Chapter 40
Varinka was running and walking all over the streets. Her desire to meet the knife owner was consuming her mind. The longer she held the knife in her hand the deeper the blood bond was. The lives taken by this knife were vile and full of hate. The need to kill and inflict harm was still present in the blade. Hours passed, and she walked and ran, nearly in an exhausted and frantic state. Varinka's heart raced as she searched for the knife owner until she reached the industrial district. As soon as she footed at the boundary separating the two districts, the unpleasant, lingering blood emotions abruptly stopped as soon as she crossed the border between the two districts out of fear.
Varinka was annoyed and upset; her emotion was about to burst when she saw a huge blood aura that was covering the entire warehouse. It was unseen by the naked eye; no one could see this thick red mist swirling around the warehouse. Varinka saw this and could sense the deep and heavy emotions. She felt fear for the very first time; she could not understand this feeling because she knew she was beyond any human comprehension. The blood aura seemed to be pulsating with sinister energy, making Varinka's skin crawl as she realized she was in the presence of something truly malevolent.
She was trembling in fear but at the same time, she was intrigued by the power emanating from the blood aura. Varinka's instincts told her to run, but her curiosity kept her rooted in place, unable to tear her eyes away from the ominous sight before her. She even questioned her own life, and the thing she was doing all these years was just child's play compared to this.
The things Varika considered humane but these vile acts were among those who were weak and could not fall back because of her money , influence, and power. Varinka's heart raced as she realized the true extent of the darkness lurking within the blood aura, causing her to question everything she thought she knew about herself and the world around her.
Whoever was emanating this blood aura was truly a being beyond death and comprehension, capable of unspeakable horrors that shook Varinka to her core. The realization that she may have unknowingly been entangled with such malevolence sent a shiver down her spine, making her question if she would ever be able to escape its grasp.
She was not like a moth drawn to a flame, but rather a prisoner trapped in a web of darkness that seemed impossible to break free from, as it calls for her, and even in fear and dread, she could not find her way back. Her broken mind wanted to succumb to the darkness but her body was in a frantic state to escape. The chilling realization that she may never find the way out again filled her with a sense of terror unlike anything she had ever experienced before.
Suddenly, the mist like red aura began to move in one direction, as if it were being sucked back into a funnel, and within a brief moment it was gone. Varinka stood and watched this unfold before her eyes. Soon, a man came out of the warehouse and walked toward the convenience store across the street.
The man had neither bloodlust nor any remnants of the thick blood aura, so she assumed there were more people working at the warehouse; she wanted to know, but after the man left and traveled in a different direction from where he came and no other person came out this led Varinka to believe that the warehouse was likely empty. She decided to approach the convenience store and ask if they had seen anyone else coming or going from the warehouse recently. If she didn't find any answers there, she would have to come up with a new plan to uncover the mystery.
At first, Mr. Ping was apprehensive, but Varinka was very attractive. So he just told the woman he really had no idea better to go there and check it out for herself. She unpleasantly smiled
I wanted to smash the old man's face in, but when Mr. Ping saw a cockroach run on top of the old convenience store counter, he casually threw a 3 inch metal toothpick needle downward and killed the disgusting insect.
Varinka was startled as if the old man were telling her not to mess with him. Varinka's eyes widened in surprise at Mr. Ping's unexpected display of skill. She quickly realized that there was more to the old man than met the eye. Mr. Ping usually wears his trademark white sleeveless undershirt; he was always seen holding and using a Chinese folding fan, and on his mouth was that same 3 inch metal toothpick.
Mr. Ping grabbed the metal toothpick and casually removed the dead cockroach with a simple flick of his hand, then just used an alcohol sprayer to disinfect the needle. And place it back on his mouth, and continue the wave of the folding fan on his face. It was a very disturbing act that even Varinka was taken aback by.
Even the most stone cold person still finds something to get weary from, and seeing how Mr. Ping casually kills the most disgusting insect on the planet that most human beings have seen was enough to make anyone feel uneasy. The nonchalant manner in which he disposed of the cockroach and continued with his routine was unsettling, to say the least.
She just got out of the store and proceeded toward the street when Varinka phone rang. As she answered, the caller on the other line instructed Varinka to go back to the strong hold because the new batch of cargo from China came, and Catherine Zhang wanted to show her the new, more potent batch. These new drugs were to be used for military purposes; these new synthetic drug battle enhancement drugs were designed to increase soldiers' strength and endurance in combat. Varinka quickly turned around and headed back to the stronghold, eager to see the new batch of drugs and their potential impact on their own operations.
As Catherine Zhang plans to eradicate rival cartels in the Asian market with the support of the Romanov forces , she knows that having the most advanced and effective drugs would give her a significant advantage. With the new batch in hand, Catherine was confident in her ability to dominate the market and eliminate any competition that stood in her way. And Varink was highly interested in this; it has the potential to truly be a stepping stone to gaining the vacant seat of one of the 12 apostles.
Now that the Zhang clan has merged with the Romanov by marrying into their family , the hierarchy rules concerning the old ways are now being tested as more clans seize the other remaining active apostles and consolidate their power. The landscape of the market was shifting rapidly; new alliances were being formed and broken among the clans.
But these changes were already being monitored by the Almany clan, which was just waiting for their elders to give out their strategic orders to maintain their dominance in the power struggle. The Zhang-Romanov merger was just the beginning of a larger game of power and influence among the clans, so an all out war will begin.
Everybody involved has no choice but to participate.
Varinka didn't waste time; she wanted to find the owner of the knife to gain the person trust and recruit that person to their clan, but there are so many questions she needs answers to. First, will the owner of the knife bow down to the rules of their clan and be faithful? Varinka knew that gaining the owner's trust would be crucial in securing their allegiance, but she also understood the risks involved in bringing a new member into the fold. The loyalty of this individual could make or break their clan's position in the power struggle, and Varinka was determined to make the right choice.
As for now, she had to leave and prioritize increasing their figthing force, as the illegal figthing games were effective in gathering many talented individuals. As the lure and temptation of money, power, and fame were a strong pull for many, Varinka knew she had to carefully vet each potential recruit to ensure their loyalty was unwavering. The fate of their clan rested on her ability to discern who could be trusted and who could not.
So after receiving the information, Varinka called her driver to pick her up at a certain location, while Mr. Ping casually took out an old phone, called somebody, and spoke Mandarin as he stared out of his store and into the uninteresting street where his store was situated, looking at the same woman that entered his store a few minutes ago.
Varinka soon went inside the car and came to pick her up. At the same time, Ethan came back along with Katarine by his side, carrying a few groceries, and just went back into the warehouse.
While Varinka was sitting inside the car, busy talking to Victor,. Soon the car drove off, and Mr. Ping returned the phone back under his countertop and just continued his day as usual. The mundane scene outside seemed to fade into the background as Ethan and Katarine opened the gate and went back into the warehouse, toward Ethan's temporary living quarters. Katarine was making sure they met as much as they could , even if they were busy with their respective jobs and responsibilities, as she was weary about the woman who was talking to him a few days ago.
The fact that person was working near the warehouse location meant that Katarine couldn't shake the feeling of unease. She wanted to keep a close eye on Ethan and make sure he remained loyal to her. Katarine's personality was somehow overprotective of Ethan, a feeling that she seems to struggle to control at times. Despite her best efforts to trust him, the lingering doubt continued to gnaw at her, driving her to monitor their interactions more closely than she'd like.
She had casual relationships before, but no man has been able to claim her, unlike Ethan. The day Katarine finally had sex and remembered every single detail was a day she realized just how deeply she cared for him. The intensity of her emotions for Ethan both frightened and thrilled her, leaving her unsure of how to navigate this new territory of vulnerability.
She always points out to herself that Ethan was the only person who actually took her virginity, but was unaware of the actual act. The moment her grandmother mentioned she was no longer a virgin, it annoyed her, but until a secret trip to her private gynecologists' confirmed this, she could stop the question in her head. Now, she was faced with the reality of her feelings for Ethan and the implications of their physical relationship. Despite her initial confusion and fear, she found solace in knowing that she was not alone in navigating these complex emotions.
The dark voice in her head became silent. She has memories of her powers burning the factory down and turning everything around her into ashes, and she even recalled the moment her horns finally appeared and she was able to carry the 6-foot tall man with ease , but she pushed those thoughts aside as she focused on the present moment with Ethan. The weight of her past actions lingered in the back of her mind, but for now, she allowed herself to simply be present with him.
Her demonic lineage has finally been tamed. As she looked into Ethan's eyes, she felt a sense of peace and acceptance that she had never experienced before. The love and understanding he showed her made her believe that maybe, just maybe, her true past didn't have to define her future.
Meanwhile, seven thousand miles away, something was happening under the deepest darkest part of the ocean floor as the sun slowly set in the western Pacific Ocean. About 200 kilometers east, the Mariana Trench was located, a crescent-shaped trench that measures about 2,550 km in length with a depth of eleven kilometers. A space or dimensional crack suddenly opened, revealing a portal the size of a normal window , which is two by three feet.
The shimmering energy emanating from the crack filled the dark water with an otherworldly hum, beckoning something. As a blob-like creature, creature pushed and forced its way out. The creature's form was unlike anything seen before, its gelatinous body pulsating with an eerie glow. It seemed to be drawn towards the portal, as if compelled by some unseen force. With a final surge of energy, the creature slipped through the crack and disappeared into the depths of the Mariana Trench, leaving behind a trail of bioluminescent particles in its wake.
"Ah! Finally, after a millennia, we are free to roam again."
" we shall hunt those who betrayed us."
"kill those who slept with the enemy."
'"The dichotomy of angels and demons, often portrayed as polar opposites, can be viewed as two sides of the same coin, representing the inherent duality of good and evil that exists within every being."
Anonymous.
"We all possess the capacity for both compassion and cruelty, love and hatred, light and darkness. The choice we make, the path we choose, determines whether we align ourselves with the angelic or demonic within us."
Anonymous.
"Ultimately, the lines between angel and demon are not so clear-cut. Rather, they represent two sides of a complex human nature, a constant tug-of-war between our better and worse selves."
Anonymous.