Flora Bloom pulled Cynthia Grant closer, about to check on her, but Lex Cross, who was beside them, stopped her.
"Don’t touch."
Lex Cross seized Flora Bloom’s hand. Then, in an ice-cold voice, he spoke to Regan Thorne, who had caught up to them. "You can have her."
"Lex Cross! What are you saying!?" Flora Bloom stared at him in disbelief.
"However, we must take Gavin Todd with us!"
"Lex Cross! Let me go! You can’t give Cynthia to them! You bastard! You..." Before Flora Bloom could even react, Lex Cross swept her into his arms. Black energy enveloped and bound her, making it impossible to struggle.
"Lex Cross, Cynthia will die! Let me go! She’s my friend, I can’t let them take her!"
In sharp contrast to Flora Bloom’s agitation, Lex Cross acted like a detached outsider. He glanced at Five, who tightened his hold on Cynthia Grant before handing her over to Regan Thorne.
"Boss... I." Although Five handed her over to Regan Thorne, the reluctance in his eyes was so plain that even Flora Bloom could see it.
Lex Cross looked at Regan Thorne. "I’m taking Gavin Todd. Furthermore, your research on Cynthia Grant must be conducted under the constant surveillance of my people."
"What? That’s unacceptable!" Regan Thorne remained silent, but one of the people with superpowers beside him protested. He and Regan Thorne exchanged a look, and both could see the annoyance in the other’s eyes.
"Our research lab contains top secrets regarding post-apocalyptic research on superpowers and biology. How can we just let anyone observe!"
"Since this is being developed for the good of all ordinary people, it’s only natural that everyone should know whether the process is safe and if the outcome poses any risks. I’ve seen my fair share of bait-and-switches. Wouldn’t you agree, Steward Thorne?" Saul Sterling picked up where Lex Cross left off, addressing Regan Thorne with a wide grin as he negotiated.
"Our boss allowing you to keep Cynthia Grant is already a huge concession to the Thorne family. You’re not the only research organization out there. I’ll leave it at that."
Meanwhile, Flora Bloom was glaring at Lex Cross. If looks could kill, she would have already torn him limb from limb.
Five didn’t leave with Lex Cross. Instead, he followed Regan Thorne into the car where Cynthia Grant was being held. Before climbing in, his eyes were locked on the old man, Robin Grant, whose face was a mask of pure devastation as he watched his granddaughter be taken away.
The Crown Prince and Civet Cat had already vanished into the chaotic crowd. They were tailing Regan Thorne’s car. With one in the open and one in the shadows, they could back each other up and immediately send word if anything went wrong.
Back at the small, rundown courtyard house, Lex Cross ignored everyone, carrying Flora Bloom straight up to a room on the second floor.
None of the rooms in the small courtyard house were large. The one Lex Cross was in was the easternmost, and it had a large bay window that reached the floor.
He gently placed Flora Bloom on the bed, but he didn’t immediately release the black energy binding her.
Lex Cross looked down at her and said calmly, "I’ll release you if you promise not to lose your temper."
Flora Bloom just glared at him. Lying on the bed, she could feel the soft, old cotton batting beneath her.
Lying there, seething in the same position for so long, she suddenly felt drowsy and drifted off to sleep.
When she woke up again, Lex Cross was sitting beside her, holding a bowl of simple egg noodle soup. The bindings had been released sometime after she’d fallen asleep.
"Go away. I’m not eating."
Flora Bloom got up to leave. Lex Cross didn’t stop her. He just sat on the edge of the bed, sighed at the fragrant aroma of the noodles, and said, "I guess you don’t plan on saving Cynthia Grant after all."
Flora Bloom froze. "Of course I’m going to save her! It’s none of your business! If it weren’t for you, Cynthia would have never been taken!"
"If it weren’t for me, Cynthia Grant would be dead."
Flora Bloom was stunned by his words. "What do you mean?"
"Before I even went to Morhaven, I knew there were people in Argent researching a serum. It has a chance of awakening powers in a normal person, and it can also rapidly increase a superpower user’s Superpower Level."
"You’re saying the Thorne family is behind that serum research?"
Lex Cross nodded.
"If they’ve already developed the serum, why do they need to abduct people for research?"
"The serum’s effects are as dramatic as its side effects. If a normal person uses it and fails to awaken a superpower, they age rapidly and die.
"Likewise, when a person with superpowers uses it to accelerate their advancement, the side effect is the complete exhaustion of their potential.
"Given Cynthia’s condition, she was likely injected with the serum without her knowledge. And if I’m not mistaken, the only person who could have done it is her father, Hector Grant."
Flora Bloom’s fists tightened. "I’ll kill him!"
Lex Cross stood up, grabbing the back of her shirt with one hand while holding the bowl of noodles out to her with the other.
"Eat up before you go."
Flora Bloom stared at the noodles as her stomach grumbled loudly. "You’re not going to stop me?"
Lex Cross gave a wry smile, lowering his head closer to hers. "Why would I stop you?"
"Then why did you stop me today?"
"The antidote."
Flora Bloom’s eyes widened in understanding. "An antidote? If there’s an antidote, then the side effects aren’t a problem at all!"
"There’s only one dose. If we don’t get them to lower their guard, finding it won’t be easy. Besides, if Cynthia hadn’t been taken to that lab, Saul Sterling and the others would never have discovered the Thorne family’s secret."
"The Thorne family’s secret? What?"
"They collected some of the scorpion carcasses from the recent zombie swarm attack and are researching a new type of zombie. They’ve already tested it on corpses, and it was successful.
"Next, they’ll probably try injecting this new zombie virus into an extremely powerful test subject—someone with superpowers."
Flora Bloom grabbed Lex Cross’s arm anxiously. "They’re not going to use it on Cynthia, are they?"
Lex Cross shook his head, seeing her panicked expression. "Just eat your noodles. I’ll explain everything."
Flora Bloom looked down at the bowl in her hands, grabbed the chopsticks, and began to wolf down the noodles. "Then talk, quickly," she mumbled, her mouth full. "As soon as I’m done, we’re going to save Cynthia."
As Lex Cross watched her start to eat, his expression softened unconsciously.
"Saul Sterling found Annelise Locke in the basement of their lab. I don’t know how she ended up in Argent, but I imagine a lot must have happened in Morhaven while we were gone."
"..."
"Eat slowly. Don’t choke."
Hearing that name, Flora Bloom quickly swallowed the noodles in her mouth. "What did you say? Annelise Locke? The Annelise Locke with the Beast Ability? The one with the snake tail?"
Lex Cross nodded.
"I knew the Thorne family was bad news! And now they’re colluding with the lab!"
"The lab?"
Seeing the confused look on Lex Cross’s face, Flora Bloom didn’t know how to explain the lab’s existence. Telling him would inevitably bring up the fact that she had been reborn.
’Should I tell Lex Cross about my rebirth or not?’
Lex Cross was incredibly perceptive. When he saw that she had stopped eating and was just staring into space, he knew she was hiding something from him.
Seeing her conflicted expression, he rested a hand on her head. "It’s all right. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. But I hope that whenever you do decide to tell me, you won’t lie."