Chapter 25
She asked Alexander, "What are they doing?"
"They are doctors and scientists. Emil is conducting research for them. According to the agreement, the vampires must provide one individual for human research, and he volunteered to be the test subject."
"What kind of research?" She thought of the pills he took daily.
"Vampires are similar to humans in many ways, but their physical abilities are far superior, and they are immortal. The research has two directions: one is studying the vampire's constitution to find out why they can avoid aging and death. Human life expectancy has increased due to advanced medicine and abundant food, and this research has also contributed to that."
"And the second type of research?" A man in a white coat used a scalpel to cut Emil's wrist. Her heart clenched, but he didn't even flinch. He raised his arm to help the person extract a tube hidden in his flesh.
"The second type is drug testing. Vampires heal quickly, and even an overdose won't be fatal. With the help of enchantments to distinguish effects, dozens of drugs can be tested simultaneously. Whenever a new drug is developed, it's immediately tested on him. If successful, it proceeds to human trials. The tube implanted in his arm is also made by enchantment and can record the drug's effects. It needs to be replaced monthly."
"In other words," Sarah clenched her delicate hand into a fist, her voice stiff, "this peace agreement, which has nothing to do with him, not only doesn't benefit him but also makes him a lab rat for a hundred years?"
Alexander looked at her angry profile, his tone still indifferent, "That's right."
Sarah suddenly turned to glare at him, angrily questioning, "And you just sit back and do nothing? He lives next door to you, and you are at least friends..."
She abruptly stopped. Alexander probably had his reasons. From what she knew of him, he wasn't a cold-hearted person.
But Alexander's cold tone shattered her overly kind assumptions, "He and I are not friends. I am his monitor and protector. To prevent him from escaping or being captured by your Delin family, I let him live on Dense Pine Road to keep track of his every move. This job was entrusted to my master by the government, and after he passed away, I took over."
Sarah was stunned and couldn't speak for a moment.
After a while, she let out a sigh that sounded like a laugh, "…In the past, many people called you cold-blooded and opportunistic, but Xiuhe always spoke of you with great admiration. He is a kind child, and I didn't believe that someone he admired so much could be as harsh and unfeeling as the rumors said. But now—" Her bright eyes were filled with disappointment, "It seems there is no smoke without fire. The rumors might not be false." Although she spoke bluntly, she never uttered harsh words. This short sentence contained her utmost disdain.
Alexander's lips pressed into a line, but he did not get angry.
At this moment, there was a sudden commotion on the other side of the two-way mirror.
"Hey, he's still bleeding!"
"Why isn't the bleeding stopping? The wound usually heals immediately!"
"Quick, bandage him! Doctor, come quickly!"
The other side of the mirror was in chaos. Blood was gushing from Emil's wrist wound, but he remained motionless as everyone scrambled to save him.
Seeing the blood pooling on the floor, Sarah could no longer hold back. She pulled open the door next to the mirror and strode in.
...
Seeing the girl who rushed in, Emil thought it was the anesthesia making him hallucinate. He tilted his head as he watched Sarah approach quickly. Several scientists stepped forward to stop her.
"Who are you? No unauthorized personnel are allowed in here! Leave immediately!"
"It's alright, she's my friend," Alexander said, standing by the door. "What's the situation?"
"Everything was done according to the usual procedure, but after implanting the new recording tube, the wound didn't heal." The doctor pressed on Emil's hand to slow the bleeding, frowning at him. "Have you been taking your medication regularly? The data the computer read from you is very different from before."
"Yes." Emil responded slowly, watching Sarah come to his side. She held his uninjured right hand and watched the doctor bandage him, her furrowed brows revealing her concern.
"Your condition is abnormal. You need to stop taking the medication temporarily and wait until your body recovers. What happened to you? I repeatedly told you that this cancer drug trial is important and needs to be taken continuously for six months. But you developed a problem in just the second month. Why didn't you take care of your body? Do you know how many patients are waiting for this drug to save their lives?"
The doctor nagged while directing others to clean up the blood. He suddenly noticed Sarah glaring at him and glared back unceremoniously.
"Miss, although you are a friend of Mr. Nangong, only Mr. Nangong and Qinglian are allowed in here according to the rules. You need to stay in the adjacent room—"
"Let her stay," Alexander said indifferently. "With her here, Emil's condition will be more stable." With that, he walked out.
Since Alexander had spoken, the doctor couldn't say anything more. He glared at Sarah a few more times before returning to the machine to study the data.
Emil looked up and smiled at Sarah. "I was wondering how your conversation with your foster mother went. I didn't expect... you to come to see me." The anesthesia made him sluggish and his speech unclear.
Her expression darkened, "What do you think we talked about?"
"Well—first, she would ask why we were so intimate in front of everyone. Then you would honestly tell her that we had already turned enemies into friends, that we had been inseparable these past few days, even sharing the same bed, and that we were passionately involved. She would inevitably sigh that the little girl she raised had grown up. She might nag you a bit, but then she would gladly accept me as her prospective son-in-law." He smiled slyly, "A perfect outcome, isn't it?"
"If she and my aunts had attacked you without a word, would you still be here spouting nonsense?"
His shameless banter dispelled her initial anger, leaving her both amused and exasperated. She really admired his thick-skinned nature.
"It shows how much she cares about you. For your happiness, she would rather give up her duty as a maid and couldn't bear to hurt me."
Care about her? She had never thought this word could apply to her relationship with her foster mother. She had always been diligent, striving to meet her foster mother's strict demands and training. Those eyes that constantly scrutinized whether she met the standards made her never dare to call out "Mom," only burying her filial affection deep in her heart...
Her bewildered gaze fell on his shoulder. His left shoulder had been injured by her, and although the wound had long healed, it left a web-like faint red scar, recording the shattered flesh at the time. The stab wound she inflicted on his chest also left a tiny scar, just half a centimeter from the original old scar.