Chapter 155: Dark Boundless Realm 10
When Kui Xin arrived at the hotel where she was staying, she sensed something was amiss.
The hotel’s underground parking lot was filled with luxury cars. Augus mentioned that many of these luxury vehicles belonged to the Popov Clan’s rich young heirs and the children of several high-ranking officials from White Whale City.
“What are they gathering here for so late at night?” Kui Xin asked softly.
“The stars under Popov Entertainment can be their pawns. This luxurious hotel in front of you is also part of the Popov family’s property. Their stars tour various cities and mostly stay at this luxury hotel, making it like their own backyard,” Augus replied.
Although he did not elaborate on the dark and dirty deeds, Kui Xin had already picked up on it.
Kui Xin found a secluded corner and attempted to infiltrate the hotel’s security system.
The hotel’s security system was far more rigorous than Boris’s villa. Five minutes passed, and Kui Xin began to sweat, her brow deeply furrowed.
“Are there any Awakened among those rich kids?” Kui Xin asked.
“Unlike you, I don’t have the Investigative Eye. According to the current information from the Federation, no,” Augus said. “However, many prestigious families will cultivate their own Awakened as bodyguards. Some exceptionally wealthy families even establish private security companies to ensure their family members’ safety.”
Kui Xin pursed her lips. In Data Manipulation mode, her mind navigated through the network, cracking one character after another, bypassing firewall after firewall. The maze was intricate, and she sought a way out.
As a newcomer in the realm of data, she found it difficult to connect her power to control the entire building’s security system without Augus’s guidance. She opted instead to focus on infiltrating the surveillance system, temporarily giving up other control permissions.
Two minutes later, she finally accessed the central control hub for the surveillance, gaining mastery over all the cameras throughout the hotel. Hundreds of “eyes” now were hers—scattered in elevator shafts, stairwells, and corridors, causing her head to ache.
She quickly relayed the received data to her communicator, easing her brain’s processing load.
Kui Xin picked up the communicator, using the electronic eye to filter the surveillance footage; her eyes didn’t blink as the images on the communicator screen switched several times per second. If using the naked eye, it would be impossible to discern the screen’s content that quickly, but the electronic eye was different—every frame was captured.
The images on the communicator flickered rapidly until, after a while, Kui Xin found a somewhat familiar figure.
It was Su Rong.
In the hotel’s entertainment room, a crowd surrounded her, both men and women, all looking well-dressed and wealthy.
Su Rong was wedged between two brash rich kids, striving to maintain a smile. Her smile looked very forced, completely different from the warm and happy expressions Kui Xin usually saw.
Comparing with the materials provided by Augus, Kui Xin recognized one of the rich heirs as Liu Yiteng, the son of the financial officer from White Whale City, and the other as Dmitri Popov… His middle name was too long; translating it exceeded twenty characters, and Kui Xin had to memorize it several times without success.
“Tell me!” Liu Yiteng turned to Su Rong, “Would you rather go to the horse racing track with me or play car racing with him?”
Su Rong struggled to keep smiling, “It’s nighttime, and it’s so cold. The horse racing match must have ended a long time ago, and so is the car racing…”
“With just one word from me, the horse racing track can reopen. You can watch whichever horse you want race,” Liu Yiteng said.
Dmitri refused to back down, “Oh? My new hovercar will be driven out for the first time today, and its performance rivals that of the Investigation Bureau’s hovercars. Miss Su, don’t you want to check it out?”
A girl with golden hair slowly said, “Can you two show a bit of gentlemanly demeanor? What are you both acting like? Have you both drunk too much?”
Dmitri shot a cold glare at the blonde girl, “I didn’t ask you to butt in. What do you know?”
“Alright, I won’t say anything,” the blonde girl looked at the other rich kids who were simply watching and not intervening, “We’ll do our own thing. Come, let’s go play billiards.”
She walked straight out of the room, and most of the rich kids followed her.
It was a subtle division among the rich kids.
Dmitri’s eyes bore down on Su Rong again, his lips stretching into a forced smile as he asked, “Are you going to play car racing with me, or are you going to watch the horse racing match?”
Su Rong lowered her head, pondering for a moment before lifting her gaze to smile, “Let’s go play car racing, but can we come back early? I have a signing event tomorrow morning.”
“Cancel it,” Dmitri said impatiently. “I’ll let the company know.”
Su Rong dared not refuse and quietly squeezed her palm in agreement.
Liu Yiteng shot an irritated glare at Dmitri, sneering, “Let’s go watch the horse racing.” His dark gaze lingered on Su Rong for a moment longer.
Dmitri had saved face, his brows raised as he wrapped his arm around Su Rong, “I deliberately drove a black car because your eyes and hair are black…”
Liu Yiteng mockingly retorted, “The last little star you tried to charm had blue eyes. Did you also say when taking her for a ride, ‘Your eyes are blue, so I specifically drove a blue car’… Ha!”
Dmitri’s expression darkened as if he might go up and punch Liu Yiteng, but the bodyguards beside him held him back.
“The fragile young master Popov and his bodyguards who treat him like glass,” Liu Yiteng scoffed, swaggering away.
Dmitri irritably looked at his bodyguards, “I’m taking someone to the track for a few laps, you’re not to follow.”
The bodyguards, used to this, stopped in their tracks.
Not allowing the bodyguards to follow was not only because they were too obstructive but also because Dmitri didn’t like anyone standing by when he was on a date.
Su Rong had already been searched; she was just a frail little star with no strength to bind a chicken. The racing track was filled with surveillance cameras, and nothing would go wrong within the Poleward District of White Whale City.
On the surface, Su Rong acted normally but was filled with unease as she followed Dmitri.
She had been navigating through this group of rich kids for a while and had almost figured out Dmitri’s temperament; as long as she was careful not to say anything wrong, he wouldn’t do anything to her. If she refused, it could lead to being forced or suppressed, and the outcome could be worse than it was now. She had seen this happen many times in the entertainment company… Those beautiful blooms wilted silently.
Dmitri had the temper of a rich heir. Su Rong couldn’t refuse firmly; she had to drag it out like this. She was so scared—afraid of her identity being exposed and afraid of Dmitri’s revenge… With just one word, he could decide her future.
Dmitri happily verified his fingerprint to open the car door, gentlemanly inviting Su Rong into the passenger seat before getting in himself. He pressed the accelerator, and the car’s engine roared loudly. Once Su Rong fastened her seatbelt, the car shot out like an arrow.
Su Rong’s eyes widened in terror, gripping the handle above her tightly, and pressed herself against the seat. Meanwhile, Dmitri occasionally executed a spin drift on the wide street, scaring Su Rong to the point that tears almost spilled.
“Slow down!” Su Rong shouted in fear.
Dmitri was caught up in the thrill and turned his head impatiently. Seeing Su Rong in tears made him slow down.
“Is this what makes you cry?” he said, disappointed.
Su Rong replied stiffly, “I… I’ve never been in such a fast car before.”
Her red-rimmed eyes appeared both cute and fragile, stirring something in Dmitri. He pressed the accelerator hard again, and the car’s speed surged; Su Rong couldn’t hold back her scream anymore.
However, within two minutes, Dmitri slammed the brakes in an open parking lot, smirking as he unfastened Su Rong’s seatbelt and pulled her wrist towards him, bending down.
Su Rong panicked; she struggled to back away and slapped Dmitri across the face.
Dmitri was taken aback, a storm brewing in his dark gaze.
“What are you pretending for?” he gritted his teeth, his fingers brushing against the red mark on his face.
Su Rong tried to open the car door, but it was already locked. She curled up in the corner of the seat, her rationality returning slightly as she attempted to explain, “This… this is inappropriate, I don’t want to…”
“What don’t you want?” Dmitri looked at her coldly, “I never asked whether you agree or not.”
He had a clear self-awareness. What he hadn’t expected was that his prey would dare to resist. He knew she was unwilling but also knew that with his family’s power, anything he desired would comply with him.
Once he set his sights on Su Rong, he would undoubtedly get her; what she thought didn’t matter. If she was uncooperative, he had countless ways to ruin her life.
Su Rong had thought of the worst outcome and prepared for it… But the day had come too quickly, and she still couldn’t adapt. She had not mentally prepared herself and wasn’t as strong as she had imagined.
Su Rong cried, gasping for air and shaking from head to toe. Dmitri was irritated by her display, extending his hand to grab her shoulder.
Su Rong held her head and screamed hysterically, “Don’t come near me!”
An inexplicable force burst forth from deep within her, and a dark, viscous substance suddenly rose from her shadow, forming a shape similar to a human figure within less than a second, wrapping around her body and protecting her.
Dmitri was stunned by the sudden turn of events. He reflexively attempted to exit the car, but it was too late!
The indistinct black figure lunged at Dmitri, and with the confined space inside the car, he had no way to dodge, crashing right into him.
With a splattering sound, the shadow’s hand transformed into a sharp spike, ripping open Dmitri’s chest! Blood stained the interior of the car, and a strong smell of blood filled the air.
Dmitri was dead.
Su Rong dazedly lowered her hands, watching as the murderous shadow silently turned into a puddle of black mud before melding back into her shadow.
She shivered, fear overwhelming her.
At that moment, the passenger door of the car suddenly made a loud sound.
Su Rong whipped her head around. The shadow beneath her began to twist again, the black figure stirring. She saw a person standing outside the car, and with a couple of clicks, the stranger pried open the passenger door with her bare hands.
It was a woman with blue eyes and an iron mask.
Kui Xin, seeing Su Rong for the first time, silently thought it was not good.
“Extraordinary Ability, Shadow Double?” Kui Xin looked at the blood-soaked driver’s seat, her expression extremely serious.
