[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-villain-of-fate-the-tyrant-system":3,"chapter-villain-of-fate-the-tyrant-system-villain-of-fate-the-tyrant-system-chapter-168":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Villain of Fate: The Tyrant System",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},560656,810,"Chapter 168: Ashes After the Fire","villain-of-fate-the-tyrant-system-chapter-168",168,"\u003Cp>Ashes After the Fire\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Julian and Bianca left the corridor, walking beneath warm pools of golden light toward the elevator, Julian’s thoughts churned with quiet amusement, a dangerous sparkle flickering behind those gold eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(This is hilarious... the drug effect lasts three hours.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corner of his mouth twitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(Three hours... Even if you were starting a fire by rubbing sticks together, you’d have a flame by then.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nearly laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was something deeply satisfying about turning another man’s trap back on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(You wanted to mess with your dad? In your dreams.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze darkened with wicked amusement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(I do hope you enjoy your father’s—meaning my—gift to you. Once you’re exhausted... and then someone ambushes and kills you? Hah.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought almost made him laugh aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(Trying to scheme against me using my own playbook... amateur.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him, Bianca clung lightly to his arm, and she caught that shifting expression immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re smiling like a villain,\" she murmured, narrowing her red eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Julian gave a dry cough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m smiling like a philanthropist.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bianca stared at him for a beat—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—and then, hearing enough from his expression alone, her lips curved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dangerously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First exhaust them...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then strike?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her mind seized the logic instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A very good idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without changing expression, she lowered her gaze as if casually checking messages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her fingers moved across the phone screen in swift, practiced taps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A coded message shot toward the two Old Martial Arts bodyguards shadowing her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prepare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there is a chance to strike a drowning dog—do not hold back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Send.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cold gleam flashed through her eyes and disappeared before anyone else could have noticed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Julian noticed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course he noticed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned, suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you plotting now?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bianca leaned in, close enough that her breath ghosted against his ear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just helping karma work faster.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint shiver ran down Julian’s spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half from amusement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half because she was genuinely terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elevator doors slid open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stepped inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silver walls mirrored them standing side by side—co-conspirators reflected in steel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the lift descended softly, Bianca looked up and said in an almost lazy tone,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"President Thalia is nowhere to be found. Let’s go back and rest.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Julian answered easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His goal accomplished, his mood was absurdly good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was even a strange heroic satisfaction blooming in his chest—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>like a righteous man who had just defended morality through creative retaliation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bianca looked at him, half amused, half incredulous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re far too pleased with yourself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I saved society.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You sabotaged someone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"With elegance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A real laugh this time, bright and low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for one fleeting moment—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>amid schemes, ambushes, poison, betrayal—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>everything felt almost ridiculous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if the two of them were not walking deeper into danger...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but sharing a private joke the world was too slow to understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>------------\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the commotion above was far from over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the uproar was so loud, after three hours, the hotel couldn’t handle it anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half the hotel’s guests knew about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Complaints poured in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calls reached the front desk every few minutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some demanded refunds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some threatened bad reviews.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some asked if the building was haunted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One old woman reportedly told reception,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If that noise continues, I’m calling the police or a priest.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Helpless, the hotel had no choice but to send several security guards upstairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If this continues,\" one manager muttered wiping sweat, \"we won’t have a business left to run.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And by the time security reached the floor... things had become even worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several internet celebrity streamers had arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Phones up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lights on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whispered commentary flowing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"These days you need hot topics,\" one muttered while filming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And brother... this is nuclear.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Short clips had already gone online.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Views exploded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tags multiplied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luxury Hotel Passion Mystery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Presidential Suite Scandal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Somebody even started livestreaming outside the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Excuse us, please.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several guards pushed through the streamers and hurried over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They began knocking hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hello, guests, could you please come out?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang. Bang. Bang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first the sounds within continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then gradually subsided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in the heavy silence after chaos... someone inside breathed like a dying beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally regaining his senses, Lucas’s face was ashen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His blue eyes looked hollow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man who had glimpsed the abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he looked ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the mountain of flesh before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And vomited on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His stomach twisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His soul nearly followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thalia stirred lazily nearby, dazed and satisfied, but Lucas looked as though heaven had betrayed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once, during a mission, he had hidden in a cesspool three minutes to avoid detection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had survived filth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse—he had even choked on some.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And endured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet compared to this...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was cesspool disgust?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just mud,\" he muttered hoarsely, trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just filth already in the body...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How dirty could that be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be dirtier than this sow?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face convulsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another wave of nausea hit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He bent over retching again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the cruelest part—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>after three hours he had no idea how many times he had... exercised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body had not even fully recovered from Julian’s punch days earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he was depleted again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bones aching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nerves trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi disordered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Silver Realm circulation felt unstable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He almost wanted to cry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang bang bang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Guests, could you please open the door?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression turned savage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who drugged him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze shot toward the wine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then realization struck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His subordinates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone had turned his own trap against him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in his mind one black-haired bastard with golden eyes appeared smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Julian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...You!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His teeth nearly cracked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thalia, still dazed, reached toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lucas, what’s wrong? That was—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t touch me!\" he roared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the guards knocked harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sir? Madam? Please respond.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Streamers were whispering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire hallway held its breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas looked around wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he opened the door now—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>everyone would know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His reputation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His dignity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Humiliation hotter than murder burned his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And deeper than anger... fear stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because if Julian could do this once...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>what else could he do?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hands clenched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice became ice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Julian D’Aurelius...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He whispered it like a curse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then another knock shook the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Guests, could you please open the door?\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1041,"2026-05-30T15:14:55.253Z","2026-06-01T04:31:33.482Z",1,"novelbin.me","1d5904cb7a061e06ab92f35dc8118fce26cdf164e184f1840d65f0f44bb4ba31","villain-of-fate-the-tyrant-system-chapter-169","villain-of-fate-the-tyrant-system-chapter-167",232,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fvillain-of-fate-the-tyrant-system-cover.jpg"]