Chapter 984

"After all..."

The terrified researcher stole a glance at Corvus, whose eyes remained entirely devoid of warmth. "When the shipwreck happened, the girl was only three years old."

A three-year-old child could barely walk steadily. How could she possibly have survived the raging, merciless ocean?

Furthermore, she wasn't the only casualty. Six other children had been lost to the sea as well.

Their father had sustained severe head trauma and had been comatose ever since.

Their mother was alive, but...

"The Symbiotic Host possesses the most flawless, resilient genetic sequence on the planet."

Corvus interrupted lazily, unconcerned. "She wouldn't die so easily."

"It's been sixteen years; she should be nineteen now. Keep looking."

"Yes, sir."

The researcher nodded profusely, letting out a shaky breath as Corvus bypassed

him and entered the highly restricted inner sanctum.

The inner ward contained several specialized containment rooms.

The air here was heavy with the metallic tang of blood and the sharp bite of industrial antiseptics.

In a dimly lit room to the left, a shirtless man lay motionless on a clinical bed, his head wired with an array of complex monitors.

His blood was currently being cycled and completely transfused through a dialysis- like machine, leaving his skin with a sickly, translucent pallor.

If it weren't for the faint, steady beep of the heart monitor, he could easily be mistaken for a corpse.

"Corvus!"

Seeing the leader arrive, a masked researcher quickly stepped forward to report.

"How is his condition?"

Corvus asked, clasping his hands behind his back. The deep scar near the corner of his eye twitched slightly, giving his narrow eyes an aura of pure venom.

"The transfusion was just completed. His body needs time to stabilize," the scientist answered respectfully. "His extracted blood has been dispatched to the secondary labs. We are awaiting the analytical breakdown."

The man on the bed was Silas Blackwood.

Silas had once been a heavily funded, world-renowned bioinformatics professor from Albia Country, specializing in advanced genetic sequencing.

His brilliance had unlocked numerous milestones in the field of human genetic engineering.

He was on the verge of announcing a revolutionary breakthrough that could alter the course of human evolution.

But before the discovery could be published, Silas vanished from Albia Country without a trace.

Also missing was his wife and fellow geneticist, Dr. Theia Sommers.

What exactly happened twenty years ago?

No one outside this facility knew the truth.

The prevailing rumor was that their research had threatened a powerful conglomerate, resulting in their assassination.

Or worse, a targeted massacre of their entire family.

Others speculated they had perished in a catastrophic laboratory explosion.

As the years passed, the scientific community slowly forgot about them.

The younger generation of geneticists didn't even know their names.

"Be careful with him. Don't let him die." Corvus warned, pulling a handkerchief to cover his nose, his lips curling into a mocking sneer. "If he dies Dr Sommers will stuffer a total psychological collapse, and our entire research timeline will be ruined."

"More importantly, his blood profile is incredibly unique."

"Until we capture the Symbiotic Host, he and Theia are our only hope."

"Understood."

The researcher cast a brief, pitying glance at the emaciated, fragile form of Silas Blackwood.

It was a tragedy.

But Silas only had himself to blame for refusing to cooperate with Corvus's vision.

Finishing his inspection, Corvus moved down the hall to another room.

This one was starkly different. The interior was pristine white,

impeccably clean, and held the fat

pleasant scent of fresh flowers.

Were it not for the heavy, reinforced steel door, it might have resembled a high-end luxury suite.

*Clack.*

The viewing slot on the heavy steel door slid open, casting a narrow beam of light into the room.

A woman sat huddled on the cold bed, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Slowly, she lifted her head.

She appeared to be in her early forties, breathtakingly beautiful, with long black hair cascading over her shoulders.

Having been deprived of sunlight for

years,

skin was the color of

snow her an ethereal fresh

elegance