Mike squinted at the bottle the man was studying, then let out a slight cough. “Sir…”“Yes?” The man noticed Mike’s hesitation and finally looked at him, puzzled.“Ahem…” After clearing his throat, Mike said, “Lily said it’s a failed creation.”“I know.” The translucent liquid sloshed inside the bottle as the man twirled it between his fingers. It seemed as mercurial as the little man who had unpredictable mood swings.“Then…” Mike stopped and did not finish his sentence.The man chuckled aloud, raucous laughter sounding like iron scraping against the wall. “Are you asking why I insist on having this failed creation?”Mike quirked his eyebrows in response.“It’s because I don’t believe in Lily at all.” His gaze suddenly turned sharp as if it could see through everything. Even Mike felt a chill down his spine despite many trials and tribulations.‘This man is cunning like an unfathomable old fox. After dealing with him for so long, I’ve discovered he is unyielding and doesn’t ca
Mike looked away, lowered his gaze, and said blandly, “No, sir.”The little man did not care if Mike was lying or pretending. Then he revealed a pleased smile as if he had seen through everything. “I don’t f*cking care, Mike. Do you think someone like me would fear death? Still, I know you won’t kill me because I have your son. You won’t dare to kill me if he hasn’t returned to your side.”Mike clenched his fists at his sides and tried to restrain himself, but his emotions surged when the man mentioned his son.He had a video call with his son a week ago and had told his men to intensify their search for nick. However, there had been no leads. Sometimes he even thought about the worst-case scenario and wondered if the organization had already killed Nick.Mike even suspected that what he saw during the video calls were AI imaging or pre-recordings created to manipulate him into cooperating with them.But during each video call, he thoughtfully made his son perform specific gesture
“I haven’t used the drugs on you because I know their side effects. I know I can’t fully utilize those under the drug’s influence. You should be happy I still have use for you and haven’t used them on you. Otherwise…” The little man paused and did not elaborate further.Mike was still trying to digest his words. “Are you saying I might lose my self-awareness and be unable to help you? In other words, I would become a puppet?”‘Wait. Isn’t it better to manipulate me if I lose my self-awareness?’Mike could not comprehend what he was saying, and when he wanted to ask further, the man interrupted him, “Enough. Do not try to probe. My patience has its limits! I’ve told you before. The only way to get your son back is to cooperate!Once the experiment succeeds and the organization achieves its plan, I will immediately return your son to you.”The man slowly propped himself up with one hand and looked at Mike, arms akimbo. “Mike, you should look forward to our plan’s success more than a
It was a sunny day, but Anastasia paced around and kneaded her hands anxiously with a heavy heart.Although she trusted Lily, it was almost noon, and she had not arrived yet. Anastasia had no idea what was happening because Lily had not answered her phone. Anastasia wondered if her father could wake up.At this juncture, someone knocked on the door. Anastasia was so nervous that she nearly jumped and asked reflexively. “Who is it?”“Miss Rollins?” I was the voice of a servant.Anastasia heaved a sigh of relief and glanced at her father, who was still unconscious on the bed. Then she turned around, opened the door, and looked at the servant. “What’s the matter?”The servant hesitated before asking, “Miss Rollins, the phone downstairs has been ringing nonstop since we plugged it in. Would you like to answer it?”They would unplug the landline phone every day between 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., and only those closest to them could reach Anastasia’s mobile phone. That was because Anastasia wa
Alexander was not surprised by Anastasia’s disappointed look because Lily had told her she would come. He knew the young lady could barely cope any longer when she faced so much pressure.“Isn’t Lily coming? Didn’t she promise she would surely come this morning? It’s almost noon…” Anastasia glanced at the clock on the wall, then said, “She hasn’t answered my calls. Did something happen?” ‘Lily is a trustworthy person. She wouldn't break her promise since she discovered I got poisoned and restored my health. Even if Lily admits she can’t cure dad, I won’t blame her. However, since she promised me, I should believe her.’Alexander said casually, “Something came up, so she can’t come. But don’t worry. She has developed a cure for your father and asked me to bring it over.”“What happened? Is it something serious? Where is she? Is she in any danger?” Anastasia asked anxiously.The slight doubt she had just now had disappeared. She even blamed herself for doubting Lily, thinking she s
“The toxin within his body caused that,” Alexander said, “He looks no different than an ordinary patient on the surface, but the harm could be long-lasting.”In other words, Cameron’s body was using up its stored energy, fat, muscles, and blood, and he would die upon total depletion.Of course, that was what Lily told Alexander. As she was rushing, Lily seemed to have said whatever came haphazardly to her mind. Still, Alexander had such a vital comprehension skill that he roughly understood what she was saying after digesting it.Although he did know much about herbal medicine, he knew its fundamental principles.“Then what should we do?” What he said alarmed Anastasia. She could hardly contain her emotions and grabbed his sleeve. “Please save my father. I can’t let anything happen to him!”She was fighting back her tears.As her mother died early, her father was the one who raised her. Although he had not spent much time with her, she knew he loved her. Anastasia used to think h
“Oh, no…” Anxious and sad, Anastasia looked over her shoulder at Alexander.“Try dissolving it in some water,” Alexander said after some thought.Anastasia caught on and hastily got up to fill a glass of water at the dispenser. She put the pill inside, then saw the brown color diffuse as the pill slowly dissolved.“It wouldn’t affect the pill's potency, would it?” Anastasia asked hesitantly, worrying the slightest mistake would weaken the medicine and stall her father’s recovery.Alexander did not answer and looked pensive.After not receiving a response from Alexander, Anastasia dared not continue feeding her father the pill. She called out to him, “Alex?”Alexander caught himself. “Hold on. Let me make a call.”He turned around and called Lily on his phone.The truth was that Anastasia had made him think twice. After all, he had not considered whether or not it would make a difference if the pill got dissolved before consumption.He understood the effect would be about the s
Cameron’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down—he managed to swallow the pill. Anastasia heaved a massive sigh of relief when she saw that. “My father swallowed it!”“Water!” Alexander was still holding Cameron’s head as he reached his free hand toward her.Anastasia caught herself and hastily handed Alexander a glass of water. Then he quickly fed some to Cameron. Although some water spilled from the corners of Cameron’s mouth, Alexander had at least made him drink some of it.Anastasia became so moved when she watched her father swallow the pill that she nearly burst into tears. They had at least made him swallow the pill. All they could do now was wait.“When will my father wake up?” she asked despite herself.Alexander shook his head. “I have no idea.”Lily did not tell Alexander how long it would take for Cameron to wake up after ingesting the pill. All she said was to observe his reaction. After all, it was an unusual toxin, and she could not be there to see its real-time effects