It would not matter as much if that was Mike and Lily’s plan from the beginning, but they had no idea who drugged the four bodyguards. Although it helped them with their problem, they were unsure if the other party was a friend or a foe.“Stop wasting time!” Lily pushed him into the office.Mike successfully barged into the office. The door was not closed properly, so it opened as soon as he bumped into it, causing him to stagger a little.No one was around, and the “boss” was not there. It puzzled Mike even more. Everything looked like a trap set up before their arrival to lure them here.Mike was worried and peeked his head out of the office. “Do you think they’re baiting us?”“We’re already here. Is it different between taking it as bait or looking at it as an opportunity?” Lily asked in return. Her tone was not particularly friendly as she glared at Mike, thinking how this man had become so naggy.They were already knee-deep if it were a trap, so they might as well take this
There was nowhere else to hide things here. Even the documents were on the desk or somewhere visible.“Something’s weird about this,” Mike mumbled to himself.Upon hearing his voice, Lily turned subconsciously. “What is weird?”She followed his gaze and noticed the unusualness as well. She frowned because this entire office had a strange vibe to it.“Did we just walk into their trap?” Mike was starting to find things strange and looked at the safe again. “I suspect the things we want aren’t inside here either.”Lily retracted her hand and did not touch the safe anymore. Her gaze turned darker. “No, it’s the exact opposite. What we want is precisely inside here.”Mike was puzzled.‘If that were the case, what are they waiting for? Or is Lily unable to open the safe as well?’Lily straightened her back and yelled, “Come out!”At that moment, Mike felt like a fool. He had been looking around wearily but did not notice someone else’s presence. Although he guessed this was a trap s
“Edward?” Sure enough, Mike also recognized Edward.Edward had been working for Alexander for many years and was always next to Alexander wherever he went. Mike had many encounters with Edward in the past.However, Mike did not think in that direction. But with Lily’s question, he looked closer at the other man and realized he looked highly similar to Edward. Even the man’s build appeared to be the same.“Turns out it’s a friend of ours!” Mike smiled, breathing out a sigh of relief.After relaxing, Mike was no longer as wary as before. He shook his head and said, “Why are you here? Did you fight with those four men out there? Good job, man! But then, why are you here? Did Alex ask you to come?”He asked a series of questions but did not realize there was an invisible tension between the other two. Edward did not respond to Lily’s question from earlier. He neither denied nor admitted he was Edward. He just stood there in silence, his gaze deep.“Why don’t you remove your mask?” Li
“I knew you were not being controlled.” Sure enough, Lily was not concerned about what he was saying. She was just staring at Edward intensely.Only his eyes were visible, and he appeared to be exhausted. However, there was no malice in his gaze. His eyes were clear instead of blank, indicating he was not under control.‘If Edward isn’t under control, why would he say such terrible things to Liv? Why would he have a falling out with Alex? Most importantly, when did Edward get here?‘Was he here long ago, or did he just infiltrate the area? It could be something Alex arranged, or Edward could’ve come here of his own accord.’“Well…” Edward sighed heavily, appearing to be helpless. “Yeah.”“Wait a minute. What are you guys talking about? Why don’t I understand anything?” Mike interjected. He thought the two were using code to communicate and could not understand what they said. He felt like an outsider.Back then, Mike felt he had many secrets he could not tell others. But now, it
Mike was astonished upon hearing that and glanced in Edward’s direction. He waited for an answer.Edward said nothing, but his silence confirmed their thoughts.“You’re insane,” Lily said lightly. Her voice was calm and without emotion. She sounded like she was reading a fact.Mike agreed with her, adding, “If that’s your plan, then you’re crazy. Do you know how many people are here and how tight the security is? Also, many types of viruses exist here, including those well-developed and still developing. Are you aware of all that?”A moment later, he continued, “How will you bring this place down by sacrificing yourself? Tell us. Don’t you know this place isn’t a vaccination development center? That’s just a cover-up for what they’re doing?“Do you think you can leave here alive after destroying this place? Even if you sacrificed yourself and died, no one will know you for your good deeds. People will only remember you as a sinner!”“I know that.” Edward was also calm—even slight
Perhaps it hurt him, or Lily had pressed the right spot, but Edward’s expression changed as he loosened his grip on Mike.Mike saw a chance to escape and quickly broke free before moving aside. He thought he was not far enough to be safe and took a few more steps backward a second later. He escaped Edward’s grip, but Edward did not bother chasing after him.Instead, Edward tried breaking free from Lily’s grasp. Although Lily was much weaker than him, he could not break free from her even though she held his wrist with only two fingers. Sure enough, Edward dared not forcefully break free from her. Hence, he could only stand rooted.“I admit my faults and can only repay her in our next lives,” Edward’s voice was low. With his gaze lowered to the ground, he appeared lonely. Edward knew he would hurt Olivia the most, but he had no choice.He unknowingly got involved in these things and learned about all the horrible things the organization did. Due to that, he could no longer return to
Lily was puzzled.“We don’t have time to dwell on this now. I’m serious.” Edward sighed helplessly. “Please. I’m begging you two to leave. Now!”“Did you place bombs in this place?” Lily asked after some thought as he urged them to leave.Mike became wide-eyed. “Bombs?”Then he rummaged around, unsure if Edward had placed a bomb there.‘He would be crazy if he did!’“No,” Mike sighed. “We shouldn’t stay here any longer. I…”Before he could finish, a banging sound came from inside the bookshelf. Lily glanced over subconsciously while Edward became increasingly anxious. “Mrs. Russell, please listen to me this time!”“You listen to me. Bring us inside to meet him!” Lily said severely.After a momentary hesitation, Edward nodded. Although they knew he was unwilling, he always obeyed Lily.Lily noticed it and slowly loosened her grip on Edward. Upon regaining his freedom, Edward moved his wrist a little. Although it still hurt, his skin had no marks—not even a red mark from being
The secret room was not large but had a bed, sofas, bedding, tables, a coffee maker, etcetera. The eeriest thing was a row of transparent jars on the left-hand side tables. It was hard to distinguish the things submerged in the murky liquid inside these jars, but their shapes and colors were unsettling.Heavily tied up on the floor on the right was the mysterious and vicious man who had been bossing them around.Completely still, he seemed asleep or passed out, but the banging just now had come from here.Lily raised her eyebrows and asked, “Is he dead?”Edward shook his head.Mike went over and lowered his head to take a look. “I don’t think so.”Then he looked toward Edward. “How did you catch him? Were you the one who struck down the bodyguards outside?”Edward nodded slightly. Although those people were not easy to deal with, they were not his match. Mike gave him a thumbs-up and lowered his head to stare at the man on the floor conflictedly.Since the man had kidnapped his