Alexander knew Edward would not listen to him otherwise, so he tried reasoning with Edward using his wife and child.Edward hesitated when he heard Olivia’s name but soon answered, “No, I should be doing something more important now. I’m familiar with that place, so I should be the one going!“If not, I would’ve infiltrated that place for nothing, right? Besides, most of those working for the organization have left, and those who remain are low-level lackeys. So, don’t worry about me, all right?“I’ll only be searching for someone, not going to war.” Edward, who rarely laughed, chuckled, trying to sound casual.However, he could not fool Alexander, who shook his head. “Cut the act, all right? We both know what kind of place that is. You’re already infected. If you catch another poison, you’ll die! You—”“That’s why I should go! I have nothing to lose since I’m already infected. You’re different. You have too many important things to do. I wouldn’t have survived or led a good life
The husband and wife were stunned as they turned to stare at Alexander. They asked simultaneously, “What did you say?”“It’s true.” Alexander nodded. He knew he had to tell them sooner or later.“Alex, I know I’m infected with the virus from the lab, which even controlled my mind. Although I did regain consciousness later on, I knew I couldn’t live for long. Besides, Mrs. Russel took my wrist pulse before, and she knew—”Edward thought Alexander was trying to console him and told his boss what he knew so that Alexander would not need to lie and give false hope to Oliva.Alexander interrupted and went straight to the point, “It’s Lily who told me that.”“Mrs. Russell?”“Lily?”Surprised, Edward and Olivia spoke at the same time.Alexander nodded and said, “According to Lily, the virus can damage your organs, but your condition isn’t irremediable. She plans to treat you when she returns. It’s just that…”After a pause, he slowly said, “You must be patient and wait for her return
“Wait a minute. What are you guys planning to do?” Seizing an opportunity to interject, Olivia asked, “Were you talking about the research center?”“Yes, the vaccine research center.” Edward turned to look at her. “But it has nothing to do with you. We’ll take care of the problem, okay? Just go home and rest.”Olivia looked up and shoved him aside. “I can do more than that, okay? Although I know little about what’s happening, I’ve also done my part.”She approached Alexander and held up the bag she brought as she continued, “I’ve completed Lily’s experiment back at the studio and bottled up the final products. I also brought her notes on the experiment. I figured you might find them helpful.”“Lily’s experiment?” Alexander was surprised yet puzzled as he took the bag. “It must be related to the perfumes, right? Anyway, thank you.”In other words, he did not find them helpful, although he was grateful for her gesture.Having expected such a reaction, Olivia smiled. “Just read it.”
Edward yielded to Alexander’s command but never expected his boss to go there alone instead of sending someone else.Alexander drove alone to the vaccine research center’s back entrance. The place looked the same, with the workers having to go through inspection and verification before entering or leaving the building.He had expected it as the workers still had ordinary jobs, even though the secret and evil experiments had stopped for several days.Several workers remained in the laboratory. However, they resembled headless chickens since losing contact with the higher-ups, and no one told them what to do next.Rhea or Mike used to come and give them work, but even the two had gone missing for two days. The workers had food and water since they lived there. Still, they did not know what to do next.The organization had brought them there to work. Despite not knowing the project, the workers knew it was illegal, judging from the experiments and equipment involved. Also, they had n
Alexander stopped before the innermost door and carefully studied it. The door had high-tech security measures, requiring fingerprints or iris scans for access. He had to wait and consider his options since he knew his fingerprints would not grant him entry.After a while, he removed something from his pouch and carefully wore it around his finger before tentatively reaching out toward the scanner. It was Lily’s artificial fingerprint. The couple had made one for each other in case of an emergency one day.Alexander thought it might be helpful in this mission and brought it with him. He seemed to have guessed correctly.In addition, Lily used to be an essential research personnel here for a long time. Alexander figured he should be able to gain access using her artificial fingerprint.Suddenly, someone appeared behind him and shouted, “Who the hell are you?!”Alexander was shocked since he did not expect anyone to be still conscious. He wondered if that person had already woken up
Edward ran toward a corner and slipped into a room, dragging Alexander along. The door shut independently, and the duo soon heard hurried footsteps outside as people rushed by. “Is there really an intruder? How can anyone break in so easily?”“Didn’t you smell the sedative? There has to be a trespasser somewhere. Come on!” The people’s voices trailed off as they left, seemingly searching for the intruder.Alexander relaxed and looked at Edward, saying, “Didn’t I tell you to…”He did not finish his sentence, knowing he would have been in trouble if not for Edward. Although Alexander could handle these men, he could not continue his search for Cameron if he attracted too much attention.“I was worried about you. Besides, there’s a secret chamber here too. You might not be able to find it if I hadn’t shown up,” Edward whispered, “Anyway, you’re lucky you didn’t try to get into that lab just now.”Alexander nodded. “I know it requires fingerprints or an iris scan to gain access. I hav
Rhea kidnapped Cameron to use him as leverage. A live bargaining chip was helpful, as there was no use if the person was dead. She would not bother with such a futile task."Well, where else do you think a person may be hiding?" Edward looked at Alexander and said, "I've been thinking about it, and the only place where someone could be hiding is the boss's office."Now that the boss is dead and the office is empty, that place is usually off-limits. It should be the most suitable place to hide someone," Edward added with some self-blame, "I'm sorry, it only just occurred to me. Otherwise, I would’ve told you earlier.""There's still time." Alexander patted Edward’s shoulder and said, "Let's go and take a look now."There were still scattered footsteps outside, so Edward leaned against the door and listened for a while. Then he said, “Going out from here isn’t suitable. They’ll see us. Let’s go the other way.”He waited until there was no sound outside before cautiously opening the
"You've been through a lot here. It must’ve been tough," Alexander expressed his admiration for Edward.Edward found such a hidden escape route and learned so many secrets while remaining hidden. Alexander knew it must have been a challenge.“I just wanted to do something meaningful before I died, but I didn’t expect it to backfire.” Edward felt guilty for nearly causing more trouble for his wife.“It’s not your fault,” Alexander said. Lily had given him a general account of what had happened, and her last words were for Edward to take care of himself. She also mentioned she would detoxify him when she returned.However, Edward could not even fulfill that. Instead, he ended up running around with Alexander.“Sir, this way.” Edward led the way. He did not waste any time since time waited for no one. Since he was familiar with the route, the duo quickly found the “boss’s” office. The previously heavily guarded place was now easy to access.When the duo exited the elevator and saw n