Chapter 82: Surface project

Chapter 82: Surface project Eva stood in front of the mirror wrapped in a towel. She pulled it down and turned to check on the tattoo on her back. She sighed in relief. Nothing had changed—the tattoo still resembled blue ripple water drops. "How does this power work again," Eva muttered to herself lost in thought. She recalled the time that she cried the clouds formed above her. ’"Hmm... that’s not right. It didn’t happen every time I cried. So how do I summon the cloud again?" Eva’s mind raced as she caressed the tattoo on her back. An idea flashed in Eva’s mind. She pinched herself, trying to force tears, but only a few drops slid down her cheeks. She looked up but found no cloud and muttered with a disappointed sigh. "Mm...that didn’t work." Eva thought it might be her tears weren’t enough, maybe a full-blown wail would do. ’Think of something sad. Imagining no meat, no beauty and no them.’ With these thoughts, her mind flashed to her decaying flesh, her stiff bones and her hungry stomach. Her bleak future flashed before her. The thought of never seeing Ethan and Julian again made her heart clench painfully. Before her emotions could completely take over... "Madam, dinner is ready." Blaine’s voice echoed into the room from outside the door and a tear slid down her cheeks. Eva snapped back to reality. She touched her cheeks, staring at her wet hand in a daze. She hated the helplessness and loneliness that had gripped her. Shaking her head, she tried to brush the feelings away. ’I’ve already died in the real world. There’s no going back to being lonely and hungry—this is my new reality, and I will do whatever it takes to keep it.’ She muttered those words in her heart—her emotions settled like a cool breeze. She looked up, and it was still clear of clouds—she clicked her tongue in disgust, ’’Tsk! Who is it playing hard to get for?’’ she snorted, quickly putting on her clothes, and left her room. After finishing the last piece of meat, Eva leaned back in her chair, rubbing her full stomach with a satisfied smile. Ethan took note of the vegetables lingering on her plates while the meat was gone. ’’Wife, you also need to eat those as well,’’ Ethan stated with a serious expression as he pointed at her plate. Eva looked at her plate, her face scrunching up as she saw those green leaves. ’’I’m full already, any more and my stomach would burst,’’ she whined, blinking her eyes in what she assumed was a flirty gaze. "Cough...’’ Julian choked on his water at her expression—it looked like her eyes were cramping. His coughing drew their attention, and they turned to the flushed Julian. Eva pushed a cup of water toward him, gesturing for him to drink—only to pause when she noticed he was already holding one. Julian’s cough subsided. He stared at Eva with an unreadable expression, lips parting before he thought better of it and stayed silent. His numb thighs were proof of what happened when she got pissed. His heated gaze made Eva pat her face. "Is there something on my face?" She felt around her eyes for boogers but found nothing. Internally, she sighed in relief but frowned, feeling Julian was being weird. "What is it?" Her brows were raised waiting for his response. Ethan shot Julian a look over Eva’s shoulders, and Julian tried his best to fight the urge to tease her. "Nothing..." Julian forced out but couldn’t help but continue, unwilling to pass on this perfect opportunity. "Eva dear, you’re beautiful...don’t blink your eyelashes anymore, my heart can’t take it." He spoke in the most pleasant way possible, fearing her anger at the last minute. Ethan covered his face at his words and suspiciously moved his chair slightly away from them. Wondering why Julian always courted death. Eva stared at Julian with squinted eyes; she felt she was being complimented and, at the same time, not. ’When did I blink my eyelashes...? Wait!’ Her eyes widened when she thought about her attempt not to eat her veggies. (⁀⊙_☉⁀) Eva felt confused wasn’t it written in those book. In those books, a single look and a blink from the heroine could make men do whatever she wanted. "Your hearts raced by my seductive gaze, right?" She turned to Ethan with a thin smile, and Ethan, against his conscience, nodded. Reaching Julian’s turn, "Yes, uh-huh. You were so seductive that I choked on water." He answered with all seriousness, his lips twitching, trying to suppress his laughter at her cute expression. Who asked the people they tried to seduce if it worked? That beats the whole seduction game. It was only Eva who was unique enough to ask that. Julian always gets the feeling that she is naïve in some general knowledge. Eva felt vexed by his words, catching the tinge of sarcasm in his tone, her eyes darkened. Julian’s danger sense let out a sharp warning, and he hurriedly got up from his seat; her gaze sent a shiver down his spine. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Ethan’s figure creeping quietly away from the dining table. "What did you say? Repeat it again." Eva forced out through gritted teeth; internally, she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. ’Oh my God, it’s so embarrassing.’ Julian teleported, stealing a quick kiss before reappearing on the staircase. "My wife is beautiful!" His voice echoed through the mansion before vanishing—leaving Eva’s stunned figure. "???" Eva’s mind came up blank. ... As Eva and the rest lived in a peaceful cocoon, the first attack broke out. Desperate groups formed alliances and began raiding restaurants. "Don’t kill me! That’s everything in the kitchen, I didn’t hide anything for my...." The man was interrupted by a stab in his neck. His eyes widened In disbelief as he choked on his blood and fell to the ground dead. The killer and his accomplice glanced at the dead man in a daze, realization dawning on them. They were all going to die, why not go out on a full stomach and do whatever the f*ck they wanted. Blood crept to their feet. A rush of excitement surged through their veins, the darkness around them amplifying their growing madness. All around the underground cities, crimes were committed, taking the number of deaths to a whole new level. The Veil Order was overwhelmed, struggling to stop the rising crimes—but it was impossible. Seeing how easily others got away with it, more people cast aside their scruples and joined in. To them, death was inevitable. They had waited for the lights to return, but nothing happened. The news of Breathforge’s failure pushed them to the brink. Grace and other administrator heads were Informed of this news, it caught them off guard. Grace called an emergency meeting, dread settling in her heart. This was just the beginning. Now, she had to act fast before things spiralled out of control. "I have to inform everyone about the surface project." Muttering to herself, she boarded the bus—unaware of the murderous gaze watching her from the shadows.