Having the genes of a demon king, I never intended to be a kept man.

Bao Bingqing rushed to Ququ's bedside, looking at the pale-faced Ququ with heartache in his eyes. He then looked at Yege with a serious expression: "What happened?"

"Huh?" Ye Ge looked up and met his gaze. "Oh, it has nothing to do with me. I was just passing by."

Bao Bingqing: "..."

An elderly man with white hair and a face full of deep wrinkles walked over. He was one of the few healing-type superhumans in Dark City.

The old man sighed, "Miss Ququ's health has been gradually weakening over the years; I'm afraid she won't last much longer..."

Bao Bingqing glanced at him: "You said last time that she could hold on for another year."

Old man: "Well... that's just the best-case scenario..."

"..."

Bao Bingqing didn't say anything more, and after a moment of silence, said, "Go and call Liang Kuan over."

Old man: Yes.

Only Ye Ge and Bao Bingqing remained in the room.

Ye Ge sat on the chair by the bed, drinking tea from his own thermos: "With the vampires facing a formidable enemy, and your daughter's condition worsening at this critical juncture, it seems your luck isn't so good."

“I’ve always had bad luck.” Bao Bingqing sat on the edge of the bed and helped his daughter pull up the blanket. “But I will keep her alive.”

"She was severely contaminated by demonic energy, which has penetrated deep into her heart. It's a miracle that she's still alive."

"...You already knew?"

Ye Ge smiled and said, "After all, I am a demonized human."

"Well......"

On the hospital bed, Ququ's eyes were closed, her delicate brows were slightly furrowed, and her small cherry lips were slightly parted as if she were murmuring something.

"Ququ." Upon seeing this, Bao Bingqing immediately bent down, his voice very gentle: "Daddy's here, what are you saying?"

Ququ murmured in her sleep: "Night, night song..."

Bao Bingqing: "???"

Night Song: "..."

"What's going on?" Bao Bingqing looked up and scrutinized Ye Ge with a strange gaze: "Why did she call your name? When did you have any contact with her?"

“Uh…” Ye Ge coughed twice: “Just two nights ago, I saw her sitting alone in the garden, so I went over and chatted with her for a bit.”

"You just chatted for a few minutes?" Bao Bingqing frowned even more. "Why would she call your name in her sleep after you just chatted for a few minutes? What did you say to her?"

Bao Bingqing felt he knew his daughter very well.

Although Ququ appears quiet and reserved, she is actually a girl with a lot of guarded feelings.

In the Dark City, Ququ had no friends her own age.

It wasn't because Bao Bingqing restricted her; on the contrary, Bao Bingqing often brought her children of the same age. But Ququ only treated these children with quiet and dignified politeness, seemingly not interested in them as playmates, as if she thought they were too childish.

And this Night Song has only been here for a few days...

How did they become acquainted?

"Oh, it was just a few words of encouragement."

Ye Ge said, "Maybe it's because I have a more approachable appearance."

Bao Bingqing: "..."

“And none of that matters now,” Ye Ge said slowly. “She will die in a few days.”

“She won’t die!” Bao Bingqing emphasized.

"Everyone dies eventually. You've survived for so long in the desolate lands beyond the Great Wall. As the leader of Dark City and the boss behind Dark Blood, you should be well aware of the harm that demonic energy pollution can cause to the human body."

"I said she can't, and that's final!"

"You speak with such certainty," Night Song said leisurely, "is it because of the Blood of Darkness?"

Baobingqing paused for a moment.

"If I'm not mistaken, your research on Dark Blood, your efforts to sell it to the mainland, and your desire to obtain more experimental data on different people—ultimately, your goal should be to save your daughter, right?"

Night Song said, "You want to develop a dark blood that can completely transform your daughter's body, allowing her genes to evolve so that she can adapt to the mutated demonic cells within her, right?"

"..." Bao Bingqing narrowed his eyes: "How do you know about my daughter's health condition?"

"Just guessing." Ye Ge casually tossed a dried fruit into his mouth. "I could tell at a glance that your daughter was deeply corrupted by demonic energy. Her heart was even corrupted, yet she's still alive. This shows that your daughter has a special constitution. She must possess extraordinary talent, which caused the demonic cells in her body to mutate completely. That's why you were able to prolong her life for so long with the blood of darkness."

“…” Bao Bingqing remained silent.

“However, given the current situation, I don’t think Ququ will live to see your research results.” Yege glanced at the weak and pale girl on the bed: “Her condition has worsened, and I’m afraid she will completely mutate into a true dark creature before you finish your research.”

"Moreover, because you gave her so much dark blood, the cells in her body have evolved and mutated countless times."

"If she really did turn into a dark creature..."

Ye Ge glanced at Bao Bingqing: "I'm afraid he'll become a terrifying monster that no one can stop in the wilderness."

"......"

Bao Bingqing's expression was complicated, and he remained silent for a long time.

Although Ye Ge's words are a bit hard to hear.

But he knew very well that all of this was true...

He himself is a genetic scientist and knows his daughter's physical condition better than anyone.

The last medical check-up report for my daughter showed that her genetic cells had undergone multiple levels of terrifying mutations.

While the dark blood sustained Ququ's life, it also conceived a terrifying monster within her.

“Even so,” Bao Bingqing seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, “I will not give up…” Although he said that, his tone suggested a lack of confidence and assurance.

"Oh, actually you don't need to be so downcast." Ye Ge picked up her thermos and took a sip of hot tea. "Because I can save her."

"Um???"

Upon hearing this, Bao Bingqing suddenly looked up, staring at Ye Ge with a mixture of disbelief and skepticism: "What did you say? You can save Ququ?"

"Yes."

"..."

Bao Bingqing looked at him with suspicion: "You've only been here for a few days and have never checked my daughter's condition. What makes you so sure you can save her?"

How do you know I didn't check?

"Have you checked it?"

A cold glint flashed in Bao Bingqing's eyes: "Didn't you say that you and Ququ just chatted casually for a while? When did you have the examination? And how was it conducted?"

Night Song: "..."