The impact sent everyone sprawling across the floor. Instinctively, they shielded their faces, unable to withstand the unbearable heat.

Yet some, driven by curiosity, dared to steal quick glances. Through flickering flames, they saw the doctor consumed by fire, his body vanishing beneath the inferno.

“Ah!” A piercing, anguished scream shattered the air.

A collective shudder ran through the room. They understood instantly—there was no saving him.

The once-gloating masked man turned grim, his expression darkening in an instant. “Damn it! Drag him out and dispose of him!” he barked. Though the flames had yet to claim the doctor’s life entirely, his chances of survival dwindled with each passing second. If someone acted quickly, he might still be saved.

But in this facility, compassion was a rare commodity. No one moved. No one dared. Challenging the masked man’s authority meant inviting the same fate. Preserving their own lives was all that mattered.

Standing motionless, the masked man’s face grew even colder. Mere moments ago, he had believed success was within reach—that he could achieve his vision without depending on Hades.

Now, that hope lay in ruins. The sharp sting of near-victory slipping away filled him with unchecked fury. His rage was so consuming that, in that moment, he wanted to destroy everything in sight.

Fixing the doctors with a frigid stare, he warned, “If any of you repeat this mistake, you’ll wish for death but find none.”

A chill swept through the air. The unspoken threat sent tremors down their spines.

g?ν.0; ? ?

Without another word, he pivoted and stormed out, while the unfortunate doctor—the very one who had moments ago celebrated his success—was dragged away. His agonized cries echoed through the halls, each one more harrowing than the last.

Yet no one spoke. Lowering their heads, they buried themselves in their tasks, too afraid to intervene. They knew better. One misstep, and they could be next.

Katelyn hadn’t come to see Sophia for days after that night. As a result, Sophia’s detoxification treatment had come to an abrupt halt.

Standing by the window, Sophia fixed her gaze on Katelyn’s residence, resentment flashing in her eyes. “Katelyn, in the end, you’ll see—you’re nothing more than a disposable piece.” Her lips curled into a faint smirk, one devoid of warmth.

Just then, her phone vibrated. It was a text message. Picking it up, she glanced at the screen. The text was encrypted.

T Organization’s warning was brief. “Monitor the progress closely. You have two weeks. Fail, and you know what follows.”

Sophia’s fingers tightened around the device. She knew exactly what that meant. It wasn’t the first time they had issued such a threat. Compared to Katelyn’s poison, the organization’s punishments were far more ruthless—enough to break a person beyond repair.

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