Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord - Chapter 134: Interlude – To Uncle Yule

“I know exactly who you are,” he murmured, his voice a low growl as he pressed me against the cold stone wall. His body caged mine, heat radiating from him like a wildfire waiting to consume.I lifted my chin, ignoring the way my pulse betrayed me. “Then you know why I’m here.”His lips brushed dangerously close to my ear, not touching—just enough to make my breath hitch. “Do you?” His fingers traced a slow, deliberate path down my arm, stopping just before my bound wrists. “Because you don’t look like a hunter right now.”I swallowed hard. “And you don’t look like a monster.”He chuckled, dark and amused. “Oh, little hunter, you have no idea”. In a world where humans and werewolves are sworn enemies, fate weaves a different tale.Violet, the daughter of James—descended from a long line of legendary werewolf hunters—has spent her life preparing for one mission: to kill Alpha Zain, the feared Demon Alpha. To prove herself worthy, she must bring his head as a trophy. But when she finally faces him, destiny shatters everything she’s ever known.While her sisters, April and Jade, eagerly await news of her death, Violet finds herself entangled in a fate far more dangerous than she imagined. Because the greatest threat isn’t the battle between hunters and werewolves—it’s the bond that should have never existed.

I traverse along the pathway of darkness and imagination…

Entering the realm born by human imaginations…

Challenging Harry Potter’s magic, commanding the great Pirates of the Caribbean.

Terminating the Terminator’s strength, tearing apart the Matrix’s Hallucination.

Virus is my slave.

Endurance my inheritance.

Growing and hunting in the boundless universe.

Breaking through boundaries in a mysterious space.

Desiring evil, conspiracy and betrayer. Who can redeem what was already lost?

In a battle of demons, who can leave an immortal legacy?

A declining Trump card, Final evolution!

I’m… on a journey!

We are one!

- Description from Novelupdates

The footsteps sounded closer, and closer, and closer, until he faintly heard Siri's voice welcoming someone into the house, but before he could open his eyes to see who it was, he felt a large hand gripping his neck, his legs were locked tightly between much larger ones, and, he felt the cold metal of a gun placed directly on his...gun.Zeno quickly opened his eyes from instincts, ready to fight off his attacker, but the moment he did so, he was met with mesmerizing dark grey orbs, staring dangerously at him.The face of his attacker was too close, he couldn't make out his features, but he knew they were sharp, even from a closed look.He didn't bother fighting, he didn't want to lose his junior member down there, and his Nana still expected grandchildren from him. He couldn't disappoint her.“Who. Are. You?” The voice of his attacker was so deep, dark, and commanding.Zeno was a fighter, but he felt a chill run down his spine from the sound of the voice.The hand around Zeno's neck tightened, but he endured it, he was a fighter.Judging by his attacker's looks and actions of confidence, this was his boss.~~~After losing his parents and being faced with an unbelievable medical bill, Zeno Evander finds himself working as a Manny for a mysterious Billionaire, but it doesn't last long; after almost being killed by the Mafia billionaire, Zeno swore never to return to that place again.But after a week of escaping the Mafia billionaire, Zeno finds himself kidnapped and Blackmailed into signing a year's contract as the Mafia's Manny and bodyguard.Could Zeno escape his evil and monstrous boss? Or would he be consumed by him? Consumed by the forbidden passion he felt build up between them? Would he risk his life just to experience the burn of forbidden love?After the betrayal from his family, ex-wife, and friend five years ago, Sebastian Orion became a totally different being.He became cold, aloof, and dangerous as he rose to become the most feared Mafia king of the underworld, and everyone who heard his name shivered from fear.He distrusted everyone and hated any form of human relationships, building a thick wall around himself.But, not until his son's manny came into the picture.Zeno irritated him in every way, he hated the mere sight of his bodyguard and would have chosen to kill him if not for the sake of his son.Sebastian always tried to push Zeno away by treating him in the lowest way possible.But when the contract was coming to an end, were his feelings still the same? Or did he suddenly realize that it wasn't only his son that needed Zeno?~~~“What are you waiting for? Leave!” Sebastian snarled bitterly.He would have to speak with Butler Nicole to find out why he brought back this stupid clown to his house.He had just returned from yet another trip, just to find this nuisance in his house again.He hated Zeno so much; he was classless and looked extremely dangerous to be near his son; who knew if he was sent as a snitch by an enemy?“I'm sorry, boss, but I can't,” Zeno said and stood his ground.Leaving would mean he wanted his Nana to die; no, he'd rather stay here and take all punches that came his way; he was used to it.“What?!” Sebastian couldn't believe that such stupid people were still existing in the world.“I can't leave,” Zeno repeated.

s a self-professed no-lifer, Yuri idles his days away in front of a computer. This all changes the moment his life in Japan comes to an abrupt end and he finds himself reborn in the strange new world of the Shiyalta Kingdom. His new life includes everything he once lacked: loving parents, a comfortable home, and a promising future breeding and raising birds on his dad’s ranch. For centuries, the kingdom he now calls home has enjoyed peace and prosperity, shielded by friendly nations that, like Shiyalta itself, were established with the collapse of a once-great empire. War is a distant problem, relevant only to Shiyalta’s ruling families whose warriors periodically set out to join the fighting upon massive birds trained by Yuri’s dad and others. But this peaceful existence can’t last forever. Something rotten lies at the heart of the kingdom, and it doesn’t take someone with Yuri’s exceptional intelligence to realize that those distant battles will only remain irrelevant for so long.