Chapter 288: The Curse!
The Mood Shift
Luke returned backstage and took the bottle of mineral water offered by Linda, tilting his head back to finish it.
"You don't seem very excited," Linda noted strangely.
Luke casually tossed the bottle into a bin.
"Does a person get excited when playing music for a cow?"
Linda raised an eyebrow. "Are you calling those people cows?"
"No."
Luke shook his head. "They're pigs. A bunch of stupid pigs."
"That's not right of you," Linda said, squinting her eyes, looking rather amused. "You want to make money from them, but you also call them pigs. If they found out, they wouldn't let you off."
"If you don't talk, no one will know."
Just then, Dausman, the President of Morgan Bank, walked over, smiling broadly and complimenting him.
"Mr. Shaw is truly an eye-opener, and Tesla is unlike anything else. I've certainly learned a lot today."
"You flatter me. The products still have many shortcomings."
Dausman laughed, then leaned in and whispered, "I wonder if Tesla would be interested in partnering with Morgan Bank?"
Luke nodded naturally.
"That is what I hope for as well. Morgan Bank is financially strong, and cooperating with you will surely take Tesla to the next level."
"Then it's settled."
"Of course!"
Luke smiled and shook hands with him. After sending Dausman off, the smile on his face vanished instantly. The speed of his change left Linda speechless.
"What exactly are you doing? I feel like your state tonight is very wrong."
"In fact, I think so too."
Luke put his hands on his hips, his brow furrowed. "I feel this inexplicable sense of urgency. I'm impatient with everything, my mood is depressed, and I feel like killing someone."
As he spoke, a flash of green flame flickered deep within his pupils. A terrifying killing intent briefly washed over Linda, causing her to involuntarily shiver. The sheer murderous intent chilled her to the core.
"You... did you not sleep well last night?"
Luke shook his head and activated his wristband.
"Ava, scan the entire venue. See if anyone is playing tricks."
The surrounding cameras in the venue began to rotate, identifying all personnel within the detection range and automatically searching and analyzing their backgrounds. Ava quickly responded.
"Apologies, Young Master, no suspicious individuals were found."
Luke took a deep breath. Sensing the mounting killing intent inside him, he gritted his teeth and roared,
"Go and bring Zatanna over."
Linda was startled by Luke's expression. "Who is Zatanna?"
"Ava will tell you her location. Go now!"
The girl didn't dare to hesitate, quickly running to the second-floor balcony, leaping up, and disappearing into the night.
Luke gasped for air, his trembling fingers sending a text to Billy to extend the intermission. Then, with heavy steps, he entered a nearby bedroom, locked the door, and barred entry to outsiders.
"Ava, what is my physical condition?"
"Everything is normal."
Luke closed his eyes and muttered, "Why can't I control my emotions? Who is doing this to me?"
The Conspiracy Deepens
In the venue, people gathered in small groups of two or three, discussing the products. Many also walked onto the stage to interact with the mechanical birds.
Qu Youran held a wine glass, chatting with a person while asking Wang Kun beside her,
"What do you think of this exhibition?"
Wang Kun replied, "The products are astonishing, but Luke Shaw's demeanor is strange. He seems unprepared."
Qu Youran nodded. "That's not his style. I wonder what's going on."
In fact, those familiar with Luke had already sensed his abnormality today. Dior and Charlie felt it most acutely. They had been with Luke the longest and knew his habits.
For example, when Luke wanted to kill someone, his index and middle fingers would involuntarily rub together; the faster the rubbing, the stronger the murderous intent. He had made this gesture more than once on stage today.
This was truly unsettling!
The two came together to the bedroom door. Just as they were about to knock, an overwhelmingly terrifying killing intent emanated from behind the door. Both were horrified, instinctively stepping back.
"Leave here. Do not come in."
A hoarse voice echoed, carrying a chill that pierced the soul.
Charlie swallowed hard, dragging the pale-faced Dior rapidly away. The killing intent didn't dissipate until they left the corridor.
"Something is definitely wrong with the Young Master."
Charlie wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, relieved to have escaped. "I've been with him this long, and I've never seen him like this. What is the cause?"
Dior gritted his teeth. "Someone is playing tricks in the dark."
"Who?"
"I don't know, but I will find out."
Zatanna's Diagnosis
Time ticked by, and the fifteen-minute intermission passed, but Luke did not reappear. Philip arranged for backup entertainment to stall, but this couldn't last forever.
Gradually, people realized something was wrong and began to whisper.
Lois frowned. "Something is off."
Clark turned his head toward the bedroom.
"Luke Shaw has locked himself in the room. His expression is twisted; he seems to be struggling with something."
Lois was startled. "Has someone attacked him?"
Clark nodded with a serious expression.
"Should we help?"
"Let's wait and see."
The waiting time stretched, and the atmosphere grew strained. Some people even approached Philip, asking if there was a problem with Luke's health. Philip was just as clueless and could only keep explaining and sending people to rush him.
Just then, Linda returned, rushing into the floor with a pale-faced Zatanna. Ignoring the security guards, she kicked the door open.
"I brought the person!"
Luke, covered in sweat, managed a nod, hissing through the killing intent that gripped him.
"Zatanna, my consciousness seems to be influenced by something. I want to kill."
The terrifying killing intent rushed out with his words, blanching Zatanna's face. Ignoring her personal annoyance, she immediately cast a spell. A detection charm landed on Luke but was instantly deflected.
"A curse! You've been cursed!"
Luke took a deep breath. "Can you fix it? My time is tight."
Zatanna held up a finger. "One minute!"
She then added in a quiet voice,
"Two hundred thousand dollars!"
Luke closed his eyes and nodded slightly.
Zatanna quickly retrieved a bottle containing yellow powder, using it to draw a pentagram circle on the floor. Accompanied by intense magical fluctuations, the yellow powder gathered together, forming a small figure about twenty centimeters tall.
The small figure lunged at Luke, hugging his calf. Its yellow body slowly turned black, and Luke's expression began to normalize.
Zatanna sighed softly and said,
"It's not a fatal curse. Simply an affliction that requires the negative emotions to be cleared and vented. Of course, if it was allowed to fester, it would become a major problem."
"The person who cast the curse clearly understood your personality to employ such a trick."
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