Yara looked up, a bit puzzled. "Someone special? No, Mom, why the sudden question?"


    Kitty cleared her throat. "Riverdale''s been tightening up on securitytely. I just worry you might cross paths with someone sketchy."


    "Mom, honestly, you''re overthinking it. Other schools might have issues, but ours is as safe as theye," Yara said with a lightugh.


    Kitty took that in and kept quiet. She''d never nned on letting her daughter know about her cousin, and now she was even more set against it. But if her sister''s daughter tried to cozy up to them, Kitty wouldn''t hesitate to shut that down.


    Hiding her unease, Kitty stepped into the elevator.


    *


    Meanwhile, across town.


    After ss, Mirabe had As drive her over to Adler''s cottage. It was As''s first time in the area, and as they drove through the gatedmunity, he noticed Mirabe had a resident''s card. Surprised, he asked, "Miss Mira, did you buy a ce here?"


    Mirabe, in the middle of messaging someone, paused and then replied, "No, just visiting a friend."


    Ah, that makes sense. As nodded and didn''t pry further.


    They soon pulled up outside the cottage. Adler, with a bit of downtimetely, was waiting for Mirabe today. Spotting the car from the balcony, he hurried downstairs.


    By the time he reached the yard, Mirabe had already let herself in. Adler waved hello and nced at As, who lingered by the car, exuding a strong presence even from a distance.


    "Want to invite your friend in?" Adler asked.


    "It''s alright," Mirabe replied, shaking her head.


    Adler took her word for it, and they both headed inside.


    Once they were in the basement, Adler handed Mirabe a fresh set of protective gear before they entered theb.


    "Here''s the auxiliary reagents you wanted," Adler said, retrieving a box from the fridge filled with several vials.


    Mirabe nodded her thanks and took out the analysis solution Adler had worked hard to get. She opened the nearby extractor, poured half of the solution from the test tube into a container, and put the rest back in the fridge.


    Adler watched curiously, unsure of her ns, but didn''t interrupt. He observed as she methodically added auxiliary agents to the solution.


    When the once-blue solution turned clear after some additions, Adler couldn''t hold back his curiosity. "Are you tweaking the analysis solution?"


    Mirabe kept her eyes on the solution as it reacted, noting the changes. After a moment, she nodded, "Yeah."


    "Is there something wrong with the research institute''s solution?" Adler asked, breaking a thoughtful silence.


    He recalled Mirabe mentioning the solution was risky and against ethics.


    Mirabe added another tiny drop of the auxiliary agent, her expression serious behind her goggles. "Human gics aren''t like nts or animals. Forcing a reversal just messes up the bnce and can cause the whole life chain to copse."


    Adler nced at her, only half grasping theplexity but realizing this was no ordinary medicine.


    No wonder the med school kept it so hush-hush.


    There was definitely something going on.


    Soon, Mirabe retrieved the modified analysis solution from the extractor. She pricked her finger with a needle and let a few drops of blood fall into it.