Chapter 201

On the bright morning of the Western District, Caleb Listen, the policy cooperation director of Laplacian Corporation, stood in front of the research building with a tense expression, waiting alongside staff members.

The employees, well aware of the chairman’s capricious temperament, could not hide their unease.

How long had they waited? The door to the research building opened, revealing Chairman Laihan.

Always by the chairman’s side was his peculiar masked secretary.

Fortunately, the chairman’s expression was bright.

It seemed the projects reviewed in the research building were progressing smoothly.

“Good morning, Chairman. I hope today is a wonderful day for you.”

Caleb greeted him politely.

“Oh, Director! I heard the acquisition of Helios is going smoothly. Thank you for your hard work.”

Chairman Laihan replied with a satisfied smile.

While the employees were tense, Caleb hesitated for a moment before cautiously speaking up.

“Chairman, actually…”

“Are you going to talk about the sample? I’ve already heard that someone took it from the hospital.”

Chairman Laihan interrupted Caleb. Caleb’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the chairman.

“Chairman, I mean, the thing is…”

“I’ve already been informed. According to the hospital, the patient’s child took it first, and the staff’s contact has been cut off.”

Caleb bowed his head in fear, unsure of what to do.

“I’m sorry, Chairman! There must have been a misunderstanding. I will certainly…”

Chairman Laihan kindly smiled and lightly patted Caleb’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry too much. After all, it’s just a test subject. Finding high-grade hunter samples isn’t easy, but there’s no need for you to blame yourself.”

Caleb let out a sigh of relief. It seemed he had avoided the worst-case scenario.

“In exchange, do let them know that the remaining support we originally promised cannot be sent due to circumstances.”

“Yes, understood. I will negotiate that part again. I’ll do my best for the retrieval of the samples.”

“Good, I believe you will handle it well as a director. Take care.”

After finishing his words, the chairman left with his secretary.

Once the chairman was out of sight, Caleb and the staff finally wiped their cold sweat.

The chairman returned home for some rest.

The car headed towards a mansion with triple security, devoid of any windows.

As soon as Laihan Valance entered, he said to his secretary in a disgruntled tone.

“By the way, what was that Helios captain’s younger brother’s name again?”

“Rigel.”

Laihan frowned.

“He said he would fully transfer thirty percent of the shares once the clan is secured? Sounds like someone who doesn’t know his place.”

“What should we do about the prototype we sent before? Should we retrieve it?”

“Forget it. Retrieving what has already been given is poor form. Instead, let them know the others we were supposed to send are no longer available.”

The secretary silently nodded.

“It’s annoying enough that the federal guys are inspecting the laboratory, but having to play babysitter too…”

A momentary flash of anger crossed the chairman’s face.

In recent months, the Obsidian Legion’s raids in the Western District had led to the loss of valuable secret facilities.

Amidst that, Magnavis had been caught off guard by a surprise attack, scattering their dirty secrets.

“Make sure everyone stays alert. Although I’ve tidied up what could potentially be a problem, the real concern is those guys from the Ariel Group. Whatever their motives, tell everyone to prepare thoroughly.”

Having said that, Laihan headed to the living room. As he casually whistled, a creature resembling a beast awkwardly walked over.

“Come here.”

His gaze fell on a creature resembling a dog in one corner.

It was a Skullcat. The most common creature transformed by Ether in the dungeon.

Interestingly, the Skullcat wore a large cover that concealed its entire head.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he asked.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Tell the security chief that another one of the federal rats has infiltrated. Which department was that…?”

“Yes, Chairman. It was the Research and Development Department.”

The secretary answered quietly.

“That spy was a particularly foolish girl. It’s only natural to get caught behaving like that.”

The Skullcat approached the dog bowl placed in front of it.

The bowl contained a chunk of red meat.

As Laihan watched, a strange sense of satisfaction formed in his eyes.

“Chairman, no matter how I think about it, that’s an inefficient way to handle things. It could have been dealt with more cleanly.”

When the secretary spoke, the chairman grumbled like a child scolded by their parents.

“Enough with the clueless comments! How many times must I repeat myself? This is for the sake of ideas. Biology, in the end, is all about flow! To capture the brilliant lightning in a brain and mold it into equations, we must pursue fun. Art is needed. Get it?”

“I misspoke. I apologize.”

The secretary retreated from the room.

The Skullcat lifted its head from the dog bowl.

“Oh dear, I guess it doesn’t suit your taste?”

The chairman dragged over the swaying Skullcat and removed the cover.

As the cover was taken off, the head of a human woman emerged.

The woman, tearful, gasped for breath as she blinked.

“My, if someone were to see this, they’d think I was feeding you human flesh. Do you know what I gave you? High-quality Alboros beef tenderloin. It’s something that others would crave but can’t have. Should I have cooked it for you?”

The woman silently screamed, the only sound escaping her throat was a wheezing noise.

“Miss, let’s stop with the pointless antics. Have you never raised a dog? In this day and age, throat surgeries are a given. How about showing some etiquette by considering your neighbors?”

Laihan watched the woman’s attempts to speak with patience.

Her intentions were clear.

“‘Please’ what? Have a more positive attitude toward life. Do you know what your companions were synthesized with? It’s Crawltide. This is quite generous of me. You’re getting a beast from the mammalian lineage instead of an insect, right?”

As he looked at the screaming Skullcat, a strange smile appeared on Laihan’s lips.

“Then 137, let’s get along for a while.”

After finishing the crafting of the Death List, Irene stood up. There was a place she needed to go first.

“Where’s Daphne?”

I shook my head. I had sent Daphne to the hospital as soon as breakfast ended to prepare for any eventuality, but only bad news had come back.

Fortunately, Irene’s expression was composed upon hearing the results.

“Well, I expected that much. Daphne’s healing ability isn’t bad, but fully treating my father in his current condition would have been impossible. The clan has mobilized every means necessary to save him, but there has been no progress.”

Daphne was an excellent Awakened One who could regenerate missing limbs or organs.

However, if it was a clan like Helios, they would surely have tried every method to secure such means.

After a moment, we arrived at the hospital.

The hospital where Aunt Kalia was hospitalized had a life support system installed for Irene’s father.

As we entered the ward, Daphne averted her gaze from Irene with an apologetic expression.

“I’m sorry. I did my best…”

“There’s no need to blame yourself. I knew it wouldn’t work from the beginning.”

Irene’s gaze turned toward the life support system. I clicked my tongue inwardly at the sight.

“Crazy, how is he even alive?”

The Violets whispered upon seeing Orion Solstice.

It was no wonder; it was almost miraculous that someone was alive in such a state.

The life support system was composed of two decks.

The outer layer was a thick metal case that could be opened partially or entirely.

When the metal case opened, inside was a cultivation tank.

The cultivation tank had no window to observe the internal patient.

“Seriously cut in half…”

Inside the life support device, Orion’s form was vertically cleaved, leaving only half remaining.

His upper body and heart, including parts of his head, were severed from the chest down. The remaining body was also far from intact.

His head was almost entirely a skull, devoid of flesh.

The bisected body did not move.

The only means to prove that the subject was alive was the brainwave monitor linked to the life support system.

“Why can’t he be treated? It feels like something is blocking it…”

“The body is in a state eroded by a peculiar magical power wavelength. While it has prevented invasion into the brain and nervous system, as you can see, the rest of the body is in that condition.”

It seemed that no matter what efforts were made, regeneration was impossible.

“Oh my, what do we do? This is a pair!”

The Violets couldn’t hide their sorrow at the sight, akin to the double chocolate ice cream they used to enjoy before being possessed.

“I’ll try again. If I can find a way… ”

Irene firmly rejected Daphne’s suggestion.

“It’s useless. The finest members of the clan have clung to reviving my father for years. Modern medicine, healing, magic, even relics. That was the best they could do with Laplacian’s technology.”

Tears had begun to well up in the corners of Irene’s eyes.

“…Let’s go. We have a lot to do.”

Leaving behind the Bodyguard Violet, we exited the hospital. Regrettably, our plan to restore Irene’s father had failed.

“Is there no good method?”

“Indeed…”

The Violets engaged in a discussion using their collective intelligence.

What methods could save a person cut in half?

They said the brain and spine were intact.

“Let’s put him in a courage vessel!”

“Are you an idiot! This isn’t that kind of game.”

Within the Violet Network, a marathon meeting took place, but no answers emerged.

Something hazily came to mind, but it was unclear. Surely, there must be a good method.