Edward leaned against the wall outside and lit a cigarette. Just as he exhaled a puff of smoke, he heard movement from the house and saw the doctor walking out.Edward gestured with his chin toward the house. "Why not spend more time with them?"Without answering, the doctor looked at him and asked, "What do you want from us?""Huh?" Edward seemed somewhat puzzled."You saved my wife and children and then released them. There must be a condition. What do you want me to do?" The doctor had already thought it through inside the house. He knew they would not release his family without expecting something in return.He was willing to do whatever it took as long as his family was safe. Nothing else mattered more."There's no demand." Edward waved. "None."The doctor was shocked.‘How can that be? He did a great favor for me. Surely they’ll have a demand.’Edward noticed his disbelief and straightened up, saying solemnly, “We wouldn’t have released your family if we wanted something
Alexander had already found where the organization hid. Although the doctor was still valuable, Alexander no longer needed him. His main challenge was rescuing Lily and the other hostages from that place."Whatever it is, thank you very much!" The doctor thanked Edward emotionally before turning to look into the house.His wife and children happily enjoyed the cake, playfully smearing cream on each others’ faces. Despite their joy, the doctor knew they must have been frightened and harmed during captivity.Being reunited as a family now and enjoying their time together was rare and precious."There's no need to thank us. We understand the difficulties you’re facing," Edward said, raising his hand and patting the doctor's shoulder. Then he extinguished the cigarette."Let's go!" Edward said, indicating it was time to leave.However, the doctor hurriedly stopped him. "There's something… I'm not sure if your boss knows about it."Edward raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"After a mom
Mike felt rejuvenated after showering and changing his clothes at Alexander’s house. Mike had lived in constant uncertainty and despair over the past few months. He did not even know how he managed to get through it until today.He was still confused when he went to the embassy and came back.Mike faced panic when the organization took his son, was helpless when he got blackmailed and eventually accepted this reality. He tried everything to rescue Nick and almost forgot how his son used to talk to him.Now that the “boss” was dead, Mike lost his only connection to Nick. Even though Mike knew where his son was, he could not rush in and save him. He felt utterly useless.He looked at the photos of his son on his phone, along with the secretly stored video clips, feeling sad. After putting on his clothes, he left the room and saw Alexander sitting in the living room.Meanwhile, Edward stood beside Alexander, seemingly giving a report. The duo heard some movements and looked at Mike.
Mike snorted and spoke with a hint of sarcasm. Previously, he could trust Alexander and calmly listen to his words.However, after everything that happened at the embassy, Mike started to feel anxious and doubted whether Alexander’s actions had meaning or if he could save Nick.“Watch your tongue, Mr. Corden!” Edward could not help but reprimand him.Still, Mike’s temper flared as he could no longer listen to anyone. He sneered at Edward and said, “Who gave you the right to judge me?! Yes, I lied to Alex before and made some mistakes, but you have no idea what I went through in there!“Lily has been missing for a few days while my son has been gone for months! I even think he might not be alive…” Mike could not finish his sentence. He squatted and clutched his head in agony, still holding the glass of water.He suspected his son had died but dared not say it aloud, afraid of manifesting his thoughts.Edward wanted to scold Mike, but Alexander raised his hands to stop him.Words
"What's going on?" Edward also sensed something amiss and rushed over. He grabbed Mike by his collar and demanded, "Speak!"Perhaps due to shock or because Mike had not fully regained his senses, he remained dazed as he repeated the exact phrase."Mike Corden, what are you saying?!" Edward punched him on the chin, unable to hold back.The punch seemed to knock some sense back into Mike, and he sat on the ground, holding his chin in pain. He stared at Edward in a daze for a couple of seconds.Mike scrambled to his feet as if noticing Alexander. He grabbed Alexander’s arm and urgently said, “You can’t wait any longer. They want to use Lily as a test subject for R10. Her body is the vessel!"They're waiting for her to give birth and recover so they can start the experiments. You must act quickly, or it'll be too late!"This revelation shocked Alexander, and he struggled to control his emotions. He asked, frowning, “What are you saying?Edward also asked, “What test subject? What ve
Alexander turned and asked, “Have you talked to Dr. Blanc?”“Dr. Blanc?” Although Mike did not know the identity of those who contained him last time, his eyes widened, knowing their leader was Dr. Blanc. “Are you sending me back to them? No, I’m not going! Didn’t they test me? I’m not infected! Why should they contain me?”“No one is trying to contain you, okay?” Edward shot him an impatient look, then said to Alexander, “I’ve told Dr. Blanc about it, and he says they need about a day to prepare for it. He’ll inform us about the details as soon as possible.”Alexander nodded.“What’s this all about?” Mike looked at the two, puzzled.Alexander took a deep breath and said, “Mike, I know you’re anxious, but I’m no better off than you. As you know, Lily and the twins are in their hands, and they plan to experiment on her. No matter what you think, even if we prepare for the worst…”He paused as the veins on his forehead bulged. He clenched his fists and shut his eyes, seemingly tryi
It was early morning when Alexander opened his eyes, jerking awake from a nightmare. He had not slept properly for a long time but never told anyone about it. Of course, he could not.Alexander was distraught yet could not show it or vent his frustrations. He had to remain calm and alert lest he fail to rescue his wife. Although he had managed to keep a cool head, what Mike said yesterday disturbed him.Alexander dreamed about Lily being locked inside an aquarium after someone injected something into her. She screamed in such agony as she bloated and rotted that Alexander shouted when he awoke agitatedly.He was in a panic and covered in sweat. He palmed his head and told himself it was just a dream and that his wife was still alive, at least for now.At that moment, Alexander’s phone on the nightstand rang. He picked it up, saw it was Edward, and accepted the call. “Yeah?”“Sir, we’ve escorted the doctor’s family out of the country,” Edward said.Alexander grunted a yes and rubb
Alexander raised his brow as he looked at the doctor. “What’s the matter with you?”“Thank you so much for saving my family!” the man said.Edward did not expect him to burst into tears.Alexander casually made his tea and said, “The ship couldn’t have gotten far yet. I can still ask Edward to get it to turn back.”The doctor was baffled.Edward said, “Get a hold of yourself, okay? Mr. Russell doesn’t like it when people cry.”“Oh!” The doctor caught himself and quickly stopped crying. He did not want to offend Alexander and cause him to bring his wife and children back here.Alexander sipped his tea and turned to him. “Why didn’t you leave?”“You’ve been a great help to me, and I’d feel terrible if I left now. Besides, if I go missing, the organization might come looking for me and cause you more trouble,” the doctor said, “I can still help if I stay. I might not be able to do much, but I can at least pass on more messages!”Alexander thought he was right.‘He can help pass