"Ma’am, the people in the isolation room and the basement are gone!"
Leigh Atwood heard her subordinate’s report, but her expression didn’t change. "Gone is gone. If it was her, it’s not surprising they’re gone."
’It was Flora Bloom. She’s been here.’
’How did she get them out so quickly? Did she even take the snake-tailed woman from the basement?’
"Tell Regan Thorne to bring Luna here."
From her hiding spot, Flora Bloom heard the name "Luna" and immediately thought of Luna Thorne. If she wasn’t mistaken, this Luna Thorne was a member of the Thorne family. And as Luna Thorne’s aunt, Leigh Atwood was practically one of them too.
’But for Leigh Atwood, someone with no superpowers and only an in-law to the Thorne family, to be able to command these superpower users after the Family Head’s death... it means she has a lot of power.’
None of the five in Flora Bloom’s group were in a hurry to leave. Flora, in particular, had become intensely curious about the Thorne family.
Then she saw Luna Thorne appear, and she froze for a moment.
Luna Thorne was wearing only a thin tank top and boy shorts. For a girl, that kind of casual wear might be acceptable at home, but out here in front of everyone, the outfit was far too revealing.
Not only that, but Flora’s sharp eyes noticed the needle marks on Luna Thorne’s arms. The bruises around the puncture wounds were just as bad as the ones on Mervin Warren.
Luna Thorne’s expression was vacant. When she entered the research lab and felt the cold air, she couldn’t help but shiver.
"Auntie... what are you doing?"
Seeing Luna Thorne, Mervin Warren grew even more agitated. Just as Flora sensed he was about to charge forward recklessly, a cruel look appeared on Leigh Atwood’s face.
"You tried to free Mervin Warren and Micah time and time again, and you’re asking me what *I’m* doing? I’m your aunt, yet you help an outsider instead of me! What is it that *you* want?"
Luna Thorne’s face was pale and bloodless. She looked so frail and weak, it seemed she could collapse at any moment.
"Auntie, please let them go. You’ve captured so many superpower users for your experiments. Isn’t that enough? Mervin Warren is my classmate and your student. Please, let them go."
"Don’t you realize that if they escape, our entire plan is ruined? Heh. But it doesn’t matter. You saved him so many times. Let’s see if this Mervin Warren appreciates it enough to come back and save you."
With that, Leigh Atwood gestured to a researcher beside her.
"Take her to the experiment table. We’ll use her as a substitute for the final experiment. Let’s see... an experiment that a Level 3 superpower user could only endure for two days... how long can a normal person last?"
Hearing this, the color drained from Luna Thorne’s face.
"Auntie! No, don’t! How can you do this to me? You promised my mother you would take care of me! You can’t do this to me!"
Leigh Atwood’s expression was cold. She seemed to be deliberately, yet casually, scanning every corner of the lab.
"So what if I promised her? You should be grateful to be making a contribution to the great cause of human evolution, not standing there accusing me. The only one to blame is that Mervin Warren for escaping. Otherwise, with his powerful functions as a test subject, this experiment would have been a guaranteed success."
The conversation between Leigh Atwood and Luna Thorne continued. The perceptive Flora Bloom and Lex Cross had already seen through Leigh’s intentions, but Mervin Warren hadn’t.
Suddenly, he broke free from the range of Lex Cross’s black energy, using an ability that was almost like a flash step to appear in front of Luna Thorne.
"Leigh Atwood, you venomous witch! You’re a disgrace as a teacher! You won’t even spare your own family! I’m the one you’re after. Let Luna Thorne go!"
A corner of Leigh Atwood’s mouth twitched into a smirk. "Back in school, I just thought you were a smiling fool who went with the flow. I never expected you to be so loyal. Or could it be that you actually have feelings for our dear Luna Thorne..."
"Mervin Warren, why did you come back? No matter what, I’m still a Thorne. I won’t die. You don’t have to worry about me."
Mervin Warren’s face was filled with anguish. "You saved me so many times. I can’t let you take the fall for me."
Leigh Atwood sat down on a wooden chair, studying the miserable state of Mervin Warren and Luna Thorne. "Since you didn’t leave, Micah must still be here too."
Mervin Warren suddenly started laughing. "You’re wrong. Professor Lawson has already left. Do you know who rescued him?"
Seeing Leigh Atwood’s brow furrow, Mervin Warren felt a surge of delight. "Have you figured it out? She saved my life once, and she saved you, too. If she knew back then that she was saving a venomous witch like you, I wonder if she’d regret it."
When Mervin Warren had suddenly stepped forward to shield Luna Thorne, he hadn’t expected Flora Bloom to save him. But just as he finished speaking, footsteps sounded from behind him.
CLACK, CLACK, CLACK! The lights returned to full brightness. Flora Bloom walked past Mervin Warren as if no one else was there, stopping right in front of the dumbfounded Leigh Atwood.
"Even if I had known, I still would have saved you. After all, in my memory, you were still our selfless, caring teacher back then."
Flora Bloom looked at Mervin Warren. "Mervin Warren, there are no do-overs for the path you’ve walked or the things you’ve done. So no matter what happens or what you do, the most important thing is to have a clear conscience. Wouldn’t you agree?"
Mervin Warren didn’t know why Flora Bloom was suddenly saying this to him, but he listened as she continued, "So, I don’t regret saving you back then. Do you know why, Teacher Atwood?"
’Leigh Atwood’s heart had skipped a beat when she saw Flora Bloom appear out of nowhere. Flora can move through the lab without making a single sound. This is not a good sign.’
"Why?" she asked, guiltily avoiding Flora’s gaze.
"Because right now, killing you would be as easy as flipping my hand. You didn’t die back then because it wasn’t your time. Now, you’re asking for death, and I can grant your wish."
Leigh Atwood swallowed hard and suddenly screamed, "Save me!" Several superpower users reacted instantly, moving to block her. Meanwhile, Leigh herself quickly backed away, opened the lab door, and fled.
Before the door closed, Flora clearly saw Leigh Atwood turn and give her a strange smile.
And as the door shut with a sudden CLICK, the entire research lab felt like it had been turned into a sealed room.
Flora could clearly feel that the lab was now sealed. Leigh Atwood must have hit a switch or trigger outside. In just a few moments, the air was already growing thin, and the temperature was dropping even further.
The temperature gauge on the wall instantly hit negative five degrees Celsius and was still falling.
Flora Bloom, Mervin Warren, and their group were fine. But the researchers and the seven superpower users still inside were starting to panic.
The woman they worked for had just sealed the lab doors. Not only that, but she had also activated the rapid-cooling system. Now, an alarm was blaring inside the lab—an alarm they recognized as the self-destruct sequence, a last resort for emergencies.
The researchers and superpower users who knew about this device lost their composure. Forgetting all about holding Luna Thorne and Mervin Warren hostage, they scrambled to find a way to open the door based on their own knowledge of the facility.