47: Chapter 47 Forcibly Transforming Vermouth

The air in the lounge seemed to still hold the faint, intoxicating scent of sleeping pills, but it was completely torn apart by a sudden sense of oppression.

Lin Long reached out, a cryptic smile on his face, and offered his hand to Vermouth: "Happy to be working together?"

Vermouth looked at that well-defined hand, a flash of hesitation crossing her blue eyes, but in the end, she slowly reached out and placed her hand on his: "Happy to be work..."

Before she could finish the word, Lin Long suddenly exerted force, grabbing her wrist tightly.

Caught off guard, Vermouth stumbled, nearly colliding with his chest.

Startled, she tried to pull away, but noticed thick black gas suddenly emerging from Lin Long's left hand—the gas was as viscous as ink, carrying a chill that seemed capable of swallowing all light, winding around his fingertips in wisps and emitting a heart-stopping vibration.

"Lin Long! What are you doing?!"

Vermouth's face turned deathly pale. Instinctively sensing danger, she tried desperately to pull her hand back, but Lin Long's grip was astonishingly strong; her wrist ached, and she couldn't move it an inch.

"Nothing."

Lin Long's voice was cold as ice, and dark glints, the same source as the black gas, surged in his red eyes. "Since we are to cooperate, I must give you some 'sincerity', don't you think?"

Before the words had even faded, the black gas on his left hand suddenly surged!

"Hum—"

The black gas gushed out crazily like a living creature, instantly enveloping Vermouth completely!

The gas was bone-chillingly cold, as if countless fine needles were drilling into her skin, piercing into her bone marrow, making it feel as though all the blood in Vermouth's body was freezing.

"Ah—!"

A shrill scream erupted from within the black gas.

The next second, an even more bizarre scene occurred—the black gas enveloping Vermouth suddenly ignited with black flames!

The flames gave off no light and no heat, but they carried an excruciating pain that burned the soul, crazily licking every inch of her skin.

"Lin Long! What on earth have you done?! What is this hellish thing!"

Vermouth struggled painfully in the black fire, her golden curls singed into disarray, and her clothes instantly turned to ash, revealing snow-white skin covered in painful spasms.

She could clearly feel her body being forcibly transformed by some power; every cell was screaming, and every nerve was breaking and reforming.

This was no ordinary flame; this was the dark fire that could incinerate the soul!

Lin Long stood to the side, watching her scream in agony within the black fire, his expression blank.

He, of course, knew how painful this was—Vermouth's transformation was being forced upon her.

Unlike the "formal transformation" that Miyano Akemi underwent after signing a contract and being guided by the system, this method of forcibly infusing dark energy was tantamount to placing her body and soul on a chopping block and beating them repeatedly.

But Lin Long had no choice.

Vermouth was too dangerous, too cunning; a mere verbal agreement could not constrain her.

He had to leave an indelible mark on her, making her completely his pawn.

"Kill... me... Lin Long! I beg you, kill... me!"

Vermouth rolled on the floor, her fingernails digging deep into the floorboards, leaving bloody scratches.

The black flames burrowed into her body through her pores, merging with her flesh and blood; the tearing pain made her wish for death.

She had lived for so many years, surviving countless life-and-death struggles, but she had never experienced such terrifying torture.

Lin Long turned a deaf ear, just watching quietly. There was not a shred of pity in his red eyes, only a calmness that was nearly cold.

To gain power, one must pay a price.

Since Vermouth had chosen to be his enemy, she had to be prepared to bear the consequences.

The black flames burned brighter and brighter, almost completely swallowing Vermouth's figure.

Her shrill screams echoed in the lounge, the sound piercing through the walls, making the passing servants shudder, but no one dared to come in and check—Butler Ochiai had long since given orders that no one was to approach, no matter what happened inside.

Time ticked by, second by second, each one as long as a century.

Vermouth's screams gradually died down, shifting from her initial frantic roaring to painful whimpering, and finally, only weak gasps remained.

Her body twitched continuously in the black fire, her skin turning pitch-black like charcoal at times, then returning to snow-white, as if undergoing a tug-of-war between life and death.

Half an hour later—

"Boom!"

The black flames enveloping Vermouth jolted violently, erupting with a blinding black light!

The light instantly illuminated the entire lounge, but the next second it suddenly contracted, receding back into her body like a tide, vanishing without a trace.

Everything returned to silence.

Vermouth lay on the floor, soaked in sweat, her long golden hair sticking wetly to her face, her chest heaving violently as she gasped for air.

Her body was still trembling slightly; she clearly hadn't recovered from the extreme pain.

Lin Long stepped forward, looking down at her from above.

Vermouth slowly opened her eyes.

What eyes they were... In her originally azure pupils, a faint wisp of black flame now lingered, like two stars burning with darkness, eerie and dangerous.

Her gaze landed on Lin Long, complex to the extreme—there was fear, anger, humiliation, and a trace of barely perceptible... awe.

She could clearly feel a strange and powerful force within her body.

That power was cold and violent, yet it carried a strange sense of affinity, as if it had been hers from birth. What shocked her even more was that she could clearly perceive that a part of her soul was now firmly grasped in Lin Long's hand.

Like the string of a kite, no matter how far she flew, if Lin Long gave a gentle tug, she would be shattered.

In the end, she had become his pawn.

"How do you feel?"

Lin Long's voice broke the silence, carrying a faint inquiry.

Vermouth slowly sat up from the floor, her movements still a bit stiff.

She looked down at her hands, her fingertips grazing her skin, and could feel that hidden dark power flowing slowly.

She tried moving and found her body had become exceptionally light, and her five senses were several times sharper—she could even hear Butler Ochiai flipping through documents in the next room.

This power... it was terrifyingly strong.

She looked up at Lin Long, a bewitching smile suddenly curling the corners of her mouth.

That smile lacked the previous coldness and resistance; instead, it held a lazy submissiveness, as if the person who had been screaming in agony just moments ago wasn't her.

Vermouth pushed herself up from the floor, her naked body outlining breathtaking curves in the dim light. She didn't care about her disheveled state; instead, she walked toward Lin Long step by step, each step carrying a charm that was completely different from before—seductive and dangerous.

Walking up to Lin Long, she tilted her head back slightly, the wisp of black fire in her blue eyes flickering gently. Her voice was husky from the extreme pain she had just endured, yet it carried a deadly allure:

"Boss, I'm your person now... You have to take good 'care' of me."

As she spoke, she reached out, gently hooking her fingers around Lin Long's tie, pulling him to lower his head until their foreheads almost touched.

Lin Long looked at the faint, red lotus flower mark between her eyebrows—it was proof of the dark transformation and the brand with which he controlled her.

He smiled, reaching out to wrap his arm around her waist, feeling the softness of her body and the newly awakened dark power.

"How about it? Cooperating with me, it's not a bad deal, right?"

Lin Long said shamelessly, his tone carrying a hint of meaningful implication. "I said I would help treat your physical ailments. How does it feel now? That damned condition should be gone, right?"

Vermouth indeed had an underlying condition—because her body had been modified by drugs, she had to endure the painful process of cells rapidly growing, dividing, and dying every day, which was extremely agonizing.

The transformation through dark energy had not only repaired her body but even granted her a near-eternal life.

Hearing this, Vermouth rolled her eyes, her tone carrying a hint of gritted-teeth annoyance: "It's cured! But you damn bastard, you've made me not even human anymore!"

Although she had gained powerful strength and eternal life, the feeling of being forcibly transformed and having her soul controlled made her so frustrated she wanted to kill someone.

"Whether you are human or not is not important."

Lin Long lowered his head and kissed the lotus mark on her forehead lightly, feeling the faint energy fluctuation coming from it. "What's important is that you now have the capital to oppose everything. Including... the Black Organization."

At the mention of the Black Organization, Vermouth's eyes flickered.

Lin Long watched her reaction and continued: "Next, I want you to do one thing."

"What thing?"

Vermouth restrained her playful expression and became serious. She knew she had to listen carefully to Lin Long's instructions; after all, her little life was held in his hands.

"The Kudo couple has approached you, haven't they?"

"I want you to help the Kudo Yusaku couple join the Black Organization as soon as possible."

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Long's eyes. "I want them to become codenamed members within the organization."

Vermouth raised an eyebrow: "You're using them?"

"Of course not."

"What do they have that is worth me using?"

Lin Long smiled, a playful light flashing in his red eyes. "I just want to know, when righteous detectives fall into a criminal organization, will they become accomplices? Or will they remain untainted?"

"Also, tell me, if that kid Conan Edogawa finds out his father has become a criminal, will he uphold justice over family?"

Vermouth looked at the light in his eyes, speechless.

She suddenly realized that her boss seemed like a god playing in the mortal world.

He cared about nothing, and feared nothing.

But at this point, Vermouth had no way back.

She tightened her grip around Lin Long's neck, a bewitching smile curving her lips: "As you wish, Boss."

After saying this, Vermouth kissed Lin Long's lips, then used the black gas to conjure herself a set of clothes before swaying her hips and walking out.

The light in the lounge remained dim, but it seemed as if something had quietly changed at this moment.

A pawn stained by darkness had officially entered the chessboard.

And this storm, which would sweep across Tokyo and perhaps even shake the very foundation of the Black Organization, had just begun.

Next, it would be the turn of the Kudo Yusaku couple.

Conan Edogawa, are you ready to accept all of this?

Lin Long smiled, stood up, and looked at the scenery outside the window, thinking to himself.