Chapter 45: Tortured to the Brink of Madness

"This cut—it's for me," Alexander said calmly.He drove his blade downward in one swift, unyielding motion."Every mark this blade leaves is the story of my decade of living on the run, barely clinging to life. Yet, sadly, the pain you feel is less than one percent of what I've borne." Alexander's smile was cold and remorseless—a smile that, in Derek's eyes, resembled that of a devil.Ten years? What ten years?I only began to think of torturing you three years ago!

Derek couldn't grasp Alexander's meaning. He tried to argue, but before his doubts or protests could even form, the dagger began to move on its own!After a long moment of motion, Alexander withdrew the dagger. "This cut—it's still for me," he repeated, before plunging the blade in once more.But Derek could no longer scream; his throat had been rendered useless."This cut… is because I'm pleased," Alexander continued with a faint, chilling smile that sent a shiver down Derek's spine."This cut is for our Lin family… even though I've never seen them, a son avenging his father is only right, isn't it?" Alexander's exquisite blade technique was finally put to use."But who cares who it's for!" Alexander declared, retracting the dagger only to immediately pull out a card and activate it.[A Set of Exceptionally Useful Tweezers]

He regarded Derek with a look full of bitter meaning."Wh–what… what do you… want to do…" Derek stammered in terror, his voice reduced to a faint rasp by the grating of his throat.After so many rounds of physical torment, the pain had numbed his flesh—but Alexander's smile pushed his spirit to the very edge of collapse."Thank you, really—you invented this method of torture. With this technique, you've likely broken the will of countless souls.""I must commend you; you truly have a gift for inflicting suffering."

With that, Alexander forced Derek's mouth open. For a moment, Derek's mind flashed back to ideas he had once entertained. Could it be…?He began to struggle desperately—struggling even more frantically than when the pain first overwhelmed him.But it was all in vain."No! No…"Alas, it was too late!Derek's spirit completely shattered. His pride and self-esteem crumbled in that instant. He stopped struggling altogether, becoming as motionless as a dead pig. His eyes lost all spark, turning dull and lifeless—as if he were already dead, if not for the faint rise and fall of his chest.

"Is that not enough? I merely applied less than one percent of what you once did to others, and you can't withstand it?" Alexander sneered."Those tortures you devised—you really did have some skill in the art of torment," he added.

Alexander then unleashed a flurry of stabs with his dagger, stringing together a series of rapid, relentless punctures. Yet Derek could offer no response; his performance was no act—he simply couldn't fake this agony.That was all Alexander needed: to drive Derek's mind to collapse completely. After all, this was the culmination of a decade's worth of experience and technique.

Watching Derek's broken form lying on the floor, Alexander rose. He drew his "Tetanus Blunt Dagger" and activated his "Explosive Double Slash" skill. His blade struck Derek's head with a two-hit combo. Though the initial force was insufficient to reach the core, the explosive mark on the blade soon ignited. In the next second, Derek's head was engulfed in an explosion of force.Had Alexander not quickly deployed an umbrella to block the ensuing splatter, Derek would have been drenched in gore.Simultaneously, the antique clock of the Li Estate tolled three solemn chimes—signifying that it was now 3:00 AM. And it signified that tonight, every soul in the Li Estate was doomed."Ha," Alexander exhaled, a deep sense of release washing over him.At that moment, his inner burden finally lifted.[System Notification: Player "Yazhi"'s mindset has shifted, successfully activating the talent "Heart of Vengeance."]