Right then, Alpha's voice reverberated in his mind, as calm as ever. "I can feel that energy, all the way to here. That's not some low-grade demon, kiddo. It should be a Class-0 being. I don't think you're capable of even inflicting damage on it."

Lin Fang's brows furrowed. "Then I'm not going."

"Wait, I'm not done yet," Alpha interrupted in hurry. "While you don't have to fight him directly, the Devil can summon and command its demon army. He's going to turn this entire city into a living dungeon. You can defeat those demons and absorb their spirits. It's a golden opportunity to complete your quest."

Lin Fang clenched his fist automatically upon hearing that suggestion. The idea made sense. However, when his eyes shifted to Vivian, who was still trying to steady her breathing, his facial expression changed.

"Lin… Fang?" she whispered, glancing at him. "Why does it feel like… like the whole city is suffocating? I have a special condition that lets me bear any kind of powerful aura, but this is beyond the limit."

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he spoke inwardly to Alpha. "I don't think I can just leave her here. Not in this chaos."

Alpha let out a sigh, though more of a disappointment. "You and your useless human attachments…"

Giving a pause, Alpha then said. "Lin Fang, perhaps you forgot that your contract with the lady ended at midnight. You have no further obligation toward her."

Lin Fang exhaled slowly, rubbing his temples. "You've seen my memories, Alpha. You know me better than that. I don't leave people behind." He rejected Alpha's suggestion right away.

"I know," Alpha replied softly. "But you don't need to worry. She doesn't need your protection anyway."

Lin Fang frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Did I forget mentioning that Vivian was an Arbiter?"

Lin Fang's eyes widened slightly. "Hmm… Yeah, I believe you mentioned something like that. It must have slipped my mind."

Alpha then went on explaining. "Arbiters are the balance keepers of the world, whose sole job is to suppress Overlords and keep them from influencing this world. And also… an Arbiter carries a divine blessing, one that gives him immunity to Death, especially from the demons. Demons are the last things on the planet that can worry her. You, however… An Overlord who was destined to fight with them. Actually, that dhampir is nothing but a burden to you. That is why I kept on suggesting you stay away from her, but you, the duty-bound human, just don't like to listen to my advice at all."

Lin Fang frowned, lowering his gaze, but then his eyes softened as he replied to the Spirit King. "It's alright. Vivian won't be around long anyway. She lives on another continent. Also, while my contract with her ends by midnight, my duty to protect her will only end when she boards the plane. I promised her that."

In the end, Lin Fang decided not to intervene in the situation and stay here with Vivian.

But almost in the next instant, an image of Li Liu flashed in his head, and he immediately grabbed his phone and dialed a number.

Vivian, still sitting on the bed, frowned. "What's happening, Lin Fang? Why aren't you saying anything?"

But he didn't answer. He simply walked to the side with the phone at his ear.

The call tone buzzed once, twice— Not reachable.

He frowned, tried again. Still busy. A third time—same result.

"Damn it," he muttered, before quickly pulling up another contact.

This time, he called Zhi Yan.

The line connected after two rings. Her voice came first, quick and urgent. "Lin Fang! Are you okay? Something's happening in the city—"

"I know," he interrupted softly, tone steady but heavy. "I can feel that presence."

There was a brief pause before he asked, "Say, is Li Liu with you? I called her to check in on you guys, but I can't reach her."

Zhi Yan replied. "Yes, she is with us. Where are you by the way?"

Before Lin Fang could reply, another voice cut in from the background.

"He's at Four Seasons! Let's go pick him up!"

That was Li Liu's voice.

"Come on, hurry!" she added.

Lin Fang sighed and finally spoke in a calm but firm voice. "No. Don't come here. I'll be fine. Xuenyi is there with you, right? You three should just stick together."

There was confusion on the other end, then Li Liu's surprised voice chimed in, "Wait—how did you know Xuenyi's with us? Did Zhi Yan tell you?"

Lin Fang froze for a fraction of a second, realizing his slip. "Ah—yeah, a friend told me," he improvised quickly.

Li Liu narrowed her eyes slightly on the other side with suspicion in her tone. "Friend?"

He nodded instinctively even though she couldn't see him. "Vivian Moreau. You know, Adam's cousin. She was at the auction too. Said she saw you three with some guy."

At that, Li Liu's voice suddenly rose higher, sharper than before. "Vivian? Who Vivian? When did you meet her? You didn't even tell me?"

Her words came so fast that Zhi Yan and Xuenyi both turned toward her in surprise. Zhi Yan blinked, completely thrown off by Li Liu's sudden outburst, while Xuenyi raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk tugging at her lips.

On the other side of the call, Lin Fang froze in sudden realization. "Uhh… well…"

He scratched his neck awkwardly, completely unprepared for her tone.

Meanwhile, in the hotel suite, Zhi Yan and Xuenyi exchanged silent glances, as if both of them were reading something more into Li Liu's reaction than she intended.

Li Liu was stunned the same way.

Realizing their stares, Li Liu's cheeks reddened a little. She awkwardly laughed and tried to smooth things over.

"Well, I mean… we've been chatting the whole day, right? You never mentioned anything about Vivian before. I was just… surprised when you said Adam's cousin. You know Adam is… you know…"

Her voice trailed off into an embarrassed giggle, as if trying to cover her slip with a joke.

Understanding the assignment, Lin Fang tried to calm the situation with a laugh, scratching the back of his head. "Well, neither you nor Zhi Yan told me that Xuenyi was there, too. You said a friend — I didn't expect that friend to be our landlord. I mean, it's not like she's a stranger, but imagine my surprise when I hear it from someone else!"

His tone was half defensive, half teasing, as he tried to sound casual so that they could downplay Li Liu's earlier outburst.

"But then again," he added with a sigh, "it's not like I told you guys about Vivian either. I sold twenty percent of the company to her without even consulting you three. So really, who am I to question anything?"

He was mid-way through his fake argument when suddenly a voice came from behind him, "Who is it you're arguing about me for?"

It was Vivian, standing near the bed, who was checking out the phone too, trying to understand what was going on outside.

Lin Fang froze.

On the other end of the line, Li Liu's expression changed instantly too; her face stiffened and her grip on the phone tightened. "Who was that?" she asked, her voice rose so high that it made Zhi Yan flinch for a moment.

Lin Fang's heart skipped a beat. He swallowed hard and forced a laugh, turning his head slightly toward Vivian.

"It's… uh… it's Vivian," he said quickly, trying to sound natural.

A brief silence followed.

From the other end, Li Liu's voice came again, this time quieter, heavier. "What the hell is that bitch doing in your room? What are you doing behind my back?"

"Uhh…"

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