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The security room was dim, the monitors flickering with countless angles of the hospital.
Liang Yexuan stood stiffly in front of one particular screen, his hand resting on the table as he replayed the footage again and again for what felt like the hundredth time.
His sharp brows furrowed deeply.
Li Yan… pressing the elevator button… waiting…
Then darkness. Complete blackout.
When the feed returned, she was gone.
Gone—without a trace.
Liang Yexuan's eyes narrowed dangerously.
He dragged the cursor back, slowed the footage, zoomed in, but it was the same every time.
Normal one moment. Darkness the next.
And when the light returned, the woman had vanished into thin air.
Liang Yexuan's sharp eyes darkened, his gaze sinking like ice into the screen.
What the hell is this? What kind of trick is this?
His breath was steady, but there was a dangerous undercurrent beneath it.
This wasn't something ordinary criminals could pull off.
—
Behind him, the head of hospital security shifted nervously.
This man in front of him… so this was the infamous Prince of the nation.
He had heard rumors about this young man, the cold-blooded prince of the business world who was as dangerous as he was breathtaking.
Seeing him up close now, that reputation felt like an understatement— he was terrifyingly composed—and terrifyingly beautiful.
Even in the dull light of the monitors, Liang Yexuan's presence was suffocating, his aura sharp enough to cut steel.
—
But right now, even this "Prince" seemed disturbed.
Liang Yexuan replayed the footage again. Li Yan walking. Her hand brushing the elevator panel.
Darkness.
Light.
Gone.
His frown deepened.
Impossible. I've never seen anything like this…
He quickly scanned other feeds—hallways bustling with patients, nurses rushing with files, doctors discussing cases.
All utterly ordinary.
No suspicious faces. No odd movements.
Which only meant one thing.
She's still inside. Somewhere.
His lips pressed into a thin, icy line.
If she is in here, I'll find her. No matter what trick you're playing.
He was about to leave to find Su Zhenghao when the door opened.
Su Zhenghao himself entered, breathless with urgency.
"Yexuan," he asked quickly, "have you seen anything?"
Liang Yexuan didn't answer immediately.
His lips pressed into a thin line before he finally said in his low, steady voice: "Blueprints. I need the hospital's blueprints. Every corridor. Every hidden corner."
"Blueprints?" Su Zhenghao blinked in confusion. "But… we've already searched the entire hospital. There's nothing—"
"Then why is she missing?" Liang Yexuan's tone sliced through the air like a blade.
Su Zhenghao flinched.
He dared not argue further.
With a nod, he barked at the man standing guard at the door.
"Bring the blueprints. Now."
—
Elsewhere in the hospital, far from the clean white wards, two men sat slouched outside a small, almost invisible door.
They smoked lazily, their boots stretched out, their disguises flawless enough to pass as hospital staff.
Suddenly, their earpieces crackled with static before a cold, commanding female voice filled their ears in their language:
"Omusajja akomyewo. Kati balina okumuzuula omukazi oyo mangu. Alikuwanga atya?"
(A man has come. It seems they will soon find that woman. How is she?)
One of the men chuckled, answering with a low voice:
"Tukyasaba eddoboozi lye, naye ligudde nnyo."
(We can still hear her voice, but it's hoarse.)
The cold voice snapped back:
"Muleke ebisolo bya Young Miss mubiggye wano, mubve mangu."
(Vacate. Take away Young Miss's pets and leave immediately.)
The two men exchanged glances, exhaling smoke slowly.
Then they stubbed out their cigarettes and rose to their feet.
—
But when they opened the door, the sight that greeted them froze them in place.
Li Yan… was smiling.
No—laughing.
And surrounding her… snakes.
Dozens— or maybe even hundreds—of them.
Some had coiled around her arms. Others slid across her legs. One thick serpent rested like a scarf around her shoulders, tongue flicking against her skin.
Yet she wasn't terrified. She wasn't screaming.
She was playing with them. Stroking them.
Her laughter was eerie; broken.
Instead of screaming in terror or struggling like an hour ago, she reached out with trembling hands to touch them.
Stroke them.
As if she were caressing a beloved pet.
Her eyes shone strangely, her lips parted in a smile that didn't belong to the elegant Madam Su.
The two men froze in the doorway.
"What the—" one man muttered, eyes wide. "Omukyala ono… akumpanye?" (This woman… has she gone mad?)
The other swallowed. "Young Miss… kyannekyali amukyusizza?" (Did Young Miss turn her into… this?)
—
Just as they prepared to collect the snakes, one man's phone buzzed harshly.
He glanced at the caller ID—and immediately straightened.
"Young Miss," he breathed, answering.
Jenny's cold voice slithered through:
"Nfuudde ku Caleb nti waliwo musajja. Ndi mu kukakasa nti Liang Yexuan. Obutaleka bibi, mujje mangu. Naye mulekewo 'amazzi.' Tewali kyijja kuba kisa nti bakikoleko."
(I've been told by Caleb that a man has come. Likely Liang Yexuan. Don't risk anything—remove everything. But I want you to leave 'water.' Why not give them a little heart attack before they step inside?)
The man froze, cold sweat beading at his neck.
Amazzi. Not water. Not here.
Among mercenaries, "water" was code for another thing.
He bet they'll faint at the entrance.
"Yes, Young Miss," he said quickly, but then hesitated, glancing at Li Yan still giggling with a snake in her hands. "…Naye Young Miss, ono akumpanye ddala." (But Young Miss, this woman is truly cuckoo.)
Jenny's amused voice cut in sharply:
"Kiki? Alina atya?"
(What? How?)
The man quickly turned his camera, recording Li Yan as she let a snake curl around her neck and laughed like a child playing with a toy.
He sent the clip over.
There was silence for a moment—then Jenny suddenly burst into laughter.
Laughter so sharp, so wicked, it sent chills down the man's back even through the phone.
"Nkyagala nnyo. Kino kinnyumye. Kale, mukole bulungi."
(I love it. This is so satisfying. Do everything properly.)
The man grinned faintly.
Yes.
That was his Young Miss—the demoness who thrived on madness.
"Yee, Young Miss," he replied quickly before the call ended.
The other man leaned close. "Young Miss agambye ki?" (What did Young Miss say?)
His companion exhaled smoke again. "Agambye tubeereko 'amazzi' tulyoke tubve." (She told us to leave 'water' and then leave.)
Understanding flickered in the other man's eyes.
Without hesitation, he picked up the black duffel bag resting in the corner and began removing the snakes one by one.
Behind them, Li Yan's laughter echoed again, eerie and sharp, as she lifted another serpent with trembling hands.
—
Back in the security room, the blueprint was finally delivered. Liang Yexuan unfolded it on the table, his eyes sharp and scanning.
"You're sure you've searched everywhere?" he asked without looking up.
"Yes," Su Zhenghao said firmly, stepping closer.
Liang Yexuan pointed at one section. "Here?"
"Yes."
"This?"
"Yes."
Then, Liang Yexuan's finger stilled.
The tip of his nail pressed down on a minuscule square drawn at the far corner of the ground floor.
It was so small that most eyes would've skipped right over it.
"What about here?" His voice was dangerously calm.
Su Zhenghao leaned in, frowning.
His face stiffened. "That… I don't even remember this room. It's tiny. Almost invisible on the plans. We… didn't check it."
"You didn't check it," Liang Yexuan repeated flatly.
The man's face flushed. "It—it shouldn't matter. Hardly anyone even knows it exists. It's—"
"Check it." Liang Yexuan's eyes lifted, cold and merciless. "Now."
The weight in his voice made even Su Zhenghao swallow hard.
Though this was his future son-in-law, there was no denying the power radiating from the young man.
Even he felt the faint edge of fear.
He swallowed his pride and nodded.
"You heard him," he barked to his men. "Move. Now."
And against his better judgment, he followed behind.
None of them noticed the faint, icy tension in Liang Yexuan's hands as he folded the blueprint.
His instincts screamed at him.
Something about that little room was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
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