Chapter 53: Dealing with the Devil

Kiryu, clearly pleased with Lin Feng’s calculated praise, set down his glass, his well-groomed face curling into a smile laced with a twisted pride only those devoid of humanity could share.
“Master Lin truly has an eye for quality.” He stood, like a hunter eager to flaunt his trophies. “Since you appreciate it, I have a few modest private works in this humble room. Care to take a look?”
Without sparing the bunny girls a glance, he strode toward a discreet door blending seamlessly with the dark woodgrain wall.
Lin Feng’s fingers tightened imperceptibly on his glass, nails scraping silently against the cold surface. His smile didn’t waver, but a fleeting chill in his eyes grew colder than the ice in his drink. He shot Dongfang Cheng a look, then replied lightly, “Viewing Mr. Kiryu’s masterpieces? I’d be delighted.”
He knew Dongfang Cheng was seething, ready to tear Kiryu apart. Lin Feng felt the same—though a villain himself, he had limits. Kiryu’s wanton cruelty toward civilians was beastly. If he could, he’d transform into Shura and slice Kiryu to pieces. But to keep Ouroboros from fully controlling Duhuang’s political and business spheres—and for his friend, barely containing his murderous rage—Lin Feng had to play the perfect, hypocritical mask.
Dongfang Cheng followed silently, the stem of his wine glass creaking under his grip, nearly shattering. His rage boiled like a sealed iron pot, scorching his insides, yet he maintained the obedient facade of an attendant. The hidden door led to a narrow corridor, thick with cloying incense mixed with disinfectant and faint rust. At its end, a heavy bronze door loomed. Kiryu smugly directed a guard to open it, revealing a darker, “Carpenter’s” world.
What hit them wasn’t the gleam of jewels or the scent of calligraphy ink but a living nightmare.
A gallery of human furniture.
Young girls, in their prime, were posed like marionettes crafted by a sadistic artisan, fixed in grotesque, contorted positions around the room, silent “exhibits” in this sinful chamber.
Closest was a girl, no older than sixteen, with short hair. Her body, trained like pliable leather, arched unnaturally, a polished obsidian slab balanced on her back as a humiliating tea table. Her eyes twitched under the lavish lights, but their once-vibrant pupils held no spark, no resistance, like a broken doll.
In a corner, a girl with flaxen hair stood, one arm raised in a ballet-like pose, trembling as she held a vintage brass lamp. Sweat beaded on her pale face, but she didn’t dare falter. Her eyes, once clear, were now numb and vacant.
Farther off, girls were twisted into an acrobatic pile, bound hand and foot, forming a bizarre sofa bed for the room’s master.
Dozens of such horrors filled the chamber—each girl once a cherished daughter, a crush, a dream’s beginning, now reduced to objects for amusement.
Dongfang Cheng’s fists clenched under his sleeves, nails digging into his palms, nearly drawing blood. His heart pounded, screaming to reduce this place to ash.
“Does this guest… find my works unsettling?” Kiryu caught Dongfang Cheng’s heavy breathing, his smile twisting with sadistic glee. “Seems he hasn’t seen enough of the world with Master Lin. These are my painstakingly crafted, one-of-a-kind artworks…”
“Ahem.” Lin Feng cut in, his tone tinged with irritation—whether at Kiryu or his “unruly” attendant, Kiryu couldn’t tell. “My attendant’s timid, not used to such grandeur. Let him return to the lounge to calm down with a drink. Your artistry, Mr. Kiryu, is… eye-opening.”
Dongfang Cheng, relieved, stumbled out, fleeing the hellish chamber.
Kiryu’s eyes gleamed with mockery at Dongfang Cheng’s retreat. “Your attendant doesn’t know your true identity, does he, ‘Technician’?”
“He doesn’t need to,” Lin Feng replied airily, as if it were trivial. “Obedience is enough.”
Kiryu grinned, casually sitting on the human sofa bed, one foot pressing hard on a girl’s bare back, now a footrest. She trembled but didn’t dare whimper.
“Technician, you come to my little domain, proposing a deal big enough to make the organization’s treasury quake, targeting the Hoshino Group—already our prey. You’d better have a good reason.” Kiryu swirled his wine, the red liquid leaving tear-like streaks on the glass. “And bypassing the brainwashing and [REDACTED] departments? That’s a bold move.”
Lin Feng’s smile remained flawless, unfazed by the depravity. “I’m playing for the entire Super Asia commercial network.”
“Hoshino Group seems like a crumbling ruin, but its trade channels, data, political ties, and underground financial and gray logistics systems are a goldmine. If those departments’ idiots get their hands on it, within three months, it’ll be a giant doll factory, wasting resources, raising the Queen’s doubts, and stirring civilian panic.”
“Doubts? Panic? So what? Silence the noisy ones,” Kiryu said, sipping his wine dismissively. “Haven’t we always done that?”
“But I—” Lin Feng paused, drawing Kiryu’s gaze, “can make it live again. Turn it into a razor-sharp blade for Ouroboros, reaping endless wealth. You’ve seen my subsidiaries’ performance; you know my confidence is earned.”
Kiryu studied Lin Feng, his gaze darkening, weighing the words.
“The Queen? Can you handle her?” Kiryu’s voice rasped like rusted blades.
“I answer for results,” Lin Feng said, raising his glass with poise. “Her Majesty cares only for outcomes. A sharp, useful blade? She won’t mind the blood it took to forge.”
Kiryu fell silent, one hand holding his glass, the other toying with a girl’s meticulously curled hair, calculating the deal’s worth.
Lin Feng, a newcomer, couldn’t match Kiryu’s local influence. But within Ouroboros, few besides elusive Dragon-class cadres met the Queen as often or held her trust like the “Technician.” If Lin Feng’s plan worked, Kiryu could gain a fortune and the Queen’s favor, boosting his rise—maybe even freeing his sister from the mayor. A win-win.
“Ha, you’re a straight shooter, Lin!” Kiryu’s dry laugh broke the silence. “But this cake’s too big for you to swallow alone. Those two departments are buzzing in Duhuang.”
Lin Feng needed to prove his weight against Kiryu’s current backers.
“That’s why I need someone like you, Mr. Kiryu—powerful, visionary,” Lin Feng said smoothly, his tone deferential. “Together, we’ll crush those scheming clowns. As for profits, you take the lion’s share; I’ll settle for scraps, as long as those departments get nothing.”
The “Technician’s” research division clashed with those departments over funding, a known feud in Ouroboros. Lin Feng’s words flattered Kiryu, showed sincerity, and vented youthful resentment against rivals. Plus, the massive deposit he’d wired—Kiryu’s eyebrows had twitched at the notification—sealed the deal.
After verbal sparring, Kiryu’s doubts eased. The Technician’s favor with the Queen, cunning, and willingness to share profits made him a better ally than the plundering fools. And the offer—triple what those departments promised—was irresistible.