"I’ll pick you up as soon as I finish work. You…" Mike paused for a while before continuing, "You must learn to take care of yourself while I’m not there, okay? You're growing up, you know?""I know!" Nick nodded obediently. "Daddy, you should take care too!"This sentence was almost the last straw for Mike. He suppressed the pain in his heart and said, "Nicky, you—"Before he could finish talking, the screen flashed and suddenly went blank."Nicky?! Nicky!" He sprung to his feet and jumped toward the screen. However, it was no use. All he could see was his own reflection."Mike Corden, the time has come," a cold and piercing voice sounded. The man came out from the darkness, still holding the remote. "I've already done what I promised. I hope you won't break your promise to me."Mike slapped the screen as if he could save his son this way. "Let my son go! He's just a child! He doesn't understand anything! I’ll do whatever you want me to do!"The man chuckled. It was horrifying
"How is he?" Although Lily had asked the doctor, Greg had been here the whole night. He would be more aware of what was going on."Unconscious," His answer was simple and straightforward.Alexander was still unconscious, but nothing seemed to have worsened. He was just in a coma.Lily stretched out her hand, took off her glove, and checked his pulse. Although it was stable, it was weak. It meant that his body was still weak and unstable, but the toxin seemed to have gotten cleared from his body.The toxin of this poison was strange. Sometimes, it was undetectable. At first, Lily did not understand it and thought the toxin had cleared up from Alexander’s body. She only realized Alexander was not entirely free from the toxins when he got sick again.Instead, the toxin was just momentarily suppressed. In other words, it had a life of its own. The toxin knew when to hide and when to attack again.Lily withdrew her hand as she took mental notes. After disinfecting her hand and putting
"Sorry, I'm busy," she said and attempted to leave. After all, she was rushing to get to the X Department.Mike grabbed her wrist. "It’s important."Lily frowned when she felt Mike pulling her wrist. "You know what I'm capable of. Don't make me hurt you."Looking at her expression, he slowly loosened his grip. With that, she turned around without the slightest intention of staying."Don't you want to know the lab's secrets?" Mike suddenly called out behind her.That made Lily stop in her tracks. She turned to look at him with narrowed eyes. "What are you playing at?""Don't you want to know what kind of virus Alex got infected with?"His words were undoubtedly tempting to her. On top of that, he knew Alexander was sick. Lily had been doing such an excellent job at keeping that a secret.After a moment of hesitation, she caved to his offer. Although she did not trust Mike, he was closer to the truth and knew more than she did.‘Should I trust him? Is he really going to tell me
"This lab is just a small pawn in the game. The main source isn't in Hyderland. Do you understand?" Mike said cryptically after a moment of thought.Although he did not give a direct answer, Lily understood what he meant and nodded thoughtfully. "Are you saying Hyderland is just a subsidiary branch, and the headquarters is abroad?"Mike nodded. "The boss behind it is more powerful than we can ever imagine. We can't compete against him. Lily, you shouldn't dig any deeper. If you do, you might risk your life and the lives of the people around you.""That means this is all just to try and convince me not to investigate further in the lab?" Lily asked mockingly, a smile on her face."No!" Mike shook his head and said, "I want to strike a deal with you.""What deal?""Come back and work for the lab. This time, you'll be tasked with more important projects. But you shouldn't ask questions or care about what you're doing. Just concentrate on your experiments.""What do I get?" Lily was
"I want to know who the targeted group is!" Lily was not so easily bought as she stubbornly pestered, "Who is being targeted? Tell me!"Faced with her persistence, Mike initially shrugged it off. In the end, he put his hands up and sighed. "Initially, it was aimed at the Asiatic people.""Initially?" She questioned.Mike nodded and said, "However, the situation has gone slightly out of control. I'm sure you've seen how quick and widespread the plague has become. Now, it seems like the people of Roseroot are also getting infected. This means that the original experiment has failed. Now, it's an entirely indiscriminate attack.“By now, it's safe to assume that the lab had lost its confidence and trust in most people. Although you didn't make a lot, the effect of your end product is excellent. There seem to be no side effects, and it is controllable. Therefore, the boss hopes you will still return and help with our next mission."To be frank, Mike did not want to drag her into this.
The waiter was relieved to hear this and silently exited the booth.Lily looked at Mike with a fire burning in her eyes. "Mike Corden, how much did they give you to be their lackey?!"After all, he was someone she once regarded as a friend. Despite their different viewpoints, she would not hold a grudge against him. However, his words today angered her.Alexander was lying on the hospital bed with no guarantee of his life. The trajectory of the virus was unknown as well. Mike knew exactly what had infected Alexander and how much he was suffering right now, yet instead of visiting him, Mike came up to her, offended her, then offered such a horrible deal.With her standing up while he stayed seated, she did seem imperceptibly imposing. However, Mike remained calm.As Lily cursed at him and slammed the glass, he sat quietly. Once she was done, he raised his head to look at her with a sarcastic smile. "How much did they give me? They took away my son."Although he smiled, Lily could
"I know I can’t overpower you and how skilled you are." Mike sighed as he glanced at Lily. "But, I also know how they'd do away with me if I can't convince you, so… I'm sorry.""Did you poison my tea?" Lily frowned."Don't worry. It's just a light dose. It won't affect your unborn child. It's just that we'd have to…" Mike, who just stood up, suddenly swayed, and the scene before him became blurry. "You…"Lily pointed to the debris on the ground and smiled. "Have you forgotten why your boss wants to hire me? I'm an expert in this field."She knew something was wrong when she touched the cup and smelled the tea. She also knew what Mike had added to it.Mike was telling the truth. The drug he put in the drink would not harm her child. It would only put her to sleep. She had quietly exchanged their cups without him realizing."You…" Mike tried to hold himself up, but the drug's effect quickly kicked in. Soon, he could barely see what was in front of him."Don't blame me for doing th
"Don't interrupt me when I’m talking. What I'm saying now is very important. You shouldn't take things lightly," Dr. Morris snapped.Lily shrugged, unaffected by his attitude. It was right for him to be cautious as this plague was not a trivial matter.She studied the memos posted on the wall while waiting for him to finish talking about the rules. She had to resist the urge to yawn, and when he finally finished, she was relieved. She could finally change into her protective suit.She was eager to know how far this department's research on the plague had come and how different it was from what she had learned. She also wanted to know how far they were in their research of producing an antidote.After changing into her protective gear and disinfecting herself, Lily entered the laboratory. What she assumed to be a substantial experimental base turned out to be an empty corridor. Dr. Morris sped down the hallway, and she followed behind quietly until they reached a spacious elevator.