Villain: The Creator's Revolt

Chapter 8: Welcome to Paradise City

The air around them grew icy, a chilling contrast to the heat of Paradise City.

Amanda turned Rosy around, holding the trembling little girl as sobs wracked her tiny frame.

Sean had played the role of her brother well—too well. But it wasn't just an act. He looked disturbingly similar to the brother Rosy had lost.

Amanda covered Rosy's ears and glared at Sean, cold and calculating.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to suppress her anger. She still needed to get into his underground hideout, still had people to find. She couldn't afford to make an enemy of him. Not yet.

But his smirk—the way he grinned so effortlessly, like he hadn't just toyed with a child's emotions—was infuriating.

"Isn't it a little beneath you, second-in-command of Jin Gui, to amuse yourself with a grieving child?" Amanda's voice was steady, but sharp.

Sean's grin widened as he wiped the corner of his mouth. "People who die from prolonged exposure to the toxins in the Big Rift tend to have purple saliva at their lips, and their eyes should be bulging unnaturally."

He sighed dramatically. "I was missing a few details."

Amanda felt dizzy. Sean wasn't just ruthless—he was worse than the rumors suggested.

It wasn't that he had done more terrible things than people believed. It was that he treated suffering like a joke, an amusement.

Her vision blurred. The scent of velvet grass from her hometown filled her nose, light and intoxicating.

No… I'm poisoned.

Amanda's heart pounded as the realization hit her. But her body had already begun to fail. Her limbs were leaden, her strength drained.

Had he done this? When?

In her fading consciousness, she caught one last glimpse of Sean. He was smiling—triumphant, cruel—as he strode toward her.

"You..."

The world tilted, and the last thing she heard was Rosy's terrified cry.

"What are you going to do?"

---

Amanda woke with a start. Her instincts screamed at her, and she reached for her energy blade—only to hear Sean's voice, cool and amused.

"Easy now. You don't want to attract the real monsters in this place."

Her vision cleared. Sean stood a short distance away, holding something wrapped in thick cloth. A metal spine, slick with purple-stained saliva, dangled from his grip. A grotesque, pulsing stomach pouch was still attached to its base.

Amanda stiffened.

Sean wrinkled his nose in distaste and quickly triple-wrapped the foul organ before flashing her a regretful smile.

"I hate to break it to you, princess, but you owe me another life now. Didn't I tell you? This is Paradise City."

A familiar scent hit her nostrils.

Paint.

Rosy's drawing…

Amanda's pupils shrank in horror.

The paint was poisoned.

Her head snapped up. She scanned the area.

Rosy was gone.

Sean, still whistling, continued securing his prize.

Amanda's hands clenched into fists. "You… You killed her? You took her prosthetic spine?"

Sean chuckled, tucking the wrapped package under his arm. "Of course. Isn't that how it should be?"

Amanda's breath hitched.

Rosy was just a child.

Sean sauntered toward her, unconcerned. "You want to save your people? Then stop wasting your sympathy on things that don't matter."

Amanda's ruby-red eyes trembled, but she forced herself to meet his gaze.

Sean smirked. "Come on now. Say thank you to your savior."

Amanda's body was still weak, but her fury burned through the numbness. "You could have warned me."

Sean tilted his head. "And then what? Play the noble hero? Shelter you from the ugliness of this world?"

His voice darkened. "Amanda, don't forget—we have business to discuss. I need a competent partner, not an innocent little princess."

He leaned closer, his breath hot against her neck. "Though, to be fair, I do enjoy innocence and beauty… but only in my bed."

Amanda's trembling stopped.

She took a deep breath and shoved him away.

"Thank you for the lesson," she said flatly. "I'm learning how to survive in Paradise City."

Sean blinked, then grinned.

"Good. Then let's go. Time to move."

Amanda dusted herself off and adjusted her clothes, her expression unreadable. She reached out and took the wrapped package from Sean's hands, carrying it herself.

As they climbed up Tiger Mountain, Amanda cast a glance back at Sean, who was slightly out of breath from the climb.

"Tell me," she said suddenly, "while I was unconscious… did you do anything to me?"

Sean stopped, pretending to sniff his hand.

"What do you think?"

Amanda didn't flinch. She simply nodded. "Fine. Consider it interest."

Then, lowering her voice, she added, "But Sean… if you really want to sleep with me, you'll have to do better. Your scheming and deception might be good for business, but they're not enough to make you my master."

She stepped forward, letting her breath warm his cheek.

"This is Paradise City, right?"

Sean blinked—then burst into laughter.

"That's right. Welcome to Paradise City."

His gaze followed Amanda as she walked ahead.

Her adaptability was even faster than he had expected.

He wondered just how long it would take before she abandoned her morals entirely.

And honestly?

He couldn't wait to find out.

---

Elsewhere…

Deep in the abandoned cages of Tiger Mountain, a small figure trembled.

Rosy.

She was curled up in a rusted cage meant for tigers, her body shaking violently.

Outside the bars, a shadow loomed.

"Where did you bury your brother's body?" The voice was smooth, unbothered. "Show me, or I'll kill you."

Rosy whimpered but didn't answer.

The voice chuckled. "Your brother was a good man. He had quality prosthetics. Expensive ones."

A metal hand reached through the bars, tapping against the lock with a deliberate rhythm.

"As payment for trying to deceive me, I'll be taking what remains of your brother's body. Fair trade, don't you think?"

Rosy's body shook violently.

"You can come find me when you've made up your mind," the voice continued, amusement dripping from every word.

"I even left you a way out."

A thin, metal key lay discarded in the corner of the cage.

It was shaped like a finger.

The voice let out a soft laugh.

"I made a small modification. Just insert it into the lock and break your brother's fingers."

The lock gleamed in the dim light. A crude, mechanical palm was welded over the latch, clutching it tight.

"That's all it takes," the voice murmured. "Then you're free. Come find me. Avenge him. Or…"

The voice smiled.

"Call me brother."

Rosy's breath hitched. She sobbed softly, curling in on herself.

The only answer was the sound of footsteps fading into the distance.