Chapter 22 Strange Mixed Solution

"..."

"Ugh—"

Standing by the window, the 'Mother' watched the two disappear into the garden, subconsciously touching the bullet scars on her face.

There was only a small wound at the entry point on her forehead, but as the bullet had passed directly through the inside of her skull, colliding with her hard head bone and tearing through her soft brain tissue, it eventually formed three terrifying, bowl-shaped exit wounds in the back of her skull as the bullet tumbled out.

At first glance, it even gave the impression that the skull was about to break apart entirely!

As she touched such injuries, the woman's originally fierce gaze suddenly became vacant.

What has happened to me?

She looked down at her hands.

Her arms and palms had inevitably been covered with wounds due to her violent actions during this period.

The growth of her tremendous strength, the uncontrolled manner of its use,

were all leading her gradually toward self-destruction.

"What is...?"

"Uh—ah—!"

The moment she began to question herself, the muscles beneath her skin instantly began to swell!

A pain so intense it drowned out her sense of self, pleasure, and another explosive growth of strength swept through her body faster than lightning.

In an instant, the woman lost the brief chance to regain her senses.

When she opened her eyes again, blood-red had filled all the whites of her eyes around her pupils.

Covered in blood, with red pupils and black hair.

The figure at the window, exuding a dangerous aura, had completely lost any trace of humanity.

"Heh heh heh—"

The sound coming from her mouth was hard to distinguish as either laughter or gasping.

With each lumbering step, 'it' disappeared into the darkness beyond the window.

————

Meanwhile, at the very edge of the garden, nearly touching the dark mist.

Ronald was leaning awkwardly against a bush.

After exerting all his strength to push the two away, his already injured waist was hit even harder.

Forget continuing to act; standing up now seemed like a luxury.

But unlike Ronald, who could hardly move because of the excruciating pain in his waist, Nade seemed to be doing just fine.

The middle-aged man was half-squatting in front of Ronald, still pressing on the latter's waist to check for injuries.

"Ronald, how do you feel?"

"It hurts."

Nade shifted to a different spot,

"What about here?"

"That hurts, too."

Nade changed positions again,

"And what about this spot?"

"Still hurts."

"..."

In the darkness, their eyes met, and Nade nodded reassuringly,

"The situation isn't too bad."

Ronald gasped and retorted,

"Not too bad, you say?"

"I'm now completely incapable of moving."

"It's just soft tissue damage. At least the spine and internal organs are fine; it's not a life-threatening injury." As he informed Ronald of his injuries, Nade also flipped up the clothing around Ronald's waist and then took out a silver object from his chest pocket, pressing it against him, "It's going to hurt at first, bear with it."

"Hiss—"

Ronald took in a sharp breath.

Along with the pain of something sharp entering his body, a cold liquid from the spot Nade was pressing flowed into him.

Then, something unbelievable happened.

In just two or three breaths, Ronald could distinctly feel the pain in his body beginning to dissipate.

The pain in my waist is gone, and my body can move again?

What kind of miracle cure is this!

Subconsciously, Ronald asked,

"What is this stuff, better than a cortisone shot?"

"Diluted toad poison mixed with some herbs. Although it can't heal the injury, it can numb and block local body tissue, allowing you to move freely for a week..."

"Wait, what?"

Halfway through his explanation, Nade suddenly cut himself off and looked at Ronald with suspicion:

"What's a 'sealing needle'?"

"It's a type of direct injection anesthetic, its pain relieving effect is far inferior to what you have here."

While explaining to Nade, Ronald immediately tried to stand up.

And just like his companion had described, the sickening-sounding mixture worked incredibly well—so well that the scrapes on his arm now felt much more intense than the pain in his back!

After glancing back at the villa still shrouded in darkness through the bushes,

Ronald turned to Nade and slowly began to speak:

"Now that it's just the two of us, you can finally explain the situation with the black fog and inside the villa, right?"

"I've guessed quite a bit, but I still need some supplementary information."

Hearing Ronald's question, Nade casually asked back:

"Huh? You really don't know?"

"..."

Not good!

He had blundered!

Nade's seemingly casual question immediately put Ronald into a state of high tension.

His reply seemed bland and unemotional,

but it contained a very dangerous message.

Understanding this wasn't because of the present, but because of the past.

—Do you remember what happened right after discovering the black fog?

Back then, Ronald had communicated with Nade to find a way out and asked him for relevant information.

And Nade had chosen to play dumb at that time.

Why was it not okay to discuss it straightforwardly when they had already communicated?

The answer was simple; there was a third party between them.

—Thomson.

To keep some information hidden from this bewildered, ordinary man, Nade had put on that act.

Considering the circumstances of the trio at that time...

The obvious conclusion became clear.

The news about the black fog and the villa was something that Nade would rather die than divulge to an ordinary person.

Its importance was evident!

Now this seemingly traceless question was actually probing Ronald's background.

It wasn't a lack of concern on the surface, but rather Nade had actively hidden his true emotions.

It was like a police officer negotiating with a suspect.

If one was innocent, it was well and good.

But if there were problems with the answer given...

This partner, who had just injected him with a healing substance and shared life-and-death moments with him,

might turn on him in an instant!

His mind raced—

Suppressing the tension in his heart, Ronald spoke:

"I don't not know."

"I came across this information quite coincidentally; after all, dead men can no longer speak."

"Understand 'fracture'?"

"..."

Nade did not respond to Ronald.

In the veil of the night, as Ronald gave such an answer,

the middle-aged man stopped in his tracks and sharply turned his head, his steel-blue eyes carrying an unmistakably serious scrutiny, not easing up for even a second as he stared intensely into Ronald's eyes.

Scrutinizing? Doubtful? Guessing? Judging?

Every reaction of the man before Ronald confirmed that his assumption was correct.

To Nade, this was an extremely important matter!

Over a minute went by—

A mix of complex emotions finally faded from those intense eyes.

"Heh..."

With a hint of regret, some reflection, and a bit of relief, he shook his head.

Nade turned his gaze forward, then spoke with a complicated tone:

"Having a conversation with someone as smart as you can be convenient sometimes, but at other times it's truly a headache."

"Anyway, listen carefully to what's coming up next."