7.4 Angel Of Death
7.4 Angel Of Death
He was breathing hard through his mouth, trying to be as still as possible so as to not jostle the wounds on his body but it was proven to be harder than he expected when the man who was holding onto the end of his leash tugged impatiently again and again. "Faster, you dimwit! Why are you so fucking slow?!"
A growl rose from Lu Yizhou's chest. His body was in shambles and his head throbbed persistently as if someone was smashing it with a hammer again and again. His patience was barely hanging on a thin line and this greasy-faced pig didn't help either. Lu Yizhou's voice was rattling, so coarse like sand grinding against paper. "If you cherish your life, I'd advise you not to push your luck, asshole."
The greasy-faced pig turned to him incredulously. "What did you just say?" He tried to look angry but whatever he saw in Lu Yizhou's face drained the colors from his face. He turned away with a harrumph. "You…! You're lucky that a VVIP customer is interested in you otherwise you will be dead sooner or later because of your arrogance!"
He said what…? Lu Yizhou slowly, slowly took a deep breath even as veins were bulging out of his forehead when the asshole pig started to drag him again. This time, faster as if he knew how much it was torturing Lu Yizhou.
Great, Lu Yizhou thought mirthlessly. He was going to get sold.
[666: Host…]
[Shut up.] Lu Yizhou grimaced and closed his eyes.
He knew that he should have taken advantage of this brief respite to digest the plot but everytime 666 spoke, Lu Yizhou felt the nausea intensified like he was actually going to puke his brain out. The base of his skull pounded like an entire fucking marching band was parading there. He had to swallow back against the bile that rose on his throat. Must be the side effects of the concussion, damn it!
Lu Yizhou tuned out his surroundings and focused on his own breathing. Exhale, inhale, willing his feet to move one step after another. He lost track of time until the asshole pig suddenly stopped in front of a large mahogany door, straightened his suit and knocked gently.
"Come in," a male voice sounded.
The door opened and Lu Yizhou was harshly pushed inside. He tasted blood on his tongue and was ready to lash out when something cold slammed against the back of his knees, hard, and he dropped to his knees with a thud. Sweat and blood trickled down the tip of his hair as his vision blacked out for a split second. His ears were filled with ringing and he shook his head once again to sober himself up.
Lu Yizhou's fists were trembling behind his back. If worse came to worst, then he could purchase a knockout bomb from the system store and blew his way out of his place. But the most important problem lay on his own battered body. He didn't even know if he could run for more than five hundred meters without fainting on his feet.
"It's him?"
"Yes, Sir!" The asshole pig replied enthusiastically. "This is Jack The Reaper, our newly crowned champion! I'm sorry he's a bit unpresentable right now but because you are asking for him as soon as possible—"
"I want him." Another male voice sounded, this time lighter and airy yet there was just something cold and cruel in his tone that meant business. Lu Yizhou's heart thudded in his chest despite himself. His eyes snapped open in shock. Could he be…?
A pair of black, polished shoes entered his line of sight followed by cold fingers that gripped his chin roughly, forcing him to crane his neck up. Lu Yizhou gritted his teeth, swallowed the grunt of pain and forced his swollen eyelids to open.
What registered in his mind first was the bright color of the man's suit. It was a vivid burgundy and also… the citrusy scent of cologne that followed by long, light brown hair spilling down his shoulder. Lu Yizhou's eyes trailed after the sparkling diamonds on his cuff, the delicate gold patterns along the fabric on his arms to the pale skin above his open collar where a hint of dark tattoo was peeking out.
"Oh?" The plush lips curled upward ever so slightly. Lu Yizhou's breath hitched on his throat. He knew those lips; knew in an intimate way how it tasted, how it gasped open to moan his name, how it looked when it was kiss-swollen and dripping with his own spend. His eyes moved up and up, until he met a pair of compelling, alert golden eyes. "You're still lucid."
Lu Yizhou's breath stuttered to a halt. For a split second, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. What was the odd of meeting his lover in this kind of place and in such a perilous situation?
Z… his lips parted. It was him… with the identical appearance as the one who was currently sleeping in his rest station. He couldn't have mistaken it even if his brain was heavily concussed.
Tension rolled off him in waves and relief surged in Lu Yizhou's chest, so overwhelming that his body swayed and his vision darkened. The last thing he registered was a flustered exclamation of "Boss!" from the other person in the room and a pair of cold hands gripping his shoulders.
***
"Boss!" Kaede hastily rushed forward when he saw Jack The Reaper move only to find that the man was losing consciousness and his boss… his boss who hated dirt, sweat and anything with similar properties was currently holding the other's shoulders to prevent him from falling flat against the ground even though he could have just pulled on leash!
Like a dutiful right hand man he was, Kaede readily offered himself. "Boss, let me…"
To his surprise, his Boss actually evaded his hands. Startled by the warning glance he received, Kaede swallowed down the surprise and stepped back to his position even though his mind was clamouring noisily. Who was this person and what had he done to his boss?!
"Hmm…" One of the hands that was steadying Lu Yizhou's shoulders moved to grip his chin and turned him side by side as if inspecting a good. "Not bad..." The more he looked at this man, the more he found how aesthetically pleasing his appearance actually was. How could someone look so good with all these bruises, cuts and swells? It was beyond his comprehension.
(Permanent Skill: 360 Beauty Pack Filter [Active]
Description: 360 Beauty Pack Filter is here to give you an otherworldly beauty down to your core! No matter how ugly your expression is, how twisted, maniacal and crazy, in another person's eyes, you will look as beautiful as roses, as pure as the soft moonlight, making their hearts go doki-doki! This is a permanent skill that is automatically equipped. Unable to be deleted.)
"I want him." He told Kaede without looking up, too engrossed in taking in every inch of Lu Yizhou's body with his eyes. "Complete the purchase."
Kaede really didn't understand what was in his boss' mind. If he wanted another bodyguard, it wasn't as if they didn't have an official establishment where they trained men who had passed through a string of strict procedures and background checks. But this… they didn't even know this man's name and where he came from! What if he was a shady serial killer?!
Could it be… was Boss interested in him sexually…? No, Kaede shook his head. He knew his boss' type very clearly and such a sinewy man whose muscles made up 85% of his body was definitely not his cup of tea!
Still with questions swirling in his mind, Kaede signed a check and handed it to the man who owned Hellraiser — Mr. Douglas. He carefully avoided having to get into contact with the man's sweaty hands.
"Thank you… Thank you so much for your patronage! He's all yours now—oh!" Mr. Douglas handed the leash over to Kaede and his eyes rounded in glee at the numbers written on the check but still, he showed a fake hesitant look. "Sir Kaede, isn't this too much? Ten million dollars for this good-for-nothing is…"
Kaede smiled with his teeth. Damn faker. "Take it as a bonus."
"Goodness—" Mr. Douglas slipped the check deep into his suit pocket with a move so fast that Kaede almost missed it whilst bending down on his waist again and again. "Thank you so much for your generosity! Our staff has brought your car here. Please feel free to leave whenever you want."
Kaede nodded and turned to find his Boss unclasping the collar and throwing it aside. He then slipped one hand between Jack The Reaper's leg and easily carried him across his shoulder as if he weighed nothing. Kaede bit his lips to suppress the shocked cry, turning to give Mr. Douglas one last smile before hastily catching up to his Boss who had strode down the hallway.
Douglas wiped the sweat on his forehead and slumped to the ground after the three men disappeared from sight. His confident mask cracked to show the nervousness and trepidation beneath. He was still alive… He buried his face into his palms and let out a soundless scream. Not only that, he had also made a huge sum of money!
"Boss!" A staff member who was coincidentally passing by caught sight of him and hurriedly went to support him. "Boss, is it true that you have sold this year's champion off? But the rules in the establishment stated that the champion can choose whether they want to be free, continue to stay here or to be sent to the auction house—"
"Foolish!" Douglas admonished harshly. "Don't you know the person who has bought him?"
The staff blinked owlishly. "N—No…?"
"He's the Leader of The Void, the mafia group that ruled over this city. If you dare to go against his order, he will have your head before you can so much as to blink! I would even give the champion away for free if he asked for it!"
To say that the poor staff was shocked was an understatement. His legs almost turned into jelly and now, he understood why Mr. Douglas had acted like that. "T—The Leader of The Void? Are you talking about the… the infamous Angel of Death, Moshe, Sir?"
"Precisely!"
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A/N: You can read in between the lines but I want to warn you once again that in this arc, ML FUCKS with capital letters. I'm sorry if it makes you guys uncomfortable, yes you who want them to be each other's only one QAQ. ML literally has boytoys he alternates every other days like changing clothes and he has a fucking BLACK ROOM. But he's always the one who tops though, so... *evil laugh*
Wait until LYZ finds out