Passion Raga Novel (Completed) - Chapter 11

“Sir, we’re almost at Suhapha.”

It was only after hearing the taxi driver’s voice, glancing at him through the rearview mirror, that Yuri realized their destination was now in sight. He named the lodging where Ling Xinlu was staying and prepared to pay the fare. At the same time, he braced himself for the gruesome scene he might witness. In the worst case, he might see a corpse. He had seen dozens of corpses before, and many of them had not retained their human form, but he had never once felt fear. Yet, at this very moment, just the thought of Ling Xinlu’s corpse made Yuri clearly aware of his own agitation.

Foolish.

Why didn’t he just go back after kidnapping Jeong Taeui? Why did he stay?

Even though he must have known this would happen.

“……..”

Yuri tilted his head almost imperceptibly, rubbing his chin with his thumb and forefinger.

Yes, he must have known. Ling Xinlu couldn’t possibly have been unaware that Riegrow wouldn’t stand idly by once he learned Jeong Taeui had disappeared.

But why didn’t he immediately leave this island or take some other action? Was there a reason not to?

While he was thinking, the taxi stopped in front of the destination.

The security guard who should have stopped Yuri at the resort entrance was nowhere to be seen. As he stepped through the unguarded, open gate, Yuri quickly realized why they weren’t there. A faint, restless commotion could be heard from deeper inside the resort, some distance away. Screams, curses, and shouts were chaotically intertwined.

Though none of the voices were familiar, Yuri soon recognized it.

It was Riegrow. The situation was still ongoing.

A sense of relief came first. “The situation is ongoing” meant that Ling Xinlu hadn’t yet reached the worst possible outcome.

Yuri clicked his tongue and rushed towards the sound.

However, there was nothing to be relieved about.

The soil in the beautifully manicured flowerbeds looked unusually black because an enormous amount of blood had soaked into it.

Standing in the flowerbed, Yuri shuddered when he saw his footprints leave distinct red marks on the stone path.

No, even that wasn’t the problem. He didn’t even notice the horrifyingly disfigured bodies, indistinguishable as corpses or critically wounded patients, sprawled across the garden.

The first thing that entered Yuri’s sight was Riegrow, and standing before him, Ling Xinlu.

Ling Xinlu was dressed in his clothes, as if he had just returned from somewhere. Perhaps that was why he wasn’t yet among the pile of corpses. But his appearance was not much different from a corpse.

An arm dangling, separated from his torso; a leg, twisted at the ankle, somehow still supporting his body on the ground; blood splattered all over him, whose it was unknown.

Despite this, he seemed to feel no pain, his vivid, glistening eyes glaring menacingly at his opponent like a dying beast, unusually clear. Those jet-black eyes, which Yuri once thought were so clear and beautiful, were now filled with murderous intent, like crimson flames.

“Give him back. Then I’ll consider whether or not to let you live.”

Riegrow’s voice, low and slow, utterly unfitting for the grim atmosphere of the place, sounded strangely languid. His fingers twitched, moving slowly, like terrifying weapons.

Before him, Ling Xinlu’s black pupils seemed to falter for a moment. His eyes swelled with explosive rage.

Why?

Yuri suddenly had a thought, as if time had stopped.

Why didn’t he leave? He had had plenty of time to leave this place since he got Jeong Taeui yesterday afternoon.

Jeong Taeui. Where is he? Ling Xinlu is here, and his surroundings are devastated, yet why isn’t Jeong Taeui visible? Ling Xinlu slowly twisted his lips into a strange expression. Hatred and triumph, mixed with anger and indignation.

It was…

“Give him back? Did I borrow something from you? Even if I did, I wouldn’t want to hand it over to you.”

The moment Ling Xinlu’s sneering words fell, Riegrow, who had no intention of waiting long, reached out. A jet-black glove, its original color unknown, stretched relentlessly towards Ling Xinlu’s neck. And the moment that hand touched his neck would be the end of life…

“Stop. Jeong Taeui isn’t here.”

It was only when the black glove stopped just before touching the pale neck that Yuri realized the voice that had burst out inadvertently was his own. What caught his eye before Riegrow’s indifferent, chilling gaze slowly turned to him was Ling Xinlu’s face, staring at him with wide, bulging eyes.

His face, caught off guard as if struck from behind, quickly transformed into a terrifying visage like an Eastern ghost.

“Gable!”

A voice steeped in fury called Yuri’s name. But Yuri deliberately averted his gaze and looked at Riegrow. Riegrow slowly withdrew his hand, tilting his head as if he no longer cared about Ling Xinlu.

“Then where is he?”

“I’ll find out soon. But he’s not here. He didn’t take him.”

That’s why he had remained here. To chase after Jeong Taeui, who had disappeared without a trace even to him.

“I’ll kill you, you bastard…!”

Ling Xinlu, intending to provoke Riegrow, took a step towards Yuri, his explosive rage fully exposed. But before he could, Riegrow turned his gaze to him.

“Fine. Anyway, it works out perfectly. I didn’t like this little brat anyway. It’s better to clean him up now.”

“I’d prefer you didn’t,” Yuri said with a troubled expression. Riegrow frowned slightly, staring at Yuri with a bleak look.

“James contacted me. He said we need to minimize trouble with the Ling family no matter what. So I have to protect him even if it means throwing myself in the way, and you’d have to hurt me before you hurt him. But if I get hurt, who will find Jeong Taeui? Is there anyone who can find him better than me?”

“Are you threatening me?”

“I’m merely presenting a realistic argument.”

Riegrow stared at Yuri in silence for a moment. He, too, must have been weighing the situation in his mind, but his narrow eyes seemed to freeze Yuri’s heart. It felt like he might sweep Yuri away if things went wrong.

Finally, he let out a light breath.

“Alright. This guy doesn’t matter anyway.”

Yuri secretly breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that Riegrow wasn’t entirely dismissing his suggestion. But it was only for a moment. His words continued.

“But seriously, you were with Tae-ui until last night, yet you couldn’t even properly watch where he disappeared to. What good are those useless eyes? Don’t you agree?”

His words fell simultaneously.

The hand that seemed to be retracting stretched forward again. Ling Xinlu, aiming for the opening revealed in that instant, pointed his gun at him. The gloved fingers extending and the finger on the trigger moving—it was almost simultaneous.

With exquisite timing, leaving no room to dodge, the gun spat fire. Riegrow frowned slightly, seeming to flinch his hand back a little.

However, both were just a fraction too late to inflict a fatal blow on the other.

“……!”

The bullet grazed Riegrow’s left chest, a few centimeters to the side, tearing through his clothes and deeply scratching his skin.

Blood glistened and flowed between Ling Xinlu’s fingers, which were clutching one eye, and a short gasp escaped him.

There was almost no sound other than the gunshot, but it felt as if a scream had erupted. Yuri thought this as he watched Ling Xinlu bite his slightly parted lips, swallowing his scream.

“Ling—?!”

Yuri, inadvertently about to call his name, closed his mouth and stepped towards him.

Riegrow, whose side of the chest was deeply gouged and his clothes instantly soaked with blood because he couldn’t time his dodge, frowned slightly. Then he ruthlessly kicked Ling Xinlu in the side. Despite the kick being so forceful it might have broken bones, Ling Xinlu, still clutching one eye, firmly wrapped one arm around Riegrow’s leg. He twisted his body as if to break it.

It was as if only pure malice remained, and he couldn’t bear it unless he somehow destroyed this man, even if it meant shattering his own body.

And just before Ling Xinlu twisted his body to break Riegrow’s knee, Yuri stepped between them. He punched Ling Xinlu’s forearm, causing the arm that was holding Riegrow’s leg to inadvertently release it.

“Gable! You son of a bitch from the Riegrow family! Don’t interfere!”

One of Ling Xinlu’s eyes, glaring at Yuri and spewing curses, glistened even more chillingly than the other blood-soaked eye. He looked like a ghost, not a human.

Without a word, Yuri kicked Ling Xinlu’s ankle, which was already twisted in an abnormal direction. A short scream burst from his lips, and his body, losing balance, collapsed to the ground. Supporting Ling Xinlu with one arm, Yuri placed his body between him and Riegrow.

Ling Xinlu’s pale face was drenched in cold sweat. Yet, with eyes that hadn’t lost their light, he stared at Yuri.

“Let go, get out of the way. Don’t interfere. I’ll kill you…!”

“Can’t you even tell your own condition? Stay still if you don’t want to be more humiliated in front of him.”

Yuri’s short scolding words were in Ling Xinlu’s native language, which Riegrow wouldn’t understand. A flicker of surprise crossed Ling Xinlu’s eyes. Whether it was because it was Chinese, or because of the content of the words, he said no more. Only muttering to himself, “It hurts, damn it, it hurts,” as his gaze gradually blurred.

“James must have given you very strict warnings, then? To protect that guy so devotedly.”

Riegrow scoffed from behind Yuri, but he didn’t seem inclined to take further action. Yuri, supporting Ling Xinlu on one shoulder, frowned and looked back at Riegrow.

“James will cry.”

“That man wouldn’t cry over something like this. I don’t care. Find Tae-ui, Gable. I’m not going to wait long.”

“You won’t have to wait long.”

Just then, the sound of sirens grew closer in the distance, someone having called them. It was the sound of an ambulance approaching.

Yuri looked at Ling Xinlu, who was biting his lips, drenched in cold sweat, forcing a sliver of consciousness to cling on amidst the excruciating pain. He carefully removed the hand covering Ling Xinlu’s eye and examined it, speechless for a moment. Ling Xinlu seemed to feel Yuri’s hand tremble slightly as it gently held him, and he tightened his grip a little.

Finally, when the siren stopped nearby, Yuri spoke heavily.

“But before that, I suppose we need to go to the airport with that ambulance.”