Ch. 1811..1820

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1811 -Mike shrugged to indicate that he did not know either.

Truthfully, if it were not for Lily, he would not have been directly involved in the experiment.

Although he came here many times, he mostly played the supervisor role and hardly knew about the detailed procedures and what these things were.

The "bess" probably did not put too many restrictions on Mike because he was a layperson.

The boss knew Mike would not create trouble since he took Nick hostage.

The boss also needed a Hylander, like Mike, to help with the project.

At the same time, the organization needed Mike’s money as an investment and cooperation, so they registered his iris and fingerprints into the system so that he could access the facilities.

However, if one were to ask Mike about the plants or their purpose, he would not know how to answer.

Since Lily did not get her desired answer, she strolled over and carefully observed the abnormally huge poisonous plant behind the glass enclosure.

She reached out despite herself when— "Be careful!"

Mike pulled her hand back and said in shock, "That's highly poisonous.You can’t touch it!"

Although he did not know what poisonous plant it was, he knew it was toxic as the organization had extracted the substance they were experimenting with.

Even though Mike pulled Lily back a few steps, she remained calm.

She gazed at the plant and said casually, "Of course, I knew it's highly poisonous."

‘It's the wilfordi root, but not entirely so.More accurately, it’s a mutated version of the plant.I wonder where they got this or what they've done to the plant to make it grow so big and grotesque.Whatever it is, I imagine the mutation has enhanced its toxicity levels"

Suddenly, she realized why the viruses they created were so hard to tackle and why there were so many mysterious and unknown viruses.

‘These people have been conducting inhumane experiments"

Seeing such a large plant, she guessed the experiment had started long ago.

In other words, the research institute or the organization had existed far longer than she had thought.

‘Just what kind of evil lair is this?’ Lily’s hands slowly clenched tightly as she eagerly wished to set the wilfordi root on fire.

However, it was not the right time yet, and she had to be patient.

She turned her head to Mike.

"I want all the data, including the recent and older ones.The more complete, the better."

Seemingly prepared, Mike waved at the nearby workers, and someone came forward to hand Lily some documents.

"Mrs.Russell, these are the lab data and information you requested.

They are highly classified, so you must not reveal them to anyone."

Lily grunted a yes and took it, then gave that person a look.

Although she could not see the person’s face clearly due to the heavy hazmat suit, she could tell it was a woman wearing a face mask and goggles.

Her voice was a bit odd as well.

Thinking that the boss and his subordinate were birds of a feather as both voices sounded horrible, she tried to take the documents.

However, the worker seemed reluctant to let them go, and Lily only managed to pull them from the woman’s hand by exerting strength.

The interaction made Lily throw the worker a look, but the worker simply turned away and walked toward another workbench.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1812 -Lily thought nothing more of it, lowered her head, and began reading the date.She flipped through the pages and discovered the same problem she faced with the experiment.

One must naturally subdue the scent to maximize the drug’s potency.

Also, to let the latter emit its natural aromas, the potency would not be optimum.

The biggest problem was the intention to combine the two perfectly.

Lily could not understand why they insisted on such perfection, as not being perfect was the norm, and true perfection was an imperfection that came with defects.

Not to mention that the earlier research was intended to cure people.

The patients would accept if the scent of the spices were milder, and there was no need to get rid of the herbal smell completely.

When she later discovered that the research’s goal was not to develop a medicine but poison, she understood the organization was not trying to alleviate others’ suffering.

Instead, it was to put people under the drug's influence unknowingly.

She imagined their target was someone important, and their intention was not to kill them but to make the person their puppet.

Such an important person must be well-protected, and she reckoned they wanted to use spices as it was not easy to poison the target directly.

However, Lily did not know whom the organization was targeting.

Having browsed through the data, Lily shook her head.

Mike asked, "What’s wrong?"

"The data is incomplete."

Lily handed him the documents and went straight to the point.

"I’ve made it very clear that I need all of them.It's not complete if you conceal anything from me."

"But everything is here,"

Mike answered, puzzled.

After all, he knew she was coming and had long gotten the workers to compile the needed information.

Of course, he would not know how complete or incomplete the information was.

"You must ask them if the data files are complete.I believe they know better than you."

Lily turned toward the person who gave her the documents.

The worker was experimenting with her back toward them as if the matter had nothing to do with her.She did not hear Lily and Mike talking.

"Ahem..."

Mike cleared his throat.He knew neither the worker’s name nor who she was, as many wore masks and hazmat suits.

However, since it was a heavily guarded area, he knew no one could enter willy-nilly.

When he coughed but still got no response, he said, "Whatshername."

Lily looked at Mike bewilderedly.

Embarrassed, Mike went over and was about to pat the worker’s shoulder when the woman suddenly turned and stared at him.

Mike was startled and looked at the woman in embarrassment with his hand hovering mid-air, not knowing what he should say momentarily.

"Uh..."

"what do you want?"

The worker spoke in an unfriendly tone, and her voice sounded strange.

Despite the hazmat suit, Mike knew she was agitated.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1813 -Mike was puzzled and did not know why the worker was so hostile.He cleared his throat again, putting on airs.He asked, "Is the data complete?"

"Aren’t they all there?"

The woman bluntly answered him with a question instead.

Mike was baffled.

"Mrs.Russell says the data files aren’t complete.Can you check if anything is missing?"

Mike asked, then tried to pressure her, "You should know the importance of the experiment.For Mrs.Russell to fully take over the project, we must compile all available data."

The worker looked at Mike casually, then at Lily, seemingly directing her words to Lily.

"The data files are complete.I don’t blame her if she doesn’t get it."

In other words, the woman blamed Lily for finding fault with the data and that she was the one who failed to comprehend them.

"You..."

Mike was upset that the woman openly defied his instructions.

Nonchalant, Lily raised her hand slightly.

"Since you're so certain the data is complete, I know why you kept failing.You have repeatedly failed, yet you have no records on the most crucial segments.I wonder how people perform their tasks here."

She mocked them openly.

Others could not help but stop working and look at her.

Although they were not good people, most were the best in their fields.

It was customary to make mistakes while experimenting, and it was through repeated experiments that they made improvements.

Besides, as they were short on time and had much to do, it was understandable that they had yet to achieve their goal.

They wondered why a newcomer like her would belittle their efforts when even their boss did not blame them.

Without waiting for their reply, Lily added, "Fortunately for you, I’m here.Even though the data and records are incomplete, I can still make it work."

Instead of getting upset by Lily’s words, these people sneered and looked at her contemptuously.

‘It's something so many of us have tirelessly worked on without success.

How dare a newcomer like her makes such a claim? We don't even know what’s her background"

"Tsk..."

It was faint, but Lily heard it and looked toward the worker who passed her the documents.

The woman did not look at Lily and turned around to tidy up the stuff on the workbench before leaving with something in hand.

"wait a minute!"

Lily stared after the woman, suddenly called her out, and walked toward her.

She stood behind the woman and shouted, "What are you carrying? Put it down!"

Surprised, Mike quickened his pace and went over.He looked at Lily with some suspicion, then at the worker.

"You heard her."

"You're not in charge here.I don't need to listen to your orders!"

Although the woman's voice was hoarse and strange, her tone was disdainful toward Lily.

However, Mike could understand why she acted this way.

After all, those who worked there were not ordinary people.

Rhea once told him that the organization chose expendable people, and the recruits were experts in certain areas.

For example, the organization had selected Rhea for her expertise in medicine and toxins.

They recruited Mike because he was in the raw materials business and was wealthy.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1814 -However, no one within the organization except the "boss" and the top leader knew each other’s identity and background, including Mike and Rhea.

Seeing the worker behaving poorly toward Lily gave Mike a strange feeling.

He did not know who the woman was as he could not get a good look at her face.

Still, he knew the standoff was not good, so he stepped forward and said, "Mrs.Russell isn't ordering you, but the boss says Mrs.Russell can use anything here at her discretion. Since she asks you to put it down, please do so."

"Why should I?"

The woman showed Mike no respect and let out a throaty, gurgling laugh.

"I'm carrying my experiment’s result.If she’s so capable, she can do it herself.Didn’t she just claim she could succeed without our data?"

"Since it's part of the experiment, it belongs here." Lily raised her brows.

"Why? Are you scared?"

"It’s useless to try to goad me."

The worker turned away.

"I don’t wish to waste my time on you guys!"

Lily stared at the woman’s back and said casually, "Are you afraid of wasting time or letting others see that you’ve failed again?"

Mike was baffled.

However, Lily’s words infuriated the woman.

She suddenly turned around, her husky and shrill voice sounding, "What the f*ck are you guys saying? How dare you claim I failed when you don’t know what it is? Do you think you’re so f*cking great to stand her and spout nonsense?!"

"Of course!"

Lily quickly responded, "Do you think you've achieved a perfect fusion of monkshood's toxicity and the scent of ambergris by using the top-notched herbs and the most expensive spices? "Indeed, the smell is potent enough, but you’ve mistakenly mixed the two as it would neutralize the toxin.Even if it works, it would greatly reduce the drug's potency.If that is not a failure, what is?"

Stunned, Mike did not know whether Lily was serious or just making things up.

However, judging from her look and coherent words, he felt she was not spouting nonsense.He threw a spontaneous look at the worker and saw her standing still with her hands clenched tightly.

Although he could not see her facial expression due to the face shield, he could feel her anger and even murderous intent.

Astonished by such a feeling, Mike cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"Whatever your positions were before this, we have come here to work for our boss, and we know why.The boss will see whoever can make the experiment work as the greatest contributor!"

He looked over at the worker.

"If you don’t believe in Mrs.Russell, why not..."

Before he could finish, the shrill and awful voice called out his name through his earpiece.

"Mike Corden!"

Confused, Mike cocked his head.

"Yes, sir."

"Tell Lily to focus on her job.I need what the person is holding.Tell her to come report to me immediately!"

Taken aback, Mike answered, "Yes, sir!"

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1815 -The office was unusually tranquil.

One might think no one was around if someone was not standing there.

The woman stood there with one hand clenched at her side while holding a fist close to her chest.

She remained silent as she knitted her brow.

Neither she nor the person before her said a word.

He glared at her through the mask as if he could nail her to the wall with his gaze.

"Sir..."

When the woman spoke, she was interrupted by a crash and quickly stopped.

A glass shattered before her, and some shards landed on her feet.

She would have gotten cut if she had not been wearing her shoes.

The woman stood there without even attempting to dodge while letting the man vent his anger.

"Have I given you too much freedom to make you so bold?! Are you not listening to what I say, Rhea Moore?"

He called out her name through clench tenth.

She straightened her back, lowered her head, and looked at the shards on the floor as she said blandly, "No, sir."

"No?"

The man hurled another glass that hit Rhea’s forehead, and blood slowly flowed down her fair cheek.

The warm blood carried a pungent, sweet smell as it streaked down, creating an eerie contrast between the red blood and white hazmat suit.

It looked hauntingly enchanting, like a red blossoming flower but gruesome at the same time.

"Don’t you know you’re now a f*cking ‘dead’ person? How dare you show your f*cking face in the lab and Mike and Lily’s presence? Do you wish for them to recognize you? Do you want them to know you’re not f*cking dead?"

The man was outraged when he saw what was happening through the surveillance cameras.

Not only that, Rhea did not do as the "boss" said and even showed up before Lily.

‘What if Rhea gave herself away and caused unnecessary trouble by rousing Lily’s suspicions? That would waste all our arrangements! I’m not worried about what Lily would do, but it’s best to avoid any unwanted problems at this critical moment"

Thinking so, he grew angrier and grabbed another glass.

He was about to hurl it when he saw Rhea’s bloody face.She was gazing coldly at him.

Thinking twice, he veered his hand off course and smashed the glass aside.

The glass broke, but the crashing sound was much lighter this time.

"We're close to reaching our goal.Do not create trouble at this juncture, got it? If you ruin our plan, not even I can save your a*s!"

The little man climbed on the desk, finally taller than Rhea, looking down at her.

"How are you So sure Lily can do it?"

Rhea slowly lifted her eyelids unblinkingly, even as the blood dripped past the corner of her eye.Her gaze was contemptuous and full of resentment.

"How do you know she’s not here to sabotage us?"

She snorted and did not think Lily would sincerely help them.

"you don't need to about that.Just do what you’re supposed to do! No one dares to create trouble under my watch.Whoever they are, Pll make sure they behave!"

The little man said meaningfully, then lowered his gaze to Rhea's hand at her side.

"Give that to me."

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1816-Rhea held her fingers together, then slowly loosened them as she walked over and reached out her hand.

As she gradually parted her fingers and revealed a small translucent bottle lying in her palm, the man suddenly hesitated.

Without a word, Rhea simply held out her hand and looked at him, curling the corner of her lips.

The man retracted his hand, crossed his arms, and narrowed his eyes at her.

"Open it!"

The man looked even more insignificant, crossing his arms like this with his stature.

Yet he absurdly wanted to put on an authoritative appearance.

Rhea did not object and twisted the cap.

There was a slight popping sound as the bottle opened.

Soon after, a delicate, sweet-smelling scent slowly drifted and filled the air.

The man frowned and freed his crossed arms, taking out a handkerchief to cover his nose and mouth.

"Who told you to hold it so close to me? Move it away a bit!"

The handkerchief muffled his voice, and there was a trace of panic in his eyes.

"Sir, the beauty of this ‘perfume’ is that it will only work when coming into contact with skin.Rest assured that it won’t impact you if you inhale it."

Rhea leaned closer to the bottle to prove her point and took a deep whiff from the opening.

She then closed her eyes and said, enjoying it, "What a wonderful smell!"

The man narrowed her eyes at her but did not let down his guard.

Still, he was less nervous and pinched his nose, asking, "Are you sure it works?"

"Sir, do you believe Lily’s words so much?"

Rhea casually capped the bottle.

She noticed he was still punching his nose and added, "I don’t understand.Even if she is Dominic Fike’s last apprentice, she isn’t that special.

"Many other herbal medicine experts are around, and with the organization’s influence, I’m sure we can find a replacement.As for perfumery, it’s so easy to kidnap one or two world-class perfumers to work for us.Is Lily so good? Why must we use her? What is it that you see in her?"

Rhea could not understand why they had to use Lily.

She was not confident in Lily's ability since the beginning.

The man chuckled when she questioned him.

He slowly put down his hand and asked laughingly, "Then let me ask you this, Rhea.What do you think the organization sees in you? Why did we choose you?"

"..."

Rhea was stumped momentarily, then quickly answered.

"My talent, of course! I’m not like her.You picked me when I was only 14! I’ve never let you down over these years."

"you've never let me down, but..."

After a pause, he said blandly, "

You’ve never surprised me either."

Rhea was speechless.

"The organization picks a candidate for a reason, whether you, Lily ..""

He paused and did not elaborate further.

"All right, you think you're better than her, but it’s not the time to compete with anyone.Just remember that personal feuds are nothing to our plan!"

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1817-At this juncture, there were three knocks on the door.

The two froze, then exchanged a look.

The man said, "Use the back door."

He cocked his head to indicate the direction behind him.

As Rhea hurried past him, she heard his deep voice, "Wait!"

She halted and heard him say, "Leave it!" while tapping his finger at the desk.

Rhea hesitated, then obediently put the bottle on the desk.

Then she hurried away after looking at it intensely.

The man was odd and inconsistent, and his size made it easy for one to overcome him.

However, Rhea did not do so, nor did Mike.

They dared not do anything not because they feared him but because they dreaded the power and organization behind him.

He was not alone and was not the top leader at the same time.

They could not uncover what secrets he was hiding and dared not find out about them.

As for Rhea, all she ever wanted was to create something that could astonish the world.

Soon, she disappeared behind the man.

The man tilted his head, ensured Rhea was gone, and said, "Come in!"

He crouched down and sat on the edge of the desk with his hands propped on it.

Dangling his legs, he picked up the bottle Rhea had left and fiddled with it.

Mike was puzzled when he came in.

There were glass shards everywhere, as if a massive battle had occurred, and he had to step over the shards to avoid them.

‘There are blood stains on the floor.Is someone hurt? It’s not unusual for someone to get hurt or bleed in the facility, but the boss rarely injures anyone in his office"

"Sir,"

Mike called out to the man and took two steps forward.

The man grunted a yes as a reply but did not bother lifting his eyelids.

Instead, he kept studying the small bottle while cocking his head.

Mike recognized it at a glance and became curious.

‘It’s the bottle Lily was trying to get from the worker just now"

Lily spoke coherently, but the worker was unusually adamant about not handing the bottle over.

The boss also said it was what he needed.

‘What could it be? If Lily said it was a failed creation, it’s useless to keep such a thing, right?’ The little man asked indifferently, "Has she started already?"

Mike nodded and answered, "Yes.She's already working, and everything is right on track."

"On track?"

The man scoffed and shook his head.

"It’s too early to say that.It's best to use the phrase when she makes it work."

"Lily says she’s confident she can do it soon."

Mike quoted her.

However, under the circumstance, he was unsure whether Lily was trying to fool them or was genuinely confident of her success.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1818-Mike squinted at the bottle the man was studying, then let out a slight cough.

"Sir..."

"yes?"

The man noticed Mike’s hesitation and finally looked at him, puzzled.

"Ahem..."

After clearing his throat, Mike said, "Lily said it’s a failed creation."

"I know."

The translucent liquid sloshed inside the bottle as the man twirled it between his fingers.It seemed as mercurial as the little man who had unpredictable mood swings.

"Then..."

Mike stopped and did not finish his sentence.

The man chuckled aloud, raucous laughter sounding like iron scraping against the wall.

"Are you asking why I insist on having this failed creation?"

Mike quirked his eyebrows in response.

"It’s because I don’t believe in Lily at all."

His gaze suddenly turned sharp as if it could see through everything.

Even Mike felt a chill down his spine despite many trials and tribulations.

‘This man is cunning like an unfathomable old fox.

After dealing with him for so long, I’ve discovered he is unyielding and doesn’t care about anyone.

Nothing matters to him.

He will sacrifice and destroy anyone and anything to get what he wants.

‘Men like him are scary because there’s nothing I can use to counter him.He simply doesn’t care about others"

"If you don’t believe her, why do you insist on using her? Aren't you afraid she..."

Mike paused, licked his dry lips, and solemnly said, "Aren’t you afraid she’ll sabotage us and disrupt our plan?"

"Afraid?!"

The man raised his voice and laughed mockingly.

"I’m afraid of nothing in this world! I don’t trust people as easily as Hyderlanders and have my reasons for using her.Our experiment will either succeed or fail at this juncture.If it succeeds, the world will fall into my hands, but if it fails..."

After a pause, he spread his arms and looked up.

"Then the world will perish with me!"

The man shouted throatily and amplified his vocal chord.

His voice hurt Mike's eardrums.

The man let out a shrill laugh, then slowly looked at Mike.

"Tell me.What should I be afraid of?"

Mike was nonplussed.

‘He’s a lunatic!’ a thought flashed through Mike’s mind.He had concluded that countless times but felt more assertive about it now.

For a brief moment, he wanted to strangle the man in the office recklessly and stop the vile experiment.

However, the idea only occurred momentarily, and he soon calmed down.

He loosened his clenched fists at his sides as he thought about his son’s face and childish yet firm voice.

‘No, I can’t do that!’ "Mike, I don’t trust anyone, including Rhea, Lily..."

The man cocked his head, sized Mike up, then moved his lips, saying, "Or you! "Do you think I don’t know what’s happening inside your head? Although you work for me and have done quite a lot, I know you resent me, am I right? You think about killing me every second, correct?"

He laughed as if he was telling a joke.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1819-Mike looked away, lowered his gaze, and said blandly, "No, sir."

The little man did not care if Mike was lying or pretending.

Then he revealed a pleased smile as if he had seen through everything.

"I don’t f*cking care, Mike.Do you think someone like me would fear death? Still, I know you won’t kill me because I have your son.You won't dare to kill me if he hasn’t returned to your side."

Mike clenched his fists at his sides and tried to restrain himself, but his emotions surged when the man mentioned his son.

He had a video call with his son a week ago and had told his men to intensify their search for nick.

However, there had been no leads.

Sometimes he even thought about the worst-case scenario and wondered if the organization had already killed Nick.

Mike even suspected that what he saw during the video calls were Al imaging or pre-recordings created to manipulate him into cooperating with them.

But during each video call, he thoughtfully made his son perform specific gestures or bring up private matters and trivial details from the past.

The child had never made a mistake and could always respond accordingly.

It gave him hope that his son was still alive.

After all, Mike knew he owed his son too much.

Mike’s life would lose meaning if he could not protect and save Nick.

"I can give my life to you.Can you let him go?"

Mike slowly raised his head, looked at the man, and made a decision.

"Let’s make a deal."

"A deal?"

The man raised his brows and looked at Mike, intrigued.

He nodded.

"You can use any of the drugs in the lab to control me, just like what you did to Austin and others.I will accept this as long as my son can return to me.

"you're holding him hostage, so I’ll do anything you want.Since that’s the case, put me under any drugs’ influence or poison to ease your mind.Just give me back my son.He’s just a child.How can he cause you trouble?"

Mike had decided this after careful consideration, and it was currently the best solution he could devise.

He would not hesitate if he could exchange his life for his son’s.

However, the man did not say a word and simply looked deeply at him, his head slightly cocked.

His cruel and cunning eyes behind the mask looked Mike up and down carefully.

Mike just stood still and let the man observe him.

He knew the man was so devious and suspicious that he trusted no one.

Having dealt with him for so long, Mike still failed to obtain his trust and had not even met the mastermind behind him.

‘No one, not even Rhea or Lily, can win his trust.

So I think I must do something to make him believe in me before he can free Nick"

"You can take my life if you want, but my son is innocent and shouldn't be involved!"

Mike stepped forward and tried to persuade the man.

Still, the man laughed gratingly.

Adam's apple bobbed up and down, making strange, bone-chilling sounds.

His laugh would always send shivers down Mike's spine, not just because of his sinister and terrifying demeanor but also due to the creepy sound of his laughter.

"Mike, you think too highly of yourself," He said laughingly, "Do you think I can't use the drugs on you even if I don’t return your son to you? Do you think I can’t just put you under the influence if I wanted to?" Mike was baffled.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 1820 -"I haven’t used the drugs on you because I know their side effects.I know I can't fully utilize those under the drug's influence.You should be happy I still have use for you and haven’t used them on you.Otherwise..."

The little man paused and did not elaborate further.

Mike was still trying to digest his words.

"Are you saying I might lose my self-awareness and be unable to help you? In other words, I would become a puppet?"

‘Wait.Isn't it better to manipulate me if I lose my self-awareness?’ Mike could not comprehend what he was saying, and when he wanted to ask further, the man interrupted him, "Enough.Do not try to probe.My patience has its limits! I’ve told you before.The only way to get your son back is to cooperate! Once the experiment succeeds and the organization achieves its plan, I will immediately return your son to you."

The man slowly propped himself up with one hand and looked at Mike, arms akimbo.

"Mike, you should look forward to our plan’s success more than anyone else.After all, your son will live if it does.If it fails..."

He stopped, his face turning solemn as he looked at Mike.

"Then your son will be the first victim of this grand plan.The word "victim" struck Mike hard, and he could hardly bear it.

He gritted his teeth and said, "I understand."

"I don’t care what you told Lily or what you two are planning, but keep a close eye on her.That is my final warning—don't try to do anything sneaky.Otherwise, well, you know what the consequences will be."

Despite standing on the desk, the man was not much taller than Mike.

However, Mike felt like he was looking at the devil himself.He felt a chill run down his spine and suddenly lost hope.

Mike left with his head down, looking disheartened.

The man’s cold stare followed him until the door closed, and the room regained its silence.

He jumped from the desk, kicked off the glass shards, and went to the floor-to-ceiling window to look downstairs.

Everything below looked tiny, and the people below moved around like ants.

He liked standing in high places.

Only when he could look down at people would he feel taller than them instead of the other way around.

He had been looking up at people all his life, but when his grand plan succeeded, he knew he would no longer have to do that.

He would make everyone look up to him, and people worldwide would remember his name.

His eyes glinted excitedly, and he could not wait for that day.

‘ Finally, it’s going to happen soon!"

At this juncture, his wristwatch vibrated.He looked down at it with a frown, then pursed his lips.