She Is Not Human

Chapter 13

What stung even more was that Maya didn't respond at all.

Instead, she squatted beside him and quickly started stripping off his clothes—from chest to waist... wherever she touched it sent tingles shooting through his body. His breathing grew faster and heavier; despite panting hard, he remained stiff and unable to budge an inch.

With nowhere to release all this tension building up inside him, color rushed to his pale face until it turned red-hot.

"How do you want me to die?"

Even though his mind was all over the place, years of strong self-control helped him keep it together for now. He had just met Maya for the first time, and she had no reason to go after him. The only explanation could be that he let slip some flaw in his plan against Max that Maya picked up on.

That felt even worse than being played with by her.

He always thought he was flawless in what he did and actually enjoyed watching his targets panic up close.

That's why he approached Maya to chat. But he never saw it coming—getting knocked out by a cup of wine from her or getting attacked before he could do anything.

Maya didn't pay him any mind; her fingers were busy dancing over the metal wire touching his body, constantly gathering data. So that's how it is.

The guy who usually gave off an air of mystery now seemed as ordinary as anyone else. While she was still trying to figure things out, it looked like the liquid he'd drunk was behind this change.

Now, even though he talked about "love," there was this wild aggression mixed in—it felt really unstable.

Maybe it was because this d**g hit him for the first time, or maybe Maya's indifference just drove him crazy. His heart, which had always been calm before, was now racing with intense feelings.

He bit down on his tongue to clear his head for a moment and promised himself that all the humiliation he'd faced today would come back at her tenfold later on.

Whether today or sometime down the line, when Maya stripped away everything from him, a sudden chill shot through him from below. It felt like something inside his brain snapped completely. A gentle female touch brushed against the heat building up inside him—it almost made him lose control.

But just like that fleeting touch, reaching what felt like a peak only to suddenly drop into a valley left him wanting more but without any follow-up action at all.

No matter if he was human or not, and even though he was pinned down and feeling powerless, all he could think about was her—her body, everything! He just wanted to hold her tight and dive right in!

Desire burned in his eyes; his lips felt dry, and his throat was tight. He locked eyes with Maya, who looked confused and hesitant behind a thin veil of mist. Just then, her calm voice cut through the tension.

"You're fine, but I don't want you."

Her words hit him like a ton of bricks straight to the heart.

With a "puff," hot blood shot out of his mouth. He spat it out while foam trickled from the corner of his lips—a weak smile creeping onto his face despite everything. After all these years of living life, this was the first time he'd been so furious that he actually spat blood.

The burning desire inside him kept rising; he wished he could just grab that woman beneath him right now and make her his own.

Not only did she leave him feeling strangely numb all over, but she also left him exposed on the floor before saying "I don't want you" without even looking at how vulnerable he really was.

What an absolute humiliation!

In front of him, Maya's figure started to fade away; it felt like she was mocking him beyond words.

He had been played by some little girl!

"Ah!" A sharp scream pierced through as someone else walked in and gasped in shock.

That scream made it clear that they'd caught sight of him lying there n***d on the ground.

But then it quickly got silenced. He heard a male voice calling out near him.

"Master, are you okay?"

Right after that, cold water splashed across his face—it brought back some clarity for just a moment.

"We've been found out," he said darkly.

"The woman who screamed earlier? I took care of her…" His subordinate trailed off when he noticed how sharply his master glared at him sideways. The guy quickly zipped it up after that.

"Activate the plan right away. No one here can be spared today." He felt an unbearable heat building up in his lower abdomen, like it was going to consume him. His voice, usually calm and gentle, now had a chilling edge to it as he struggled to keep himself together. "Get out now!"

The subordinate next to him was smart enough not to ask any questions. If he wanted to keep his littleass safe, he knew better than to provoke the master when he was this worked up.

Maybe he should find a woman for the master, but considering their unique situation, the master had always been wary of humans.

Even if it meant dying alone, there was no way he'd want any physical contact with a human woman.

When Maya heard a scream outside the bathroom and turned her head, she saw just a rough male hand covering the mouth of the screaming woman and dragging her inside.

Her instincts kicked in; she could tell that something terrible had happened—the woman's neck looked twisted; she was gone.

Sure, that woman died because she came by with some clothes—but what did that have to do with Maya?

The reason she'd backed off from that guy earlier was pretty straightforward: he wasn't human at all.

To put it simply, Maya—who knew how human bodies worked—could easily see what he really was: an artificial life form—a kind of being that lived shorter lives than humans but packed quite a punch in this space.

Artificial life was created by humans, so Maya didn't expect to find "love" from them. As far as she knew, artificial beings like robots didn't really get what "love" meant.

Or maybe for these manufactured creatures, someone else planned out every moment of their lives, and all they had to do was complete their tasks.

Why waste energy figuring out emotions?

Maya was focused on the energy crystal she wanted and didn't want to waste any more time. She quickly turned around. Just then, her communicator lit up in her arms.

She picked up the small flat device. The edges were polished smooth like a mirror, and its silver-white shine glowed softly under the corridor lights. The incoming call indicator flashed rhythmically in a pale blue light.

"Do you want to talk?" Maya said as she poked at the machine with her finger. A thin metal wire extended from her fingertip and plugged into the communicator's port. Data flowed automatically along her slender finger straight into her mind.

“Beep—”

The communicator vibrated slightly.

"You've got good quality; I won't mess with your self-control program."

She actually complimented this little machine for once. It felt so smooth and responsive; it must be made of some special material. Honestly, when it came to making low-end devices, humans had an innate knack for creating something that looked good.

The indicator light started flashing all over the place, almost like a shy girl who didn't know how to respond after getting praised.

"Oh wow, do you have a name? Sweet? Do you wish you could go back to being human?"

Just then, a call came through. Maya pulled back her finger and answered the communicator.

"Changed?" It was Max's voice on the other end.

"Uh-huh."

As soon as she replied, Maya looked up and spotted Max's tall figure standing there, looking handsome as ever. His hand was still raised where he'd been about to cut off communication—it seemed he'd been waiting there for quite a while.

"Drink this. I just made it."

Maya held a small, fancy bottle filled with warm liquid that had a slight medicinal smell. She took a slow sip.

Her eyes wandered to Max as she watched him move. It looked like he had been holding the bottle in his palm all along to keep it warm so he could hand it to her right away.

Honestly, the air conditioning in the building wasn't too cold, and she didn't feel chilly even though she was wearing light clothes.

The new dress Max had brought her was actually a bit thicker than her last one. So why did she feel this warm feeling spreading through her heart, making her more comfortable?

She couldn't help but glance up at Max. Feeling cozy made a smile naturally appear on her lips.

That little smile seemed genuine, coming straight from her heart—a sign of satisfaction. Before leaving City 9, Maya thought everything Max did was just how things were supposed to be. Even after they fell out, she'd never smiled again; Max never expected to see that smile directed at him.

For days since his return, Maya's face showed nothing but cold indifference. Even when she climbed into bed with him, there was no warmth in her eyes. But now? That calm smile caught Max off guard for a moment.

He always saw his little sister as precious and adorable—he'd watched her grow from a chubby baby in a crib into the young girl standing before him now; those memories were etched deep within him. Yet somehow he hadn't noticed how pure and natural Maya's smile could be—it felt healing enough to chase away some darkness inside him.

Just such an ordinary expression threw his heart off balance for no reason at all.

It wasn't until she lowered her head and took another sip from the bottle that he managed to shake off that strange fluttering feeling in his chest. He frowned slightly and gestured subtly; immediately, four or five hidden men scattered around them and surrounded the bathroom."

"Wait here for me," he said. As he spoke, the last bit of warmth disappeared from Max's eyes, and he switched back to his usual sharp self, staring intently in the direction Maya was coming from. He hadn't strayed too far from her, so it was clear he'd heard that woman's scream just now.

"What are you doing?" Maya asked, still clutching the bottle as she looked up at him.

"Just looking for something."

The restroom at the end of the hall was empty and untouched by all the chaos outside. The only sounds were water dripping from the faucet and an occasional creak of the door.

Max pushed open the door and carefully scanned the room. There wasn't a soul around. Water dripped slowly from the faucet, forming drops that fell with a soft plop. In that silence, each drop sounded way louder than it should have.