213: 5.23 President Merrick

5.23 President Merrick

The opportunity Lu Yizhou had been waiting for finally presented itself two days later. Deep into the night when the hubbub in the hospital had calmed down and almost everyone had retreated to their respective rooms, Lu Yizhou opened his eyes to the sight of Terra who was sleeping soundly in his embrace. [What time is it?]2

[666: It's 2:15 am, Host. The President is currently on his way to his private residence after an official collaboration overseas. He's riding in a bulletproof car right now and the number of guards he has with him is eight. He also had another dozen guards, CCTVs and laser detectors in his house. Estimation of the time he will arrive is twenty minutes. If you leave now, you will get there in time before his arrival.]

Lu Yizhou slowly let out a breath. [Alright.] He took five long minutes to carefully peel Terra's limbs from his and made his way to the bathroom to change out of his comfy sweater, slid on his gloves and prepared everything he might need. Seven minutes. He came out to wear his boots, trying not to make any sound but then all of a sudden, he felt a prickle on his neck. Lu Yizhou turned and promptly came face to face with Terra's eyes that glowed amber amidst the dark. He let out a sigh. "Terra, I'm sorry. Have I woken you up?" 

He crossed the room to sit on the edge of the bed, tucking the wayward strand of hair behind Terra's ears. "Go back to sleep, okay?"

The guide's eyes were still bleary with drowsiness as he reached out to hold onto Lu Yizhou's sleeve tightly. Confusion apparent in his features. He looked like a soft, sleepy kitten. How adorable. Lu Yizhou's heart melted as he leaned down to press a kiss on his forehead. "Go back to sleep. I have something important to do." Terra tilted his head in question and Lu Yizhou chuckled, shaking his head. "No, you can't go with me."

Terra glared and turned his head away with a harrumph, his hold on Lu Yizhou tightening. Lu Yizhou loved him so much. He ignored 666's flustered countdown of how he had to hurry or else he wouldn't make it in time. Well, he just had to make sure that everything went smoothly. "It's dangerous, you will get hurt."

Terra looked even more offended at that. Who do you think I am? His eyes seemed to protest. Yes, Lu Yizhou knew that Terra had been living in the wild for years and he knew that Terra was stronger than any average sentinels. Still, just the mere idea of Terra getting hurt — even more because of him — was enough to make Lu Yizhou see red. 

He pinched Terra's chin and before the guide could react, leaned down to capture his lips in a languid kiss. Despite his sulky behavior, Terra went lax almost immediately and his lips parted to welcome Lu Yizhou in. His scent was stronger here, hotter with a hint of musk and spice that made Lu Yizhou want to keep kissing him forever. It took all of his willpower to remain behind the innocent line when all Lu Yizhou wanted was to teach him of all the pleasure and ecstasy there was in the world. No, he wouldn't, not until Terra was ready to take the next step.

He let out a chuckle when he broke the kiss only for Terra to chase after him, eager. "No." He murmured against the corner of his lips. "Wait until I return and then we will kiss again. How about it?"

Terra scowled as if Lu Yizhou had proposed something offensive. Seriously, how could someone be allowed to look so adorable?

[666: Host, 666 is not kidding! If you waste a minute more, you will not be able to sneak into the President's house unnoticed!]

Right, the President. The king of parasites. Lu Yizhou sighed heavily and pulled out his phone. "Here." He showed Terra how to open a live stream app. Even though it was in the middle of the night, Lu Yizhou didn't doubt that youngsters — especially those who made a living through the internet — were still awake. He especially chose a time like this and relied on them to make the news blow up tomorrow. "Wait for ten more minutes. There will be a live stream notification pinned to the top. You may watch it if you want."

Terra took the phone clumsily, confused.

"I really have to go, sweetheart." Unable to resist, Lu Yizhou kissed him one more time until the guide was all flushed and panting. "Don't worry. I will come back soon." Then before Terra had the chance to protest, he decisively stood up and left the room in three large strides to the direction of Doctor Wyatt's office, his eyes blazing with the promise of a home to return to.

***

"Good job, everyone." President Merrick nodded toward his bodyguards who had been working alongside him all the time. "Go home and have a nice rest."

They saluted in unison then left the room one by one. When the door closed behind him and Merrick was left in the company of himself and his elegant office, only then could he shake off the solemn and wise persona he always maintained all day long and tugged on his hair in frustration. He bit his lips to muffle the scream because there were still security guards stationed in the basement. No matter how quiet the King was, some of them were still sentinels with hearing-sense. He couldn't risk making a mess. Not when he had spent too much time taking over Merrick's body. 

But it was getting harder and harder to stay in this body! The King hastily went to the bathroom in the office and looked at himself in the mirror. Merrick — the real President — was a two-senses rank C sentinel who, after the king of parasites latched onto him, had risen to rank A a few years ago. He was currently 45 years old, yet judging from the streak of white in his hair and his sagging skin, he looked like a seventy years old grandpa instead! 

Irritated, the King scratched his forearm only to come up with a glob of dying skin substance under his nails. His skin was so dry and brittle that the slightest scratch was enough to make him bleed. He looked down at the multiple scratch marks hidden under his clothes, old and new crisscrossing with each other, and in place where crimson blood should have been was greenish substances that could very well expose his identity in a beat. His cheeks twitched in anger as he rinsed the wound under the water. He had to find a new body. Merrick was useless; the King could only suck all of the nutrients in his body for one more year at most. After that, Merrick would wither and die. 

He looked straight into the mirror and saw his own eyes flashing green. 

There was a new, unique body, the King had received the news from another parasite. It's a guide; healthy, young, with a stable and strong mental prowess. The King had gotten bored with the sentinel's volatile mentality. It just wasn't worth their strong and capable physique when the King had to use its own power to restrict their senses so that they wouldn't go crazy. 

Hmm, a guide. The King hadn't tried it before but who knows? It might be an even better vessel than Merrick. He told the parasite. [Bring the guide to me tomorrow.] 

A confirmation was received in the next second and reflected on the mirror, Merrick's lips stretched into a wide and bizarre smirk. It was as if his skin could no longer withhold the small movement and the corner of Merrick's lips dropped off by itself, even as his eyes were still filled with deep elation. Fortunately, nobody was present to look at the President's expression otherwise they would be scared to tears.

BANG!

The King flinched so hard that he almost jumped out of his skin. He cursed under his breath and licked the blood off his lips that he had accidentally bitten. What was that sound? He huffed irritably. The servant couldn't have forgotten to close the window, could they? He came out fuming and true to his doubt, the window was wide open, allowing the chilly wind to holler in and causing the curtain to flutter wildly. Soft breeze caressed his skin and he shivered. Goosebumps flared along his arms and his teeth almost chattered at the sudden drop in temperature.

Wait a minute, he blinked. When he entered the office earlier, he didn't see the windows open. Furrows appeared between his brows as he tried to recall the event from a few minutes ago. He had been so impatient to shake the company off that he didn't pay much attention to his surroundings. The King shrugged. It might be him who hadn't noticed it. He went to pull the window shut and through the glass pane, he saw the reflection of himself…

…as well as someone else standing behind him.

"...!!!"

He opened his mouth to scream yet before he could do so, a hard blow landed on the back of his neck and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Damn this weak body, was the last thought in the King's mind when his body crashed to the ground, unconscious.

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