I Use Illusions to Control the Whole World - Chapter 14:

Chapter 14: The One Who Should Flee Is Su Mu

Burnt black all over, without a single hair or eyebrow left, Yang Dongqing finally reached the fourth floor. This man—who had remained expressionless even when facing dozens of enemies, blade attacks, bullets, and fire—finally showed a change in his face.

Because, at the end of the fourth floor, he saw a familiar figure.

“Jasmine!!” Yang Dongqing shouted with joy. He was standing right at the entrance of the fourth floor. Once he stepped in, it was a vast and empty hall, and Nan Mo stood at the far exit, separated from him by the wide space.

“Jasmine, thank goodness! Are you hurt?” Yang Dongqing exclaimed excitedly and was about to rush toward Nan Mo. But her face suddenly changed.

“Don’t come any closer!”

Yang Dongqing froze. “What’s wrong, Jasmine? Don’t worry, I’m—”

“Don’t come any closer! Go back quickly! There’s poison gas in here!” Nan Mo’s face turned bright red as she shouted with all her strength across the hall.

Poison gas?

Yang Dongqing’s expression shifted slightly, and he stopped. The joy of seeing Jasmine slowly faded. Once the excitement settled, he quickly realized something wasn’t right.

Why was Jasmine here alone? Wasn’t she supposed to have been kidnapped? And she didn’t seem injured at all.

“Jasmine, what’s going on?”

“Yang Dongqing… I’m sorry, I lied to you. Don’t come in here. It’s a trap.” As she spoke, Nan Mo’s voice choked, and her beautiful face was filled with guilt.

“You lied to me?” Yang Dongqing’s face turned grim. He wasn’t stupid—he could already sense something was wrong.

“I’m sorry. Su Mu forced me.”

“Su Mu?!” Yang Dongqing’s eyes narrowed. “You mean… Su Mu from school?”

“Yes, him. He’s the Chief of the Viper Gang. He used my brother to threaten me and made me act in a play to lure you here. His goal is your Transcendent power. I had no choice but to agree. But after getting to know you… I realized you’re a good person.

I don’t want you to die. I’m sorry… wu wu…”

Tears streamed down like broken strings of pearls.

Yang Dongqing said nothing. He lowered his head, and shadows covered his face, making it impossible to see his expression.

The next second—thud!

His heavy footsteps echoed through the fourth floor.

Nan Mo panicked. “No! Don’t come over, please, I’m begging you!”

Yang Dongqing ignored her and walked into the hall with a steady stride.

Bang!

As soon as he entered, the iron gate behind him slammed shut and locked tightly—along with the one at the exit where Nan Mo stood.

Cold, merciless iron separated the fiery emotions of a man and a woman.

Nan Mo was frantic, pounding the iron door with all her strength. “Yang Dongqing! Yang Dongqing!”

Zzzzzz…

A pale purple gas began seeping into the sealed hall, gradually engulfing Yang Dongqing’s figure.

Yet, surrounded by poison gas, Yang Dongqing showed no sign of panic. On the contrary, he even smirked. He looked up at a surveillance camera in the corner and sneered.

“You know nothing about Transcendents,” he mouthed silently.

Then he held his breath and shot forward like a blur, dashing toward the iron gate at the exit of the fourth floor.

“Jasmine, step back!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

He slammed his body into the iron door over and over. The sound of steel colliding with steel rang out loud and fierce.

That seemingly indestructible iron gate began to deform visibly under his blows, denting and collapsing—until finally…

Boom!

The entire iron door burst open.

His fierce figure leaped out of the purple mist. Jasmine, who had been hiding nearby, stared in stunned silence.

“Yang Dongqing, you…”

Before she could finish, she found herself crashing into a solid chest. Her feet left the ground as Yang Dongqing carried her away.

Behind them, the purple mist spread like wildfire.

Yang Dongqing carried Nan Mo and ran straight to the fifth floor. Only when he confirmed the gas hadn’t reached them did he stop.

He still didn’t let go. Instead, he looked down at the tearful woman in his arms.

Two pairs of equally fiery eyes locked together.

“You scared me… why did you do that? Do you know how dangerous that was?” Nan Mo sobbed.

The icy expression on Yang Dongqing’s face melted into gentle warmth. In a soft voice, he said to the crying girl in his arms, “Silly… because you were there.”

Nan Mo’s eyes widened. The softest part of her heart felt struck by something powerful, and her body trembled.

More tears streamed down her face. “But… I lied to you. It’s all my fault…”

Yang Dongqing’s eyes showed a flicker of pity as he gently interrupted, “I don’t blame you. In fact, I should thank Su Mu. Because of him… I got to meet you.”

Nan Mo stared blankly at him, and in that moment, all the emotions she’d been holding back surged up. She acted on her deepest instinct—her pale arms wrapped around Yang Dongqing’s neck, and she leaned forward, pressing her lips to his.

Time seemed to freeze.

Even in the depths of a den of vipers, nothing could stop the most sincere and fiery emotions.

And of course, the Viper Gang members—being sensible villains—did not interrupt the scene.

“This is love,” Su Mu said with a smiling sigh in the surveillance room. Through the screen, he had watched the entire thing unfold like a perfectly written drama.

“Chief, you really are amazing! Everything happened just like you said: the change of heart, the death-defying escape, the warning about the trap, the heartfelt apology, the emotional kiss, and even the pearl-drop tears for the finishing touch.”

Zhao Chaoyao praised him enthusiastically. But a moment later, he grew worried. “But, Chief… shouldn’t we run now? He’s already made it through the fourth trial…”

Su Mu smiled mysteriously. “You’re wrong. He didn’t pass the trial—he fell for it.”

Zhao Chaoyao was confused. He looked at the couple kissing on the monitor. Everything looked like a happy ending—how did he fall for anything?

“Get ready. It’s time we go meet the male lead of our little show.”

…

…

The two finally separated after a minute-long kiss.

“Salty,” Yang Dongqing muttered, savoring the taste of his first kiss.

“You’re so annoying! That was from my tears!” Nan Mo bashfully smacked his chest. “And I haven’t even teased you yet! You smell like burnt charcoal!”

At that, she suddenly remembered something and quickly checked him over. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

“Just some surface wounds.”

“Then let’s run. Now!”

Yang Dongqing sneered. “The one who should be running… is Su Mu.”

Nan Mo’s face changed. “You still want to go forward?”

“Of course. Su Mu dared to use you—I’ll make them understand what it means to anger a Transcendent!”

“But…”

“Jasmine, don’t worry. As long as I’m here, I’ll protect you!” Yang Dongqing said firmly.

Still, Nan Mo remained uneasy. In her mind, the image of that man kept surfacing—the calm madness in his eyes, his ever-confident demeanor.

And that was exactly what terrified her.