My Substitute CEO Bride (Nash Calicraft) novel Chapter 2363

Astin had always been afraid of using his true energy as the image of his father still lingered in his mind. 'My father was a sinner who used true energy to kill. But he also protected me, so I guess I should be thankful for that,' he thought.

Stripping off his shirt, Astin stepped into the sunlight. "Come forth, the Fierce God, Rosha!"

In an instant, his upper body was enveloped in a dark, menacing energy. His eyes turned wicked as a demon possessed him—this was the origin of his unique physique.

In ancient times, children like Astin were considered ominous, believed to be born with demons residing within them. These demons would grow alongside the child and wait for the right moment to seize their body and complete their final transformation.

Rosha turned his gaze toward the masked assailant, who instantly felt the overwhelming power emanating from Astin. Panicking, the assailant bolted toward the door, but there was no escaping Astin's grasp. Rosha swiftly grabbed him and then threw him across the room with a single punch, rendering the masked man silent.

With the threat subdued, Rosha slowly approached Warick.

Warick, now freed from the constricting threads due to the masked assailant having fallen unconscious, quickly acted. He grabbed a shard of the broken vase and stabbed it into Astin's foot. The sharp pain caused Astin to let out a scream, helping him regain his senses.

"Pull the curtains! Quickly!" Astin shouted.

Without hesitation, Warick rushed to the window and yanked the curtains open. As sunlight flooded the room, Astin collapsed, slipping into unconsciousness. Exhausted and battered, Warick slumped to the floor and fumbled for his phone.

"Captain..." he muttered weakly into the receiver.

…

Later that afternoon, everyone who remained at the hotel gathered in the main hall. Astin had regained consciousness and was standing before the crowd that had assembled.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the case is now resolved, and the perpetrator will soon be brought to justice!" Astin announced.

"Janice, the cleaning lady, and the masked man, who's actually the energetic old man, Parker Smith, are the real culprits behind this entire incident.

"The key detail that was overlooked at the start was why Winsten, who was off duty, ended up at the hotel. The answer lies in the cleaning cart. Parker used his abilities to sneak into Winsten's home, where he drugged and incapacitated him.

"Under the cover of the night, Parker climbed up to the second floor of the hotel, using the threads he manipulates to securely bind Winsten to the cleaning cart. He then returned to the hotel room to brew the syrup.

"Afterward, he moved to the adjacent room to begin setting up his trap. He replaced the doorknob before returning to his room.

"In the morning, when Janice pushed the cleaning cart, she knew the plan was in motion. She proceeded to clean various rooms, but her main objective was to dispose of the tools Parker had used to prepare the syrup and carry out the crime.

"The brown stain on my clothes is proof of this. Moreover, I'm sure many of you noticed the sudden jolt or movement we felt at one point. That was likely caused by Parker transporting Winsten to the adjacent room while using the cleaning cart."