Chapter 274 Future Problems

Steam clung thick to the mirror as Liam stepped out of the shower, water still dripping from his shoulders. A towel was loosely wrapped around his waist, clinging to his hips. He moved closer to the sink, his bare feet making light wet sounds against the tiled floor. He raised a hand and wiped the fog from the mirror. Slowly, his reflection appeared—clear and sharp.

His face looked the same, but something in his eyes had changed.

His dark hair had grown longer, strands falling slightly over his forehead, nearly brushing against his lashes. He narrowed his eyes at the mirror. There was a dullness in them he hadn’t noticed before.

"Maybe Lilith was right..." he muttered under his breath.

He leaned slightly closer, resting one hand on the sink. "Maybe I haven’t done anything."

His voice was quiet. Almost like he didn’t want to admit it even to himself.

When he joined the Black Lotus, they were a rising force—organized, feared. Back then, the Crimson Hand was still a threat, but not untouchable. They’d fought them in the streets, in the shadows, toe-to-toe.

But now?

Lilith had just let dozens of her men go. Out of hundreds, only a few remained. Just the idea of taking on the Crimson Hand was enough to break morale.

He stared at his reflection again. His body was stronger than ever. His powers were growing. But the people around him were falling apart.

What the hell am I even doing?

The quiet was broken by a soft squeak.

He turned his head toward the door as it slowly creaked open.

Lana entered, her eyes tightly shut, one hand stretched slightly in front of her, and in the other, a folded bundle of clothes. Her cheeks were flushed bright red.

"I’m not looking!" she said quickly. "Vanessa told me to bring these. Said they used to belong to her brother. Should fit you."

She stopped about two steps into the bathroom, her nose wrinkling slightly from the steam. She held out the clothes blindly.

Liam raised an eyebrow, amused.

"I’m not naked," he said casually.

Lana peeked one eye open, cautiously.

Seeing the towel still wrapped around his waist, she opened the second eye fully but quickly looked away when she realized how close he was. His torso, still wet from the shower, was completely exposed—muscles defined, his skin glistening slightly under the bathroom light.

She forced herself to keep her gaze up, locked on his face.

But even that didn’t help. His eyes were dark and intense, and even though he wasn’t trying to, something about the way he looked at her made her heart pound harder.

"Thanks," Liam said, taking the folded clothes from her hands.

He turned slightly and pulled the black trousers on first, letting the towel drop as he adjusted the waistband. Lana clenched her jaw and turned away slightly, but her eyes betrayed her, glancing back at him for a split second before she forced herself to look up again.

Liam reached over and hung the towel neatly on the hanger by the wall.

He didn’t seem bothered by her presence. In fact, there was something relaxed, even comfortable about the way he moved. Like he didn’t feel the need to hide anything from her.

She, on the other hand, felt like she was going to melt.

"I can... I can go if you want," Lana stammered, still trying not to look down.

Liam shook his head with a soft smile. "Nah. You’re already here."

He pulled on the black shirt next. It fit snug across his shoulders and chest, and as he adjusted the sleeves, he looked at her.

Liam stood in front of her now, his body fully dressed, his hair slightly messy from the towel. He stared at her for a moment longer, then reached up, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Lana’s breath caught as his hand gently touched her cheek.

He leaned forward.

And without another word, he kissed her.

Lana stood still after the kiss, her hands clasped behind her like a shy schoolgirl. Her lips were slightly parted, and her eyes blinked rapidly as she tried to make sense of what just happened. The warmth from Liam’s lips lingered on hers, and her cheeks were glowing red.

She gasped quietly, realizing she hadn’t even been breathing properly. Liam noticed immediately. He tilted his head and chuckled, "What is wrong with you?"

Still flustered, she didn’t answer. Her hands kept fidgeting behind her back, her thumbs twirling nervously. She looked like she wanted to disappear into the floor. Liam watched her reaction for a second longer before a small grin tugged at the corner of his lips. For the first time since leaving Lilith’s warehouse, his mood had actually improved.

"Let’s go see what Vanessa’s up to," he said, gently placing his hand on her back to guide her forward.

They walked toward the sitting room where Vanessa was stationed, She didn’t look up at first. She was busy, eyes locked onto her main screen. But the moment she saw them step in together, she waved them over.

"You two," she said sharply. "Come look at this."

Liam approached her workstation and immediately noticed something strange. The monitors that usually displayed the live feed from the hidden surveillance cameras around the house were static, frozen on one image. A closer look showed that each of the three camera feeds had tape stuck over the lenses.

"You taped the cameras?" Liam asked, frowning. "Why not just run a loop playback?"

Vanessa waved her hand like it wasn’t a big deal. "I already did. The loop’s running. The tape’s just a precaution. This way, even if the feed glitches, no one sees anything. Backup over backup. You know how paranoid I am."

Liam nodded slowly, understanding. Lana stood next to him, still calming down from earlier, and glanced between Vanessa’s setup and the frozen screens.

"So," Liam asked, "what exactly are we looking at?"

Vanessa didn’t answer right away. Instead, she pushed her chair back slightly, turned to face them, and folded her arms.

"The Crimson Hand," she said slowly, "they’re trying to create Exogens."

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I figured that out already. They’ve been doing it for a while. Those guys at the warehouse, they were juiced up with something—some temporary enhancer."

Vanessa nodded. "Yes, but there’s more to it. I’ve been analyzing that small bottle you gave me." She turned back to the screen and pressed a few buttons. A digital scan of the vial popped up—dissected, analyzed, broken down into compounds.

She pointed at the screen. "This is the liquid they drank. It’s not just a booster. It’s a reactive serum. It doesn’t give them power—it activates it."

"Activates it?" Lana asked.

"Yes. All those men already had dormant abilities. Weak ones, maybe. Nothing special. But this serum pulls the power out of them violently and amplifies it—temporarily."

Liam leaned in closer, frowning. "So it doesn’t create power. It just unlocks what’s already there."

"Exactly," Vanessa said. "But here’s the problem. That kind of forced activation burns through their bodies. Their systems can’t handle it."

She tapped the keyboard again, pulling up a biometric chart. "Look at this, it’s from a simulation I just ran. Blood toxicity, heart rate, neural activity. It’s like their organs are on fire from the inside. The power doesn’t come without a price."

Liam’s expression grew more serious. "So they’re basically sacrificing themselves to get a few minutes of power?"

Vanessa nodded grimly. "It’s like burning a matchstick from both ends. They shine brightly—for a short while—but then they die fast. Or worse, they break down slowly."

She turned to him. "When you were fighting them, did you notice anything strange? Anything off?"

Liam thought about it. "No," he said finally. "Nothing obvious. They fought aggressively, but nothing too abnormal. I mean, one had thick skin, another had fire, another shot crystal spikes. They weren’t gods or anything."

Vanessa sighed. "Because the early stages are clean. But if they take the serum too often, or if their bodies can’t handle it—well... it gets ugly."

He turned back toward Vanessa and asked, "When you said things could get ugly... what exactly did you mean?"

Vanessa glanced at the screen again, then leaned back in her chair with a sigh. "The more they take the serum, the worse it gets. I mean emotionally, mentally. Their aggression spikes, their logic fades, and they become more animal than human."

Liam’s brows furrowed. "So it’s not just physical damage?"

"No," Vanessa said. "It’s neurological too. Some of them—after the third or fourth dose—will start lashing out at anything that moves. They won’t tell friend from foe. They will lose all sense of self-control."

Liam clenched his jaw. "Whoever is making this stuff... they must know about the side effects. Even Boss. There’s no way they’re unaware."

Vanessa nodded grimly. "They know."

Liam’s voice dropped lower. "And they don’t care that they’re burning through their own men just for some short-term gain."

Vanessa gave him a look. "You think the Crimson Hand cares about people?"

That silence was thick—until Lana suddenly spoke.

"If everyone in the Crimson Hand keeps taking the serum... and they all eventually lose their minds," she said, looking between the two of them, "then what would happen?"

Vanessa turned to her slowly, her expression tense. "Imagine a group of powered freaks, all unstable, all supercharged, running wild through the city with no control, no order... nothing to stop them."

Lana blinked slowly, tapping her cheek as the horror sank in. She imagined the city burning, screaming people, buildings exploding, children running for cover as enhanced maniacs tore through streets.

"That’s horrible," she whispered.

Vanessa nodded. "Yeah. It is."

The room fell into a thick silence again. The kind that comes when you realize the war ahead might be far worse than you imagined.