Todd flew swiftly toward Nomanisan Island, holding Mr. Liu by the neck with one hand and the big guy with the other.
The old man kept struggling weakly, his cybernetic jaw whirring as he demanded answers.
“Where are you taking us?” Mr. Liu rasped.
Todd smiled calmly, his blue eyes steady.
“Somewhere we can talk properly. Just relax.. we’re almost there.”
Below them, the shape of Nomanisan Island came into view.
They descended through the clouds and landed near a hidden entrance on the mountain side.
Todd pressed a concealed panel, and a secret door slid open.
He dragged both men inside, descending deeper into the facility.
When they entered the main chamber, Mr. Liu’s eyes widened in shock.
The vast space was filled with activity, over twenty-nine identical copies of Todd working in perfect coordination.
Some lifted heavy machinery with ease, others used heat vision to cut through metal beams with surgical precision, while more hauled materials and repaired structures.
The clones moved like a single, efficient organism.
“H-How…?” Mr. Liu uttered, voice trembling.
“Oh, don’t be so shocked,” Todd replied casually as he dropped them to the floor.
“You have an assassin who can do something similar. This is just my version of it.”
Two Alpha clones floated forward immediately, cuffing both men with reinforced restraints.
“This won’t hold me,” Liu growled, regaining his composure.
He began to focus, preparing to force himself unconscious and unleash the emerald serpent within him.
“I can break these in a second. You know what I am. If I call the dragon, I will tear this mountain apart stone by stone!”
“Oh, I know,” Todd said, stepping closer and fixing his gloves casually, as if they were just having a normal conversation.
“I know exactly how strong you are and I also know exactly how fragile you are when he’s out. That’s why these cuffs aren’t meant to hold your strength… they’re just meant to keep you in place while I do this.”
Another clone approached, holding a silver tray.
On it lay a thick syringe filled with a glowing, green liquid.
Mr. Liu’s eyes widened.
He began to struggle violently, pulling against the restraints with all his might, his mechanical parts whirring.
“What is that?! What is that liquid?! Stay back! I’m warning you, I’ll rampage right here!”
Todd picked up the syringe, tapping it gently.
He leaned down, his expression turning cold and absolute.
“You know my clone here can snap your neck in a split second before you even black out. Try me.” He smiled again, cruel and charming.
“Don’t worry. This isn’t poison. It’s just a very powerful sedative. You’ve lived a long time, Liu… you deserve a nap.” This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Liu tried to force his mind to shut down, tried to trigger the release, but one of the Alpha clones stepped forward and pressed a hand hard against Liu’s throat, cutting off his air and disrupting his focus.
Liu gasped, his mind clouding, and in that moment, Todd drove the needle deep into the side of his neck, injecting the full dose.
“N-no… no…” Liu mumbled.
Within thirty seconds, his eyes rolled back, his body went limp, and he slumped forward, completely unconscious.
Todd turned his attention to the other prisoner.
The giant bodyguard, was beginning to stir.
He had been thrown to the side earlier, knocked out, but his immense durability and constitution were already bringing him back to awareness.
He groaned, shaking his head as he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees.
He looked around, seeing the identical men, seeing his master asleep and restrained, and finally locked eyes with Todd.
“Well look what we have here,” Todd said, walking over to stand right in front of the giant man, towering over him despite his size.
He smirked, crossing his arms.
“You’re alive. That’s a surprise. Most people don’t get up after I hit them. This calls for a celebration, doesn’t it?”
The big guy gritted his teeth, moving to stand up, but two clones landed beside him, eyes glowing red with heat, ready to burn him where he stood.
He froze, staring up at Todd with pure hatred and loyalty in his eyes.
“Who are you?” He rumbled, his voice deep and heavy.
“And what do you want with Mr. Liu? If you’re going to kill him, do it quickly. But know this… the moment he dies, the seal breaks, and the dragon inside him will be free. It will destroy everything, including you.”
Todd crouched down, getting eye-level with the giant.
His expression shifted from amusement to something serious, persuasive, and sharp.
“Relax, big guy. I’m not here to kill anyone. In fact… I’m the only one here who can actually save your master.”
The big guy, Great Wall frowned, confused but listening.
“Save him? He is the most powerful man on Earth. He rules The Order. He has lived for centuries. He needs nothing from you.”
“Does he?” Todd countered smoothly.
“Let’s be real here my friend. I know everything. I know that centuries ago, a dragon destroyed his village and killed his family. I know the sorcerers caught it but couldn’t kill it, so they bound its soul into a living human. I know Liu volunteered because he had nothing left to live for back then. I know they drew those magic runes on his chest and locked the beast inside him forever.”
Great Wall’s eyes went wide.
He stared at Todd, shocked that an outsider knew the deepest secret of his master’s existence.
“And I know,” Todd continued, leaning closer, his voice dropping to a low, persuasive tone, “that as the years went by, the seal got weaker. I know his body is failing him. 95% of him is machine now, jaw, organs, limbs… barely anything human left. He’s only alive because of technology and magic keeping him together. He’s not living. He’s rotting. He’s a prison guard trapped inside his own failing prison.”
“…So what of it?” Great Wall asked cautiously.
“So here is the deal,” Todd said.
“I know you are the one who knows the sorcery. You understand the binding better than anyone alive right now.”
Todd stood up, gesturing to himself.
“I want you to transfer the dragon. Move the binding from Mr. Liu… to me.”
“Impossible! It is bound to him! It is a part of his soul! If I try to move it, it will tear him apart, or the dragon will run wild and destroy us all! I will not do it! I swore to protect him and keep the beast contained until the end of time!”
“Listen to me!” Todd snapped, his voice booming with authority, silencing the giant.
“If you do this… I guarantee I won’t kill Mr. Liu. In fact, I will heal him. I have abilities you can’t even imagine. I can repair his failing body. I can remove the cybernetics and restore his health, let him live out his remaining years in peace, free from the burden he has carried for hundreds of years. He won’t be a vessel anymore. He can finally just be a man.”
Great Wall hesitated.
The offer was tempting, but the fear remained.
“And the dragon? It is ancient, powerful, wild… it will destroy you, or you will lose control.”
Todd smiled confidently, tapping his own chest.
“Look at me, Great Wall. Did you think I was born like this? That my strength, my speed, my powers… that these were gifts from the gods or natural born? No. My powers were given to me. I gained it. Just like I plan to gain this.”
He looked Great Wall dead in the eyes, his philosophy clear and absolute.
“You think gaining more power is a bad thing?
That having strength makes you evil?
No.
Power is just power.
Gaining more power is never bad… it’s only about how you choose to use it.
I am stronger than Liu.
I am tougher than him.
My body won’t fail.
My mind won’t break.
I am the perfect vessel.
If you move that dragon into me… it won’t be a prisoner anymore.
It will be a weapon wielded by the strongest hand alive and your master?
He finally gets to rest.”
Great Wall remained silent, torn between his duty, his fear, and the truth of Todd’s words.
He looked over at the sleeping, frail form of Mr. Liu, a man he had served and protected for decades, watching him slowly crumble away piece by piece.
He looked back at Todd, at the clones, at the raw, terrifying power radiating off this man.
“…You swear,” Great Wall said slowly, his voice heavy with resignation.
“You swear on your life… you will heal him. You will let him live free and you will not let the serpent run wild.”
“You have my word,” Todd said without hesitation.
Great Wall closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and finally nodded slowly.
“…Very well. I will do it.”