The silence that followed Su Qian's departure was deafening. I sat at the edge of the gargantuan dining table, feeling like an ant on a vast marble plain. The high-tech security guards outside the door didn't even acknowledge me; to them, I was just a fragile piece of jewelry Su Qian had left behind for safekeeping.
"I am a Succubus," I whispered to myself, my voice echoing in the hollow penthouse. "I survived the Goblins. I am not a house cat."
I hopped off the chair—a feat that required a mini-parkour move—and landed softly on the thick rug. My first mission: find a way out.
I walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. The view was breathtaking—a neon-soaked metropolis stretching to the horizon—t but Su Qian wasn't lying. The glass was cool to the touch and felt more like transparent steel. I tried to push, then to find a latch, but there was nothing. No handles, no seams. It was a vacuum-sealed observation deck.
"Fine. The vents," I muttered, looking up.
The air conditioning vents were high up, but with my wings, I could reach them. I focused, trying to summon the demonic energy I used back in the caves. My wings fluttered, lifting me a few feet off the ground, but then a sharp, high-pitched beep resonated from the walls.
Suddenly, a holographic interface flickered to life in the center of the room. A life-sized Su Qian, rendered in shimmering blue light, stared directly at me.
"Li Yuan," the recording said, her voice smooth and warning. "Motion sensors detected flight activity. Please remain on the floor. Unauthorized use of demonic traits will trigger a sedative mist for your own protection."
I dropped back to the rug, my heart racing. "She's insane! She has a pre-recorded message for when I try to fly?"
Frustrated, I wandered into her private study. The door opened automatically, recognizing my presence—or perhaps Su Qian had programmed it to let me wander within certain limits. Her desk was a massive slab of dark obsidian. On it sat a sleek, glass-thin computer terminal.
I didn't expect to be able to log in, but as I approached, a biometric scanner flashed.
Identity Confirmed: Ward 001 (Li Yuan).
The screen flickered, revealing a folder labeled: [PROJECT: SUCCUBUS PRESERVATION].
My breath hitched. I clicked it, and my eyes widened. It wasn't just about me. There were maps of the old world, coordinates of hidden shrines, and a list of names. At the very top of that list, written in bold red letters, was mine.
Su Qian hadn't found me by accident. She had been looking for me.