Deviant: No Longer Human

30th September, 2031

Global Institute of Scientific Research, Shanghai

Inside the Center for Advanced Scientific Research (SCASR), Wang Xiao lay on a floating bed, his head slightly elevated as mechanical arms whirred around him with a metallic hum.

His body was exposed, naked, vulnerable under the cold, clinical lights of the lab.

A woman in a white lab coat circled him, clearly unsettled by the sight of his twitching manhood.

This wasn't part of her usual duties.

Normally, she worked behind the scenes, her hands immersed in data and calculations, but at the request of her 'apprentice', she had made an exception.

Still, her eyes lingered on his sculpted abdomen and powerful physique, a subtle admiration flickering beneath her discomfort.

'This man… a warrior to his core,' she thought, her gaze drifting to the dragon's might pulsating between his legs.

But Wang Xiao's attention was fully captured by her presence.

The woman before him seemed too ethereal, too unreal for this sterile cold environment.

Her wavy brown hair framed her face like a cascade of shadows, rich and deep, more akin to midnight petals than anything of this world.

Her skin was pale but warm, like the faint glow of dusk just before night overtakes the sky.

What drew his eyes immediately was the mark on her forehead—an intricately carved tree leaf, etched into her skin as if it had grown there.

The symbol pulsed softly, giving her an otherworldly aura, as if she were connected to some dark society.

Most striking were her glassy eyes—utterly unique.

They were not merely brown but a soft mix of amber and deep earth, like polished gems streaked with veins of gold.

Beneath her calm exterior, there was something wild, something primal—an energy that simmered just beneath the surface.

Her lips were full and crimson, their soft curve both seductive and dangerous, like the petals of a deadly nightshade.

The air around her carried a subtle, intoxicating scent, rich and sweet like dark chocolate, with an edge of something floral and elusive—perhaps jasmine or an dark orchid blooming in the shadows.

It drew him in, making his senses swirl with every breath he took.

Her presence was a slow intoxication, the kind that made one forget the world and focus solely on her.

Despite her flawless skin and youthful appearance, Wang Xiao knew better.

She was no mere girl, but a woman who had lived far longer than her perfect, smooth skin suggested.

Her exposed shoulders gleamed with a subtle glow, not from youth but from something far more potent—power, ageless and eternal.

Even her delicate hands, which seemed fragile at first glance, were skilled and precise, honed by decades of practice.

Isabelle, despite her youthful appearance, had perfected her craft over a long career.

Yet even the most seasoned could face frustration.

"Why isn't it working?" she muttered, her tone laced with irritation.

After several minutes of adjusting settings and circling the machine, she finally activated it with a sharp click, the hum of technology filling the sterile air.

However, something was clearly wrong—the scans failed to reveal anything.

Where there should have been the intricate details of Wang Xiao's internal organs and brain, there was only an ominous black void.

It was as though the machine couldn't penetrate him, as if his body was hollow or shielded from the scans.

Her frustration grew, and her calm composure began to crack.

Her eyes narrowed into a sharp glare as she continued to tap buttons with increasing speed, trying to force the machine into compliance.

Wang Xiao remained still, aware that this woman was tasked with restoring his memories—memories lost or distorted over the past seven years.

Now, all he had to do was pretend to regain them, seamlessly reintegrating himself into his former life.

Isabelle was supposed to facilitate this recovery, but the more the scans failed, the more her temper frayed.

Wang Xiao, however, smiled inwardly, taking a quiet satisfaction in her growing irritation.

After a few more minutes of struggle, the machine finally began displaying the data, scans of his brain flickering to life on the screen.

"Sigh…" Isabelle exhaled, her relief evident.

For a moment, she had feared that one of her most advanced creations had been destroyed.

The machine was designed to peer into a person's memories, to delve into the very essence of their mind.

If it had broken, it would have been a tremendous setback.

The process took an hour, during which Wang Xiao deliberately fed the machine select memories.

He allowed her to see some of his more favorable moments—intimate memories with Lin Xue, Wang Mei, and Wang Xueying, as well as glimpses of his more debauched actions in his younger years.

His time spent in perverse pursuits, indulging his basest desires, flashed across the screen.

Isabelle, her irritation now fully returned, nearly slammed her fist into the machine.

She forced herself to stop watching, deciding it was best to let the device complete its work without scrutinizing every unnecessary detail.

While the machine could heal the brain and treat conditions like amnesia—miracles by most standards—its ability to display memories visually was still prone to malfunction.

The deeper and darker the memories, the more unstable the system became.

As the final minutes ticked by, Isabelle sat impatiently, tapping her heels against the floor in frustration.

Eventually, the procedure concluded with a soft beep, signaling success.

She let out another long sigh, her tension draining.

Without a word, she turned to Wang Xiao and mechanically asked him a few standard questions, comparing his responses to the notes on the paper in her hand.

With each answer, she checked off the corresponding box, confirming that the procedure had, at the very least, restored his memories.

What surprised Wang Xiao was how unfazed Isabelle seemed, even after seeing some of his most shameful past actions—things that might have horrified others.

But not her.

Over her long career as a scientist, Isabelle had grown desensitized to the darker sides of human nature.

After all, she'd seen more than enough.

A man using a close family member underwear to pleasure himself?

Unknowingly assaulting his sisters during childhood?

These things, while repugnant to many, were far more common than people cared to admit.

For Isabelle, they were simply the symptoms of a 'damaged mind', nothing more.

"So, you don't remember anything from the past seven years, but you do recall the memories from before that…" Isabelle concluded, her eyes scanning the data as if seeking something deeper.

Wang Xiao blinked, a playful smile tugging at his lips. "Are you on menopause?" he asked abruptly, his tone innocent yet teasing.

"Mm?" Isabelle's brows arched dangerously, her eyes narrowing in warning.

"Such an adorable round face," Wang Xiao continued, undeterred. "Smiling more wouldn't hurt the body, you know."

Her frown eased slightly, shifting into a calm, detached expression. "Save your compliments for your future wife. If it wasn't for your sister bringing you in, I wouldn't have bothered helping you at all."

To her, he was just a teenager attempting to flirt. It didn't stir her in the slightest.

Wang Xiao's smile widened. "You aren't worthy to be my wife either. Too old for my taste." His eyes blinked, wondering why she seemed to overestimate herself.

She was well past the age for marriage, in his eyes.

Youthful looks weren't enough to hide the truth.

Isabelle's face darkened, her thoughts brewing, 'Are teens these days this rude?'

"Aren't you already old enough to be my grandmother?" Wang Xiao asked, his curiosity piqued. "Why do you look so young?"

It couldn't possibly be just because of Aether's resurgence in the world.

Isabelle's mood softened slightly. "Do you really know nothing about me?" she asked, more intrigued by the opportunity to explain science than his impudent remarks.

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