As the car engine started, Alexander remembered something and held up his phone to make a call. Since he did not get an answer after the phone several times, he looked at the phone with a frown and lay back down on the seat.…Mike could not help but retch as he squatted. He had been vomiting for a while now. Although his stomach was empty, he still felt the urge to gag. It was not just because of the disgusting sight. The pungent smell was also unbearable.“He…” He suppressed his nausea, but as soon as he uttered a word, he scrambled off and gagged, throwing up stomach acid.“You’re such a loser!” Rhea glanced disdainfully at him, then looked toward the corpse on the floor.She had not expected this. She squatted and gently touched the corpse with her gloved hand while cocking her head to examine it.“You even…” Mike finally managed to stop vomiting. He looked over his shoulder, saw Rhea calmly touching the corpse, and resumed retching. This time, he could not even throw up stom
‘This woman’s a real nutjob!’Mike was astonished when he saw Rhea kicking the body fearlessly. The body moved slightly and became still again after the kick.“It was a reflexive action,” Rhea said as she impassively looked up at Mike, “To be precise, it was a natural reflex. It’s perfectly normal.”Mike stayed silent, thinking, ‘Well, you aren’t, are you?’“Why don’t you bury him since you’re not afraid?” Mike pulled himself together and said, “I’ll go and find out how to contact the organization.”“Can you even do that after this much time has passed? Do you think…” Rhea paused and suddenly approached Mike.The latter instinctively took two steps back and saw Rhea coming closer, staring at him thoughtfully. “Do you think it’s possible Alexander has discovered it but refrained from telling you? Is it possible he doesn’t trust you?”Mike retorted, “It’s understandable if he doesn’t trust me. You haven’t given me time to stay in touch with him. Instead, you told me to stay in the
‘If we don’t eliminate the organization, it’ll keep churning out all sorts of man-made viruses!’“Where are you now?” Alexander asked gravely.Mike sent him his location, saying, “Hurry up. If anyone discovers the body, there’s going to be trouble.”“I’ll come right away!” After hanging up his phone, Alexander quickly called another number. “Can you help me with something? You’re the only one I can count on now.”…Dominic finally regained consciousness at dawn. He opened his eyes and saw no one in the immaculately clean bedroom, devoid of the stains from the previous night. He coughed twice but received no response.After removing his blanket, he sat up and coughed loudly. Still, there was no reply, not even a single sound. It was as if he was the only person in the house.‘Where the hell is that idiot?’Wondering so, Dominic sat up and discovered he was feeling much better. Even his strength was restored. He raised his hand, studied his arm, and looked down at his chest. He w
Dominic was surprised that Galen was so well-behaved and took a second to respond. Then he burst out laughing. This time, tears formed in his eyes.“Uncle Dom, why are you out of bed?” Austin asked as he looked over his shoulder midway through his treatment. “Get some rest first. I’ll check your wrist pulse when I finish here.”“I’m fine! I’ll just observe, okay?” Dominic said kindly, shaking his head.Austin was surprised and nodded. Then he concentrated on his treatment.Although the servants had been ill for quite some time, their symptoms were not severe, and only the sickest ones occasionally threw up blood. Since they had proper provisions, the virus did not take a heavy toll on their lives.That morning, Austin told them he would perform acupuncture on them based on an ancient medical text. However, the servants had to wait for their turns patiently.They lined up as Austin told them, and Galen even came to lend a helping hand. Everything went smoothly, and the estate seem
Since Austin had been too busy, he made three simple burgers. His cooking skills had improved these past few days, and the burgers smelled delicious.Galen devoured his food, and Austin passed a burger to his granduncle, saying, “I’ve removed the virus from you completely, right? Your pulse has been good from yesterday till this morning. Could the virus be concealing itself again?”“I don’t think so.” Dominic shook his head and stretched his arms. “I feel energized all over my body now.”“That’s great! If so, we can draw out the virus using acupuncture. Still, I don’t know why the acupuncture needle could draw it out.” Austin was still puzzled whenever he recalled what happened the night before.Even though he removed the virus, he did not understand how it worked.Dominic shook his head and said, “It’s not about drawing it out. When the virus meets its rival, it’s unable to withstand it and simply dies.”“Rival?” Austin stopped eating his burger and cocked his head thoughtfully.
Alexander stopped sleeping after receiving Mike’s call. It was already dawn when his car reached the Moores’ house.“Stay here, sir. Leave it to us,” Edward said while looking over his shoulder. We’ll bring him to you in a flash.”After some thought, Alexander shook his head. “No, he won’t leave with you.”He knew how Cameron was, especially since the latter had his plans. Since that was the case, Edward and the others would not be able to make Cameron leave unless they had a good enough reason to persuade him.Besides, they had no time to lose and could not waste more time trying to change Cameron’s mind.Alexander found a mask inside the car and wore it before saying lowly, “Let’s go.”Edward followed closely behind and brought two other men. The quartet headed straight toward the garage.Since they already knew the way in, Edward and the others quickly reached their destination and carefully opened the garage door without alerting anyone.“It’s over there.” Edward found the
Edward soon returned to the car. Alexander sat and leaned into a chair instead of sitting straight as usual.“Collaborate with you? How?” Alexander asked calmly.“I have resources and expertise while you have money and workforce. Together, we can potentially outperform the organization." Rhea stood up, her eyes full of hope.Alexander chuckled. “Did you tell that to Mike too?”“Of course!” Rhea did not try to hide it and smiled disdainfully. “Still, he’s useless. You, on the other hand, are different. You’re wealthier, more powerful, and also smarter than him!”Her compliment failed to please Alexander as he asked, “Where’s Cameron?”“Somewhere safer, of course. The house isn’t some heavily fortified prison—anyone can easily break in. Keeping him here was just a temporary measure. Besides, I told that idiot, Mike, about this place.“It’s only a matter of time before you show up uninvited.” Rhea was smug, as if everything happened as she had expected.“You’re smart, all right,”
Alexander narrowed his eyes. “So you asked Mike to bury the body on purpose?”Rhea stared at him sideways for a moment before smiling. “Why else would I do that? Since he’s timid and cautious, he would worry about spreading the virus.“He knows how contagious the viruses in the lab were and how severe the consequences would be. Therefore, he’d naturally look for your help,” After a pause, Rhea continued, “However, I was curious whether you’d help him first or look for Cameron first.”She clapped and added, “Oh, I forgot you have helpers. You can always get help, considering how rich and powerful you are. Still, I’m surprised you personally came to rescue Cameron.”After a brief thought, Alexander asked, “So? Is that corpse contagious?”“No, no, no,” Rhea said, shaking her head, “I have no idea about that.”Alexander knitted his brows and looked at her in puzzlement.Rhea continued, “I only run the research. The outcomes, subsequent developments, and so on are often beyond my con