Inferno Hearts | Xu Minghao

77. Champion Of Death

✧˖*°࿐

Slowly, Jeonghan's eyelids lifted, accompanied by a low groan escaping his lips. A sharp pang cut through his head as he attempted to survey his surroundings.

However, an impenetrable darkness enveloped him. The cold, clammy air of the room clung to his skin, and an unsettling stillness hung in the air.

No trace of light seeped through; he found himself confined in a lightless chamber, devoid of windows.

His memories were a chaotic swirl, a desperate struggle against those who had abducted him.

The last recollection etched in his mind was a fierce resistance before an abrupt, searing pain struck the back of his head.

Awakening to consciousness, he attempted to shift, only to discover that his hands and feet were firmly tied to a robust iron chair.

After receiving an urgent call from Lia, insisting she needed to see him immediately, he hastily departed from home to meet her.

Upon reaching the location she had sent him, he found himself abruptly seized and abducted.

"Damn it," he muttered quietly, the pain in his head escalating.

"Jeonghan?" a voice echoed from the door, prompting him to turn his face towards it.

As the door swung open, he instinctively shut his eyes, the sudden influx of light visibly causing discomfort.

But he recognized it. The voice. The same voice that had sounded so frantic over the phone last night when she urgently called him to meet with her. He couldn't mistake her.

Approaching him, the distinct click of her heels resonated, catching Jeonghan's attention as he turned to face her direction.

Their eyes locked. No hint of worry, fear, or guilt reflected in her gaze.

Jeonghan's brows furrowed, the pulsating waves of anger welling up within him. His gaze bore into Lia as he demanded answers.

"Lia? What the fuck is happening?" he exclaimed, the tension in his voice palpable.

He struggled against the restraints, the harsh reality of being bound in an unknown place gnawing at him. "Why am I here, tied up?"

The room echoed with the intensity of his words, his frustration taking the wheel as he sought an explanation from the seemingly composed Lia.

"Don't worry, Jeonghan. There won't be any harm coming your way. You're simply a necessary piece of the puzzle," Lia asserted in a soothing tone, though her words only fueled Jeonghan's growing frustration.

His frustration boiled over, his eyes narrowing at Lia's cryptic words.

"The fuck, Lia? What are you saying? Untie me right fucking now!" he demanded, the room seeming to tighten around him with every passing second.

He strained against the restraints, his muscles tensing.

Lia sighed, her gaze momentarily flickering with a mix of regret and determination.

"Sorry, Jeonghan, but I can't," she replied, her voice carrying a weight of unspoken burdens. She turned to leave, her footsteps echoing in the tense silence. "Just trust me and don't do anything stupid."

But Jeonghan's frustration reached its peak, and he couldn't fathom being kept in the dark any longer.

"Lia! Explain right now, or I'll end our friendship right here and now!" he screamed, his words slicing through the air and forcing her to come to an abrupt stop in the middle of the room.