Chapter 227: Chapter 227 The Fire That Burns Within

The jet flew steadily high in the night sky, slicing through clouds. Inside the luxurious private jet, the mood was anything but peaceful. Liam lay unconscious on a sleek hospital bed bolted to the floor, his body pale, skin clammy with sweat, and his veins pulsing with a faint, red glow that had no business being there.

Ella stood over him, her arms crossed tightly under her chest, her eyes burning holes through his motionless figure. Then her gaze shifted sideways—and her expression darkened even more.

Just a few meters away, Ann was crouched on the floor. She hadn’t moved since they carried Liam in. Her head was bowed, her hands trembling slightly as they rested on her thighs, her eyes locked on Liam like she was staring at the ghost of her own guilt. She hadn’t shed a single tear since the jet took off, but it wasn’t strength—it was devastation.

Ella’s lips twitched in restrained fury as she slowly turned to Lana. Her voice came out sharp, disbelieving. “You’re telling me… she did this?”

Lana’s face tightened. She nodded slowly, her voice low. “Yes. She stabbed him.”

Ella looked like she had just been slapped. She took a step forward, glaring down at Ann like she was trying to make sense of the madness. “How the fuck is someone forced to do something like this?!” she snapped, her voice slicing through the room like a whip.

Lana stepped forward, shielding Ann with her body just a little. “It’s not that simple,” she said, trying to remain calm. “It wasn’t really her fault, Ella. She was compelled to do it.”

“Compelled?” Ella echoed with a sneer. “You mean mind controlled?”

Lana nodded, grim. “Exactly. I saw it my own eyes.”

Ella went quiet for a moment. Then her brows pulled together as the weight of Lana’s words sank in. She’d seen enough in the underworld to know what compulsion was. it was an insidious, twisted ability that robbed people of their will and used them like puppets. Exogens—Experimental beings, twisted by power and hatred—were appearing more and more lately.

She looked down at him again. The strongest person she’d ever met. The one man who always seemed untouchable. Seeing him like this made her stomach churn.

“If Lilith finds out about this…” Ella muttered under her breath.

“She’ll kill Ann,” Lana finished quietly.

Ella didn’t deny it. She just pressed her lips into a hard line and turned her eyes back to the man on the bed.

Liam’s breathing was shallow now. Pain flickered across his face even in unconsciousness. His muscles twitched like something inside him was tearing him apart piece by piece. Sweat rolled off him in waves. His skin shimmered unnaturally, red veins glowing just beneath the surface like magma running through him.

They all just stared. No one knew what to do.

He was dying.

“Do we… do we even try a hospital?” Ella asked softly.

Lana shook her head immediately. “No. We can’t. You saw what that dagger did. This isn’t something they can fix with surgery or medicine. Boris said his insides will burn out. He’ll suffer, for days. Maybe weeks.”

Ella swallowed, visibly shaken. “That dagger…” she looked at Ann. “Do you even remember doing it?”

Ann looked up. Her eyes were red-rimmed, but she hadn’t cried in a while. Her voice cracked as she whispered, “I remember all of it.” She looked back down. “I couldn’t stop myself. It was like my hands moved on their own.”

Silence fell again.

Ella backed away slightly from Liam’s side, running a hand through her hair, trying to think. “Then what the fuck are we supposed to do? Sit here and watch him die slowly?”

Lana’s expression shifted. She looked down at Liam, her eyes narrowing, and then she looked back at Ella.

“Lilith might be able to help,” Lana said suddenly.

Ella turned to her. “Lilith? You just said she’ll kill Ann.”

“I’m not talking about Ann,” Lana replied. “I mean… help Liam.”

Ella raised an eyebrow. “Help him how? You just said he’s burning from the inside out.”

“Yes. That’s exactly why,” Lana said. Then she held up her hand.

A flame sparked to life on her palm. It danced, flickering and twisting with life. A warm, orange glow bathed her face in soft light. “I got this from that explosion at a lab,” she said calmly.

Ella blinked, startled. She stepped closer, eyes widening. “You have powers now?”

Lana nodded slowly. “Fire.” Then she looked back down at Liam. “And Lilith… hers is Ice.”

Ella’s eyes widened further. The puzzle pieces clicked together in her mind.

“You think she can cool him down?” she asked.

“It’s the only shot we’ve got,” Lana said. “If the Bloodfire Fang is meant to make someone burn from the inside, maybe Lilith’s power can slow it down.”

Ella didn’t speak for a moment. She stared at Liam’s body. She could see the faint, red heat glowing from beneath his skin. His breaths came slower now. Each one like it cost him more than the last. A part of her feared the next one wouldn’t come.

Finally, she nodded. “Alright. Then we get him to Lilith. Now.”

Ann looked up, hope flashing in her expression—but she said nothing. Lana extinguished the flame in her palm and moved to Liam’s side.

They had no idea if it would work.

But it was the only chance he had.

—-

Fifteen core members of the Black Lotus sat in a grand hall around a long obsidian table, their faces serious, their eyes fixed on the projection floating at the center of the room. Data, surveillance footage, and brief reports hovered like digital spirits in midair, all focused on one thing—the return of the Boss.

Lilith sat at the head of the table, her piercing golden eyes narrowed slightly. She wore a tailored black suit as always, though her blazer was off, revealing the dark silk shirt beneath it, slightly unbuttoned at the top. Her blonde hair was tied back tightly, a few strands loose against her flawless skin. Her presence dominated the room—not just in beauty, but in authority. She leaned forward, her fingers steepled beneath her chin as she listened to the updates.

“The Crimson Hand’s territory has gone silent since the Boss returned,” one of the senior tacticians said, his voice low and measured. “Not a peep from any of our contacts inside. Even the ones we placed months ago aren’t responding. It’s not like them.”

Another leaned forward. “It’s not just them being quiet. It feels like something’s building. Like a storm we can’t see yet.”

Lilith didn’t respond immediately. She was thinking. Calculating. Every move in this world was a game of power. The crimson hand hadn’t made any open threats, yet the entire criminal underworld had begun holding its breath.

Then suddenly—

BANG!

The large double doors to the hall flew open, slamming against the walls with force. Everyone at the table turned at once. Fifteen heads, including Lilith’s, snapped toward the doorway in perfect synchrony, eyes locked onto the figure now standing at the entrance.

It was a younger operative—barely in his twenties. New blood. Nervous energy clung to him like static. He was breathing hard, a clear sign he had sprinted here. Sweat clung to his brow. And worse, he had just interrupted a private high-level meeting.

Lilith’s eyes darkened instantly.

Her voice dropped several degrees colder.

“…What is it?” she asked.

The young man straightened his posture immediately. “A call, boss. Urgent.”

Lilith blinked once.

A call?

She arched an eyebrow in disbelief and slowly stood up from her chair. “You barged into a core strategy meeting… for a call?”

Her voice was flat, unreadable—but everyone in the room felt the warning in it.

She waved her hand, a gesture of dismissal. “Get out. Next time you interrupt me like this for something so—”

“But boss!” he interrupted again, his voice cracking. “It’s about Liam.”

That name hit Lilith like a lightning strike.

The irritation drained from her face in an instant.

She froze for half a second, then moved.

Her heels clicked sharply on the polished marble as she left her seat and strode across the room toward the operative. She didn’t say anything else to the others. She didn’t need to. One of the senior members, wide-eyed, muttered under his breath, “But… what about the meeting?”

Lilith didn’t break stride.

“Postponed,” she said, her voice curt and absolute.

Not a single person dared protest after that.

She reached the young man, and without a shred of hesitation, yanked the phone out of his trembling hand. The device was already connected. A voice was on the other end—faint but there.

Lilith brought it to her ear.

“Who is this?” she demanded. “What happened to Liam?”

For a moment, there was only static. Then a familiar voice crackled through.

“Lilith—it’s me. It’s Lana.”

Lilith’s heart rate spiked for the first time in years.

Something in Lana’s tone was off. Frantic. Desperate.

“He’s sick,” Lana said quickly. “Something’s wrong with him, very wrong. He’s not responding to anything. We tried everything—he’s sweating like crazy, he’s pale, his skin feels like it’s burning and freezing at the same time—please, we need your help!”

Lilith’s golden eyes narrowed, her knuckles whitening around the phone.

“How?” she said sharply. “What happened?”

There was hesitation on the other end.

“…He was stabbed. With something. A dagger.”

Lilith’s blood froze.

“What kind of dagger?” she asked, voice now a deadly whisper.

“I don’t know. But it’s glowing. Red. Like lava,” Lana said.

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