Chapter 4: The Beginning of Chaos
The Beginning of Chaos
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Morning Brings Panic
The asylum was always quiet in the mornings—a slow, dull haze of routine.
Today was different.
Gerard sat on his bed, watching. Listening.
The moment the nurses entered the hallway, their voices were louder. Sharper. Tense.
Then came the first scream.
"Doctor Zhang is dead!"
The orderly who found him stumbled out of the supply room, his face pale, his hands shaking.
A second later, alarms blared.
The entire asylum shifted.
Security guards poured in from every direction.
Patients who had spent years mumbling to themselves, ignoring reality, suddenly became aware.
Gerard smirked.
"Let's see how they handle this."
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Madam Wei's Reaction – The First Hint of Panic
Far from the asylum, in the heart of the city, Madam Wei sat in her private lounge, sipping a cup of rare Longjing tea, the delicate steam curling in the air.
The room around her was a masterpiece of wealth and power.
The walls were paneled in dark mahogany, inlaid with golden filigree, hand-carved by artisans whose names were whispered among the elite. The floor beneath her was polished marble, imported from Italy, each slab a seamless white expanse veined with gold.
A crystal chandelier hung above her, casting a soft, golden glow over the room, illuminating the silk-upholstered armchairs, the handwoven Persian rugs, the priceless Ming vases carefully placed in corners.
A single wall was composed entirely of floor-to-ceiling glass, offering an unobstructed view of the skyline. Below her, the city moved like an anthill, millions of people going about their day—but none of them mattered to her.
She had built herself above them.
And nothing—nothing—could bring her down.
Or so she thought.
The phone rang.
The moment she answered, her fingers clenched around the delicate porcelain cup.
"Madam… there's been an incident."
The voice on the other end trembled.
"Doctor Zhang… He's dead."
The air in the room shifted.
For the first time in years, Madam Wei's posture stiffened.
Her perfectly manicured fingers, usually steady, tightened around the cup's handle.
A long pause.
Her voice remained calm, measured, but there was a razor's edge beneath it.
"How?"
The nurse hesitated.
"It's unclear. The body was found early this morning. There were no security breaches. The patients were locked in their rooms."
"Then it must be suicide," she snapped.
Another pause.
"Madam… There was a message left on his clipboard."
The tension in her body coiled tighter.
"Go on."
The nurse swallowed hard. "Two words: 'I remember.' "
A single breath left her lips—sharp, slow, controlled.
But inside?
Ice.
A cold, creeping sensation crawled up her spine—one she hadn't felt in years.
She had thought he was broken.
She had thought he was finished.
She had thought he was already dead.
And yet—
"I remember."
Those two words were a knife pressed against her throat.
She placed the teacup down with precision, barely a tremor in her fingers.
Then, she stood, turning toward the massive oil painting that dominated the far wall—a portrait of her late husband, the man she had married, outlived, and erased.
He had once been the master of this empire.
But now? She was.
And if that boy—Li Xian—thought he could take back what she had built, he would learn what true power meant.
She straightened her dress, smoothing invisible wrinkles.
Her voice, when she spoke, was steady as steel.
"Reassess the security. Double the guards. He doesn't leave that facility. Ever."
But even as she spoke, a whisper of doubt slithered into her mind.
She had failed to kill him once.
Now, her instincts whispered—he was coming for her.
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Inside the Asylum – Gerard Watches the Fire Spread
The guards stormed through the halls, searching rooms, barking orders, dragging patients from their beds.
A few patients panicked, screaming. Others simply stared at the chaos, eyes vacant.
Gerard remained still.
The moment his door swung open, a burly security guard stepped in, sneering.
"You. On your feet. Hands against the wall."
Gerard complied. He knew better than to resist now.
The guard patted him down, searched the room. Nothing.
After a moment, he scoffed. "Not like a pampered brat like you would have the guts to do anything."
Gerard didn't respond.
Inside, his mind was already planning his next move.
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A Hidden Reincarnator – The First Encounter
As the guards finished their inspections, one of the patients across from Gerard's room watched everything unfold.
A young man, thin but not weak, his face hidden beneath messy black hair.
He sat in his bed, motionless, staring directly at Gerard.
A voice—not from the room, but from his head.
[Warning: A high-threat individual has been detected.]
The young man's hand clenched.
His system had never issued a warning before.
His eyes narrowed.
Who the hell was Li Xian?
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Nightfall – The Next Move
As night settled over the asylum, Gerard knew he couldn't stay much longer.
His first real kill had thrown the facility into chaos, but that wouldn't last forever.
Security would tighten. More eyes would watch him. If he waited too long, his next move would be impossible.
He had two choices:
1. Escape now, using the current confusion.
2. Wait one more day, eliminating one more obstacle.
And then, before he could decide—
The door to his room opened.
Not a nurse. Not a guard.
The patient from across the hall.
He stood there, eyes cold, his voice quiet but sharp.
"You're like me, aren't you?"
Gerard didn't smile this time.
He stared at the man before him, his instincts sharpening.
Another reincarnator.
And from the way he moved—a dangerous one.
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