Ch. 1601..1610

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1601-"Sorry, I'm busy," she said and attempted to leave.

After all, she was rushing to get to the X Department.

Mike grabbed her wrist.

"It’s important."

Lily frowned when she felt Mike pulling her wrist.

"You know what I'm capable of.Don't make me hurt you."

Looking at her expression, he slowly loosened his grip.

With that, she turned around without the slightest intention of staying.

"Don't you want to know the lab's secrets?"

Mike suddenly called out behind her.

That made Lily stop in her tracks.She turned to look at him with narrowed eyes.

"What are you playing at?"

"Don't you want to know what kind of virus Alex got infected with? His words were undoubtedly tempting to her.On top of that, he knew Alexander was sick.Lily had been doing such an excellent job at keeping that a secret.

After a moment of hesitation, she caved to his offer.Although she did not trust Mike, he was closer to the truth and knew more than she did.

‘Should I trust him? Is he really going to tell me the truth, or is this just a trap he had set up for me?’

"I just want to have a few words with you.Nothing else.Let's choose a nearby place—your call.It's not convenient to talk here," Mike expressed sincerely.

Then, fearing she would not believe him, he added, "With your skills, I can't hurt you even if I wanted to."

That was true.

After some consideration, Lily said, "Let's go."

She remembered seeing a restaurant near the hospital.

It was lunchtime, but she was in a rush, so she did not bother eating.

Looking at the situation, Lily quickly and unceremoniously ordered a few dishes after they sat down.

They chose a quieter spot in the restaurant as it was packed with the lunch crowd.

After pouring herself a cup of tea and taking a sip, Lily looked at Mike.

"Spit it!"

"Don't act like you're interrogating a prisoner."

He laughed while refilling her cup.

"After all, we're old friends."

"Old friends? We’re familiar with each other now?"

Lily retorted sarcastically, "Sorry, but I don't have friends like you."

"Lily, I didn't deliberately hide it from you.I have my reasons.I—"

Before he could finish, she interrupted, 'I know everyone has their difficulties, but I'm not here to listen to you reminisce or hear about your struggles.I just want to know if the plague was lab- engineered and what kind of virus it is."

Lily went straight to the point.She hoped to get the answer she wanted and leave as soon as possible as time waited for no one.

Mike looked intensely at her, seeming to be a little embarrassed.

"All I can say is that the lab isn't what it seems.There are things you don't know about, and it's not something you or I can stop."

"I'm not trying to stop it," Lily replied as she rolled her eyes.

"I only want to know if this plague originated from that lab."

"Yes."

Unexpectedly, Mike gave her a direct answer.

However, in the next second, he added, "But no."

"Huh?"

Lily paused and eyed him suspiciously.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1602-"This lab is just a small pawn in the game.The main source isn't in Hyderland.Do you understand?"

Mike said cryptically after a moment of thought.

Although he did not give a direct answer, Lily understood what he meant and nodded thoughtfully.

"Are you saying Hyderland is just a subsidiary branch, and the headquarters is abroad?" Mike nodded.

"The boss behind it is more powerful than we can ever imagine.We can't compete against him.Lily, you shouldn't dig any deeper.If you do, you might risk your life and the lives of the people around you."

"That means this is all just to try and convince me not to investigate further in the lab?" Lily asked mockingly, a smile on her face.

"No!"

Mike shook his head and said, "I want to strike a deal with you."

"What deal?"

"Come back and work for the lab.This time, you'll be tasked with more important projects.But you shouldn't ask questions or care about what you're doing.Just concentrate on your experiments."

"What do I get?"

Lily was curious.

After all, every deal had its conditions.

Mike looked at her and slowly said, ''We can give you a sample of the virus that Alex is infected with.That way, you might be able to create an antidote."

Hearing this, Lily almost laughed out loud.

"Why don't you just give me the antidote?"

‘What a joke!’ She thought she would get an antidote in exchange.It turned out that he was just going to give her a sample of the virus.That way, she still had to find a way to develop an antidote.

‘What if I can’t figure it out? Then this deal won’t benefit me at all.

What's the use of working with the lab if you can’t save Alex? This deal sounds preposterous!’ After a moment of silence, Mike said, "To be honest, there's no antidote for this virus yet."

"What?!"

Lily almost shot up in shock.Her sudden movement caused the tea in her hand to spill out.

Mike quickly grabbed some tissues to wipe it.

The conversation was shortly interrupted as the waiter began to serve them the dishes.

By the time the waiter brought out all of the food, Lily had gotten herself back together.

"There's no antidote?"

‘Forget natural diseases, how can there not be an antidote for a man-made virus? What if the scientists involved got infected? What should they do then?’ Mike clearly understood this as well.

He knew that Lily must have doubts, thinking he was lying to her.He explained, "When the virus was developed, no one thought of making an antidote.After all, it was aimed at a targeted group of people."

"Targeted group?"

This term shocked Lily once again.

She was regarded as a knowledgeable person, but she had never before encountered the concept of group-specific viruses.

‘What organization is this, and what are they doing?’

"So, who are the targeted people?"

Although she had a faint suspicion in her heart, she was still unsure.

Mike fell silent.

After a pause, he finally spoke.

"Lily, I'm telling you this to let you know that you are no match for the virus or the boss behind all of this.This deal is good for you, Alex, and us!"

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1603-"I want to know who the targeted group is!"

Lily was not so easily bought as she stubbornly pestered, "Who is being targeted? Tell mel"

Faced with her persistence, Mike initially shrugged it off.

In the end, he put his hands up and sighed.

"Initially, it was aimed at the Asiatic people."

"Initially?"

She questioned.

Mike nodded and said, "

However, the situation has gone slightly out of control.

I'm sure you've seen how quick and widespread the plague has become.

Now, it seems like the people of Roseroot are also getting infected.

This means that the original experiment has failed.

Now, it's an entirely indiscriminate attack.

"By now, it's safe to assume that the lab had lost its confidence and trust in most people.Although you didn't make a lot, the effect of your end product is excellent.There seem to be no side effects, and it is controllable.Therefore, the boss hopes you will still return and help with our next mission."

To be frank, Mike did not want to drag her into this.

However, he had no choice.

Her ability had already attracted the boss's attention.

In the beginning, the boss did not pay much attention to Lily.

Professor Thompson was the one who told her about the project and praised her skills.

Later, the boss slowly discovered that she was indispensable.

She was not just an ordinary perfumer, as she portrayed herself to be.

Her knowledge, research, attainment, familiarity, and control of medicinal herbs were unbeatable.

No one in the laboratory knew as much as she did.

Someone with such an outstanding ability would naturally attract attention.

Although Rhea was capable, she was too eager for success.

She was so fixated on the final effect of the medicine that she ignored the acceptable doses a human could consume.

There had been several of her experimental products that caused people to die.

Although the boss might not care about the deaths of the test subjects, his main concerns were the results, speed, and efficiency of the products.

What was why he set his sights on Lily and told her she had to return to the lab and keep working with them on their next experiment.

It took Lily a while to digest what she heard.

Then she let out a mocking laugh.

"What should I say? Serves you right!"

Mike was hoisted by his own petard.He created a virus with no antidote, and now that it's out of control, it's coming back to bite him in the a*s.

"I can't disagree.However, you need an antidote right now, don't you?"

Mike wasn't angry.

Instead, he agreed with her.

No matter how much he hated and loathed this organization now, he had to do what was necessary.

"I can figure it out on my own."

Lily sneered.

"I don't need your sample!"

‘What a great deal! All he did was ask me to put away my conscience in exchange for a virus sample! Why would I need virus samples? Alex is lying in the hospital bed upstairs.

He’s a living sample.

‘On top of that, I believe X Department has a comprehensive research result on the plague.I won't need to cooperate with the devil"

"How are you going to do that?"

Mike was starting to get anxious, and he stood up abruptly.

"Are you going to make Alex your lab rat? Do you know how fast the virus mutates and infects others? If you rely on yourself, I'm afraid Alex will die before you..."

"Shut up!"

Lily threw the cup to the ground.

A crisp sound echoed through the restaurant as the cup shattered all over the place.

The waiter outside hurried in, only to be greeted by the tense atmosphere.He did not even dare to speak.

"I'll pay for it.Get out!"

Lily snapped coldly without even looking at him.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1604-The waiter was relieved to hear this and silently exited the booth.

Lily looked at Mike with a fire burning in her eyes.

' Mike Corden, how much did they give you to be their lackey?!"

After all, he was someone she once regarded as a friend.

Despite their different viewpoints, she would not hold a grudge against him.

However, his words today angered her.

Alexander was lying on the hospital bed with no guarantee of his life.

The trajectory of the virus was unknown as well.

Mike knew exactly what had infected Alexander and how much he was suffering right now, yet instead of visiting him, Mike came up to her, offended her, then offered such a horrible deal.

With her standing up while he stayed seated, she did seem imperceptibly imposing.

However, Mike remained calm.

As Lily cursed at him and slammed the glass, he sat quietly.

Once she was done, he raised his head to look at her with a sarcastic smile.

"How much did they give me? They took away my son."

Although he smiled, Lily could tell it wasn't out of happiness.His hand that held the cup was so tightly clenched that his knuckles had turned white.

"What?!"

Lily was taken aback.She didn't expect to hear this.

"You're saying Nicky is..."

"It's been almost half a year, and I still don't know where he is.I've sent my men and used everything I have to search all around the world for him, but...I still can't find him.I don't have a clue where he is."

He finally let out everything that he had been suppressing.

"Tell me, what should I do? If Galen got kidnapped, what would you do?"

He turned to look at her with a wry smile.

Lily was speechless.

Just a minute ago, she was screaming and accusing him of things.

Now, she did not even know what to say.

Suddenly, she understood the question he had asked her the last time they met—how would her son's life compare to the lives of the people she didn't know? At the time, Lily did not think much about it.

She did not want to worry about such a hypothetical question.She did not expect that he would be faced with such a dilemma.She could not stand on the moral high ground and blame him for his deeds.She knew that deep down, if she faced such a situation, she would very likely make the same choice as he did.She knew where to draw the line when it came to morality, but when it came to her son, she was just a mother willing to give everything up.

"Why didn't you say so? I could've let the Russell family..."

Lily slowly sat down as she spoke, but Mike immediately interrupted her.

"There's no use! Are you looking down on my contacts and resources, thinking they aren't as good as Alexander's? This organization is too powerful.It's far beyond your imagination.I'm not trying to scare you, but it's beyond what you can handle."

"I'll find a way to save Nicky," she slowly said after pondering for a while.

"So, you're not willing to cooperate.Is that what you're saying?"

Mike lowered his eyes as his complexion turned gloomy.

"You know what kind of people they are.I can't..."

Lily stopped in her tracks and frowned.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1605-"I know I can’t overpower you and how skilled you are."

Mike sighed as he glanced at Lily.

"But, I also know how they'd do away with me if I can't convince you, so...I'm sorry."

"Did you poison my tea?" Lily frowned.

"Don't worry.It's just a light dose.It won't affect your unborn child.It's just that we'd have to..."

Mike, who just stood up, suddenly swayed, and the scene before him became blurry.

"You..."

Lily pointed to the debris on the ground and smiled.

"Have you forgotten why your boss wants to hire me? I'm an expert in this field." She knew something was wrong when she touched the cup and smelled the tea.She also knew what Mike had added to it.

Mike was telling the truth.

The drug he put in the drink would not harm her child.

It would only put her to sleep.She had quietly exchanged their cups without him realizing.

"You..."

Mike tried to hold himself up, but the drug's effect quickly kicked in.

Soon, he could barely see what was in front of him.

"Don't blame me for doing this.I'm just giving you a taste of your own medicine.I know you have difficulties, but so do I.Don't worry.I promise I'll help save your son."

Lily watched as Mike slumped across the table while his eyelids fluttered shut.

After giving a pat on his shoulder, she left the booth and said, "My friend had a little too much to drink.Let him sleep here for a while.I'll pay the bill.Reserve this booth for the entire afternoon."

Lily arrived at X Department later than the scheduled time.She had spent too much time talking to Mike.She had not expected his son to be kidnapped.

No wonder he was so persistent in wanting to bea part of the laboratory's project and tried every means to join.

There were still some unanswered questions, but she could only mull over them at her own pace.

"You're late," Dr.Morris, the man at Dominic's place, reprimanded her unhappily with a frown.

"Sorry.Something came up on my way here."

Lily did not like delays either, so she blatantly admitted her mistake.

However, Dr.Morris was still unhappy.He frowned and looked at her belly.

"Are you pregnant? You look like you’re in your second trimester."

"I'm four months pregnant with twins, so that's why I’m a bit bigger than usual," she replied calmly, "Where do I get my protective suit?"

The last time he met her, she had a protective suit on.He did not know that she was pregnant.

‘This is horrible"

The work they conducted here was hard and dangerous.

Dr.Morris could not imagine Lily's capabilities since Dominic recommended her to work here.He just hoped she would not drag them down.

"This is the key to your locker.The procedure before entering the lab is on the wall.Memorize it.Always remember to disinfect yourself properly.If an infection spreads, you'll pull everyone down with you."

He sounded stiff and a little unhappy.

Lily was not bothered by it as she nodded and replied, "Okay."

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1606-"Don't interrupt me when I’m talking.What I'm saying now is very important.You shouldn't take things lightly,"

Dr.Morris snapped.

Lily shrugged, unaffected by his attitude.It was right for him to be cautious as this plague was not a trivial matter.

She studied the memos posted on the wall while waiting for him to finish talking about the rules.She had to resist the urge to yawn, and when he finally finished, she was relieved.She could finally change into her protective suit.She was eager to know how far this department's research on the plague had come and how different it was from what she had learned.She also wanted to know how far they were in their research of producing an antidote.

After changing into her protective gear and disinfecting herself, Lily entered the laboratory.

What she assumed to be a substantial experimental base turned out to be an empty corridor.

Dr.Morris sped down the hallway, and she followed behind quietly until they reached a spacious elevator.

The two got in, and the elevator slowly descended until they reached the 10th sub-basement.

Only then did Lily cheer up and look at this palace with admiration.

This was where an elite laboratory differed from a normal one.

The moment the elevator door opened, it was a whole new world for Lily.She saw a giant laboratory filled with people dressed in protective suits and goggles.

Although the place was tranquil, it was bustling with activity.

Everyone here had a solemn look, seeming to take their work seriously.

Since she changed into protective gear, Dr.Morris had not spoken to Lily.

He had an access card hung around his chest.

When he got out of the elevator, he scanned it on an infrared scanner to verify himself before going in.

Lily stayed silent as she observed her surroundings.

She was now very cautious about places like these due to what had happened in the old laboratory.

After all, Lily participated in the first experimental project with good faith and contributed some excellent ideas.

She thought Professor Thompson had good intentions.

In the end, they took advantage of her.

Now, she could not help but question the integrity of this department.

Although it was said to be under state jurisdiction, could it still be misused by people with malicious intent? Dr.Morris led her to the innermost circular office and stopped to scan his card another time before the door opened.

Dr.Blanc was already waiting inside.

"Ms.Christian, welcome to the family!"

He originally had his back turned to them, but as soon as he heard the noises, he turned around and greeted Lily with a smile.

"Due to the circumstances, there's no need for us to shake hands," he continued as he raised his gloved hands, indicating that it was fine.

Lily nodded understandingly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm sure Dr.Morris has explained the responsibility you hold and the precautions we take here?" He asked.

Hearing this, she glanced at Dr.Morris, only to see that he did not even bat an eyelid at her, and nodded.

"Yes, Dr.Morris has made everything crystal clear."

"Although I've mentioned this before, I want to emphasize again that your department is strictly classified.No matter what you see, do, or experience here, you can't tell anyone about it.That includes your closest friends and family.Do you understand?" Dr.Blanc asked with a straight face.

"I do."

She nodded cooperatively, then asked, "So, what’s my job here?"

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1607 -Dr.Blanc turned and motioned for Lily to come forward.He tapped on his keyboard, and a few data lines appeared on the monitor.

Lily squinted her eyes and studied them.

"with your background in traditional herbs, we hope you can give a different insight and work with us to find a way to tackle this virus," Dr.Blanc said.

"Can I have a look at the earlier research data?" Lily added after pondering.

"Especially those on the virus."

"We don't fully understand the virus," Dr.Blanc replied with a sigh.

"Since it hasn’t spread domestically and we've kept it under control, we have minimal samples to study.We don't have a proper reference value."

"Why?"

Lily frowned in confusion.

‘why would there be no reference value if they managed to get a hand on a virus sample, even if it wasn’t from the main transmission chain?’ "The thing is, our recent research has found that the virus mutates and evolves very quickly, but because the samples we took are from the end of a transmission chain, the virus is relatively weak and sensitive.

"We're worried that even if we found a way to fight against this virus variation, it won’t work when we face a stronger variation."

After a pause, Dr.Blanc turned to look at her and continued, "This is why we hope to incorporate modern medicine and traditional herbs.Traditional herbs don't look at the appearance or characteristics of a virus.

"Instead, it is more focused on the body's response and one's autoimmunity.I'm not well-versed in traditional herbs, so correct me if I'm wrong."

He smiled.

Lily nodded.

‘He’s right"

Traditional herbs differed from pills made in a laboratory.

Doctors created modern medicine to work with different organs, such as the blood vessels, and how they interacted with a virus.

On the other hand, traditional herbs healed one’s body in a way the naked eye could not observe.

It took a lot of work to understand how traditional herbs worked.

In addition to that, the result of taking traditional herbs took time, and the preparation was challenging.

One must pay attention to how the herbs slowly simmered over low heat.

Patients who did not see an immediate recovery would think traditional herbs were bogus.

Of course, some scammers used traditional herbs to deceive people, which in turn, caused people to lose confidence in traditional practices.

Over time, because modern medicine was convenient and showed immediate effects, traditional herbs came to be overlooked or looked down upon.

"Do you have any infected patients under your watch?"

Lily turned to ask after reading through the data carefully.

Dr.Blanc fell silent as he seemed to be thinking.

A few seconds later, he raised his head and exclaimed, "Yes, we do!"

Standing off to the side, Dr.Morris seemed anxious as he stepped in to try and stop him.

"Dr.Blanc..."

However, Dr.Blanc waved him off and looked at Lily.

"I'll take you to the patient."

Lily followed him out of the office while Dr.Morris followed closely behind.

Although he seemed reluctant, Lily did not think much about it.

This plague was unusual.

The contagion and transmission mode of the virus was still unknown.

Since no one understood the virus well, there was no public news in the country.

With limited reports going around, no one knew much about it.

Of course, the fewer people knew about it, the better.

It was understandable that Dr.Morris had his scruples over this.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1608-They re-entered another elevator.

Then, the elevator began to descend again.

This surprised her.

She had already thought that this research base was very far underground.She didn't expect that there were any floors below.

After a while, the elevator finally stopped.

Dr.Blanc walked out, followed by Lily, then Dr.Morris.

This floor was relatively empty.

Few machines or people were around, and an uneasiness lingered in the air.

After taking a few steps forward, Lily could hear a faint moan.She perked up her ears, but the sound seemed to have disappeared.

It was as if it was a hallucination.

However, as they moved forward after being disinfected, she was sure it wasn't an auditory illusion.

It was real! There weren't just groans.

There were sounds of suppressed cries, coughs, and pants.

These sounds didn't come from just one person.

It was discomforting for anyone to hear.

Afraid that she might shrink away, Dr.Blanc turned back to look at her and noticed her solemn face.

She did not seem to shy away from the noises.

As a result, he nodded and motioned for them to proceed.

There was a corridor not far from the elevator with rooms on both sides.

Each room's door was tightly shut.

"This..."

Lily hesitated momentarily as she took in the scene in front of her.

"Comparatively speaking, the number of people here isn't a lot, but it's quite a number for us.To prevent the spread of the disease, we can only take extreme measures to isolate them,"

Dr.Morris explained.

"Each person has a separate ward with professional staff that takes care of them and treats them to prevent cross - infection."

Upon hearing his explanation, she felt a little relieved.

After all, she was a professional herself.

This was indeed the best way to deal with it.

Every room had a window.

Although she didn't go in, she peered into the room and saw that it had a very simple design.

There was a hospital bed with a small divider, which she assumed to be the bathroom.

A person was lying on the bed with an IV drip and a blanket pulled up to his neck as he curled up into a ball.

She did not even have to go in to feel the dismal atmosphere.

"Shall I go in and take a look?"

She looked at Dr.Blanc and asked.

After all, the purpose of her visit was to check on the infected people, to see the difference in their pulses and the changes of the virus in different people.

"What's the use? You won't know anything if you don't take their pulses," Dr.Morris couldn't help but retort.

He had been holding himself back all this while.

He wanted to say that everyone here was infected and carefully protected.

As a traditional doctor, Lily must take their pulse to know the patient's condition.If she were to get infected...

"Moe!"

Dr.Blanc scolded with a frown.

"Dr.Morris is right.I need to take their pulses, but it doesn't mean I'll be infected if I do that," she replied with a smile.

"Besides, if the virus is so contagious, wouldn't all the staff here be infected already? This virus posed a risk to everyone.You don't have to take any special precautions with me."

She shook her head, expressing that she was okay.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1610 -Dr.Blanc did not speak as he just stood aside and watched.

Lily checked the patient's pulse before standing up and disinfecting her hands.

Then she walked out of the room.

Dr.Morris stared at her back doubtfully, waiting for her to speak.

However, she left without saying a word.He glanced at Dr.Blanc, who didn't seem to want to question her, and pursed his lips.He then followed behind her and went to the next room quietly.

They went into one room after another.

There were patients of all ages here.

After reading the pulses of more than a dozen people, Lily was starting to get a little tired.

Dr.Blanc immediately picked up on her fatigue and asked with concern.

"Do you want to take a break? I think we can wrap it up for today.We're almost done anyway."

However, she shook her head.

"It's okay.I'm fine!"

She wanted to see a few more cases.

By pooling the data from different people under similar conditions, she could form a more robust hypothesis.

When she got to the next room, she felt a tug in her heart.

Inside, sitting at the head of the bed, playing with a toy, was a child who was no more than three or four years old.

The little girl's hair was a mess.

She seemed focused on the toy in her hands.

When she heard movement, she looked up nervously.

This case seemed to hit too close to home.

The little girl seemed to be around Galen's age.

Lily had never expected that there would already be a patient this young here.

"Is she also infected?"

Lily pointed at the child with trembling fingers, secretly hoping to hear a "No."

However, Dr.Blanc nodded.

Then, Dr.Morris proceeded to read the medical record.

"Patient 33.Three years old.Female.On the seventh day of diagnosis, the patient was coughing, had a high fever, and felt pain all over.Symptoms weren't clearly recorded as the patient is too young to express their feelings."

Lily was anxious as she approached the child slowly.

Then she stopped near the bed, fearing that she might scare the child.

Lily slowly bent down and looked at the girl as she forced a smile on her face.Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere today?"

The little girl looked at Lily with wide eyes and shook her head.

"Who are you?"

Suppressing her discomfort, Lily tried her best to put on a natural smile.

"I'm a doctor who is here to treat you! If you feel uncomfortable, you must tell me, okay?"

"Are you going to poke me again?"

The little girl shrank back subconsciously, obviously scared.

Such a reflexive action made Lily's heart ache even more.

Lily stretched out her hand, but the girl moved further away.

"No.I'm not going to poke you.I just want to touch your wrist to see if you've lost weight.Is that okay?"

"Are you really not going to poke me?"

The little girl looked at her suspiciously, as if she were afraid that Lily was lying to her.

Lily nodded affirmatively and raised her hands.

"I promise! Look! I didn't bring any needles with me.How can I give you an injection without any needles?"

Seeing this, the little girl was finally relieved and slowly stretched out her arm.Her arm was so skinny that it looked like it would break with a touch.

Lily carefully put her finger on the little girl's wrist as she studied her face.

Lily's heart was thumping against her chest.She was extremely distraught by the sight of this little girl!