The air reeked of blood, it was mixed with the sharp scent of chemicals, the kind of stench that made one's stomach churn.
A man was hanging from chains against one of the basement walls, his breath shallow and his body barely alive.
Calling him human was too generous, it's looked like a blood soaked corpse would be more fitting.
Sitting opposite him was his former master, eyes closed resting quietly.
Then, the sound of a unique notification alert echoed through the still silent basement.
Ding Yixin's brow twitched slightly as he opened his eyes.
He removed his blood stained leather gloves with a look of disgust and tossed them aside before picking up his phone.
It was a message from Rong Xingyu.
[ Little Bunny: Good morning, Dr. Ding~ ]
Ding Yixin smiled faintly, he then tapping his finger slowly against the screen twice.
The man who was already on the verge of death suddenly began to struggle like a madman when he heard the special ringtone from the phone.
His throat made rough, wheezing sounds, like a broken bellows.
The iron chains hanging from his wrists clattered loudly as he pulled against them.
In that dark and narrow basement, the scene instantly became like a terrifying hell.
Ding Yixin, however, sat calmly on the chair while calmly typing a reply on his phone.
There was a faint smile on his lips, his mood seemed rather pleasant. He even took a moment to choose a cute bunny emoji before sending his message.
But as soon as Ding Yixin put down his phone, his smile completely disappeared.
He looked expressionlessly at the thin and beaten man who was no longer recognizable as human.
The man looked as if he had been dragged out of a pool of blood, his body covered in wounds with not a single spot of unbroken skin left.
When Ding Yixin moved closer, he heard the man weakly muttering again and again, "Third Master… Third Master…"
He was nothing but a dog that had betrayed its master. Ding Yixin didn't even frown as he said coldly,
"For the sake of the years you've served me, Ding Hao, do you have any last words?"
"Third Master… I… I didn't mean to betray you…" The man cried miserably, his face twisted in regret. "I had no choice…"
Before Ding Yixin could respond, the man suddenly straightened his body and lunged forward in a desperate final attack.
His mouth was only inches away from Ding Yixin's chin.
Ding Yixin turned his face slightly and dodged.
With a swift kick, he sent the man flying backward. His expression was icy cold, his eyes already treating the man as a corpse.
"Courting death!"
The sharp look in Ding Yixin's eyes made the man tremble violently, fear spreading through every inch of his body.
But when he looked again at Ding Yixin's handsome and perfect face, something in his eyes changed and it turning from fear into obsession, then into madness.
"Third Master… Third Master! All these years, why have you never looked at me? I've done so much for you… Why can't you see me?"
"…"