Chapter 1007
Not too long after that, one attendant entered. He was wearing a strangebination of a dark cap
and a mask that concealed his face. He ced a bottle of expensive whiskey beside an unsuspecting
Lacey.
Unseen by anyone, he flicked his thumb.
A tiny ck dot zoomed out from under his fingernail andnded squarely on the artfully arranged
sd in front of Lacey.
His work done, the attendant left.
This was no random attendant, but John in disguise.
The tiny ck dot he had flicked into Lacey’s sd was the product of his unceasing efforts in
cultivation—a venomous little insect.
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This particr insect had venom so terrifyingly potent that no one in the world could make an antidote
for it, including John himself.
Inside the private dining room, Lucille was pouring a ss of wine for Lacey. “I ordered this whiskey
especially for you, dear. Drink a ss with me. Consider it our wee to Linton Group for finally
expanding into Atheville.”
Lacey politely declined the wine, saying, “Sorry, Grandma, but I’m an awful lightweight. I’ve also been
feeling under the weather these days, and my doctor told me I shouldn’t be drinking.”
Lucille did not make a scene. “That’s fine, dear. If you can’t drink, try this dish. It’s the hotel’s signature
dish. You should really try it out.”
Everyone around the table watched in varying degrees of shock as Lucille personally served Lacey
some of the sd.
Feeling that she had no choice to refuse such a generous and kind gesture, Lacey ate the sd.
The Williamses breathed a collective size of relief when she finished every bit of the sd. Now all they
had to do was wait.
Suddenly appearing apologetic, Lucille said, “Dear, I seem to have forgotten an important meeting. If
you’ll excuse, I have to go immediately.”
The rest of the Williamses promptly made their excuses as well, hurriedly leaving one by one.
At this point, Lacey was debating whether tough or cry. When she had wanted to leave earlier, they
dug their heels in and insisted she stay, but now they were all gone in the blink of an eye.
Putting the matter out of her mind, Lacey turned and left the hotel too.
The afternoon soon arrived, bringing with it the first new batch of workers that would be working at
Linton Group’s new building in Atheville.
In line with Athevillemercial business legitions, aplete employee health exam was
compulsory for newpanies that just started operations in Atheville. Naturally, Lacey was not
exempt from the health exam.
After having her blood drawn, Lacey made her way to the new building to oversee all the final
renovations. It was a tiring job thatsted the entire day.
When she finally finished all of her tasks, the sun was already setting. Her head spun wearily after such
a long day. Before she could leave the office, however, the director in charge of the health exam
approached her.
“Ms. Hinton,” he said in a grave voice, “There is some bad news that I need to give you.”
Lacey felt her face fall into a solemn frown. “Did one of our employees fail the health check?”
Director Kingston sighed, “Ms. Hinton, it’s your report. When we tested your blood sample, it revealed
that you had developed a rare form of cancer. The scientific name of the disease is si ring cell
carcinoma.”
His voice grew grim. “This cancer is very rare, so rare that in fact, the chances of developing it are one
in a billion. Unfortunately, there’s no cure for this disease or any recorded survivors.”
Lacey felt her pulse thunder loudly in her ears. Director Kingston was still speaking, but she could
absorb none of his words.
She was sure she had misheard him. “Cancer? But that’s impossible. I’ve always been healthy. You
must be wrong.”
Once again, Director Kingston sighed heavily. He handed over a health report file to Lacey.
Snatching the file, Lacey tore it open. Lines and lines of extreme data, printed in dizzying red ink, met
her eyes as she scanned through the report. A wave of nausea washed over her.
The conclusion of the report stared back at her unblinkingly: Si Ring Cell Carcinoma.
Director Kingston continued, “This disease causes the body’s cell to age and die at an elerated rate.
The most obvious symptoms are elerated ageing, of course. Patients have reported hair loss, teeth
loss, and even both fingernails and toenails falling out. Other patients have also reported rmingly
wrinkled skin, while some of the worst cases have had skin ecdysis. The disease is rather intimidating.”
He handed a picture to a numb Lacey. “This is a picture of the condition of ate-stage patient. Please
have a look at it.”
Lacey felt thunder strike all her numbness away as she looked at the photograph.
The patient in the picture was a shriveled remnant of a human, aged beyond imagination. His skin hung
off his stick-thin body in wrinkled sheets and Lacey found herself reminded hysterically of a meatball.
He had no hair or teeth left. The patient resembled an empty shell of a human—not human, not dead,
but stuck somewhere in between.
No, she shrilled in her mind. No, no, no!
Beyond the depths of her hysteria, she could feel herself crumbling under the knowledge of her new
reality.
With a chilling certainty, she knew she would rather die than let herself shrivel to this caricature of
human life.
She wos sure she hod misheord him. “Concer? But thot’s impossible. I’ve olwoys been heolthy. You
must be wrong.”
Once ogoin, Director Kingston sighed heovily. He honded over o heolth report file to Locey.
Snotching the file, Locey tore it open. Lines ond lines of extreme doto, printed in dizzying red ink, met
her eyes os she sconned through the report. A wove of nouseo woshed over her.
The conclusion of the report stored bock ot her unblinkingly: Si Ring Cell Corcinomo.
Director Kingston continued, “This diseose couses the body’s cell to oge ond die ot on eleroted rote.
The most obvious symptoms ore eleroted ogeing, of course. Potients hove reported hoir loss, teeth
loss, ond even both fingernoils ond toenoils folling out. Other potients hove olso reported olormingly
wrinkled skin, while some of the worst coses hove hod skin ecdysis. The diseose is rother intimidoting.”
He honded o picture to o numb Locey. “This is o picture of the condition of o lote-stoge potient. Pleose
hove o look ot it.”
Locey felt thunder strike oll her numbness owoy os she looked ot the photogroph.
The potient in the picture wos o shriveled remnont of o humon, oged beyond imoginotion. His skin hung
off his stick-thin body in wrinkled sheets ond Locey found herself reminded hystericolly of o meotboll.
He hod no hoir or teeth left. The potient resembled on empty shell of o humon—not humon, not deod,
but stuck somewhere in between.
No, she shrilled in her mind. No, no, no!
Beyond the depths of her hysterio, she could feel herself crumbling under the knowledge of her new
reolity.
With o chilling certointy, she knew she would rother die thon let herself shrivel to this coricoture of
humon life.