All Chapters of Empire of Desire R+: Chapter 151 - Chapter 160

[The Golden Curse]Ang dilim sa ilalim ng Adriatic Sea ay hindi lamang kawalan ng liwanag; ito ay isang pisikal na bigat na tila dumudurog sa bawat buto ni Vladimir Valente. Habang unti-unting nagbabalik ang kanyang malay, ang amoy ng luma at kinalawang na bakal ay humalo sa malansang amoy ng dagat. Ang kanyang mga kamay ay nakakadena sa itaas, ang kanyang mga paa ay bahagyang nakasayad sa malamig at basang sahig ng isang selda na gawa sa reinforced titanium.Ngunit hindi ang sakit ng kanyang mga sugat ang nagpapangitngit sa kanya. Ito ay ang alaala ng huling sandaling nakita niya si Ryella—ang kanyang reyna, ang kanyang mitsa—na kinakaladkad ng mga aninong nakasuot ng gintong armor."Ryella..." ang bulong ni Vladimir ay paos, isang desperadong tawag na nilamon lamang ng mekanikal na ugong ng base ng Golden Serpent.Sa gitna ng kanyang pagdurusa, pilit na kumakapit si Vladimir sa mga alaala ng kanilang huling gabi ni Ryella. Ipinikit niya ang kanyang mga mata at doon, sa likod ng kany

[The Last Prototype]The air in the heart of the Golden Serpent’s underwater base tasted like ozone and dying dreams. Red emergency lights pulsed against the metallic walls, mimicking the man standing in the center of the engine room's frantic heartbeat.Silas, the Prototype, felt the cold seawater lapping at his boots. The structural integrity of the base was a joke, a crumbling tomb designed to bury the Valente legacy once and for all. He looked at the main generator, a hulking mass of wires and cooling fans. To disable the detonation sequence, someone had to stay behind to hold the manual override."Vladimir, do you hear me?" Silas’s voice was steady, stripped of the mechanical coldness that usually defined him.In the command tower, Vladimir pressed the comms button, his knuckles white. "Silas, get out of there. Vlady found a workaround. We’re coming for you.""There is no workaround, Vlad," Silas interrupted, a ghost of a smile touching his scarred lips. "The kid is good, but Jul

[The Hive of Gold]The Adriatic Sea didn’t just part; it groaned as if the Earth itself were being unstitched. The structure rising from the depths was a behemoth of brass, glass, and pulsating golden light. It wasn’t a ship in the traditional sense—it looked like a floating cathedral of industry, a hive of ancient wealth and modern terror.Vladimir Valente stood on the bobbing escape pod, his arm anchored around Vlady’s shoulders. The saltwater stung the fresh gouges on his neck—marks left by the woman he loved. He watched the black helicopter land on the hive’s sprawling upper deck. Silas was already out, carrying Ryella’s limp body toward a swarm of figures dressed in shimmering, gold-threaded suits."They're taking her inside, Papa," Vlady whispered, his voice trembling. "The energy readings... they’re spiking. It’s like the ship is breathing through her."Vladimir didn't answer. He couldn't. His mind was a battlefield, haunted by the voice on the phone and the date scratched into

[The Stranger in my Bed]The barrel of the Glock 17 was cold, steady, and pressed directly against the center of Vladimir’s forehead. Ryella’s finger was already taking up the slack on the trigger. There was no tremor in her hand, no flicker of hesitation in her gold-rimmed irises. To her, Vladimir Valente wasn't the man who had pulled her from the wreckage of her past; he was a tactical threat in a room full of corpses."I’m going to ask you one more time," Ryella said. Her voice was flat, shorn of the melodic warmth that used to settle Vladimir’s soul. "Who are you, and why is this boy calling me Mama?"Vladimir didn't move. He didn't reach for his weapon. He didn't even blink. He just stared at her, feeling the phantom weight of the "Ultimate Line" he’d once whispered to her. It felt like a sick joke now.

[The Mirror of Sin]Ang dagundong ng papalubog na Hive ay naging parang mahinang bulong na lang sa pandinig ni Vladimir habang nakatitig siya sa lalaking kalalabas lang ng Ark. It was a visual nightmare. Ang mukha nito, ang tindig, maging ang paraan ng pagkurap ng mga mata nito—lahat ay replika niya. Pero ang mga mata ng estranghero ay hindi kulay kape; gaya ni Ryella, nanunuot ang ginto sa mga pupil nito, tila isang apoy na handang tumupok sa kahit na anong mahawakan nito."Who the hell are you?" ungol ni Vladimir, habang mahigpit ang hawak sa nanginginig na si Vlady."I told you, brother. I am the upgrade," sabi ng huwad na Vladimir. Lumakad ito palapit kay Ryella nang walang takot, binalewala ang baril na hawak nito. "You remember me, don't you, Ryella? Not the lawyer who defended the weak, but the woman who was born to be the mother of a new world."Napahawak si Ryella sa kanyang sentido. Ang gintong mist na lumalabas sa mga vents ay tila sumasabay sa pintig ng kanyang puso. Lito