Deviant: No Longer Human

The soldier shivered, instantly backing away, his mind a whirlwind of questions and unease. \'What\'s gotten into the chief today? Sure, she\'s close to him, but this level of response? As a spy, shouldn\'t she be accustomed to danger?\' Yet, he dared not voice these thoughts, aware that Li Zhiming\'s current state was not to be trifled with.

Meanwhile, Li Zhiming stood in solitude, a silent sentinel wrestling with his inner turmoil. Beneath his stoic facade, he was a tempest of emotion. It was as if the very core of his being had been shaken; the damage was done, and no amount of rage or retribution could undo it.

The realization that he couldn\'t protect the cabbage he grown meticulously all these years from being eaten, pierced his heard deeper than any blade.

_______

Inside the room, Anran had slipped into her new clothes, her movements mechanical, her mind elsewhere. She took a deep breath and gazed out of the window, seeking a moment of tranquility in the chaos. Her eyes then drifted to the bed, the site of her recent ordeal.

\'He could have killed me, couldn\'t he?\' The thought lingered in her mind, puzzling and disturbing. Wang Xiao had eliminated everyone else, yet he had spared her.

Why?

He didn\'t strike her as one to be swayed by beauty or sentiment.

If his intentions were vile, he had had ample opportunity, even before she regained her consciousness.

Why then, had he restrained himself? The questions swirled in her head, each one echoing her confusion.

Anran\'s reflection in the window showed a woman changed, not just by the clothes she now wore, but by the ordeal she\'d survived.

She was the same Anran, yet not quite.

Something within her had shifted, a newfound resolve mingling with the lingering traces of becoming more mature in her thoughts.

As she stood by the window, Anran\'s resolve solidified, her voice steady as she called out, "You can come inside." She had made a quiet decision within herself, a vow to no longer owe anyone anything.

Leaving the window open, she allowed fate to play its hand. If fortune favored Wang Xiao, he might just evade the meticulously laid trap.

Li Zhiming entered the room, a slight awkwardness in his demeanor as he rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, Rouran, have you finished changing?" he asked, his voice carrying a mix of relief and guilt.

The sight of the leader of the Pantheon network in such a state was almost surreal. Known for his unwavering resolve and formidable presence, here he was, displaying a rare tenderness.

In the presence of his daughter, the man who was an unyielding force in the world of espionage and power revealed a softer, more human side.

This softer aspect of Li Zhiming was a closely guarded secret, one shrouded in a complex past that intertwined with Anran\'s own story.

A past that was kept hidden even from Anran, a evidence to the complex nature of thier complex relationship.

________

Meanwhile, a shadow darted through the Whispering Woods, moving at a velocity invisible to the naked eye. It streaked between the trees, leaving a trail of blurred lines behind its path, as Wang Xiao hastened back to gather materials.

Yin Yue\'s voice, ethereal and laced with concern, pierced the silence. [Isn\'t it risky, leaving her unwatched?]

Wang Xiao paused, his brow furrowed in thought. "I am afraid, she should have someone coming for the rescue already. I don\'t know why, but I can\'t trust it, if people can follow her without her noticing, she must be someone important, we can never be more suspcious."

Yin Yue\'s spectral form flickered with unease. [So, we\'re fleeing then?]

A sly grin curled Wang Xiao\'s lips as he turned, his gaze piercing the shadow-dappled forest. "Escape is for the weak," he declared, eyes glinting with a new profound spark. Suddenly, the forest around them burst into life, vivid with the hues of colossal, exotic flowers, their petals unfurling like a vibrant myth against the dark underbrush.

Yin Yue, [Why are you harvesting poison from these sinister blooms, Wang Xiao?]

Wang Xiao, his fingers gently brushing the petals of a sinister-looking flower, replied to her.

A wisp of nostalgia colored his voice, "Back then," he began, his voice a low rumble, "Mei Leiyan revealed to me a dark secret — a method to concoct a lethal poison from the very essence of these venomous blossoms, along with other forbidden ingredients." His eyes, reflecting a dangerous knowledge, fixed on the distant shadows.

The deadly flowers that once brought to the edge of death, would now become his weapon!

His mind whirred like a hidden machine, gears of strategy clicking into place.

"The world," he continued, his gaze turning steely, "is a treacherous place, more complex than the untrained eye can see. Consider Adam, a man far from ordinary humans, and we are yet to know the power scales of these people. And let\'s not forget the hell spirits, according to you that mercenary was the weekest one, so there must be stronger ones waiting for us to hunt us down!

In this game of predators and prey, I must arm myself with more than just strength. This poison, my secret weapon, could be my only savior against a force mightier than my own."

Yin Yue, moved by his foresight and resolve, responded with a voice soft yet filled with admiration. [Impressive. At least this way, you\'re not rushing to claim your spot in the cycle of reincarnation.]

Wang Xiao raised his eyebrows, a flicker of amusement crossing his face as he methodically plucked ingredients from the dense underbrush of the forest. "Reincarnation, is that truly a thing?" he mused aloud.

Yin Yue\'s voice carried a hint of mystique, [Not in the way you might imagine. It\'s not about retaining your identity. It\'s a fusion, a chaotic melding with billions of other souls. Once you die and are reborn, \'you\' cease to exist as you are now.]

Wang Xiao\'s frown deepened, the concept swirling in his mind like an unsolvable puzzle. He decided to let the matter rest, at least for now.

These topics – the hellish realms, the arcane mysteries – were territories Wang Xiao was not yet willing to explore.