After a while, Dominic casually said, “Did you notice a pattern with the virus?”“It’s active during the day and dormant at night?” Austin thought for a moment and answered.The older man nodded approvingly. “Most viruses are active at night, but this one is most active during the day. That’s why I slept well at night while suffering various discomforts during the day.”Austin patted himself. After all, he had also monitored his condition over the past two days. “This could be one of the traits the organization developed during the research. Still, I don’t understand how the transmission works. How come Alex, Galen, and I are okay?”Even so, his pulse had always been average and steady.“Let’s say I’m immune to the virus because I’m the source—what about Alex and Galen? It doesn’t make sense,” he quickly added after a momentary pause, “Of course, I’m happy they’re okay. I’m just curious why.”Dominic was curious about it as well.‘If it’s not contagious, how come the servants an
Alexander entered the hospital wearing a hazmat suit.Anastasia had already received emergency treatment, and the doctor diagnosed her condition as not severe.The doctor mentioned that her symptoms resulted from long-standing obesity and complications. Although she had lost weight, the doctor considered her overweight, and her cold and fever weakened her.After receiving intravenous treatment, the nurses transferred Anastasia to the VIP war. No one else was in the quiet ward beside her.Alexander told his men to ensure it so that he would not come in contact with other people. He also did not want others to know about what was happening.Anastasia was on IV drips as she lay in bed, eyes closed, seemingly asleep. Alexander stood by the bed and studied her face quietly. Her face was pale, and her lips were dry. She looked dehydrated, with red spots on her skin.The doctor said the fever caused the spots, but Alexander instinctively knew that was false. Although he was not a doctor
“You had a fever,” Alexander said, “and started throwing up blood. Don’t you remember?”Anastasia nodded. “I do. I just never thought my cold would become so severe.”“Listen. What you’re experiencing might not be a regular cold or fever,” Alexander said gravely.Puzzled, Anastasia looked up at him. She noticed what he was wearing and her surroundings and subconsciously raised her hands, murmuring, “Is it some kind of a contagious disease?”‘If not, why would he wear a hazmat suit?’She could not help but think so since the pandemic in Burnwken had just ended.“Yes and no.” Alexander’s answer sounded contradictory.“Yes and no?” Anastasia was puzzled.‘It’s either yes or no. What is Alex talking about?’“Simply put, I can’t say for sure because I don’t know what type of virus it is.” Alexander sighed because he did not know the answer either.Everything happened so fast and abruptly that Alexander and the rest hardly knew how to deal with it. In addition, more and more situat
"Hmm..." Anastasia was getting more confused as she listened.‘Something seems off. Carriers don’t get infected?’"I can't explain it clearly to you now, and honestly, I haven't figured it out myself." Alexander shook his head apologetically. "But I want to tell you I'm not just trying to comfort you. You won't die. You need to rest and care for yourself for these next two days and..."He looked around and continued, “You can’t wander. You must stay here, understand?”Anastasia nodded obediently and understood the reason behind his words. “I understand. I won’t go anywhere since transmitting the virus is possible.”Immediately after saying that, she realized something and added, “But I’ve come in contact with a few people in the past two days. Will that be a problem?”Alexander had already considered that possibility and pondered over it. However, no one could be that confident."For that, we'll have to see how things develop. Nobody can say for certain. I just hope it won't be
Night quietly descended and enveloped the entire place in darkness. Since the incident, Austin turned off the lights to let everyone rest better. After all, there were not many people working at night.However, the room in the backyard was bright and full of warmth. Since the afternoon, Austin had been heating a large bucket of water and pouring in the herbal concoction he had previously prepared.He had carefully selected the herbs and meticulously brewed them over a long period. He patiently did all the preparations. He felt exhausted after finishing, but it did not matter compared to what he was about to do.He took out a set of prepared acupuncture tools and stood behind Dominic, observing the older man soaking in the oversized bathtub, revealing his entire back.Dominic sat in the tub, his eyes closed. He was semi-sleeping, not completely alert but aware of everything happening around him.His breathing was slightly rapid, possibly due to the hot water. His face had a reddish
Austin took a deep breath to muster his courage and continue needling Dominic. The former hoped to eliminate the virus in Dominic’s body and allow him to recover. Austin did not want his granduncle to suffer anymore.Only three needles remained, and Austin hesitated because the last three needles were the most painful yet critical to the treatment."Uncle Dom..." Austin squatted, picked up a towel from the side, and wiped the sweat off the older man's forehead. Austin looked at the sweat on Dominic’s body mixed with the water in the tub and could not tell which was which.The older man's arms rested on the tub’s sides, his fingers tightly clenched. The veins on his arms bulged, showing he was enduring great torment."Uncle Dom?" There was no response, so Austin nervously called out again."Keep going!" Dominic spoke through gritted teeth, his voice sounding hoarse. Still, he persisted.Austin's eyes welled as he controlled his emotions and said, "Uncle Dom, the next three needles
Dominic roared, and the water seemed to boil while bubbling and gurgling.Austin pressed on the older man’s shoulders to try and control the latter’s movements. Soon after, Austin was surprised to see a drastic change in Dominic’s arms.Initially, something resembling worms wriggled as if trying to break through the skin but could not find an exit. Austin watched as the skin on his granduncle’s arms bulged and then returned to normal repeatedly.If an ordinary person witnessed it, they would undoubtedly be frightened. Then the worm-like things continued to move around until they reached the silver needles’ locations. It was as if they had suddenly found an exit.The area around the silver needles pulsed twice, and black blood flowed through. It looked horrifying.Dominic’s back was already full of needles, and now blood continuously flowed out along those needles.Only a few drops appeared initially, but all the silver needles gradually oozed blood. It was as if the virus had fin
Austin put Dominic down and carefully removed the silver needles. This step was much simpler and less painful than inserting the needles earlier. After removing the needles, Austin sterilized them, turned the older man over, and covered him with a clean blanket.Dominic's eyes remained tightly closed. He did not move and seemed asleep as Austin cleaned him up and covered him.Austin sighed as he watched Dominic’s peaceful face with closed eyes. Then the former sat beside Dominic and held one of his hands. Austin quieted his mind and took his granduncle’s pulse.Austin already had the answer but wanted to confirm it by feeling Dominic’s pulse. Although the older man’s pulse was slightly faster, it was much calmer than before.Austin’s fingers moved lightly. Judging from Dominic’s pulse, it seemed his organs were relieved. Something heavy seemed to press on them before, but everything felt light now. At that point, Austin knew he had undoubtedly succeeded.He gently covered his gran
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