This starkly contrasted with the way Pharaoh bought Ivy cake and a dress, making him seem like two different people. Even when he saw Nina, he casually exchanged a few words, unlike now."No," Micah instinctively denied.Pharaoh's lips curled into a cold smile. "Then bring her to me.""Yes." The most dangerous place would be the safest. Bringing her to Pharaoh would at least keep Ivy from harming her.…Meanwhile, Seth came over to visit Ivy.Seeing him, Ivy instinctively greeted, "Uncle Seth, what brings you here?""I came to check on you."Seth kept his hands behind his back.Ivy was living better than he had imagined.Seth was not pleased. "I don't want you to be like a sheltered flower.""I know." Ivy's response was brief.Seth didn't stay long. After he left, Ivy remembered someone who had been suffering day and night."Wes, how is the woman in the secret room?" Ivy called out.Wes nodded respectfully. "Miss Ivy, that woman is still the same.""Oh, then she's of n
Nina knew she was nothing special to Micah. She was just trying to test him. Micah smiled, "I've already allowed you to search for your people. Once you find them, you can take them with you. But with the current turmoil, staying here is the safest option."His voice was soft and raspy, his gaze fixed on Nina. Behind her, Nash felt a surge of anger and a strong urge to pull Nina into his arms."Let's go," Micah said before Nina could respond. He did not mention where he was taking her, but she knew it meant being separated from Nash. Micah would not bring Nash along.Nina's mind raced. "Micah," she called.He turned to look at her, his expression waiting for her to speak."I'm not sure I want to go wherever you're taking me. Furthermore, going back and forth to search is quite troublesome."Nina knew she had no say in the matter, but she needed to test Micah's intentions. She couldn’t just go without knowing where she was headed. Micah’s expression remained neutral, but h
Pharaoh's voice deepened with anger as he asked, "What are your intentions with Micah?"His face hidden behind a mask, adding to Nina's growing unease. She lowered her head, "It was a chance encounter. I have no ulterior motives."Only Micah knew about her search. She was not sure if Micah had told Pharaoh about her situation, so she decided to take a gamble. She bet on Micah's kindness, remembering how he taught children to read and helped the villagers with medicine. She gambled that Micah was a good person.And she was right.Pharaoh let out a cold laugh, "What is a Birkhamese doing here?"With that, he drew a gun from his waist and pointed it at Nina's forehead. She had seen war and death, but this moment was different. She knew one wrong word and Pharaoh would pull the trigger."I'm looking for someone. I was poisoned with kA48, a toxin developed by your people. My friend came here to find a cure. I got caught in the conflict and was mistaken for an enemy. I just want to s
Meanwhile, Nash seized Mr. Joker's wrist, and the two immediately engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand combat.Pharaoh's quarters, heavily guarded at the entrance, were surprisingly devoid of people inside. Without Pharaoh's permission, no one dared enter. The spacious interior muffled the sounds of Nash and Mr. Joker's struggle, ensuring that the outside guards remained unaware.At that moment, Nash tried to shake off Mr. Joker and rush inside, but Mr. Joker caught up, and the two were now locked in a fierce, evenly matched fight.……Inside, Pharaoh still held the gun. Nina stood frozen. She had witnessed the atrocities committed by the allied forces, seen Mrs. Quintana torment other girls right in front of her, and encountered numerous injured people. But she had never encountered from this close.In the next moment, she felt a heavy weight on her shoulder as Micah pulled her into his arms. "You can't do this to my woman. If she dies, I guarantee you'll lose a son." Micah's words
Finally, he stitched the wound closed. After tending to Micah's injury, Mr. Joker handed him a few pills to take."Sir, I don't understand why you did that. That man is closely connected to Nina. When he heard the gunshot, he only wanted to rush in and save her," Mr. Joker said softly, his lips pressed together. "Given the current situation, Pharaoh is already watching you and Nina."Micah was well aware of everything Mr. Joker mentioned. But at this point, he couldn't just stand by and watch Nina be killed. Micah spoke firmly, "Mr. Joker, you've been by my side for years. You know I have my principles and reasons for everything I do. Your only job now is to follow orders."Unspoken was the clear implication, "Don't ask unnecessary questions because you won't get answers." Although Micah didn't say it outright, Mr. Joker understood."Take some weapons to Nina and Nash for their protection," Micah ordered in a low, gruff voice.As Mr. Joker processed the command, it confirmed his
Leaving those words behind, Joker turned and walked away without looking back. However, on his way back, he suddenly felt unwell. He started coughing violently and soon tasted the metallic tang of blood in his throat.Joker's expression changed. He hadn't expected Nash to have inflicted internal injuries on him. Having come from the same rigorous training ground as Micah and been by his side for years, Joker rarely encountered anyone who could match him. The recent fight with Nash had been intense. If Micah and Nina had arrived just a minute or two later, he might have ended up as Nash's defeated opponent.Nash was incredibly skilled. If he weren't from Birkham and had a bit more ambition, he could easily be a ruler here. Thankfully, Nash's only goal seemed to be Nina.After Joker left, Nash and Nina were alone in the room again. Nash lifted his chin slightly towards Nina, "Let me teach you."Nina's thoughts were elsewhere. She wanted to find Micah, but without Joker's help,
Nina pressed her lips together, her expression serious. "Mrs. Quintana, please take me to see the injured.""You!" Mrs. Quintana was furious. But what could she do? She had to comply with Nina's request.As soon as Nina approached the entrance of the injured camp, the overwhelming stench of blood and rot hit her. She couldn't hold back and retched. Before Mrs. Quintana could mock her, Nina steadied herself, gritting her teeth as she stepped inside.The sight was even more horrifying than the slave camp. Limbs were missing, ears gone, eyes gouged out... It was a scene of utter brutality. Many faces were obscured by blood, and further in, people were crammed into barrels and cages. Centipedes and snakes crawled around, making Nina's skin crawl."Scarlett?" Nina called out tentatively, but there was no response. She had no choice but to check each person one by one, but Scarlett was nowhere to be found. Despair washed over her. If Scarlett wasn't here, had she been killed?Ni
Mr. Joker's skills were well known to Micah. In this place, almost no one could match him. Yet, Nash had taken him down."Captain York, don’t forget whose territory you're on. If I wanted to harm Nina, I would've done it already," Micah said, his eyes gleaming with a cold light.Standing in front of Nina, Micah's words served as both a threat and a warning to Nash. He was making it clear that he could harm Nina anytime he wanted.Nina subtly gripped her gun, ready to use it if necessary.Micah continued, "I just want to have a few words with Nina. You wait at the door. Remember, if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have had the chance to find them."Nash didn’t respond but locked eyes with Nina. Under her silent plea, he reluctantly moved to the door. Even there, he remained vigilant, his eyes fixed on Micah with a fierce intensity. If Micah dared to harm Nina, Nash was prepared to kill him, even if it meant dying alongside her.Micah ignored Nash and focused on Nina. "Nina, you'r
At the time, Wilfred had already guessed that this had everything to do with Harley and his mentor, Professor Zeller. “You and your so-called association don’t focus on benefiting patients. Instead, you spend all your time trying to monopolize everything. And now you want to turn me into one of you? Keep dreaming.” Wilfred’s tone was filled with disdain, his eyes cold with contempt. The smug smile on Harley’s face slowly faded. With a sneer, Harley’s voice turned bitter. “You know what I despise most about you? That self-righteous, holier-than-thou attitude of yours. I was offering you advice, but if you don’t want to hear it, fine. There’s nothing more to say. After all, if the surgery fails—” Before he could finish the word “fail,” the surgical light outside the operating room flicked off. Clack!The sliding doors parted, and Karina burst through, her face flushed with emotion. She didn’t even notice Harley. Her focus zeroed in on Wilfred. “Wilfred!” Her voice trem
As the surgery approached, Karina worked overtime, meticulously double-checking for any possible oversights. Before stepping into the operating room, she took a deep breath."Karina, you’ve got this!" a nurse beside her encouraged.This surgery was particularly significant, and the assistants and nurses weren’t from her hospital. They were brought in by the project, specifically by Harley’s team. Without a single familiar face around, Karina felt a twinge of anxiety. Opportunities to lead surgeries were already rare for her, let alone under circumstances like this, with no one she could truly rely on.But there was no turning back now. Gritting her teeth, Karina donned her gloves. As she was about to enter the operating room, her peripheral vision caught sight of a figure standing silently in the distance. It was Wilfred. His steady gaze met hers, his eyes carrying something profound she couldn’t quite decipher. When their eyes locked, a faint smile curved his lips.In th
“Ava.”A deep voice cut through the air, and Karina turned to see a man in a black suit, wearing a hat and a mask, striding toward them. But the man’s white eyelashes and distinctive eyes were all Karina needed to recognize him. He was her albino patient, Xavier Jasper!Xavier also didn’t expect to run into both Wilfred and Karina here. “It’s you two,” he exclaimed in surprise.Wilfred’s gaze sharpened as he calmly addressed Xavier. “Keep your sister in line. Apologize.”Before Xavier could respond, Ava stepped forward and, to everyone’s surprise, said, “I’m sorry. I was too impulsive. Please forgive me.” Karina was taken aback by how quickly Ava apologized. Even Xavier, who knew his sister’s arrogant tendencies well, looked stunned.Karina nodded, her tone steady but firm. “I forgive you, but that doesn’t mean everyone else will. You should work on your attitude. Stop acting so entitled everywhere you go.” With that, Karina turned on her heel and walked away. Although Xavie
”Those were her meticulously compiled notes, the result of hours of hard work—and now they were ruined just like that?” Karina thought.“I’ve never wronged you. Why would you do something like this?” she demanded, her voice trembling with indignation. Something about the situation felt off, and Karina’s sharp intuition told her this wasn’t a simple misunderstanding.Under Karina’s intense gaze, the nurse finally broke down, revealing Ava’s role in orchestrating the whole thing. Karina’s anger turned into a mix of rage and incredulous amusement. “Really? Rich people—did they all enjoy throwing money around like this?”All this trouble, just to ruin her hard-earned work over a seat?Her carefully compiled notes were gone, and there wasn’t a second copy. Arguing wouldn’t bring them back, but Ava wasn’t going to let this slide without giving someone a piece of her mind.Finding Ava wasn’t difficult. In fact, Ava didn’t even try to avoid her. She seemed to be waiting, eager to see
Just as Ava was about to cause a scene, the sound of steady footsteps filled the room. Wilfred strode in, his white coat enhancing his composed, almost ethereal aura. Ava shot Karina a glare, silently committing her to memory, then begrudgingly found another seat. Wilfred’s gaze swept across the room, pausing ever so briefly on Karina before moving on. She wasn’t sure if it was real or just her imagination. “Today, we’ll discuss cellular structures. I’ll start with an example from my doctoral thesis,” Wilfred announced, adjusting the projector. To Karina’s surprise, he was an exceptional lecturer—clear, engaging, and far more comprehensible than many university professors. She listened intently, taking meticulous notes. Yvette peeked over at Karina’s notebook, wide-eyed at the densely packed writing. “Karina, when you eventually get promoted, land a big raise, or go for your doctorate, I promise I won’t be jealous. Truly.”Karina chuckled. “If you need these notes, I can len
Karina glanced at the time and quickly gestured for Yvette to sit down as well. However, barely had they taken their seats when a haughty woman marched up to Karina, her sharp gaze fixed on the chair she was sitting on. “You, get up. I want that seat!” Karina frowned, studying the unfamiliar woman. She didn’t recognize her from the hospital, but the designer jewelry around her neck and the branded bag on her arm screamed wealth. She seemed like the kind of entitled socialite who rarely had to fight for anything, let alone a seat.Unsure if the woman was trying to pick a fight or genuinely wanted the chair, Karina pointed to the open seats nearby. “There are plenty of seats over there. Take one of those.”Then, she lowered her head, dismissing the woman entirely.The woman’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Excuse me? I said I want your seat. Get up. Now!” Not content with words alone, she reached out to pull Karina up by force. Karina, now genuinely angry, shook her off. “I was h
Karina looked slightly surprised. She distinctly remembered that Wilfred wasn’t a drinker. “I thought you avoided alcohol?” Wilfred, ever the epitome of control and composure, preferred to steer clear of anything that dulled his sharpness. Back when they worked at the Birkham Central Hospital, she had seen him reject bottles of expensive wine from people trying to curry favor with him. He sipped his tea slowly before replying, “You’ve started at a new hospital. As your former mentor, I haven’t given you a proper congratulatory gift yet.” “This is… for me?” Karina asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. Wilfred’s gaze was steady as he replied, “Don’t like it? If not, I can send it back and we can find something else later.” He raised his hand to call the server over. “Wait! No need. I like it a lot,” Karina interjected hastily, stopping him in his tracks. The idea of going gift shopping with him later felt uncomfortably like a date. And knowing Wilfred’s personality, w
Wilfred’s gaze swept over her without a word, and Karina climbed into the car on her own. When choosing her seat, she instinctively moved toward the back, but before she could get in, Wilfred spoke, “Sit in the front. It’s more convenient.” Karina hesitated briefly. Not wanting to appear overly particular, she complied and took the passenger seat. Although there was a saying that the front seat was reserved for a girlfriend, Wilfred didn’t strike her as someone who cared about such details. She decided to pretend she didn’t know. After buckling her seatbelt, a phone suddenly appeared in front of her. She looked up, her face full of confusion and surprise. Wilfred glanced sideways at her, one hand on the steering wheel, the car still stationary. “I haven’t decided on a restaurant yet. I’ll be driving soon. You pick something.” Karina took the phone. As Wilfred drove, she scrolled through the options, narrowing it down to three restaurants. But her mild indecisivenes
Karina forced a smile. “Really, it’s fine. You all go ahead.”Yvette pouted, her disappointment clear as she relented. “Alright then.”Once the others had left, Karina tried to refocus on work. She pulled out her research materials, determined to get something done. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, her thoughts kept wandering. The cheerful chatter from outside finally snapped her out of it, making her realize just how distracted she had been.Karina gave a wry smile and muttered to herself, “This is why you don’t get ahead of yourself. Seriously, one of life’s biggest delusions.”For a fleeting moment, she had thought Wilfred might feel something for her too. But it was better this way, she told herself—better to wake up now than to fall in too deep later. Romance wasn’t her strong suit; focusing on her career was safer.While others might drown their heartbreak in food or a night out, Karina chose the most grueling outlet: work. It might be exhausting, but it was effective. S