Mastermind Behind The Scenes

The rain was getting heavier. It was completely dark outside, and the drizzle at dusk had gradually turned into a heavy downpour. Occasional thunder rumbled in the sky, the sound booming like now.

In the attic of Ethan's tavern, Alex had already left. Ethan didn't know where he was going or what he was planning to do, and he didn't ask. He didn't care. Beep~ On his phone, the snake game had been rear-ended again. Ethan could only restart the game and took a moment to glance at the woman lying on the sofa opposite him.

The corners of his mouth curled slightly. Although he knew she was awake, Ethan didn't expose her and continued to play the game with his head down.

Gina was panicking at that moment. The thunder had woken her up, but she didn't dare open her eyes. She only dared to lift her eyelids slightly to observe her surroundings. The monster had left and was no longer there. But the man who had been with the monster was sitting on the chair opposite her, playing with his phone, and it sounded like he was playing Snake. There was a glass of green liquid on the table in front of him. Gina wasn't sure if it was wine because she didn't smell anything.

The situation remained deadlocked. Ethan kept playing Snake. Gina pretended to be unconscious. After a long time, it seemed that she was certain the man in front of her had no intention of doing anything to her. Mustering up some courage, she opened her eyes and sat up on the sofa.

"Who are you? What is that monster?" she asked.

Ethan put down his phone, looked up at the woman who was obviously nervous but pretending to remain calm, smiled gently, and pushed the glass of green liquid on the table in front of her. "Sorry, that guy scared you. Come, have a drink to calm down."

Gina eyed the glass of unknown liquid in front of her, her eyes filled with suspicion, but her fear did not cloud her mind. "What kind of wine is this?"

"Drink it, and you'll know."

"Sorry, I don't drink. Can I leave?" she asked tentatively. Although she was curious about who this man was, what that monster had been, and why such a creature existed in the world, she didn't feel she needed to know. She just wanted to leave quickly, return to her hometown overnight, and never look back.

Ethan laughed lightly. "I don't care, but if I let you go like this, that guy might not be at ease. No matter where you go, he will find you, and then…" His voice trailed off with a chilling tone.

In reality, Alex didn't care about Gina. The police had known about his existence for a long time and had been searching for him. What difference would one more witness make? It was just another piece of meat. But Ethan didn't want her to leave. He hated trouble, and if this woman left, she might bring him a lot of it. Ethan could let Alex kill her, but he had a better idea. There were still over 70,000 emotional points left, and he needed to spend them to add a touch of color to this otherwise peaceful world.

Gina's pupils shrank. "That monster…"

"What? Do you still want to leave now?" Ethan lit a cigarette, took a puff, crossed his legs, and watched the tense woman in the smoke, a faint smile on his lips.

"What do you want to do? I'm an ordinary person. I'll keep your secret. My father is paralyzed, and my brother has to go to school. Please, let me go?" Gina's voice cracked with desperation, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Ethan. She was pleading, hoping that he would show mercy and let her go, keeping the monster at bay. She knew the man had the power to do so. From the previous encounter, it was clear that the monster had been at a disadvantage in front of him.

Ethan spread his hands. "Isn't it obvious? Can't you see I'm not going to do anything to you?"

"As long as you drink the glass of liquid in front of you, you can leave. Leave safely. Leave without worry."

Gina suppressed her trembling body and stared at the glass of green, unknown liquid with tears in her eyes. She was now more certain that even if it was wine, it was definitely not ordinary wine.

"What is this?"

"Don't worry, it's not poison. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't need such a crude method. It's not a drug either. If I wanted to do something to you, your clothes wouldn't be so intact."

"Do I have to drink it?"

"You can leave after drinking it."

Gina trembled and picked up the glass of unknown liquid. Before she could speak, she asked again, "What is this?"

"Drink it, and you'll know."

Realizing she wouldn't get an answer from Ethan, Gina hesitated, thinking about her father, bedridden at home, and her brother who was waiting for money to go to school. Finally, she summoned the courage, raised the glass, and drank the green liquid.

---

The dark night continued, with heavy rain and thunder. Gina walked aimlessly on the street, letting the rain soak her clothes and tangle her hair. Her heart was in turmoil. The materialistic worldview she had nurtured for twenty years had been shattered an hour ago. She drank the unknown green liquid, and Ethan had kept his promise—she was allowed to leave safely, without being chased by the monster.

It should have been a blessing to escape unscathed after such a terrifying encounter, but Gina felt no sense of gratitude. Instead, she was overwhelmed with confusion. She was no longer alone. No, to be precise, she was no longer a normal person. At this moment, she was filled with uncertainty about her future.

So, she walked aimlessly, drenched in the rain. Thankfully, it was late at night, and the rain had silenced most of the nightlife, so no one noticed her strange behavior.

She stopped in front of a hotel. This place brought back painful memories from three days ago. She had come to this hotel to apply for a job.

At first, she had only wanted to be a dishwasher or a waiter, but the hotel manager had offered her the position of his personal assistant. Not only would the work be easy, but the pay would be twice as much as a dishwasher or waiter. However, the catch was that training was required before she could join.

Gina, having worked from a young age and learned about the realities of life, had initially been skeptical. But the generous salary broke down her defenses, and a glimmer of hope arose in her heart. "What if?" she had thought.

The manager had taken her to a room in the hotel for training. As soon as she entered, her hope shattered. Luckily, she had been cautious and secretly hidden a fruit knife in her clothes. When the manager tried to make advances, she had managed to cut him with the knife and escape.

Now, seeing this hotel again, the anger within her flared. She hadn't had the ability to retaliate before, but now… things were different.