Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 191: Hey, don't resist, man

Chapter 191: Hey, don’t resist, man

After Ryan got his hands on the prop, he hadn’t actually used it until he noticed a clear shift in the attitude of the guy next to him. That’s when he started to relax a bit.

Thankfully, this thing seems to actually work.

But the man next to him, after uttering those words, had his facial muscles twitching uncontrollably, which was quite unsettling.

Ryan was taken aback. The guy next to him was about to turn into a monster, and naturally, his curiosity got the better of him, and he couldn’t help but stare a bit longer.

“What the hell are you looking at, you jerk!”

By then, Ryan had already capped the vial of the potion, which might be why the man in black next to him dropped the respectful act and reverted to his earlier disdainful demeanor.

“Uh, nothing, nothing, carry on with your stuff.”

Ryan was somewhat speechless. The potion worked quickly but also wore off just as fast. Clearly, just a whiff wasn’t that effective.

The man glared at Ryan, his attitude worsening for some reason, as if he felt he had embarrassed himself.

The other two in front were the same, with the hothead starting to bang on the steering wheel again.

“Um… I kind of preferred you the way you were just before. Can you go back to that…?”

“You think you’re talking to who, you punk…”

The man was cut off mid-sentence as Ryan uncorked the vial again, and the enchanting scent spread throughout the car once more.

“My most esteemed master! I wouldn’t dare disrespect you, not even if you gave me a hundred guts!”

It was like he had a split personality. Ryan watched the man’s completely changed demeanor and was somewhat at a loss for words.

“Do you remember what you just called me?”

“Respected master?”

The man looked puzzled, seemingly having completely forgotten his earlier behavior. Now, he was utterly loyal to Ryan.

The whole process was somewhat absurd, but Ryan had pretty much figured out the effects of the potion.

[Loyalty Potion (Turn anyone into your most loyal follower, conquer them with your charismatic personality! Effective for thirty minutes)]

Ignoring the somewhat cheeky description, Ryan had formed his own conclusions.

Firstly, it was the mysterious liquid that was truly effective.

Meaning, no matter what form the liquid took, its potency remained, like the scent that was now effective even in vapor form.

However, just this bit of evaporating scent was clearly unstable, which is why the people around kept changing their attitudes.

If he wanted the best effect, the so-called thirty minutes, it was best to have the person drink it.

Secondly, when controlled by the potion, the person developed a new personality, and once the potion wore off, they would forget what they had done during those thirty minutes.

This could definitely help Alice out of a tight spot.

“Amazing, Loyalty Potion, truly amazing.”

“If I used this on Elon Musk, could he end up transferring all his wealth to me?”

Ryan muttered to himself, though it was just a thought.

Firstly, his goal was to complete his mission and come back to life,no amount of money could bring him back from the dead.

Secondly, the potion’s range of use was still too limited. Ryan had thought about using it directly on Rocco, but he’d probably be shot full of holes before he got close enough.

“Master? What are you saying? You seem troubled?”

The man in black looked at Ryan, his words extremely awkward and his facial muscles trembling again, showing that the potion’s effect was wearing off.

“It’s nothing, just close the window, will you? I… got a bit of a cold, can’t handle the draft.”

Ryan lied smoothly, capping the vial of the potion again behind his back.

This was meant for Travis later,he couldn’t waste it here.

The man immediately closed the car window properly. Although the scent in the car wasn’t particularly strong, it was enough for the journey back.

…

Ryan’s life was tied to Alice, but what he didn’t know was that outside, there were still rumors about him, and they weren’t very flattering.

Near Ryan’s house, his neighbors had recently found a new topic of conversation during their leisure time, and those stories had escalated into something akin to urban legends.

“Did you know? The person in apartment 203 changed, and the new guy never talks to anyone. He didn’t even show up at the last block party. Total weirdo.”

“He’s always out early and back late, and he’s always bundled up tight. Looks sketchy to me.”

“Huh? Are you talking about that shadowy figure in the neighborhood? I thought it was some kind of ghost or something.”

“Come on, there are no ghosts. And even if there were, I’d protect everyone.”

Downstairs in Ryan’s apartment complex, two people were chatting back and forth, glancing towards apartment 203 with a hint of concern.

But the man just leaned in closer, patting the woman on the shoulder with a grin, as if trying to show off his macho side.

The woman played along, not shying away and giving him a bright, peachy smile.

“Speaking of which, it’s been forever since I last saw you. I can’t even remember when.”

Then, the man boldly wrapped his arm around the woman’s waist. She playfully scolded him, but didn’t resist as his hand started wandering.

They walked towards the exit of the complex, and it just seemed right to go out for a coffee together.

However, they didn’t notice a person in a black hoodie passing by, fitting the urban legend they were discussing to a T.

Anna placed her shopping bags at the door of apartment 203, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then unlocked the door.

She didn’t care about the urban legend of the weirdo in 203. After all, she was that urban legend.

“Phew, another day over.”

It was evening, and after finishing her day’s classes, Anna was back here, her shopping bags filled with enough frozen food to last a few days.

With no classes the next couple of days, she could stay here.

She peeked inside the slightly open door, making sure it was empty before sneaking in.

Pulling down her black hoodie and taking off her bothersome mask, she exhaled a warm breath, revealing a face that could make anyone’s heart skip a beat.

Anna was stunning, easily rivaling Alice.

Her brown hair was tied back in a simple ponytail, matching her understated elegance.

Unlike Alice, who was always so sharp, this was Anna’s way of protecting herself.

“Hey, I’m coming in. Sorry to bother you.”

Even though she knew the room was empty, Anna still said it out of habit.

She casually placed her shopping bags aside and turned on the lights.

The room lit up, small but cozy, though it hardly looked like a girl’s room.

Anna bent her perfectly shaped legs to take off her black leather shoes, then gently massaged her feet, encased in black stockings.

This wasn’t her home,the real owner of this apartment was Ryan, but since he had disappeared, she was staying here temporarily.

Ryan’s advisor had given her a clue, which led her here.

The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. The place was full of evidence of Ryan’s existence, proving he was a real person, but she found no clue about his disappearance.

It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

Initially, she was just looking for clues, but then she couldn’t explain why she stayed.

When Ryan’s lease was up, she rented the place and kept everything as it was, finding comfort among Ryan’s belongings.

Compared to her cold home or the dorm at school, this place was much better.

After rubbing her sore feet for a bit to ease the tension, she headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Dinner was just going to be some frozen chicken tenders. Cooking wasn’t really her thing, and she wasn’t too picky about it anyway.

“Oh no, I’m out of ketchup…”

Holding the empty ketchup bottle, Anna sighed in frustration. The chicken tenders were already bland enough, and without ketchup, it was going to be downright miserable. So, she reluctantly pulled on her hoodie and headed out to the store.

Luckily, the little supermarket downstairs had some, so she didn’t have to go far.

As she was about to enter the store, she heard a terrible scream behind her.

Strange things happened every year, and since Ryan’s disappearance, her enthusiasm for other matters seemed to have waned.

But then, right after that scream, she heard a voice that was etched in her mind.

Ah!!

She couldn’t hold back the trembling in her heart. She so hoped it was Ryan’s voice, but feared this hope might lead to an even worse outcome.

“Just one look, and then no matter what, look away immediately, Anna. Don’t get your hopes up.”

But when she actually turned around, it was like tons of TNT exploded in her mind.

No, it can’t be true…

A black car sped by, the window rolled down, a man was being held by two people in black, struggling painfully, trying to climb out as if he wanted to jump from the car, and someone was forcing liquid into the man’s mouth.

But what was truly important was that Anna could confirm, the person forcing the liquid was the missing Ryan!

“You! What the hell did you make me drink! Rocco won’t let you get away with this!”

“Hey, don’t resist, man. This is the good stuff, I hardly ever use it.”

“Don’t look at me like that, I’m not a bad guy, after all.”