The incessant ringing of the doorbell echoed through the room.
"Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong."
Outside, Ding Li stood with an unsettling patience, while inside, Yu Qi's heart raced. She pressed her back against the door, paralyzed with fear. Her thoughts swirled in panic.
"Who are these men?" she wondered, eyeing the door cautiously.
Lu Mao, the green-haired lackey, grew impatient. "Second brother, stop wasting time. Let's just kick the door down!"
Ding Li, however, relished the game. "No rush," he smirked. His eyes gleamed with malice. He knew fear could break a person faster than force. "Let's do this right," he muttered, tapping on the door with calculated calmness. "We're from the military," he lied smoothly, his voice carrying false authority. "We saw your distress signal and came to help."
Lu Mao had to stifle a laugh at Ding Li's performance. Acting wasn't one of his boss's strong suits, but the audacity was impressive.
Inside, Yu Qi hesitated. "Military?" she thought, her mind racing. It didn't add up. She asked, "Which unit are you from? What's your ID number?" Her voice was steady, but inside, she knew something wasn't right.
The question stumped Ding Li. His eyes narrowed, and he dropped the pretense. "Enough with the games!" he barked. "Open the door now, or face the consequences!"
Yu Qi felt her stomach twist. She had no doubt now—these weren't rescuers.
"Break the door down," Ding Li ordered, his patience evaporating.
Lu Mao grinned, thrilled by the command, and lunged at the door, kicking it repeatedly. But the door held firm, each blow met with a dull thud that reverberated through the small office. Yu Qi's hope dwindled as the banging grew louder. She pressed herself harder against the door, desperate to keep it shut. "What do I do? What do I do?" she thought frantically, her mind spinning with dread.
Her thoughts flashed to the strangers she'd seen earlier, the ones who fought off zombies near the building. "Could they still be here?" she wondered, rushing to the window, searching for the floating island she had seen. But it was gone. Yu Qi's heart sank. They had left.
Back at the door, Ding Li's patience was gone. "Move!" he snapped at Lu Mao, stepping forward to kick the door himself. His first kick didn't even dent it, and Lu Mao couldn't help but snicker. Ding Li's eyes flashed in anger. His pride was hurt.
He growled, calling upon his werewolf strength. His muscles bulged, and a feral energy radiated from him, causing his lackeys to instinctively step back. The transformation made him stronger, faster. "Listen up!" he bellowed. "Open this door, or I'll tear it down myself!"
Inside, Yu Qi's face was pale. She could feel the vibrations from his kick, each one stronger than the last. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Help me," she whispered desperately, pressing her body against the door, knowing she couldn't hold out much longer.
Outside, Ding Li could feel her fear. It fueled him, made him smile. "No one's coming to save you," he taunted. "You can scream all you want, but no one will hear you."
But just then, a new voice interrupted.
"Are you sure about that?"
Ding Li whirled around, eyes widening as he saw a man approaching with six women by his side. The man walked with calm confidence, his piercing gaze fixed on Ding Li. It was Yuto Saito.
Inside, Yu Qi gasped. "He's here!" she thought, her heart pounding with relief. She had seen him earlier—this man who moved with impossible grace, the one with companions as deadly as they were beautiful. She knew instantly: her savior had arrived.
Ding Li, however, saw only opportunity. "Kill him, and those girls are mine," he thought with a wicked grin. He nodded to his men. "We take him down, and we split the women. I'll take the blue-haired and red-haired ones."
Lu Mao grinned back. "Fine by me. The beige-haired girl's all mine!"
But Yuto Saito wasn't interested in their scheming. He calmly analyzed the threat. Ding Li had werewolf abilities, but his lackeys were ordinary thugs—no real challenge.
Without a word, Yuto's eyes glowed red, and Ding Li's body froze. The werewolf's arrogance was wiped away in an instant as he was overtaken by Yuto's charm ability. Ding Li, now under Yuto's control, turned to face his own men.
"Second brother?" Lu Mao asked, confused. "What are you—"
CRACK!
With one swift motion, Ding Li twisted Lu Mao's head, snapping his neck. Lu Mao's body crumpled to the floor.
The man with the ear studs was paralyzed with fear. "Second brother! What are you—"
But before he could finish, Ding Li's fist crashed into his skull, sending him down with a sickening thud.
Ding Li's body, still under Yuto's control, slammed into the wall repeatedly, blood splattering with each impact until he collapsed, unconscious.
Inside, Yu Qi watched in awe through the peephole, unable to believe what she'd just witnessed. "He… controlled them," she whispered, marveling at Yuto Saito's power.
As Yuto and his team walked toward her door, Yu Qi's heart fluttered with a mix of hope and uncertainty. "They saved me," she thought, but another troubling question crept in. "What if he… controls me next?"
She shook her head, dismissing the thought. "No," she assured herself. "He won't… right?"
Outside, Yuto's companion, Yun Yun, casually raised her hand. A bolt of lightning struck the unconscious Ding Li, turning him into nothing but charred remains.
Yuto smiled, nodding at Yun Yun. "Nice finish," he said approvingly.
Yun Yun smirked, her eyes still crackling with electricity. "He had it coming."
With the threat eliminated, Yuto turned toward the door. Yu Qi, still trembling, stepped back.
Yuto's soft knock on the door startled her. "It's safe now," his voice came through gently. "You can open the door."
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Yu Qi exhaled a breath of relief. She reached for the door handle, knowing her nightmare was finally over.