The Alien Prince Has Fallen for Me

Chapter 8: Time-Space Commandments and Crimson Eyes

Watching their retreating figures, the smile on Roger's face vanished in an instant, replaced by a dark, ominous scowl. He tilted his head toward Loli and murmured icily: 'Tell Yu Man—tonight, we must strike. Once she overhauls the villa's defenses, I'm afraid we'll lose our window of opportunity!'

Loli nodded in understanding. Ruthless anticipation flared in her eyes. 'Got it. I'll go first thing tomorrow morning—to inspect the results.'

In another corner of the ballroom, Tomorrow Tech's CEO Lu Xuan and his AI android girlfriend Xiao Xu had silently observed Xing Hun departing with 'Mei Guo.' Data streams flickered faintly in Xiao Xu's eyes. She tilted her head toward Lu Xuan, her voice carrying a trace of inhuman precision mixed with bewilderment: 'Just now… I detected Prince Xing Hun using Time Reversal again. The fluctuation was very faint, but it was unmistakable.'

Lu Xuan's brows knitted tightly. His face was heavy with concern and incomprehension. 'The Time Machine could have achieved the same rescue more reliably. Why does he insist on violating the prohibition—expending his own life force to use Time Reversal? The physical toll on him is immense.'

Xiao Xu was silent for a moment. The data streams in her eyes accelerated, as if running some complex simulation. She spoke softly, her tone carrying a thread of uncertain speculation: 'He couldn't be…'

Lu Xuan raised a hand to stop her. His face had grown even graver. His voice dropped to a near-inaudible murmur: 'Let's hope it's not what we're thinking… Otherwise, the Commandments of the Time-Space Clan, and Xing Hun's future—they would be in serious jeopardy.'

The two exchanged a glance. In each other's eyes, they saw the same deep worry. Xing Hun was breaking rules for that girl wearing 'Mei Guo's' identity, again and again—even violating sacred taboos. The truth hidden behind his actions was likely far more complex and dangerous than they could imagine.

At the city's edge, a vast supermarket warehouse district lay silent under the night sky. The enormous storage buildings crouched like slumbering beasts, their shadows heavy and impenetrable. The air was thick with dust and the smell of packing materials.

Inside one seemingly ordinary warehouse, the scene was anything but. Several workers were furtively hauling long, rectangular cardboard boxes. The boxes were heavy—requiring two or three men to lift with strain. There were no markings on the cardboard, an unusual and ominous anonymity.

Dr. Pond, the wild-eyed old man with graying hair and the fervor of a fanatic, stood at the center of the warehouse like a foreman, surveying the entire operation. His face bore an expression of almost obsessive excitement, as though he were admiring his most brilliant creations being laid into place. Xie Ling—Yue Yao's pretty-boy ex—had long since shed his old vanity. Only nervousness and terror remained on his face as he directed workers to stack the boxes in designated, inconspicuous corners. And Wang Chao, the underground loan shark, stood with a fierce scowl, toying with a dagger, his vigilant eyes sweeping the surroundings.

'Are you certain this place is secure? No one will find them?' Pond's voice echoed sharply in the empty warehouse, laced with skepticism.

Xie Ling wiped the cold sweat from his brow and answered with forced calm: 'Doctor, rest assured! This is a supermarket warehouse district. Thousands of shipments come and go every day—all kinds of goods. A few more or a few less… no one will notice a thing. You can be a hundred percent certain!' His words were meant to reassure Pond. They were also meant to reassure himself.

And then the accident happened.

Two workers, overcome by nerves and exhaustion, lost their grip. A long cardboard box plummeted from their hands and slammed into the concrete floor with a deafening crash. The side of the box split open, revealing the transparent plastic bag within—and inside the bag, a lifelike male AI android, its skin texture detailed to uncanny perfection, its eyes closed.

Almost the instant it was exposed to air, the android's eyes flew open. Its pupils blazed with an ominous crimson light. As though some kind of stress-response program had been triggered, it violently tore through the plastic bag and rose from the shattered box. Its movements were stiff but freighted with terrifying power.

Its cold electronic eyes swept the surroundings. Instantly, it locked onto the nearest worker—a man frozen in slack-jawed terror. With no warning whatsoever, it took a single step forward. Its metal-skeleton arm shot out with astonishing speed and clamped around the worker's throat like an iron vise.

'Urk… hgk…' The worker struggled in vain, his legs kicking uselessly. His face cycled from red to purple in seconds.

'c***k!'

The crisp, sickeningly clear sound of snapping bone rang through the silent warehouse. The worker's head lolled to one side at a grotesque angle. He was dead before his body hit the ground. The android released its grip mechanically, and the corpse crumpled to the floor.

's**t! The AI android's stress-response activated! Doctor, shut it down—now!' Wang Chao's face contorted with alarm. He instinctively drew the pistol from his waist but didn't dare fire, terrified of triggering greater chaos.

But Dr. Pond's face showed not a trace of panic. On the contrary, an expression of extreme excitement and satisfaction spread across his features. His eyes blazed as he watched—as if admiring a masterpiece of art—while the crimson-eyed android unhesitatingly lunged at another worker trying to flee and snapped his neck with effortless brutality. Only after the second worker dropped did Pond unhurriedly pull a palm-sized black controller from his lab coat pocket. He pressed a button.

The red light in the android's eyes extinguished instantly. Its movements froze mid-motion. Like a toy whose power had been cut, it stood rigidly in place.

Xie Ling stared at the two corpses on the floor. His face had gone gray. He trembled like a leaf. 'What do we do… what do we do… there's been a murder!' His voice cracked toward a sob. He was on the verge of collapsing. He could already see himself in handcuffs, spending the rest of his life in a cage.

Pond shot him a contemptuous glance. His tone was as casual as if discussing the weather. 'What are you afraid of? Once we're done here, I'll dispose of all of them. No one will be the wiser.' He made a 'dissolve' gesture with his hand.

Xie Ling's terror didn't diminish—but the word 'dispose' sparked a sliver of hope that he might yet escape the consequences.

Pond read his thoughts with perfect clarity. A greedy grin stretched across his face as he dangled the bait: 'I'll raise your pay. Twenty million. What do you say?'

Hearing that number, the fear in Xie Ling's eyes was swiftly devoured by greed. His facial muscles twitched spasmodically before finally settling into a twisted, fawning smile. He nodded frantically: 'Yes! Yes!'

Wang Chao saw this and let out a cold snort. He raised his pistol and barked at the remaining workers—who had been petrified into statues by terror: 'What are you staring at?! Anyone who wants to live, get back to work! If a single word of tonight's events ever leaves this warehouse—this is what awaits you!' He jabbed his gun barrel toward the bodies on the floor.

The workers were frozen with terror, their faces bloodless. Like marionettes, they shakily resumed hauling the heavy crates—as if each box contained a bomb that could detonate at any moment. The warehouse was filled with nothing but labored breathing, chaotic footsteps, and the silent, chilling presence of the AI android army waiting in the shadows. Darkness enveloped them all. And evil quietly flourished in the night.