Pain!
But aside from the physical pain, there was a deep, scalp-tingling fear.
Finally, Bob realized just what kind of person he had provoked.
Novak stood calmly in front of him, while Aria, though visibly troubled, remained silent.
"I'll give you one chance to tell the truth. Did that woman come to the hospital because of your instigation? Remember, you only get one chance."
Bob opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to deny it. But Novak's cold, penetrating gaze locked onto him with a depth that couldn't be ignored.
It felt as if he were being watched by a savage beast, one that would kill him if he didn't tell the truth.
The weight of Novak's stare, combined with the pain in his abdomen, made it impossible for Bob to even sit up straight.
Novak wasn't surprised by Bob's reaction. With a mental strength of fifteen points, even without specialized mental skills, it was more than enough to make the man in front of him fear for his life and compel him to tell the truth.
With a thud, Bob collapsed to his knees.
"Please, don't kill me! I did it, I told that woman to come! I was wrong! I'll never do it again, I swear!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Aria's eyes, which had held a trace of sympathy, turned red with anger.
Yesterday, Novak had helped her, and she'd finally managed to relax. But today's events had tarnished her reputation in the hospital, even though she had done nothing wrong.
And now, she realized the source of all her troubles—Bob.
It made sense now. She'd wondered why, after the death certificate had already been issued and the police had been so clear about the matter, that shrew of a woman had returned today.
It was Bob, pulling strings behind her back.
While it was true she had done something inappropriate while talking to Bob on the phone, it was still no reason for him to interfere in her life, especially as they were just coworkers.
Of course, Novak didn't care about the details of their conflict. He wasn't a fair person by nature, and when it came to people on his side, double standards were perfectly fine.
So when Aria kicked Bob, who had previously been groveling and trying to win her favor, Novak smiled with satisfaction.
There was something charming about seeing a young, sweet-faced nurse in a white uniform doing something so violent. It was a striking contrast, one that Novak found particularly... intriguing.
He was, after all, a man who appreciated life's little ironies.
With a smirk, Novak glanced toward the bathroom stall.
"Not here…"
——
*Moan*
——
As Bob lay there, writhing in pain, he listened to the sounds coming from the bathroom. He felt a confusing mix of emotions—humiliation, pain, and strangely, a bizarre sense of... satisfaction?
Novak, of course, had no idea what kind of psychological effects his actions were having on this young man. Nor did he care.
The collapse of society was imminent, and with it, the old order would fall apart, making way for a new, chaotic era where social structures would be redefined.
In such times, taboos would crumble, and people would act without constraint. This transitional period was destined to be one of reckless abandon, and Novak was ready for it.
There was a rule in the apocalypse: the more someone suffered before gaining power, the more crazed they would become after they acquired it.
While the obvious threats in the apocalypse were things like mutant beasts, zombies, natural disasters, and mysterious realms, the real dangers were the unknown people—evolutionists—whose thoughts and intentions were completely unpredictable.
Thankfully, Novak didn't have to worry about that just yet.
In good spirits, he left the hospital.
Aria had been more efficient than he'd expected. At the moment, Novak's system backpack held over a dozen sterilizing syringes, each filled with blood samples containing various viruses.
Being one of the top hospitals in De M-anila City, it wasn't surprising that people with all sorts of illnesses came for examinations.
Of course, not every patient had a virus, but Aria had done her best.
With these samples in hand, Novak could experiment to his heart's content once he got back.
But just as he was about to exit the hospital, someone blocked his path.
A tall figure—over 1.7 meters—stood before him. Although her chest wasn't quite as large as Aria's, it was still an impressive D-cup. The real attention-grabber, however, were her long, almost glowing white legs, on full display under her denim shorts.
In terms of looks, Aria didn't hold a candle to this girl.
Novak narrowed his eyes slightly. Even in the apocalypse, this woman was well-known.
Song Dane.
She was the campus beauty of De M-anila University.
Dane crossed her arms, eyeing Novak up and down.
"It feels like I haven't seen you in a few days, but you seem like a completely different person."
Novak glanced at her indifferently. Of course, he was different—he now carried the memories and experiences of decades spent in the apocalypse.
"What do you want?" he asked, his tone lukewarm.
Dane shrugged, unfazed by his lack of enthusiasm.
"Nothing much. I just heard you've been involved with a nurse here, Aria, right?"
Novak raised an eyebrow. This girl certainly had a lot of nerve.
"I just want to know—what does she have that I don't?" Dane asked, her tone dripping with self-assurance.
Novak nearly laughed out loud. The self-absorbed nature of this girl hadn't changed at all from his previous life to this one.
Spoiled, arrogant, and completely self-centered—every negative stereotype of a rich young lady could be applied to her.
She was the exact opposite of the considerate, gentle heroines you'd find in novels.
Having grown up alone and been self-sufficient for so long, Novak's social maturity far exceeded that of these university students still living in their protected bubbles.
As for girls like Dane, who chased after him purely because of his looks, he had long since stopped paying attention. If he gave in, she'd likely lose interest within a few months and move on.
It wasn't worth his time or energy to entertain her.
However, with the apocalypse just a few days away, Novak smiled as he looked at Dane, whose body and face were undeniably top-tier.
"Even though she may not be as good as you, I'm still not interested in you," he said calmly.
Dane looked as though she'd been slapped, her face turning bright red. But Novak's next words froze her in place.
"I'm not interested in you, but I am very interested in your mother."
Dane stood there, completely dumbfounded as Novak turned and walked away, leaving her in stunned silence.