Chapter 89: hatred
Dennis watched Leo struggle to suppress his screams. A sinister smile crept across his face.
"Ah..."
"You know..."
"Ever since you arrived..."
"You’ve completely ruined my schedule."
He closed the distance between them, stopping right beside the boy. Leaning close to Leo’s ear, he whispered, "Do you know what I look forward to the most every single day now?"
Leo remained silent.
Dennis chuckled. "It’s when you finally arrive here..."
"So I can play with you."
Without another word—
CRACK!
The thorned whip lashed across Leo’s back. His body convulsed, sending fresh drops of blood into the air.
Dennis struck again.
CRACK!
Again.
CRACK!
Again.
CRACK!
Leo bit through his lower lip. A red stream dripped from the corner of his mouth as he fought to hold back his cries.
Dennis lowered the whip. A trace of annoyance crossed his face.
"...How boring." He sighed. "I admit it."
"You’re the first person who’s managed to leave me feeling helpless."
A grin returned to his features. "But..."
"I’ve decided to try something new."
"After all..."
"You’ve become my favorite toy."
Moments later, a heart-wrenching scream echoed throughout the underground chamber.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"
Dennis closed his eyes. A look of pure satisfaction washed over him.
"...Ah."
"So this..."
"...is what your screams sound like."
"I had almost forgotten."
Inside the observation room, tears welled in Lia’s eyes. It was as though a dam had burst.
"No..."
"Big Brother..."
She rushed forward, collapsing onto her knees to grab the instructor’s legs.
"Please..."
"I beg you..."
"Please save Big Brother..."
"Punish me instead..."
"I’ll do anything..."
"Please..."
"Please let him go..."
The instructor looked down at the sobbing little girl without the slightest trace of pity. He allowed her to cry for several moments before speaking.
"Tell me."
"Who do you think is responsible for him ending up like this?"
Lia raised her head. Her wet eyes were full of confusion.
The instructor crouched down to meet her gaze. "It’s you."
Lia froze.
The instructor continued in an indifferent tone. "It’s because you’re too weak..."
"...that Leo has to carry your burden every single day."
"It’s because he insists on protecting you..."
"...that he fails his training."
"And every time he fails..."
"He ends up in that room."
The instructor pointed toward the glowing screen. "You see those wounds?"
"That blood?"
"Every lash..."
"Every scream..."
"It’s all because of you."
Lia’s eyes trembled. "N-No..."
"I..."
The instructor cut her off. "You depend on him for everything."
"While he destroys his own body just to keep you safe."
"So don’t blame us."
"We never forced him to carry your burden."
"He chose to."
"You are simply the reason he has to."
Each sentence struck Lia harder than any whip. Her shoulders shook as she bowed her head. Tears dripped onto the cold stone floor.
The instructor delivered the final blow. "Remember this well."
"From today onward..."
"Every time you disobey an order..."
"Every time you fail your training..."
"...Leo will suffer ten times more than he does today."
Lia stared blankly at the blood-soaked figure on the monitor. At that moment, a heavy seed of guilt took root deep within her heart.
Back in the cell, Dennis leaned in until his lips brushed Leo’s ear.
"You know..."
"I’ve recently come up with a new way to torment you."
"I’ve been thinking about it for quite some time."
A sinister smile spread across his face. "And I believe..."
"...this one will work one hundred percent."
He paused for a moment before asking, "Do you want to hear what it is?"
Leo remained silent.
This time, Dennis wasn’t bothered. He just chuckled and went on. "You’re enduring all of this..."
"...to protect that little girl, aren’t you?"
At the mention of Lia, Leo’s heart sank.
Dennis looked straight into his eyes. "Why don’t I bring her into this room..."
"...and let her have a taste of my whip?"
He shivered with excitement. "Ahhh..."
"I wonder how sweet her screams would sound."
He closed his eyes, savoring the thought. "I think..."
"...watching her suffer would be far more painful for you..."
"...than being whipped yourself."
The veins on Leo’s forehead bulged. He turned his bloodshot eyes toward Dennis, a terrifying hatred burning within them.
Through clenched teeth, he spoke one word at a time.
"I..."
"Will..."
"Kill you."
"If you touch..."
"...even a single hair on her head..."
"I’ll kill you."
Rather than getting angry, Dennis’s face lit up with delight.
"Ahh..."
"Yes..."
"Yes!"
"This..."
"This is exactly what I’ve been waiting for!"
He leaned close once more, his mouth hovering beside Leo’s ear.
"How about..."
"...I tell one of the guards to bring the little girl here..."
"...right now?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Leo snapped.
Without warning, he lunged forward and clamped his teeth over Dennis’s ear.
"AAAAAHHHHH!!"
A frantic scream tore through the chamber. Dennis tried to yank himself away, but Leo refused to let go. He poured every ounce of strength left in his battered body into his jaw, biting down with everything he had.
RIP!
A chunk of flesh tore clean off.
Dennis stumbled backward, clutching the side of his head. Blood poured through his fingers. He stared at his prisoner in complete disbelief.
Leo spat the torn piece of flesh onto the floor. He raised his head, glaring at Dennis with raw, deadly intent.
For a brief moment, the torture chamber fell completely silent.
Meanwhile, inside the monitoring room, the instructor flinched at the scream blasting from the speakers. He spun toward the monitor.
When he saw the scene unfolding in the chamber, his expression darkened. Dennis stood several meters away, clutching his ruined ear as blood dripped onto his clothes. Leo remained tied to the wooden pole, covered in his own blood, yet his murderous gaze never wavered from his torturer.
Realizing the situation had spiraled out of control, the instructor shouted, "Guard!"
The door pushed open a second later. "Yes, Instructor!"
The instructor spoke in a cold, urgent tone. "Take the girl back to her dormitory."
"Then notify the guards in the torture chamber."
"Restrain Dennis..."
"...before he kills the boy."