Deviant: No Longer Human
Chapter 698 - 698: "Money is my superpower."

"Hm?"

Splash.

The echo rang across the celestial pool, a private aquatic Eden suspended between luxury and the abyss. One hundred meters of seamless blue, lit only by bioluminescent lights and the shimmer of alien sea creatures brushing past the transparent underwater wall. A diving platform jutted above like a throne for gods, overlooking the haunted beauty of the ocean's womb.

But Wang Xiao didn't care about the sea.

No.

His eyes were fixed on the creature in the pool.

"You again?"

The voice was calm, detached, inevitable.

Floating near the edge, her red lips broke the surface first—glossed with water, trembling not from cold, but from sheer disbelief. Hair like pale sunlight stuck to her cheeks, her bare shoulders glistening under the muted dome light, like she'd been carved from starlight and sin.

Ning Xue.

The Human Empress.

Soaked, breathless, defenseless.

A dark blue bra hugged her ample breasts, water-wet and hugging like second skin, making every curve, every detail of her body a blasphemy to modesty. The fabric stretched tight, teasing her cleavage upward—nipples visibly hardened beneath the soaked lace. Her toned white stomach dipped into the water, disappearing just above the naval like a forbidden promise.

Her panties—if they even existed—remained hidden beneath the surface, teasing every dirty part of the imagination.

Her expression, however, was torn between outrage and helplessness.

Blue eyes wide, shimmering with panic and heat. Her voice cracked.

"W-Who allowed you to come in like this?"

Splash.

Another wave. She jerked backward, shoulders slipping underwater as her arms crossed instinctively, trying to hide what was already etched into his memory.

Wang Xiao said nothing.

He blinked.

Once.

Twice.

And then stepped closer—deliberate, slow, as if giving her a chance to run. But she didn't. Couldn't. A queen shouldn't cower... yet here she was, trembling beneath his gaze like a virgin caught with her dress undone.

"You booked this pool?" he finally asked, voice neutral—like it didn't matter what she answered.

Ning Xue swallowed, lips trembling slightly. "Y-Yes..."

"So did I," he said flatly.

That wasn't a lie.

He didn't just book it. He owned it.

Watching her adorable confusion shift into disbelief was oddly satisfying. Her round cheeks twitched as four stages of realization flickered across her flushed face. Then—her hand lifted. A sleek device flew to her palm like metal to magnet. A call connected.

Wang Xiao raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He was curious who the hell she thought outranked him here.

Her brows furrowed as the voice on the other end replied—vague, apologetic.

"Sold… nothing can be done… don't ask again…"

Click.

She stared at the pool for a moment, jaw tight. Then she exhaled softly and glanced back, eyes half-lidded with cold frustration. "Turn around. I'll put on my clothes and leave."

Wang Xiao didn't move.

"Why?" he asked. "It's my pool."

The smile that curled his lips wasn't playful—it was challenging.

Ning Xue's eyes narrowed. She was used to silence and solitude. Not men like this. Not men who stared through her layers of identity like they meant nothing. She moved subtly, ready to flare her strength—

But he cut her off.

"I have bodyguards too, strong ones. So what now? You gonna rip the pool apart?" he cocked his head. "Or has the Human Empress become the kind of woman who can't do anything without brute force?"

Her jaw clenched. That hit deeper than it should've.

Wang Xiao had no fear. Worse—he had no respect for the usual rules. And that rattled her more than any battle she'd fought.

She inhaled slowly, voice quieter now. "I apologize. How about that?"

"If apologies solved problems, we wouldn't have wars." His voice was sharp now—cutting, philosophical, dismissive. He didn't look at her. Just pulled at his belt.

Ning Xue's pupils contracted. "What are you doing?"

Her voice was sharper this time... Alert.

Cautious.

He looked at her with indifference.

"What else?" A shrug. "Taking a dip. You can stay. There's no need for you to leave."

She froze. That casual arrogance—Attractive in all the worst ways.

Her heart shook.

"No need!" she snapped, standing abruptly.

Water rose with her, swirling into a second skin, wrapping her body in veils of fluid modesty—but the damage was done. Wang Xiao had already seen enough to haunt wet dreams. Her legs were long. Her waist tight. The curve of her hips didn't lie. And her chest—god, the water strained to keep it hidden.

But she turned. Preparing to walk away.

Until—

"Are you really that scared?" he asked behind her, "That a mere mortal would attack you?"

That stopped her.

The mockery. The insult buried under genuine curiosity. It froze her mid-step. To her ears, it sounded like something else entirely.

Are you scared I might touch you?

Indeed, by her judgment, the man wasn't strong. Not by any standards. His aura didn't ripple with divine pressure or ancient might.

But why did he feel... heavy?

And worse—why couldn't she bring herself to leave?

Right. The place was his now. Not booked. Owned.

Ning Xue had been staying here for the past few days, enjoying the quiet, the rare escape from responsibility. The Oceanleaf Retreat was exquisite—almost otherworldly—and her heart, though unwilling to admit it, was reluctant to leave.

Now, on opposite ends of the celestial pool, the two of them shared silence. He leaned at the far edge, arms stretched on either side, chest submerged, neck tilted up, letting the dome's bioluminescent ceiling bathe him in soft light.

Like a king bathing in cosmic ruins.

She, meanwhile, dipped herself deeper than usual—only her delicate neck and flushed face above the water. Her eyes occasionally flicked to his. He didn't glance her way, not even once. And somehow, that annoyed her more.

Then—

Footsteps.

Mary arrived.

She moved like a whisper on water. Impeccable posture, expression unreadable. Her eyes didn't stay on Ning Xue, as if the Empress didn't even exist. She placed a drink beside Wang Xiao in a jade-green antique cup—elegant, ethereal, almost ceremonial.

Without a word, she handed another to Ning Xue. A faint green hue glowed within it—swirling, faintly alive.

Ning Xue hesitated, eyes narrowing. She didn't drink from strangers. Her metabolism burned through toxins instantly. But this...

She took a sip.

Instant warmth.

Then... dullness.

Actual dullness.

Her fingers trembled.

Her senses—dulled, for the first time in years.

She blinked, stunned. Her body didn't weaken, but her awareness relaxed. Even her defenses... lowered.

She looked at the departing Mary, then at Wang Xiao.

He hadn't moved.

Still half-lidded eyes. Still soaking like a lazy deity pretending to be mortal.

"How do you have a woman like that serving you?" she finally asked. Her voice held no hostility now. Just quiet confusion. Curiosity.

Wang Xiao didn't look at her.

"You mean Mary?" he replied, voice low. "I pay her."

Her eyes narrowed. "Just money?"

The disgust in her tone was faint, but it was there.

"Blasphemous... How could someone so powerful sell herself for something like that?"

At that, he turned.

His eyes met hers. And for the first time, his expression shifted.

Not with anger—but with a kind of cold amusement.

"Money is my superpower."

His tone was unbothered. As if he was stating a cosmic truth most were too arrogant to understand.

Seeing her confused and not understanding, Wang Xiao's lips twitched.

"Don't you watch movies?"

He hated himself a little for saying that. He never watched that nonsense. No shows, no games. Just silence and survival. But this time... it felt appropriate.

Because this woman—

She looked like she lived in the damn woods until yesterday.

And sure enough...

"Movies? What's that?" she muttered, confused, innocent.

Wang Xiao froze."...You're joking."