"I don't care if you're a god, but since you're here, you must produce results. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise, you'll threaten me with my family, right?" Lily chuckled. "Come on. Is that the only tactic you have? Besides, I wonder how you'll manage outside. We're in Hyderland, not a place where you can do whatever you please."

The man snorted dismissively, then rose and walked to the wide floor-to-ceiling window, gazing downstairs. "So what if it's Hyderland? I still control everything! I run this building, and soon everyone will submit to me!"

Lily felt the urge to throw him out the window, to end it all, as he spread his arms and laughed maniacally. However, she knew she couldn't. She hadn't yet discovered the most important secret. The R10 they'd discussed hadn't been handed over, and she sensed its importance.

Lily took a deep breath, composed herself, and said blandly, "Oh, yeah? You never know, because the experiment hasn't succeeded yet. If even I fail, wouldn't you be wasting your time? What will you achieve even if you kill me, my family, and my friends? You'll still fail miserably!"

Her words failed to provoke him; he laughed scornfully. "Do you think I'll run out of options by delaying the experiment's success? If the experiment succeeds, those who submit will live; those who oppose me will die! However, if the experiment fails..."

He paused, then slowly said, "Then I'll destroy the world!"

"If you could, why are you still looking for me?" Lily challenged, unconvinced.

The man turned halfway, sizing her up from the corner of his eye as his scarred lips curled into a grim smile. "I'll destroy the world along with myself! Everyone will perish together. If I fail, everyone dies with me!" He laughed maniacally, sending chills down Mike and Lily's spines.

"I think you overestimate yourself," Lily muttered, clenching her fists, telling herself he was only trying to scare her. How could one person destroy the whole world?

"You can choose not to believe me, but you'll see. Oh, and I forgot to mention, the pandemic at Burnkwen was just a trial run. Even a small pandemic causes havoc worldwide. Do you seriously think I can't cause something worse?"

Lily fixed her gaze on him, searching for any sign of guilt or deception. She found only determination and madness. He's a madman!

Though she'd suspected it from the start, she was now convinced of his insanity. Regardless of the truth of his claims, his intention to take everyone down with him was terrifying.

Lily clenched her fists, maintaining her outward composure. "You don't want to die."

He let out a mocking snort.

"If you wanted to die, you would have. Either you can't destroy the world as you claim, or you don't want to die." Although Lily couldn't see his expression behind the mask, she sensed hesitation before he continued, "You enjoy winning. Why would you want to die without getting what you want, without achieving your goal? You want to win, to succeed; you don't want to die."