Chapter 1565


    The ss cab wasn''t made of the ordinary kind one saw in storefronts. Under the weight of some


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    unseen force, it had shattered, sending shards skittering across the floor where theycerated the back


    of his hand, leaving behind a trail of blood.


    But he didn''t care, not even enough to bandage the wound. Instead, he just turned around and headed


    back to his room to sleep.


    Ian watched the scene unfold with a mix of confusion and disbelief. What was this guy on?


    It wasn''t until Ian passed by another room and heard noises that should have been private -noises so


    cringeworthy that he wished he could unhear them. The deliberate cooing and feigned innocence


    emanating from a woman in her fifties sent shivers down his spine.


    He knew what was happening behind that door, and he heard the name the woman was calling out.


    Suddenly, it all clicked for Ian. Philip had lost his marbles. In a desperate bid to please this woman, he


    had thrown his own brother to the wolves - or rather, to an old vixen with a heart of stone. No wonder


    the guy was losing his mind.


    After all, Philip was a man of pride.


    A smirk of irony touched Ian''s eyes. The world was a twisted stage, and Philip, who thought he was


    pulling all the strings, was just as much a puppet as the rest.


    What went around, came around.


    When Ian got back to his room, an hour had passed. He had gotten a good sense of theyout, except


    for Dn, he''d located all the living souls. But he suspected there were parts of the air ducts he hadn''t


    essed yet. So far, he hadn’t detected any area that likely belonged to the higher-ups of the research


    base.


    Like that man in the central hall earlier - his quarters remained elusive.


    Ian had thought the ducts ran through the entire base. Now it seemed they only covered three-quarters


    of it. The remaining quarter housed the elite.


    For now, Ian had also learned about some of the toxins in the coreb, but he wasn''t about to make a


    move just yet.


    A few more days of observation were in order.


    Elsewhere, Maja had been on edge ever since she lost contact with Ian. She couldn''t sleep, so she


    decided to take a stroll down the hallway.


    Ian had made her promise not to leave the building, and she had been obedient, only venturing as far


    as the corridor. Their people upied the rooms on all three floors, giving her a sense of security.


    Her gaze drifted outside the hotel, where she spotted a woman staggering about. It was her neighbor,


    who had been missing for two days. Didn’t expect she’d appear tonight.


    Maja frowned, and then she saw the woman copsed at the hotel''s entrance. She wanted to go check


    herself but was stopped by Ian''s men.


    "Ms. Pennyfeather, Mr. Raymond insists you stay inside."


    "My friend has just copsed outside the hotel. Please, check on her."


    "I''m sorry, but there''s a nasty bug going around, Cania sickness. If she''s caught it, you''re at risk too.


    We can''t just go out there."


    Maja took a deep breath, "She doesn''t look sick; she looks hurt."


    The man hesitated, and then relented, "Alright, we''ll have someone take a look, get her to the hospital


    for a check-up; make sure she''s clean before bringing her back here."


    Maja nodded. It was the best they could do.


    Two hourster, the woman was brought back to the hotel. She had taken bullets - one in her shoulder,


    one in her abdomen. The rounds had been removed, the wounds neatly treated.


    After a brief rest, Maja went to check on the woman at 5 AM, but she was still unconscious. It wasn''t


    until two more hours had passed that the woman in the bed finally stirred.


    "Maja?" Her voice was raspy and strained.


    Maja nodded and handed her some water, "How do you feel?"


    "Fine, thanks."


    "How did you get these injuries?"


    After taking a sip, the woman''s throat felt better, "I went to that vige hit by the Cania sickness."


    "You''ve been checked; you''re healthy. But do you realize how contagious that sickness is?"


    "There are plenty of people in the world with jade bracelets."


    Maja didn''t want to douse her hopes with cold fact, but if she continued venturing recklessly into


    dangerous ces, she might not make it out alive.  Draмanovels.cоm


    The woman''s head drooped as she stared at the cup in front of her.


    Her grip on the cup tightened, her lips turning pale, "If only I had held onto my brother''s hand tighter, if


    only he hadn''t been taken away..."


    Maja took the cup from her hands and sighed, "Be careful with your wounds. Rest for now."


    The woman''s eyes brimmed with tears, and she was left speechless.