Elijah and Michelle looked at each other before quickly following suit out of curiosity.The firefighters had covered the stretcher they carried out with a piece of cloth. Although everyone knew there was a person under it, no one knew who it was.However, Maria recognized the corner of the clothing that peaked out under the cloth. "Ree…" She pounced onto the stretcher.Fabian did not hold her back as she threw herself onto the stretcher, and it fell to the ground with a bang. She had also unintentionally pulled the cloth with her."Ah!" Her scream filled the air when she saw the face that belonged to the body.Michelle, who was right behind her, saw the body and gasped in fright. Elijah quickly reacted as he covered her eyes with his hand. "Don't look!"Even he, a burly man, felt his heart skip a beat, and the hairs all over his body stood on end when he saw the corpse. The face was burnt beyond recognition, almost into a lump of soil. A glance at it would make anyone scream.A
Michelle had calmed down a little on the way back, but she was still trembling. After all, the impact of seeing the body was terrifying."Don't think about it," Elijah said lightly, gently hugging her."I can't." She turned to look at him and asked, "What do you think?"He did not reply."Is Rhea really dead?"Again, only silence greeted her."How can it be so coincidental? Something just had to happen when we were looking for her! Besides, our people saw her go home, and no one saw her leave. How did she end up in this abandoned factory? What kind of experiment is she doing? How can it just happen to explode like this? It seems like…""Like what?" Elijah asked.Michelle chewed on her lips. "Don't you think it's too much like a setup for us?""Are you saying Fabian and Maria are acting?" After thinking for a while, Elijah thought this was a possibility. However, if this was the case, Fabian and Maria were too good at scheming.Elijah thought he had tried his best not to start
It was already dark when the car arrived at Dominic's house.This place was far from the city center, and the starry sky was clear and beautiful. There were no flashing lights, just peace and quiet.Elijah had already called Dominic on the way here. Sure enough, Dominic refused. However, after hearing about Rhea's death, he was shocked.After a moment of silence, he finally gave in and allowed them to come. He warned them to make sure they were not followed and not to stay too long.Their journey into the manor was smooth; the car drove quietly and stopped at the front.When Elijah got out of the car, he saw a luxury car next to them with a license plate he didn't recognize. It seemed that there was a foreign visitor here. This puzzled him. After all, Dominic rarely had visitors, and it was late at night.However, since Elijah had already been warned not to talk or ask too many questions, he dared not let his mind wander. He looked around suspiciously before following his wife in
"Rhea is dead?" A strange female voice sounded. Elijah was stunned for a moment and looked toward the source of the voice.A woman came in through the door leading to the backyard. She patted the dirt on her hands and washed them before coming over.He watched her every move until she approached him and hesitantly looked at Dominic. "Uncle Dom?"Dominic took a glance at Lily and rubbed his nose. "This is my apprentice.""Hello, I'm Lily," Lily greeted Elijah politely.Elijah felt that name sounded familiar, but he was more shocked that Dominic introduced her as his apprentice.‘Was this an acknowledgment that this woman was his secret apprentice?! I didn't expect it to be a woman!’As Dominic's closest relatives, they knew about him taking in a secret apprentice, and of course, they also knew it was not their son. They did not know who it was. Dominic never said anything, and they weren't close enough to ask.Now that he had openly admitted it, Elijah was quite surprised."Jus
Since it was a poison, there would always be an antidote. Finding the poisoner was the most direct and convenient way to get the antidote. Who would have thought the person would be "dead" before he found her?With this sudden change in the situation, Elijah could only pin his hopes on Dominic."He's not poisoned. He's injected with a catalyst."This stunned Elijah. He blinked, almost doubting his ears. If his ears were fine, there must be something wrong with his comprehension.‘What is…a catalyst?’"I'm sorry, but I don't understand. What is a catalyst?" This was his first encounter with the term."Well, it's similar to poisons. It also damages bodily functions. The only difference is that catalysts accelerate the growth and division of the body cells to improve one's physical fitness and other aspects," Lily explained in the most layman's terms possible.As expected, Elijah tilted his head and thought momentarily before hesitantly asking, "So, it's something like a stimulant?
Elijah was full of hope, but reality dealt him a severe blow.Lily shook her head with some remorse on her face. "I can't figure it out. The properties of the drugs have wholly integrated with his body. It's been a long time, so there's no way to undo it.""How can that be?!" Lily's words were undoubtedly a punch to Elijah’s face. He instantly paled and turned to Dominic in a panic. "Uncle Dom. Uncle Dom, talk to me! You have a solution, don't you? You're the miracle doctor! You've saved so many people. You must be able to save Austin, right?"Dominic sighed without saying a word, but his expression said enough.Lily spoke again. "On the bright side, this poison is not deadly. He won't die for now.""What do you mean for now? What bright side?! With his state, he might as well be dead!" Elijah pointed upstairs as he spoke, feeling pain in his heart.He was struggling to keep his emotions in check. After all, with his son in such a situation, it was hard for him to control himself
"I'll pay you twice the original price of the treasures he has ruined, but…" Lily paused and curled up her lips into a smile. "You know that's not what I'm talking about, right?""Hmm…" After dragging out his hum, the older man put down his teacup. "You showed up so suddenly that I didn't have time to ask. How are things on your end?""It's done. We’ve developed the antidote. Otherwise, why would I be standing here?" Lily replied casually."Really?" Dominic frowned. "Why did I hear it's not that simple, and there are rats within the department?"She did not expect Dominic to know this and pursed her lips. Lily gently ran her fingers through her hair and frowned. "Do you have an insider there, old man?""Why do you say it like that?! You make me sound like a spy!" Dominic slapped his thigh and gave her a look. "My apprentices are everywhere, okay?"Lily rodded her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, yeah. You have apprentices all around the world. Then did any of your apprentices tell you whe
Galen came out of the room, rubbing his eyes. "Mommy…""Why are you awake?" Lily stretched out her arms and pulled him to her side. Her belly had grown bigger over the days. Although it was inconvenient to hold Galen, she would not let that stop her."I thought you left." The child snuggled into his mother's embrace. He did not say much, but his actions were loud and clear.Lily felt a little guilty. She had indeed neglected her son recently. After being separated for such a long time at such a young age, he must have missed her. However, he was sensible and did not complain."No! I'm not leaving you anymore. We'll go home together," she softly said as she rubbed his head.Galen's eyes lit up when he heard the word “home.” He immediately became more energetic. "Really?! Can we go home now?!""Of course." Seeing how cheerful he became made Lily happy as well. "Daddy is back too. We can be together again.""Okay!" At this moment, Galen acted like a child again, jumping up and down
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