Clark’s voice deflated like a punctured football. "I know, I know I’m injured, and I’m just going to slow you guys down. But at least I can take a bullet for Rose, right? I’m willing to be a human shield, however much I can block. And if it’s about Carol, I don’t want to miss any chance to uncover the truth. I want to be involved—that is all I’m asking for."
He didn’t want to feel useless, just sitting at ho waiting for news, with everything being taken care of by his sister and brother-in-law. He wanted to pull his weight.
Especially because that involved Carol.
"Clark, we don’t think you’re a burden," Roo said, his eyes brimming with sincerity, his voice warm and respectful. "You’re injured. We just want you to get so rest, that’s all. You haven’t been sleeping well—we can see that. It worries us."
Seeing Clark’s mood slightly improve, Roo continued, "Rose and I know this area well. It’s easy for us to move around. The only reason we kept you in the dark was that we didn’t want you to worry—we were afraid you’d lose another night’s sleep."
He again explained, "Rose knows you. She knows that as a big brother, you would risk everything for your sister in a dangerous situation. So, she doesn’t want you to be a shield. She just wants you to be okay, to find Carol, and live a happy life. Clark, you shouldn’t feel like you haven’t contributed. Getting to this point wasn’t the result of any one person’s efforts. It was a team effort."
"There’s one more thing," Roo said, suddenly changing the subject. "Tonight, Rose and I found the place. It’s an unnad mountain, guarded by many people. Using the key Carol left behind, we managed to sneak in. In the innermost lab, Rose cracked the code. When she tried to download the data package, three problems ca up."
Clark’s heart clenched, his attention redirected instantly as he worriedly asked, "What problems?"
"They’re about you."
Roo briefly recounted that night’s events. Besides surprise, Clark’s heart also filled with a sense of thrill.
All three questions were related to him!
Who else but Carol would set such questions?
"At the most critical mont, she set these questions. It shows that in Carol’s heart, you’re a very important person," Roo added. "Clark, you’ve been protecting what’s most precious to Carol in your own way."
Clark’s heart stirred again as he curiously asked, "Did she leave behind any ssage?"
"No," Roo took out his phone. "But we cracked two data packages. I’ll send them to you right now. They probably contain the truth that you want to know."
Why did Carol suddenly break up with him? Why did she disappear without a trace? What was her relationship with the organization they encountered that night?
Probably they were all answered in the data packages.
Clark took out his phone, anxiously waiting for the data to be sent. The cause of their breakup that had troubled him for so long, the truth behind her disappearance that he, Rose, and Roo had been investigating, was about to be revealed.
His emotions were a mix of excitent, unease, trepidation, and anxiety.
"One is 6GB, and the other 7GB," Roo said, referring to the size of the data packages. That indicated there was a lot of information—too much to go through in one sitting.
Just then, Roo’s phone vibrated. He glanced at it and looked up. "Clark, I have so business to attend to. You start reading. Take a break if you get tired. Rose’s gone to run an errand. If you need anything, just reach out to ."
"Okay, be careful on your way back," Clark was about to go upstairs when he suddenly rembered sothing. "Tonight, neither of you were hurt, right?"
"No."
"That’s good." Clark sighed in relief. "From now on, no matter what happens, don’t keep anything from ."
"Alright."
On the other side...
David’s eyelids were on the verge of surrendering to the force of sleep and had nearly closed multiple tis.
The screen of his phone was dimming. In a rush, he lit it up again, only to find that his sister hadn’t replied to his WhatsApp ssage, nor had she returned his call. Suppressing a yawn, he squinted at the screen, waiting.
In case his sister saw his ssage, he had to reply instantly. He couldn’t let her feel neglected.
He mustn’t sleep.
He pinched his thigh hard.
The pain brought tears to his eyes.
Why did it feel like Clark, after just one trip ho, had a higher status and received more affection than him?
Was it because he recently spent less ti with his sister due to his efforts to earn more money for her, allowing Clark to step in?
No way—he had to call his sister more tomorrow to show his concern.
Rosemary sat in the car, glancing at the drenched figure beside her. His driving reminded her of a jet taking off, the gas pedal pushed to the limit, showing his urgency.
"Is she suffering a lot?" Rosemary worriedly asked.
The re ntion of it almost broke Dennis down. He choked back his tears and said, "She’s in a lot of pain. I want you to help alleviate it."
In her final monts, Dennis wanted to ease her journey. "Is there any way she can feel a bit better in her last monts?"
Rosemary was confused as she curiously asked, "What kind of illness does she have?"
"It’s not an illness. She’s been poisoned with a slow-acting toxin. There is no cure for it. As her life shortens, the potency of the poison increases. Every second is torture for her now."
Every ti Dennis thought about her pain, he wished he could bear it all for her—to relieve her of that pain.
She was in so much pain that she was constantly crying.
She used to be so strong, not even flinching when she was injured or bleeding.
But now, her tears flowed spontaneously, subconsciously—the pain seeping into her bones.
Seeing his emotional turmoil, Rosemary couldn’t help but ask, "Why don’t you let her go quicker?"
Although it was an extrely difficult question to ask, it seed better to let her go than to endure such unbearable pain.
"She has a last wish, which I must fulfill." Dennis’s voice broke as he spoke of her last wish. "Until I return, please take good care of her and help ease the pain of the poison."
"I’ll try my best."
Dennis drove the car to an extrely secluded spot and stopped. "Let’s hurry."
He was truly racing against the clock, wanting to fulfill the last wish of the person inside.
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