“He wouldn’t dare!” Dominic blurted it out.However, the look he gave Lily changed as he also felt that something was wrong.At first, he thought angrily that Austin was being disrespectful by hanging up on him and turning off his phone. Now that he had heard Lily’s reasoning, he felt that there was more than met the eye.“Then…” He frowned. “Why?”“Have you called his parents and asked why he has turned off his phone for two days?” Lily asked.Dominic shook his head vigorously. “No, no, no, I’d never ask them! I haven’t visited them for so many years. Besides, why should I inquire about this? What has it got to do with me? It should be turned off so he can’t bother me!”“What if he had an accident? Or something happened to him? You may brush it off if you don’t know any better, but how could you live without doing anything if you knew that something might be up?” It was not that she worried too much, but many things had happened recently.Besides, people were trying to hunt her
Austin’s father was embarrassed. “Well, Austin might be experimenting in the lab. He often turns off his phone while experimenting,” he explained thoughtfully. “What’s the matter? Has Austin done anything wrong?”Sensing that Dominic was upset, Quincy Fike asked carefully.“Experiment? It has gone on for so long, don’t you... Anyway, he’s your son. Haven’t you tried contacting him?” Dominic could not help but mock him.Quincy chuckled and explained, “Well, there’s a reason, Uncle Dom! Austin doesn’t like us to mind his business and is quite similar to you in some ways. He’s very focused on the work he’s doing. We called him before, but he either said it was inconvenient to talk while experimenting or he had no time to be outside and would contact us when he was free.“Both his mother and I are used to it, so we rarely call him unless there’s anything urgent.” Knowing Dominic was upset, he added, “Would you like to leave a message for him or know when Austin will be back? I’ll ask
Quincy nodded. “Well, that’s the best we can do for now.”Meanwhile, Dominic was upset after hanging up the phone, regretting making the call for nothing.A short while later, Lily and Galen return, holding hands. Seeing the old man’s furious look as she had expected, she laughingly asked, “You still couldn’t reach him?”“What kind of parents are they? Their son hasn’t returned home for days, yet they aren’t worried. They’re heartless like Austin’s grandpa!” Dominic thundered, attacking even his brother.“Austin hasn’t gone home for days?” Lily caught on to the critical point and could tell something was wrong.“Yes.” Dominic’s mood only got better seeing Galen. Grinning, he crouched down and hugged Galen lovingly.“Aren’t Austin’s parents worried that he hasn’t returned for a few days?”“Not even the slightest!” Dominic pouted. “They say it happens all the time and should mind their business since Austin is a grownup. Why should I be worried when his parents don’t even give a d
Right at that moment, Lily’s phone rang.The two exchanged a look and quieted down. Lily took out her phone and was surprised to see it was a call from Thompson.They had just mentioned the laboratory, and he called. Furthermore, he had not contacted Lily since she left. After all, she had a falling out with him and destroyed the data.‘Why is Professor Thompson calling me now?’She answered the call. “Professor Thompson?”“Lily, are you free? I have something to discuss with you, face-to-face.” Since Thompson’s voice was low, and there were noises, he did not seem to be in the laboratory.“What time?” Lily asked solemnly.“Now. Do you have time?”‘He’s in such a hurry, huh? Now, and face-to-face? It must be something serious.’“What’s it about?” Lily asked thoughtfully.“Well…” Thompson hesitated momentarily and seemed reluctant to tell her. “I’ll tell you later since it’s hard to describe it over the phone. It’s about the lab’s experiment. I hope you can help!” He spoke ear
“All right, old man, stop nagging! I have to get going and rush home.” Thinking that Thompson would be waiting for her, she wanted to hurry back and seek answers to her questions. She felt that what Thompson wanted to talk about could be related to Austin and perhaps even the laboratory's secret. Thinking so, she quickened her pace.“No, the key, the car key!” Swinging something in his hand, Dominic chased after her. “Your car is in such a terrible state. How are you going to drive it? Take one of the cars here.”Taking the key, Lily was moved. “Old man…”“Okay, I know! Just go stubborn girl, as long as you know what you’re doing. Remember that no matter how tough you are, you’re still a girl and pregnant, and your husband and son can’t live without you. Just don’t expect me to raise your child, okay?”He tried to act tough but failed to hide his concern for her. “Relax. I’ll make sure I won’t lose a single strand of hair, okay?” Lily joked light-heartedly, not wanting to sound
Lily rushed over to the hospital, but it was too late. By the time she arrived, Thompson had already been declared dead, despite the emergency treatment. Taking a glimpse of him, she saw his face was bloody and somewhat damaged, but she could still recognize him. Eyes closed, the man could no longer hear her nor fight with her over the laptop and lab data.“Professor Thompson…” Her voice quivered, and so did her outstretched fingers. “Are you his family?” The doctor asked as he slowly covered the professor’s face with a white cloth. Lily shook her head, then suddenly thought of something. “Hasn’t his family arrived yet?”“There was no phone on him, so we cannot contact anyone. Do you know his family? Can you help us contact them?”The doctor was busy treating patients. As Thompson only had his driving license with him and there was no way to reach his family, he was glad to see someone who knew the deceased. “I don’t know his family.” Shaking her head, Lily had never seen an
She forgot how she left the hospital and only knew she felt dizzy as she looked up at the sun.‘The lab, the pandemic, Austin, Professor Thompson… all are inextricably linked!’She began to wonder if she could handle it. ‘Who the hell is the mastermind behind all this? Who wanted to have me killed? Who wanted Professor Thompson dead? What happened to Austin?’Thinking it over, she concluded that the laboratory must have something to do with everything. Taking a deep breath, she got into the car and instructed the driver, “Take me to the research institute.”…The car reached the place shortly. Staring at the familiar yet strange building, she stood before the gate but did not go in. She had no idea what lay in the unknown or whether she would face any danger if she were to go in. However, it was the only place where the mystery could be solved. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to go in, but the passcode she entered was wrong.She ensured she did not remember wrongly and keyed in
However, Lily only looked at her. The woman curled her lips. “I’m Rhea Moore. You might not have seen me before, but I’ve heard about you.”After a pause, she added, “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for a long time.”Lily considered for a moment, then got into the passenger seat beside her. The bodyguards outside were worried. “Ma’am…”They would not be able to go inside the laboratory. “It’s okay. You guys wait here, and I’ll be out soon,” she said solemnly, holding up her hand. Glancing at Lily’s bodyguards, Rhea chuckled. “I heard you married a rich man, huh? No wonder you’re accompanied by bodyguards, unlike ordinary people like us.”“Those who have access to the laboratory are no ordinary people, including you, Ms. Moore,” Lily said meaningfully. Rhea curled her nicely outlined lips into a smile, then drove through the gate. She parked the car but did not get out right away. She removed her seat belt, turned to take two bottles of water from the back seat, and h