Tòumíng shook his head, pulling back against the wall even though there was nowhere to go. "That's bullshit. That's some Terminator-slash-Rambo movie backstory. Former special forces turned vigilante investigating elite trafficking rings? Come on."
Her expression didn't change. "I don't particularly care if you believe me or not. The facts remain the same regardless of your skepticism."
She flipped her phone around, swiping to a different image and shoving it directly in Tòumíng's face.
The screen showed a massive ruby. Deep red, not the typical bright crimson of most rubies, but darker, almost brown-red in certain angles. The color was intense, saturated, unlike anything Tòumíng had seen in his weeks of gem hunting and True Price assessments.
"Do you know how they achieve that specific color?" Her voice was matter-of-fact, clinical. "Blood. Human blood specifically. They grow these rubies in laboratory conditions using blood as part of the crystal formation process."
"That's—" Tòumíng's automatic rejection kicked in immediately. "That's not how gems work! The iron in blood would add impurities, not enhance color! It would make the crystal structure unstable, reduce clarity, lower the overall quality! You can't just throw blood at gemstones and make them better!"
"She's right." Cupid's voice cut through Tòumíng's protest, serious and measured.
"What?!"
"She's right," Cupid repeated. "Listen to the explanation before you dismiss it."
Tòumíng fell silent, his scientific understanding warring with Cupid's confirmation.
"The traditional understanding of ruby formation is correct," Cupid began, his tone taking on an educational quality. "Rubies are aluminum oxide with chromium creating the red color. Iron typically creates impurities, you're right about that. But what these people have discovered, or more accurately, what they've perfected from ancient alchemical practices, is a specific cultivation method."
"Alchemical?" Tòumíng whispered, trying not to move his lips too obviously.
"They use living blood as a catalyst during synthetic ruby growth. Not just dumping blood into the process randomly, but incorporating it at precise temperatures and pressures during crystal lattice formation. The hemoglobin breaks down under extreme heat, we're talking temperatures above 2000 degrees Celsius, and the iron oxidizes in very specific ways when combined with chromium and aluminum oxide precursors."
Cupid's explanation continued, getting more technical. "The process creates what's called 'sacrificial doping' the organic compounds from blood burn away completely, but they guide the crystal growth in ways that enhance chromium incorporation. The result is a deeper, more saturated red than natural rubies can achieve. The color is technically from chromium still, but the growth process guided by blood decomposition creates more uniform chromium distribution."
"But the impurities—" Tòumíng started.
"Are eliminated during the extreme temperature phase. By the time the crystal cools and solidifies, no organic material remains. Just a perfectly formed ruby with unusually deep coloration. Gemological testing would show it as synthetic, yes, but not why it's synthetic or what made the color so distinctive."
The masked woman watched Tòumíng's face as he processed this information, clearly aware he was having an internal conversation even if she couldn't hear Cupid's side.
"The practice is ancient," she added. "References appear in texts from various cultures, Chinese alchemy, medieval European grimoires, Middle Eastern mysticism. The wealthy elite have refined it into a modern process. Industrial equipment, precise controls, but the fundamental principle remains: use human sacrifice to create gemstones of exceptional quality."
"Sacrifice," Tòumíng repeated, the word feeling heavy.
"Where do you think the blood comes from?" Her green eyes held his. "Volunteers? Blood donations? No. The people they traffic, the women and children moved through these mining operations, some of them end up as raw materials. Drained completely. Their blood used to grow gems that sell for millions."
Tòumíng felt sick. The Wellington in his stomach suddenly felt like lead.
"And the drink," Cupid continued, his voice grim. "The red beverage you almost consumed. These people have developed a taste for blood. A literal taste. They drink it at their events. Sometimes fresh, sometimes preserved with anticoagulants and sweeteners to make it more palatable. It's part of their culture, their rituals. Consuming the same substance they use to create their precious gemstones."
"That's why I stopped you from drinking," Cupid finished. "That wasn't wine or some specialty juice. That was human blood with sugar added."
Tòumíng's hand went to his mouth, fighting the urge to vomit. He'd been seconds away from drinking that. Seconds away from consuming actual human blood at a fancy party like it was punch.
"Holy shit," he breathed.
"Holy shit indeed," Cupid agreed.
The masked woman was still watching him, patient, letting the information sink in. She'd clearly seen this reaction before—the disbelief, the horror, the gradual acceptance that some people were capable of atrocities beyond normal comprehension.
"So when I ask if you're going to listen to everything I say," she said quietly, "I mean it literally. Everything happening in this building tonight is more dangerous than you can imagine. The people here aren't just wealthy collectors. They're predators operating a system that's been running for decades, maybe longer. And you walked right into it."
Tòumíng looked at her, really looked at her. The scars. The military bearing. The cold professionalism that came from seeing terrible things and not breaking. This wasn't some conspiracy theorist or delusional vigilante. This was someone who'd been inside the system and walked away because the system was rotten.
"Cupid?" he whispered.
"Listen to everything she says," Cupid confirmed. "Every word. This is real. This is happening. And we're in the middle of it."
Tòumíng took a shaky breath and nodded at the masked woman. "Okay. I'm listening. Tell me everything."