The newcomer surveyed the room with a chilling stare. Alfy crouched in the cabinet, while Katelyn stayed hidden behind the curtains, both holding their breath. The man had entered so quickly that there was no time for the two women to escape. ? F?nd-Novel.net

They had just managed to close the painting on the wall. Katelyn quickly slipped behind the thick, floor-length curtains to hide.

Luckily, it was nighttime, so drawing the curtains wouldn’t raise any suspicions. If it had been daytime…

After a brief look around that showed nothing out of the ordinary, the man settled into the office chair. Before long, another person entered the room.

“Mr. Lawrence, here are the latest analysis reports. The results aren’t as good as we hoped. Maybe we should increase the dosage or add more subjects for testing.”

Katelyn slightly furrowed her brow.

Mr. Lawrence?

Which Mr. Lawrence?

In the next moment, the man’s voice gave her the answer.

Bartley impatiently flipped through the papers before slamming them down on the desk.

“Is this all you’ve got? I gave you hundreds of test subjects for research, and this is the best you can come up with—just a heap of vague data?”

It was indeed Bartley!

Katelyn felt her heart racing.

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Since this hotel belonged to Bartley, it made sense that this secret hidden office was his too.

But from what she overheard, it sounded like Bartley was involved in some shady experiments.

“Mr. Lawrence, rejuvenation is incredibly challenging. We still can’t extract stable cellular tissue for live experiments. If you can give us more test subjects, I promise we’ll get solid results this time.”

Bartley snapped back, furiously replying, “What good are you to me? Go out and see if there are any missing children or homeless people.”

The tourism pamphlets for Yata had described it as a stunning city.

The city was economically developed and thriving, with everyone equal and free, and there had never been any homeless people on the streets.

So, were those homeless individuals actually being used for experiments?

Rejuvenation—going against the laws of nature?

Bartley snapped, “You have one week. If you still can’t give me reliable, solid data, you’re all out.”

“Yes, of course,” his subordinate quickly replied.

“But despite the slow progress on the rejuvenation project, some of the earlier rage-inducing serums have shown results. We’ve tested them on rats, and now we’re just waiting for live subjects. The data seems promising, and we’re close to starting mass production.”

Katelyn’s mind raced with questions.

What exactly was a rage-inducing serum?

And why was Bartley experimenting on rats now? For some reason, Katelyn couldn’t stop thinking about the mutated, giant-eyed rats near Dale’s home. Back then, she’d wondered if those horrible creatures were man-made. Could Bartley be behind it as well?

On the surface, he ran a legitimate business, but behind the scenes, he had countless hidden agendas. What was he really after?

Bartley’s cold voice echoed as he said, “This is your final chance. Mess up again, and I’ll feed you to the rats!”

“Thank you for your trust, Mr. Lawrence. I won’t disappoint you.”

Growing impatient, Bartley snapped, “Now get out.” He relaxed into a more casual position, leaning back in the chair with his feet propped up on the table. His typically calm expression was now warped with malice.

The office was so silent that one could hear a pin drop. Katelyn pressed against the wall, barely able to stay on her feet, nearly collapsing.

All they could do now was wait for Bartley to leave the office on his own so they could escape.

Suddenly, a gentle clicking sound came from the direction of the cabinet.

Though the sound was faint, Katelyn heard it loud and clear.

Oh no, that was where Alfy was hiding!

Bartley heard it too. He quickly opened a drawer, grabbed a gun, and began heading toward the cabinet.

Katelyn’s eyes widened.

She quickly checked her pocket but only found a pen and some paper.

It was a habit she had formed over the years, always carrying sticky notes to capture her ideas on the spot.

In her haste, she hadn’t grabbed a gun!

As Bartley moved closer to Alfy, Katelyn gritted her teeth and tapped on the window.

The sudden noise immediately caught Bartley’s attention. He left the cabinet behind and, gun in hand, walked toward the curtains.

His finger hovered over the trigger, and then he suddenly stepped forward and yanked the curtains open!

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