Julian swayed violently as if struck by lightning, a bone-deep chill creeping up his spine.


    "A scam?! How... that''s impossible!" He had treated this organization like a religion, making it his sole reason for staying alive. Now Hans was telling him it was all a lie. How could he just ept that? His entire worldview was shattering.


    "The so-called medicine they''re developing here is actually a new strain of synthetic drugs," Hans exined. He was usually a man of few words, but he needed toy everything out to win the tech over. "If they were really working on a cure that would benefit humanity, why would they hide in an underground facility? Why use living people as test subjects and then incinerate them when they''re on the verge of death? Doesn''t all this sick, inhumane secrecy strike you as strange?"


    Julian clenched his jaw, sinking into deep thought. He wasn''t a heartless monster. Over the past two years, he had witnessed theb''s operations firsthand. The increasingly oppressive atmosphere, the brutal methods, and Alexia''s utter contempt for human life... it had all made him question his initial decision.


    He had wanted to leave more than once. But the desperate hope of curing his father had anchored him here.


    "If Alzheimer''s were that easy to cure, and the project so profitable, do you really think the government wouldn''t be all over it? You think some shady undergroundb would be the one to crack it?" Hans took a deep breath and pulled a small stic bottle from his pocket. Inside rattled a few blue pills. "This is the drug you''ve been after, right?"


    Julian stared at the experimental pills he had dreamed of securing and nodded frantically.


    Hans handed the bottle over. "Take it. If you don''t believe me, take this back with you. Spend a little cash and have someone analyze the chemical makeup. If I''m lying to you, you can report me to Alexia. But if I''m telling the truth, I want you to help me. I want to destroy this ce."


    Julian''s hands shook as he gripped the bottle tightly. "Hans... aren''t you afraid I''ll just go turn you in right now?"


    "I am," Hans admitted, a rare, brilliant smile breaking across his striking features, making him look impossibly handsome. "But the fear isn''t enough to stop my determination to step into the light."


    Julian''s heart leaped in his chest. Truth be told, he was sick of living in this pitch- ck hellhole, breathing in the stench of death every single day. But he had been too terrified of the powerful organization and too desperate for his father''s cure to do anything but endure. Knowing that someone as high-ranking as Hans was nning a rebellion gave him an overwhelming sense of reassurance.


    What Julian didn''t know was that Hans had handpicked him from the very beginning. He had been quietly observing him, waiting for the perfect moment toy his cards on the table. Hans had originally nned to wait a bit longer, but he couldn''t afford to stall anymore. Elsie was out of time. Even if he died here, he had to get her out safely.


    "I don''t need to test it, Hans. I believe you," Julian said, a newfound fire in his eyes. "Tell me what you need me to do."


    "Ignore Alexia''s orders. Do not inject the girl in the end room. Alexia isn''t running a trial on her; she''s trying to execute her. If you give her that shot, she''ll die." Hans balled his hands into fists, his gaze burning with intensity "Help me get her out of here. That''s step one. After your shift, don''te back to the base. I''ll contact reliable people to hide you. You''ll bepletely safe there."


    "But they''re so powerful... how can I possibly hide?"


    "You can," Hans said, his lips curling into a confident smirk. "If you don''t trust me,


    don''t you at least trust the Ashbourne family of Skyrim?"


    "The Ashbournes?!" Julian gaped in sheer disbelief.


    Hans patted his shoulder. "Rx. Leave the fallout to me. I swear I''ll keep you safe."


    ...


    Drip... drip...


    Chasel couldn''t tell if he was awake


    or dreaming. He could faintly hear


    or dreadripping of water the


    the rhythmic


    cold relentless sound grated against his sensitive nerves like a dull de.


    His heavy eyelids fluttered as he struggled through the fog in his mind. Summoning


    every ounce of his willpower, he finally managed to pry his eyes open.


    He was greeted by a pitch-ck void. It was so dark it left him disoriented, and a biting chill seeped into his bones.


    He shifted his body slightly, only to be met with the heavy, metallic nking of chains. Panic red as he realized his torso was bound in iron links, and his feet were dangling in the air, nowhere near the ground.


    "Dammit...!" He gritted his teeth, thrashing wildly against his restraints.


    "You''re awake?"


    A sinister, all-too-familiar voice drifted down from somewhere above him. Chasel


    froze. Cold sweat broke out across his skin, drenching his back.