Chapter 536 Falling Out
Joshua didn't dodge; he took the punch head-on. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he stood tall. "It's my fault."
"Fault?" George grabbed his collar, his voice breaking. "She risked her life to save my mom, and all you can say is 'we're investigating'?"
"Enough!" Young detective Lloyd suddenly rushed forward, pushing George away. "Mr. Thomas hasn't slept for three days trying to save your wife! Do you know how many people he's pissed off investigating this case?"
Other officers quickly gathered around. Forensic expert Lloyd adjusted his glasses. "Mr. Russell, Mr. Thomas may be working for you now, but he was once our top detective, our comrade. I won't let you talk to him like that!"
George's chest heaved with anger, but he finally let go. He turned towards the ocean, his voice barely a whisper, "I'll find her myself, dead or alive."
Watching George stumble away, Joshua wiped the blood from his mouth, his expression unreadable.
"Mr. Thomas, is it worth it?" Lloyd couldn't help but ask on the drive back. "The Russell family is a mess right now, why bother..."
"Just drive," Joshua said, closing his eyes and leaning back in the seat.
At the police station, his former teammates were waiting. The deputy handed him a cup of hot coffee. "Joshua, come back. The narcotics unit still has a spot for you."
"Yeah, boss," a female officer said, her eyes red. "Look at you now, working as an assistant for a blind man..."
"He's not blind," Joshua interrupted sharply. "He just can't see right now." He looked around at his old friends, his voice low but firm. "George is the toughest person I've ever met. He saved my life in a fire, carrying an oxygen tank through toxic smoke. Without him, I wouldn't be here."
The room fell silent. Joshua stood, his figure glowing in the morning light. "Emma might still be alive. As long as there's a sliver of hope, I won't give up."
Meanwhile, in a secluded private clinic on the outskirts of town, a man with gold-rimmed glasses was reviewing medical records. A nurse entered. "Sir, Phoenix has injected Emma with the tumor catalyst."
"Good, keep monitoring her," the man said with a slight smile. "George, you and the Russell family didn't want me to conduct human experiments? Well, since you're so selfless, I'll use your beloved Emma as my test subject!"
In a cold cell, Emma's consciousness wavered in and out of the excruciating pain. The metal rack dug into her back, and the restraints on her wrists had worn her skin raw, blood oozing in the harsh light.
She struggled to open her eyes, seeing the mottled ceiling and the equally battered Scarlett.
A sudden, tearing pain exploded in her abdomen, causing her to arch involuntarily, the chains clanging loudly. Sweat rolled down her forehead, soaking her disheveled hair.
"Don't move!" Scarlett snapped, her hands trembling as she wrapped the only tattered blanket tightly around Emma. "Do you want to tear your wounds open again?"
The blanket smelled of mold and blood, but it miraculously retained a bit of warmth. Emma's mind drifted back to a rainy night three years ago, curled up in George's mansion, writhing in pain with no one to check on her.
"Thank you," she whispered, only to be hit by another wave of pain, more intense than before, as if thousands of red-hot needles were churning inside her.
The pain came in relentless waves. Emma bit down hard on her lip, the taste of iron spreading in her mouth. Her vision blurred, and she was back three years ago.
She had just married into the Russell family when one night, she was struck by severe abdominal pain.
She went to the hospital alone and was diagnosed with an abdominal tumor.
"Malignant tumor, pressing on the portal vein," the doctor said, holding up the CT scan. "You need surgery immediately."
But when she called George with trembling hands, she heard Anna's sweet voice. "George is in a meeting, Emma. Are you pretending to be sick again?"
The pain from her memories overlapped with the present. Emma's nails dug into her palms. No, this pain was too familiar, just like when the tumor grew uncontrollably three years ago.
"It's back," she managed to say, her clothes soaked with cold sweat.
Scarlett's head snapped up, panic flashing in her eyes. "Don't talk nonsense! You're perfectly healthy! You'll be fine!"
In the surveillance room outside the lab, Anna watched Emma's agony on the screen. Her crimson-nailed fingers tapped the keyboard, sending a recording to George's email.
"George, your precious Emma seems to be having a relapse. Do you think she'll bite her lips bloody like last time?"
Former Russell Group chief researcher Brock stood behind her, his glasses reflecting cold light. "The catalyst is working faster than expected. Her body is indeed unique."
"Of course," Anna said smugly. "If it weren't for her special body, why would George have given up acquiring your lab to save her three years ago?"
Brock's eyes darkened. Three years ago, George's sudden withdrawal of funds had exposed his human experimentation base, forcing him to flee overseas. Now, he was back, using George's beloved woman as his test subject.
"Increase the dosage," he ordered coldly. "I want George to watch his wife die because of his so-called 'kindness.'"
On the rack, Emma's convulsions grew more violent. Her teeth chattered uncontrollably, and sweat poured from her like a flood. The tattered blanket was soaked, and Scarlett frantically wiped her face with her sleeve.
"Hang in there!" Scarlett's voice trembled, but she tried to sound stern. "The Russell family's daughter-in-law can't be this weak!"
Emma wanted to laugh, but coughed up blood instead.
How ironic. Three years ago, when she was in agony, this mother-in-law was busy matchmaking George and Anna. Now, trapped in this hell, it was Scarlett, who once despised her, staying by her side.
"Leave," she said haltingly. "They're after me."
"Shut up!" Scarlett's eyes suddenly filled with tears. "Do you think I want to care about you? If you hadn't pushed me out of the way of that bullet..." She stopped abruptly, roughly wiping her eyes.
Emma's foggy mind caught onto this detail.
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