Recalling the intelligence report he'd read not long ago, Zhou Chen figured there was a likely explanation.
According to the victims' recollections, some of them were manipulated after just a few words with Fina. Others fell under her control after rejecting her invitation. There were even those who were manipulated only after accepting her offer to spend the night, right when they tried to establish a stable relationship with her...
Someone as experienced as Fina was undoubtedly a master at reading people. After just a few sentences, she could probably get a general idea of what kind of person someone was.
The fact that she hadn't used her Ability to control him right away most likely meant she had classified him as the "especially easy to handle" type.
Zhou Chen really wanted to look in a mirror right now. 'Could it be just like Old Yang said? Is the word "naive" really written all over my face?'
Still, on second thought, this was good news. At least Fina had taken the bait. Now, he just had to wait for her to get off work, follow her out the back door of the bar, and he could make his move in the alley...
Just then, after serving a customer nearby, Fina glanced at the dazed Zhou Chen. She took a few ice cubes from the freezer and placed them in a three-piece cocktail shaker, then fluidly poured in gin, vodka, rum, tequila, triple sec, lemon juice, and simple syrup...
Then, she began to shake.
The ice cubes clinked rhythmically, the sound crisp and pleasant. It grew faster and more intense, like a burning fuse about to detonate a bomb inside the shaker.
A moment later, Fina stopped shaking and poured the clear, fragrant liquid into a glass filled with ice. She then popped open a can of cola and poured most of it in, stirring it all together before finally adding a slice of lemon.
And just like that, the infamous knockout drink was ready.
A Long Island Iced Tea, colloquially known as a "one-and-done." It tasted slightly sweet and was only about 40% alcohol, much gentler than a real depth charge, but its kick was strong enough to make someone sleep like the dead.
Fina pushed the frosted glass across the bar to Zhou Chen and asked with a smile,
"Have you made up your mind?"
Staring at the bubbling, tea-colored drink in front of him, Zhou Chen hesitated for a long time, as if in the throes of a fierce internal struggle. After a good while, he finally summoned his courage, made his decision, and reached out—
—and grasped the cold glass.
Like a young man tired of striving, choosing instead to throw himself into the arms of a rich sugar momma.
'I knew it...' A pleased smile formed on Fina's face. "I get off at twelve. Wait another thirty minutes for me, then meet me at the back door."
"Where's the back door?"
"Over there."
Fina pointed in the general direction. "You can go dance or play some darts first. Just remember, don't stand me up, or I'll be mad."
"Got it."
Zhou Chen took a small sip of his drink. His eyes met hers for a moment before he quickly looked away, as if he didn't dare to meet her gaze.
It was this shy, green look that made Fina's smile grow even brighter.
—filled with anticipation.
After Fina left to serve other customers, Zhou Chen took small sips of his drink and glanced back toward Old Yang's spot. His hand jolted, and he nearly crushed the glass.
The flashing, seven-colored RGB lights, synchronized to the explosive music, were blinding. But with an Ascender's powerful vision, Zhou Chen could still clearly see Old Yang's current state: he was flanked by beautiful women on both sides, his face, neck, and collar covered in countless lipstick marks.
Zhou Chen watched as a long-legged beauty in a black slip dress giggled and kissed him on one cheek, while a girl in a JK uniform, not to be outdone, quickly planted a lipstick print on his other.
¿
If he weren't in the middle of a mission, Zhou Chen's head would have probably tilted all the way to the floor in confusion.
'Old Yang, are you reliable or not?'
As if Sensing his gaze, Old Yang shot him a look from across the room that said, "Don't worry."
'It's hard to not worry when you're like that...' Zhou Chen sighed helplessly to himself. He took a sip of his iced drink to calm his nerves, then got up and walked over to the dart boards to throw a few and kill some time.
With about ten minutes left until twelve, Zhou Chen's acting skills kicked in. He cast a distracted gaze toward the bar, his expression a mix of nervousness and anticipation, perfectly portraying a young man about to step into the Realm of adults tonight.
Then, his gaze suddenly sharpened.
At the bar, a young man was watching Fina mix drinks with a look of pure infatuation, as if he'd fallen in love and couldn't get enough of the sight.
'Something's wrong!'
Zhou Chen's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. The young man's expression was identical to the victims'—he was under the control of Fina's Ability!
'Controlling another one at a time like this... she isn't planning a threesome, is she? So she really does play rough behind the scenes...' Zhou Chen's heart sank. That was just an ordinary person. If he got caught in a fight between Ascenders, there was a 99% chance he'd be injured or even killed.
It would also disrupt the plan and introduce uncontrollable variables.
'I have to find a way to get rid of him.'
After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Chen carried his empty glass back to the bar and sat down. He glanced back and forth between Fina and the young man, asking curiously, "Do you two know each other?"
"An old friend I haven't seen in a long time."
Fina didn't seem embarrassed at all. "He's joining us tonight."
"Huh?" Zhou Chen looked bewildered, then frowned as he processed her words. "Together? Isn't that a bit much?"
As he spoke, amidst the flickering, harsh lights of the bar, a barely perceptible flash of pink light ignited deep in Fina's pupils, vanishing in an instant.
But an Ascender was an Ascender. No matter how well Fina hid it, Zhou Chen still caught that fleeting glint of color.
A jolt of alarm went through him.
'She activated her Ability, "Forced Love"? I don't feel a headache, so it's not direct Spirit Manipulation. No dizziness, so it's not hypnosis, and it's not brainwashing...'
In a daze, Zhou Chen found that Fina seemed to have become more beautiful. Her smile was warmer, more charming, and she had an added mysterious quality that was hard to put a finger on but made his heart skip a beat.
This feeling appeared so abruptly, so conspicuously—like a sudden smudge on clear glass or an inkblot appearing out of nowhere on a pure white page—that it was impossible to ignore and felt instinctively strange and unnatural.
This was undoubtedly Fina's "Forced Love" Ability, which could directly affect emotions. But thanks to the suppressive effect of the Forbidden Object, the D-394 Concentration Necklace, Zhou Chen wasn't significantly affected.
However, he had to pretend that he was.
And so, in that instant, his gaze turned fervent.
'I may have never been in a relationship, but I've seen other people in them...' Zhou Chen recalled all the little details he had ever observed. Like those college guys in the honeymoon phase, he smiled with his eyes, gazing at his beloved with tenderness, adoration, and deep affection.
A look of pleasure appeared on Fina's face, apparently very satisfied with the result.
"You two go wait for me at the back door," she said.
"No!"
Zhou Chen stared at Fina with a burning gaze, his tone serious as he spoke, enunciating every word. "You're mine. I won't share you with anyone else."
"Be good. Listen to me," Fina said softly.
"Impossible."
Zhou Chen shook his head, his stance firm. "It's either me or him."
The young man froze for a second before his face contorted in rage. His eyes red, he looked like he was facing the man who had stolen his wife. "Are you looking to die?"
"No fighting."
Fina put down the glass she was wiping and raised an eyebrow. Her Ability made people fall hopelessly in love with her and obey her every command without question, but that intense love could also lead to jealousy.
She hadn't expected "Yang Chenfei's" love for her to be so deep after being controlled by her Ability. Jealousy to this degree was rare—he was even disobeying her commands. Clearly, this wouldn't be easy to handle.
To avoid causing a scene, her gaze swept back and forth between the two men, as if weighing her options.
Finally, she said to the young man,
"You should go home for now. Be good, and don't tell anyone about this."
The young man's face filled with disbelief. But after seeing Fina's serious expression, he deflated like a popped balloon. Tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes as he ran out, a pathetic sight like a drenched dog.
'That's what you get for being a simp. Simps never have a happy ending... Give it up, you can't beat me when it comes to looks.jpg...' A few thoughts flashed through Zhou Chen's mind before he turned back to Fina with a smile that said, "I knew you loved me after all."
"Go wait for me in the back."
"Mhm."
Like a simp who had finally earned a scrap of affection from his beloved Goddess, Zhou Chen eagerly headed toward the back of the bar.
'If they still gave out Oscars, it'd be a crime not to give me one...' As he walked, he glanced out of the corner of his eye toward Old Yang, only to find he had vanished at some point.
After waiting by the back door for over ten minutes, Fina finally sauntered over. Zhou Chen, dutifully playing the part of the simp, acted like a Gentleman and held the door open for her to go first.
「The back alley.」
Miscellaneous junk was piled in the corners of the alley. A rusty trash can reeked of spoiled food, surrounded by piles of black garbage bags. Cars were parked along the wall.
Fina and Zhou Chen walked out of the bar's back door one after the other. Fina pointed to a black car in the distance. "That's my car."
"That car must be at least four hundred thousand, right? You're so rich, senpai."
"It was a gift."
"Perfect timing. I have something to give you too, senpai," Zhou Chen said from behind her.
"Oh?" Fina turned around, curious.
Only to see Zhou Chen suddenly lunging at her, a fist wreathed in strange, pale flames heading straight for her face.
With a THUD, the fist landed squarely on Fina's face, making her head spin and her nose bleed as she stumbled back several steps.
Before Zhou Chen could follow up with a barrage of military-style punches, Fina let out a bloodcurdling scream without warning. Her expression twisted in agony as she clutched her head, as if being burned alive. She collapsed to her knees, her body convulsing violently.
Then, she opened her mouth and vomited.
Dozens of pink worms, mixed with vomit, spilled onto the ground. They lay motionless, steaming, as if they had been burned to death.
'What are those...' Zhou Chen froze. Before he could react, Fina, still on her knees retching violently, suddenly raised her arm. A powerful Air Cannon erupted from her palm.
BANG!