Elijah and Michelle immediately followed suit. Soon, the room echoed with the sounds of heads knocking on the ground. Galen blinked at the sight before him. Although curious, he saw Dominic's anger and pursed his lips in silence."Get up, all of you! Get up now!" Dominic roared. His voice was so loud that everyone froze and looked up at him."Daniel Fike! You're something else, aren’t you?!" As he began to pace back and forth, he continued, "Even at this age, you're still pulling this trick on me? Do you think I will agree with you this way?!""No. I'm genuinely begging you! I'm running out of options! We've checked everywhere, and there’s still no sign of him. It's been so many days, and you know how Austin is. He won't make us worry like this.“Something terrible must have happened! Also, that lab… That laboratory has been abandoned. I've had people investigate that place, but it was wiped clean. Not a single soul remains there. There's a basement in the building. Although the ro
"Then, he…" Michelle's face turned pale. Although she was relieved to hear her son might still be alive, her heart couldn't take Dominic's repeated mentions of a corpse."I've already sent someone to look for him. I'll inform you as soon as I hear back." Dominic sat down and took a sip of tea from his teacup. Then he paused and raised his head to see everyone staring at him. "What?! I already said I'll tell you if I hear-""Dom, thank you so much!" Daniel cried emotionally. "I knew it! I knew you wouldn't let him die!""Thank you, Uncle Dom!" Elijah also thanked Dominic gratefully.However, Dominic waved his hands around impatiently. "Enough! Stop with all this! Just don't show up at my door anymore! I can't see you crying and wailing like this. And you! What are you doing, walking around like this, at your age?! If something happens to you, whose fault will it be?!""I know my limits!" Daniel replied happily."You do, but I don't! The next time you show up, I won't let you in. H
Waking up from the nightmare, he opened his eyes and looked numbly at the ceiling. He was used to this. Day and night. It was the same thing over and over again. He could no longer tell whether he was asleep or awake. Maybe he was living his nightmare.After all, if he was asleep and knew that he was dreaming, he still had hopes of waking up. However, even when he opened his eyes, he was still stuck in an endless loop of torture.He still remembered what Mike had said. Mike's words replayed in his head repeatedly, but he still wasn't sure if he should believe Mike. After two days, there was no sign of her leaving. Was he getting played again?However, what good would that do for someone like Mike? Was it another cat-and-mouse game?Just as he was starting to get lost in his thoughts, there was the sound of the door opening. This time, unlike most others, it was accompanied by the sharp sound of high heels.Although his face was numb, he could still move his eyes. This woman's voic
That was why she kept doing these experiments and adjusting the doses. Even so, she wasn't completely sure about the efficacy of the medicine."Do you know what kind of drug I've given you?" She moved a little closer and asked in a low voice.Austin didn't answer, but his gaze lowered.Rhea smiled and leaned into his ear. "It's poison."Her red lips opened and closed, a weird smile plastered on her face.However, even these few words did not elicit any reaction from him. He was tied up as he sat there motionlessly, like a body without a soul.Seeing that there was no response, Rhea was starting to get bored. She smacked her lips and said, "Don't worry. This poison is not fatal but will make you stronger. Once you get over this phase, you will be invulnerable to all poisons. Wouldn't that be good for you as a miracle doctor?"Raising his head, Austin looked at her. His eyes seemed to say, "Do you take me for a fool?"Rhea smiled. "You don't believe me? I've read your traditional
Austin seemed to let himself get dragged forward numbly as he tried to memorize the ground under his feet and the voices around him. He felt himself getting carried into the elevator, and the elevator descended accordingly.He wondered if he had been on the top floor, but the elevator ride was short, meaning he was not too high.After getting dragged out, he began to listen attentively. He did not hear the sound of high heels or anything else besides the voices of the two men dragging him around. Austin wondered whether or not Rhea followed.He silently analyzed the journey until the two men pushed him into a car. When the car started, he began counting the time inwardly.‘Mike mentioned I should wait 20 minutes from when the car started.’Austin could not see, and although he did not have a watch, keeping track of time was easy because he had spent all his time doing it when he was locked up. He no longer needed to look at a time to figure out an approximate number. Moreover, thi
Bang!The car landed heavily. Austin's body lost its balance and rolled inside. As he looked out the car window, longing for freedom, he felt a buzz in his ears. He felt his head in a daze and did not know how long it was before he felt himself getting dragged out of the car.His head felt warm, as if something was flowing down his scalp. The scene before his eyes was chaotic. There was a fire with people shouting as sirens rang in his ears. It was as if he could hear everything, yet nothing at all.Then he blacked out.…Putting away the boiled herbs, Lily wiped her hands and was about to leave when she heard hurried footsteps. Edmund appeared in front of her. "Dr. Russell, there are some changes in Debbie."When she saw the serious look on his face, her heart tightened. "What changes?""We'll talk as we head over," Edmund said, taking a protective suit and handing it to her.Lily quickly got dressed and followed him to the ward.The two talked as they walked. Each sentence f
“It’s all your fault!” Dashiell said fiercely, “If it weren’t for you, the child wouldn’t suffer so much, and her life wouldn’t be in danger! How dare you mess around again!”“I’m not messing around and have to take her wrist pulse. Step aside!” Lily said coldly.“Please! Take her pulse? What the hell for? Do you think your fingers can detect more than our professional equipment? It’s nothing more than a party trick since herbal medicine is unreliable! Now that things have come to this, what else must you say?” He scolded angrily.Some of the other herbal medicine practitioners got upset. “Hey, how could you say we’re performing party tricks? How is herbal medicine not reliable?”“It’s just not!”“Without the equipment, mainstream medicine can do nothing. All you know is to perform surgeries or ask the patients to wait for their deaths.”“It’s the herbal medicine that’s…”The two parties suddenly ended up in a fierce quarrel. Although some herbal medicine practitioners also thou
After a while, she stood and looked toward Dr. Blanc. “I’d like to have a word with you.”“How’s the kid?” Dr. Blanc questioned, furrowing his brow."She should be stable for now," she said euphemistically, bending down to pinch Debbie's cheeks with one hand and stuffing something into her mouth with the other.She did it so swiftly that others could not do anything but shout, “What did you feed her?!”“Dr. Blanc, let’s talk alone,” Lily said indifferently while turning to face him.Before Dr. Blanc could reply, Dashiell chuckled coldly. "What can't you say here that you must speak with Dr. Blanc alone? We’re all colleagues, and as Dr. Blanc said, we’re all on the battlefront together. How are there secrets we are not privy to?"Dr. Blanc, you said you wouldn't let her off the hook easily, and I believe there’s no secrets between the two of you. So, I’m wondering, Dr. Russell, what is it that you could only tell Dr. Blanc and not us?” Dashiell looked around, and someone piped u
Lily tilted her head up to fight back her tears, saying, “There’s something I find strange.”“What is it?” Mike asked after comforting his son.“Instead of detaining Prince Ross, Her Majesty has sent him back to Yudonia. If so, why couldn’t we reach him?”After some thought, Mike answered, “There are two possibilities. It’s probably due to poor signals, or he doesn’t want us to contact him.”The two shared a look, knowing what each other was wondering.‘Why can’t we contact Ross? Is he planning something?’…Three days later, Lily inserted the last needle into the queen’s leg and looked up at her, saying, “You should start feeling your legs tomorrow. Still, it’ll take some time before you can stand.”Suddenly, Lily chuckled.“Why are you laughing?” Yasmin touched her legs. She had begun to regain sensation in her legs over the last two days. She then began to believe that she could get up. However, the queen was hesitant when the queen heard Lily chuckle.Lily shook her head
Lily straightened up and said without resentment, “Of course, you wouldn’t.”“That’s… quite a pity,” the queen murmured thoughtfully.“Well, there’s a price to pay for everything. That’s how the world balances itself,” Lily continued, “I can’t stop you if you must carry on with R10. Still, I won’t witness whether or not it succeeds. I just wish the outcome isn’t something you’ll regret.”Lily smiled and turned to head out the door.Rick heard their conversation as he stood guard outside. After exchanging looks with Lily as she brushed past him, he entered the room and saw the needles in Yasmin’s legs. “Your Majesty, those needles—”The queen waved dismissively. “It’s okay. Lily will remove them later.”Even so, Rick was wary. “You’re being too careless, Your Majesty. What if that woman—”“She wouldn’t,” Yasmin interjected, shaking her head."Why do you trust her so much?" Rick asked despite himself. The queen fell silent. If Rick had not asked her that, she would not have rea
Lily took out a cloth and unfolded it, revealing a row of silver needles inside. Yasmin was surprised she carried the needles with her.“Tell me. What do you want?” The queen took a deep breath to calm herself. She then reminded herself that she could always say no to Lily’s request. Still, Yasmin was cautious about Lily trying to trick her.Lily casually said, "I left because Prince Ross wanted to help me. I hope you don’t punish him.""That's it?" Yasmin thought she had misheard Lily. 'Is she trying to talk terms with me just so that I won't punish my son?' she wondered in disbelief."Ross is my son. I won't harm him. Don't you think you've wasted an opportunity by making such a request?" The queen shook her head. "I wasn’t sure if you’d blame him, but he did rescue me once. If I don't do anything, it would be ungrateful of me," Lily said gently, "Also, didn’t you already lock him up?"Yasmin was puzzled. "No, I only sent him back to Yudonia. He kept trying to get me to sto
"Three days," Lily replied.“That’s it?!” Yasmin was in disbelief. She thought Lily would try to buy some more time and suspected she would say the process would take several months or even years.‘I haven’t felt my legs for over a decade. I wouldn’t mind waiting for three more days.’“Are you sure I can get up and walk in just three days?” Yasmin pressed her legs hard but felt nothing. She would have treated her legs long ago if it were that easy.The queen had visited many famous doctors from various countries, but they could only stop her legs from getting weaker. However, Lily confidently told Yasmin that she could fix her legs so quickly.Yasmin wanted to believe it.After some consideration, Lily said, “I can’t guarantee that you’ll walk as fast as you once could. After all, you haven’t used your legs for a long time, and your muscles have atrophied. Still, you’ll recover slowly.”Yasmin nodded repeatedly, thinking it was good enough. She never dreamed of walking as well a
“Because only our opinions matter." Lily thought of something and said, "Unless you choose to believe Rhea.""I… don't trust anyone." Yasmin’s expression stiffened as she turned her wheelchair away."Your Majesty, I know you're dedicated to the experiment, but there are other things in life. Have you ever considered letting go of your burden to sightsee? You’ve done enough as a queen over the last few decades. Aren’t you tired of living a lonely life?”Lily gently spoke as she gazed at Yasmin’s back.The older woman caressed her knees with both hands and stared down at her legs, murmuring, “Sightsee, huh? I’ve forgotten what that’s like.”Yasmin had not used her legs for many years. Initially, she could still stand up and sometimes took a few steps. However, she could no longer get to her feet.She had grown accustomed to sitting in a wheelchair, but she felt a pang of sorrow after hearing Lily’s suggestion.Lily asked, “What if I can help you stand again? What if you can walk a
"Yes, I returned not just for him but also for you," Lily said, "I'm sure you were anxious for my return, weren't you?"Yasmin scoffed dismissively. "Why would I be? I have my bargaining chip. Besides, did you honestly think I couldn’t bring you back?""Bargaining chip? Do you mean Nick?" Lily shook her head with a smile. "Don't forget that he's not my son. Do you think he'll be much of a bargaining chip to you if I choose to ignore him for my three children?"She did not wait for Yasmin to reply and continued, "Besides, Nick still has a father who’s willing to die for him. If Mike decides to take drastic action against you— Yes, you're a queen, and you don't care much about an insignificant businessman.“However, don't forget that his business spans worldwide. There's no guarantee what he might do. Who knows, he might spread information that can affect Your Majesty and Yudonia's reputation?""You…" The queen was exasperated but could not retort.Lily noticed it and casually said
Rick could only remain silent at that moment.Yasmin then turned her wheelchair around and blandly said, “Bring Lily over. I’d like to see what excuses that sly woman can come up with.”"Your Majesty?" Rick was puzzled. "You know she'll just lie to you. Why must you—"Yasmin interjected, "I'd like to hear what she has to say."Rick had no choice but to leave and do as she said.As Lily was about to doze off, she heard noises from outside and opened her eyes. Immediately after, the door opened, and Rick appeared. He glared at her and spoke coldly, “Her Majesty wants to see you.”Lily glanced at Rick calmly and stood up as if she had expected his appearance. On the other hand, Mike rose before her and headed out.However, Rick stopped him as he reached the door. “You stay.”"But we came together!" Mike glanced over his shoulder at Lily, signaling her to persuade the man. Rick added, "The queen doesn’t wish to see you. Just stay here!"Lily patted Mike's shoulder and said gentl
Everyone was shocked when Lily returned to the embassy with Mike. One of the staff members quickly left to report the news to Queen Yasmin.Meanwhile, Lily saw people peering at her and Mike from the corner. Afterward, several guarded-looking men appeared. Lilt recognized them as the queen’s attendants. They brought Mike and Lily inside and then gave the duo a thorough search.The men only relaxed after finding nothing suspicious about the duo. Even so, Lily could not see the queen as the men told her to wait in an innermost room instead.After returning to the embassy, Lily felt a sense of strange familiarity. Although she knew the place well, her mindset had changed.She previously hated the embassy and simply wanted to escape. However, she had returned with a critical mission. Not only did she have to complete it, but she also needed to leave the place in one piece.While she was calm, Mike was somewhat anxious. He clasped his hands on his knees and glanced around as he sat dow
"I promise I'll do anything you want, okay?" Mike begged. He was desperate to see his son, so he decided to follow Lily when she insisted on returning to the embassy.Mike continued, “If any of you go with her, they might stop or suspect you. They won’t do that to me. It’s natural for me to want to see and rescue my son. I’m the best candidate because it makes sense for me to sacrifice myself for him.”After a short silence, Lily said, “You’re right.” She then looked at Alexander, who pondered before slowly raising his head and saying, “Me too.”Dominic tapped the table. "So do I."Cameron thought for a moment before saying, "I've no objections."Seeing this, Austin spread his arms and said, "Since you all agree, what else can I say? Let's do it!"It did not matter whether or not he agreed, but he just wanted to support Mike. The latter nodded and became emotional, saying, “Thanks, you guys!”"Why are you thanking us? Just be careful, and don’t be rash like you promised," Aust