The rain fell harder with each passing minute, it did not look like it would stop at all. Thunder rolled somewhere far in the sky, but no one heard it.
Inside the villa, just moments after Liora's body slumped motionless on the couch, something strange swept through the room like an invisible wave.
Ji Ming, who had been leaning against the wall by the entrance, blinked once. His mouth opened slightly, as if to speak. But no words came out.
Then his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed silently onto the floor.
Zhao Ren, who had been sharpening a blade beside him, froze mid-motion. His fingers twitched. His lips parted in confusion. And then—he also dropped to the floor.
Without warning and without any sign of resistance.
The two strongest men in the villa lay completely still, breaths soft and shallow, faces blank of pain or fear. It was like sleep had claimed them, all at once.
Even all the people who had already fallen asleep lay still without any movement.
