was no response.

Yet, he continued to call out repeatedly.

Even though she was right beside him, before his eyes, he still yearned for her with a mad intensity.

Madly yearning.

Could it be because she had changed, her eyes no longer lively, her expression no longer adorable, no longer misunderstanding, torturing, or tempting him?

Yet, even though she had lost her vitality, she was still her.

Moreover, she could now accompany him forever. Why was he not happy at all?

Even a kind of emotion he had never experienced before emerged in his heart, somewhat heavy and uncomfortable. As time passed, it grew thicker, making it hard for him to breathe.

He had an intuition, that was pain.

Why... was he in pain?

He examined all the indicators of his body and found everything to be normal.

He deleted all the data from his laboratory as if he had never been there.

He was truly obsessed.

The colorless liquid inside the glass jar could keep the skin of the corpse elastic, just like when it hadn't died yet.

He thought his yearning and pain were because there was still a thick layer of glass and liquid made from various chemicals between him and her. So, as long as he touched her, he would surely feel better.

Thus, to relieve his incessant yearning and pain, he laid the glass jar flat and opened the top glass cover.

Supporting the back of her neck, he lifted her upper body out of the liquid, kissing her.

Her lips were still soft, still cold, just with the sticky wetness of the liquid from the jar.

But why... why did it become even more painful?

He called her, "Sweetheart..." Breathing became painful, the heartache intensified, like thousands of knives cutting into him.

No response.

He paid no attention to the two startled researchers, nor did he listen to their murmurs in his ear.

He raised his head, just watching her, staring for a long, long time, until the liquid covering her face completely evaporated, and her skin gradually stiffened.

Finally, he came to his senses, returned her to the glass jar, and replenished the liquid before sealing it again.

The two researchers left at some point, and he didn't notice.

He stood again in front of the upright glass jar, his fingers on the cold, smooth surface of the glass, repeatedly tracing her face, her neck, her shoulders, her arms, her fingers...

Again and again, tirelessly.

Once again, he caressed her eyes.

—Every time he saw her lifeless eyes, he felt even more pain.

But this time, he actually smiled. However, this smile, though exquisite, seemed dark and crazed, carrying a faint sense of sorrow.

Sweetheart, you are forever beautiful like this...

After countless renderings of her features, he finally noticed something wrong with her fingers.

Because the ring that had always been on her hand was unexpectedly gone.

When did it disappear? He had no idea. Despite his meticulous observation of her body for so long, he hadn't noticed.

Simply because he hadn't paid attention to anything other than her.

Thinking about the ancient legend surrounding this ring, after a moment of stunned silence, a tremendous joy unexpectedly surged in his heart.

The look in his eyes as he gazed at her fingers was ecstatic, almost maniacal. The intense light seemed tangible as he fervently stroked in the direction of her fingers, whispering under his breath.

"Sweetheart, you must be lying to me..."