Ch. 2141..2150

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2141-Rhea had a purplish-red mark on her palm. One might have thought it was a birthmark if one did not look closer.

Although Alexander could barely see it, he did not go near Rhea. He knew how cunning she was and suspected she might do something to him if he went any closer. After all, the mark could be poisonous.

He stood in place and asked coldly, “What are you doing?”

Pursing her lips, Rhea turned her palm around and cocked her head, examining the mark. “I’m showing you my trump card.”

“Trump card?”

“This is the experiment I’m the most proud of,” Rhea waved and said, “My body is the most powerful vessel there is now. It would be a pity if you guys killed me now.”

She clicked her tongue and shook her head, sighing as if distressed by such a scenario.

“You’re experimenting on your own body?” Alexander was stunned.

Although he had considered many possibilities, and she might not be telling the truth, he was astonished by what she said. Furthermore, he knew she had not painted the strange-looking mark on her skin/

Instead, it resembled a symbol that looked like a manifestation of poisoning.

“So what?” Rhea thought nothing about it. “I needed a vessel for the experiment. It could be an animal or a human being. Besides, we experimented on many people in the lab. Why not me?”

“You…” Alexander was speechless for a moment. He used to think she was cold-blooded, but she seemed insane, too.

“Experimentation is the most meaningful thing in the world. Our society has only progressed because of it. If not, how did our civilization get this far without repeated experimentation?” Rhea thought she was doing the right thing.

“Many great scientists conduct experiments. It’s you people who refuse to accept the cruel side of science!” She admired her palm as if it was a delicate work of art.

“Look at how pretty it is. This is my experiment’s partial manifestation, and my body is adjusting to it. It’s fun because I experience it independently and record the most detailed sensations. It’s just too bad that…”

Her eyes flickered as she sighed.

‘It’s just too bad the organization wanted to rush for R10’s last phase before I could complete my experiment. Not only did they leave the vaccine development center in disarray, but I also ended up imprisoned here.’

As Rhea was deeply thinking, Alexander asked the most crucial question, “What did you mean when you said your body was the best vessel?”

“Well… I can’t tell you that. Even if I do, you wouldn’t understand it,” Rhea said, “All you need to know is that I can make a deal with the organization to swap Lily back.”

“You’re willing to die on her behalf?” Alexander thought it was what Rhea was implying.

“No, no, I won’t die. My body serves a bigger purpose, and the organization won’t kill me anyway,” Rhea said smugly, “It’s a pity they only care about Lily, just like you guys. Why the fuck is that?”

Rhea could never understand that. Her family only cared about Anastasia when she was young. However, when Rhea grew up and got what she wanted through hard work, Lily appeared and stole her thunder.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2142-The “boss” and the organization focused on Lily, causing Rhea to live in someone else’s shadow again.

‘Why must I always live in other people’s shadows? I’ve worked so hard, and I’m one of the brightest people around. Why won’t the organization pay attention to me?’

Alexander looked at Rhea intensely and sighed, “How would you like me to help you?”

Rhea looked surprised upon hearing his softened tone. She answered, “It’s as simple as taking me to the organization. I know you must’ve found and contacted them. If you help me contact them, you can leave the rest to me.”

“You seriously don’t know who’s behind the organization?” Alexander looked at her suspiciously, unsure if she was feigning ignorance.

“I know that a formidable entity backs them, but…” Rhea did not finish her sentence because that was all she knew. If she knew, she would have approached the entity long ago.

Although the “boss” told her nothing, she used his body for her experiments. Ultimately, he suffered from various illnesses and could not cope for long. That was why Rhea had failed to obtain any helpful information from him.

“Let me think about it.” Alexander nodded slightly and turned to leave for real this time.

Rhea exclaimed despite herself, “Don’t take too long, okay?! If not, it might be too late to save Lily.”

However, Alexander left as if he did not hear her. After closing the door, the person waiting outside wanted to say something, but Alexander shut him up with a glance.

Only after leaving the floor did the man eagerly ask, “Do you believe her?”

“Do you?” Alexander asked him back.

Mike was stumped.

“Mike, you spent more time with her, so you should know her better. Based on your understanding of her, do you think we can trust her?”

When Alexander visited Rhea, Mike stayed outside and overheard their conversation. Still, he did not know how to answer Alexander’s question.

“I-I have no idea,” Mike said, somewhat hating himself for being indecisive.

Although he had never been decisive, he had become even more cautious. He feared making decisions and judgments because he could not afford to face the consequences if he made a mistake.

“I think what she said was a half-truth,” Alexander said as he casually walked ahead.

Mike was puzzled and tried to catch up.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2143 -Alexander added, “Rhea’s extremely cunning, and her words are dubious. However, not everything she says is false.”

“Aren’t you stating the obvious?” Mike stopped and gazed after Alexander.

The latter stopped and turned to say, “But I know someone who might be able to tell if she’s speaking the truth.”

Mike was surprised.

…

As efficient as Alexander was, he soon fetched Austin, who had been busy helping Dr. Blanc with his research. Although it had only been a few days, Austin had lost plenty of weight and developed dark circles under his eyes.

Still, he seemed unusually spirited, and an air of confidence surrounded him.

"Did you have lunch yet?" Austin asked before Mike, who was approaching, could even offer to lead him to see Rhea.

Taken aback, Mike said, “N-No, not yet.”

“Then let’s eat. I’m starving!” Austin said as he strode inside the house.

Mike was dumbfounded. He looked at Alexander, but the latter did not object.

Then Mike turned around and chased after Austin, asking, “Aren’t you supposed to see Rhea first to find out if she’s lying about having a virus inside her?”

He thought Alexander had not told Austin anything yet, so Austin thought he must be here to have lunch.

“There’s no hurry, okay?” Austin checked his watch and said, “We need energy, so we should eat when it’s time. You see, our organs function according to our biological clock. If we don’t follow it—”

Mike said, “Okay! Let’s eat!”

‘Damn, why’d he become so talkative after going away for just a few days?’

The trio shared four dishes for lunch in silence. Alexander seldom spoke while eating, and Mike was preoccupied with looking at Austin. Mike wanted to say something but did not know how to begin.

However, Austin enjoyed the meal the most. He feasted heartily and ate almost half the dishes. Afterward, he wiped his mouth and said, “The food is amazing! They’re much better than the department’s cafeteria food. I finally had a satisfying meal after so long.”

“Since you’re full, let’s go!” Mike said eagerly, putting down his fork and spoon.

Austin rechecked his watch and said, “We’ve got time.”

He got up, walked into the living room, and lay on the sofa. “We should take a nap after lunch.”

“Hey, you…” Mike saw Austin closing his eyes and impatiently went over to pull him up. “Alex, look at him! Will he help us or not?! Do you think we’re on vacation?”

He tried pulling Austin up, but the latter seemed to have fallen asleep and was too heavy to lift.

“Alex, come help me!” Mike said, struggling and huffing with frustration.

Alexander walked over and looked on calmly. “Let him rest for a while.”

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2144-“Hey, aren’t you guys even a bit anxious?” Mike could not believe how calm Alexander and Austin were.

‘If it were up to me, I would’ve gone to see Rhea immediately! We can consider handing her to the organization to make a deal if she isn’t lying. At least we’re trying a new approach, right?’

Mike had thought about it repeatedly for the past two days but could not devise a better solution.

Alexander said he had an idea and brought Austin along, yet the duo seemed to be taking their time, which frustrated Mike.

“Some things require patience. Sometimes we just have to wait.” Alexander approached and patted Mike’s shoulder. “Just chill out, all right?”

Mike was speechless.

‘I don’t want to chill out, damn it!’

Meanwhile, Austin was in a deep sleep. However, he woke up half an hour later and glanced at the wall clock. “It’s about time.”

Mike was crouching aside with his cheeks in his hands when he looked up in confusion. “Huh?”

“It’s time. Come on.” Austin got up and straightened his slightly wrinkled shirt. He looked refreshed, even more than when he had just arrived.

Mike was surprised when he saw the duo heading toward where they held Rhea. Immediately after, he chased after them.

Since it was not the right time to hand Rhea over to the police, Alexander locked her in an outhouse in the backyard of his house. He used the outhouse primarily for storage and had left it unoccupied for years.

The outhouse had a somewhat unique layout. When Alexander decided to confine Rhea there, he hired someone to make minor changes first. Alexander did that to ensure she would not stay in harsh conditions or escape.

When the trio reached the outhouse, Alexander scanned his fingerprint, swiped his access card to unlock the door, and then moved aside for Austin to enter.

Rhea looked up when she heard the noise, thinking it must be Alexander. She was confident he would work with her after their talk, so he must be here to discuss the terms. However, she was in disbelief when she saw the visitor.

“I-It’s you?”

“Why? Are you disappointed to see me?” Austin wanted to smile, but he just could not in her presence.

After all, she had imprisoned and tortured him, nearly killing him. Even those around Austin suffered because of what she did.

Austin wanted to rip her to shreds, but he gritted his teeth and calmed himself, thinking, ‘I must consider the bigger picture.’

Rhea turned back to face the window, her gaze distant as she said mockingly, “What the fuck are you doing here? To show off that you’re still alive despite the disease?”

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2145 -Suddenly, Rhea teased, “Why so upset? Is the virus inside you giving you mood swings?”

Austin no longer allowed Rhea to mock him. After all, she had become the prisoner this time, and he did not care about what she said.

Rhea snorted dismissively after seeing Austin unfazed.

However, she seemed to realize something two seconds later and narrowed her eyes, saying, “They called you here to…”

“It looks like the virus hasn’t affected your brain yet.” Austin approached and stood before her.

“Fuck off! I don’t need you to examine me.” Rhea realized Alexander must have asked Austin to examine her to see if she was lying about experimenting on herself.

Alexander and Mike were laymen in medicine, not to mention research work. However, Austin differed because he had worked as a physician for many years and spent countless hours in the laboratory, where the organization had treated him as s test subject.

He would be the perfect person to examine Rhea.

Meanwhile, the latter knew Austin had a grudge against her. They were practically enemies, especially since Rhea was the one who had experimented on him. She even created the experimental virus.

Still, she thought she had done nothing wrong. To her, one must prove one’s experiments by animals or humans.

‘Every experiment requires sacrifices. Besides, Austin’s here now, looking even more spirited than before.’

Rhea became curious and wondered whether or not Austin was entirely cured.

‘Why isn’t there a widespread transmission with Austin? That doesn’t seem right. I wanted the virus to be contagious when I developed it.’

Although it had been some time since Rhea purposely released the virus, there had not been reports of widespread contagion besides the pandemic in Burnwken. There also seemed to be no more cases in the country.

Rhea also wondered if the news was being suppressed or if her experiment had failed to achieve her desired results.

“Are you really cured? What about those close to you? Don’t they feel unwell?” she asked tentatively.

Austin glared at her hatefully. “I knew it was you!”

“There was a spread, huh?” Rhea looked elated. She did not care how many people died, only that the experiment had worked as she had intended. Nothing else would make her happier.

“Human lives were at stake, you little—” Austin wanted to curse her but stopped himself. He knew it was a waste of time since she had no conscience. After all, a cold-blooded woman like Rhea would not care about human lives.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2146 -‘She’s a sick, ruthless murderer who uses chemicals and viruses as weapons.’

With that thought in mind, Austin approached Rhea and grabbed her wrist to take her pulse. Rhea was surprised and struggled, yelling, “Get your hand off me!”

She was relentless despite his firm grip. Since she continued to struggle, Austin could not focus on taking her pulse.

At that moment, Mike, who had been waiting outside, rushed in and held Rhea down. “Stay still!”

“Mike?” Rhea chuckled coldly upon seeing him. “I knew you were here too, you spineless piece of shit! You don’t have the guts to stand up to the organization, so you cling to Lily’s husband for protection.

“If your son finds out what kind of sorry-ass loser you are, I bet he’d rather be dead!”

“What did you say?!” Mike was outraged. He would not care if she insulted him, but cursing his son was unacceptable.

“I said your son—”

Before she could finish, Mike grasped her neck with both hands. He wanted to choke her to death instead of holding her down. “Die, you bitch! You’re the one who should be fucking dead!”

Rhea struggled to breathe, her eyes rolling back.

Stunned, Austin stopped trying to take her pulse and attempted to pull Mike off her. “Calm down! You can’t kill her!”

Amidst the chaos, Alexander entered the outhouse. He strode over and grabbed Mike’s hand, saying, “Move aside!” before hand-chopping the back of Rhea’s neck.

Mike got shoved aside while Rhea’s head drooped as she passed out.

“Take her pulse now,” Alexander said.

Austin adjusted his breathing to calm himself before taking Rhea’s pulse.

“She deserves to die!” Mike exclaimed as tears streamed down his cheeks. He felt drained after venting his pent-up frustrations and sat there, sobbing.

Alexander noticed it and placed a hand on Mike’s shoulder as a form of comfort.

After a while, Austin let go of Rhea’s wrist and looked at the duo.

Alexander gazed back expectantly.

“She’s not lying,” Austin said, “There is indeed a virus inside her.”

His words brought Mike to his senses as he looked back and forth between Austin and Alexander. “So we were—”

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2147-“Do you need to do it again to make sure?” Alexander ignored Mike and looked at Austin.

Austin glanced at the unconscious Rhea and gently shook his head. “No.”

Since he said so, Alexander then turned and headed out.

Austin followed closely after.

Meanwhile, Mike glanced after them and then at Rhea before chasing after the two. The trio returned to the living room and felt like what happened just now was a dream. Nothing much had changed, yet everything was somewhat different now.

Mike became listless, like a lost soul. He tried hard not to think about his son over the past few days, but when Rhea mentioned Nick, he could not control his emotions. The boy was his Achilles' heel.

What terrified him more was his growing lack of confidence.

“Do you know what kind of virus is inside her body?” Alexander poured Mike a glass of cold water and handed him a wet towel to help him calm down.

Austin shook his head. “The viruses from the lab are more complex, so I can’t be sure for now. However, I suspect it’s similar to the previous one.”

“How so?” Mike asked after sipping his cold water.

“The lab experiments might all seem different, but they share a common goal—control.”

Mike turned to Austin and seemed much calmer despite his bloodshot eyes. He was puzzled by what Austin said.

“The virus’s priority is to control people’s minds,” Austin elaborated, “I don’t know who’s behind the organization, but one thing is clear—the person wishes to use their creations to control people and tule certain places or even the entire world.”

Although it sounded far-fetched, it was the truth. After all, one would only want to control others’ minds and bodies for one’s self.

‘Many have done such an absurd thing throughout history. There are even sci-fi films about it.’

Austin had never considered it before. He only knew such a thing existed after suffering so much agony in that hellhole.

Meanwhile, Alexander connected the dots and pondered momentarily. Soon after, he believed what Austin said. The former had witnessed Austin, Dominic, Lily, Cameron, Edward, and others experiencing such things.

It assured Alexander that these things were indeed happening.

Regardless of whether or not the experiments succeeded, the fact they were trying to make them work was terrifying. It was the only thing Alexander could not figure out. “So Rhea has done this to control herself?”

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2149-Alexander felt awful when he said that. He had never considered the concept of using humans as vessels.

‘How can they disregard Lily’s life and treat her as a container for a new soul?’

Alexander had never told anyone about it, but even a cool-headed person like him had several nightmares about it. In one of them, he saw a woman who looked identical to Lily. He called her name, but she ignored him.

Shortly after, she slowly turned to him with a creepy smile. She tugged his arm and shouted like a maniac, “I’m your fucking wife! Don’t you know me?!”

“No! You’re not! Where the hell is Lily? Return her to me!” Alexander jerked awake as he screamed, his back covered in sweat.

It was dark outside, and he found the bed cold and empty without his wife. It made him panic as if he was about to lose her.

“Yes, as a vessel, but Rhea has always envied that.”

“What?” Austin’s jaw dropped, dumbfounded. “Rhea envies being a living dead?”

He palmed his open mouth and looked at Alexander. However, the latter did not glance at Austin and told Mike, “Perhaps Rhea envies Lily’s ‘privilege.’”

“Then she must be out of her fucking mind!” Austin concluded.

‘What kind of a person would envy someone about to turn into a puppet? If Rhea’s body was still alive, but her soul was not, would it still be the same person?’

“Not necessarily.” After some thought, Alexander continued, “Besides becoming a vessel, is it possible Rhea also wishes to control her own body with the virus?”

His words stunned the other two, and they exchanged puzzled expressions. Although Alexander’s suspicion might sound absurd, it was possible. After all, anything was possible if soul transference existed.

Furthermore, it was something a lunatic like Rhea might end up doing.

“It is a possibility.” Austin nodded, his eyes widening. If he had not experienced and witnessed all the recent insane incidents, he would not have believed it.

He found it hard to believe, yet simultaneously felt an odd sense of accomplishment.

Working with Dr. Blanc at X Department had exposed Austin to a new world he had not encountered before. It made him realize just how narrow his perspective had been.

Austin could not help but agree that the more he learned, the more he realized how ignorant he was.

Spoiled by mr. russell chapter 2150 -That was why Austin was willing to believe something, even if it seemed far-fetched.

Mike’s thoughts became clearer after calming down. He said, “Should we trust Rhea and make a deal with the organization?”

Alexander did not answer because he also needed to consider their options.

‘We’ve confirmed that Rhea has used the virus on herself. Still, we don’t know to which extent its effects have taken hold or if there will be any complications or aftereffects.’

After a moment, Alexander decided to put the matter aside. “Let’s not make the deal first.”

“You don’t trust her?” Austin looked at him.

‘Well, she hardly tells the truth. It’s understandable if Alex doesn’t believe her.’

However, Alexander shook his head. “It’s the organization I worry about. So far, Lily has been important to them. Why? Because they treat her as a…vessel.”

He paused toward the end because he found it hard to utter the word.

“Will the organization let Lily go if they find a better vessel or know someone can replace her? Will they be that merciful?” Mike stared at the floor and murmured, “They’ll kill her!”

‘These assholes won’t free Lily, even if a substitute exists. Instead, they’ll end her life.’

“Or…they might use Lily as a backup.”

‘They wouldn’t care if there was an extra vessel. They’d just keep both.’

“We’ve been there twice and found no one. Without evidence, the organization would never admit they have Lily. We might worsen things if we tell them about Rhea.” Alexander shook his head and sighed.

Although he was the one who rejected the plan, he could not help but feel disappointed. What Rhea could offer might be a breakthrough for them, but he could not afford to make a single mistake as it could be fatal.

After all, the organization was inhumane.

“So we’re back to square one, huh?” Mike looked at Alexander with bloodshot eyes. The former seemed exhausted yet cool-headed after venting his frustrations just now.

However, the other two felt terrible for him instead.

“There must be another way. Let’s think this through again, okay?” In a rare move, Austin tried to console others.

Mike remained silent for a while, then looked up again, saying, “I have a way.”

Austin and Alexander were surprised.

“Are you guys willing to help?” Mike added after a pause.

The other two exchanged a look, then turned to Mike. “Just tell us what you need.”