Chapter 1006
Chapter 1006:
Now, with Ellen’s unexpected involvement, he could actually pick up the pace.
But Austin had no desire for Yelena to believe she and Ellen had been nothing more than chess pieces in his grand design.
Yelena’s lips curved ever so slightly, a knowing glint in her eyes.
“I know p>
Austin felt a flicker of unease. What exactly did she know?
“Mr. Barton p>
Domenic burst onto the rooftop, his breath ragged, the dim glow of his tablet casting restless shadows in the dark.
“Every single laboratory under the Barker Group is on fire. Fire monitoring systems show that p>
His voice wavered as he swallowed hard.
“They show thirty-eight ignition points—each one synchronized with an explosion p>
Austin’s pupils contracted like a camera lens focusing sharply, but Yelena reacted first. She snatched the tablet from Domenic’s grasp, her sharp eyes scanning the screen. Amid the swirling flames devouring the lab’s exterior wall, the Nexogenix logo twisted and warped, a brand etched in destruction.
“I need to get to the site.” Yelena pivoted to leave, the edges of her white coat snapping in the wind like a battle standard. Beneath it, a sleek, dark silver instrument pack clung to her waist.
Austin moved instinctively, gripping her shoulder—but before he could utter a word, a scalpel whistled through the air. The blade brushed past his ear before embedding itself in the brick wall with a dull, menacing thud.
“Yelena!” Ellen’s voice rang out from the stairwell, urgent and edged with fear.
She was holding a phone playing a live broadcast. Lying in an intensive care unit bed, Flynn’s skin was peeling in odd, scalelike patches as medical personnel used riot shields to keep anxious relatives away.
“Virus sample…” Yelena’s breath hitched as she clutched the railing for support. The image of the centrifuge tube labeled “X-0927” pulsed in her memory, its eerie vibration ringing through her mind.
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Suddenly, it clicked. The mutant dengue fever virus she had gathered from the Delta District the previous year was the source of this particular vibration frequency, she recalled. It had destroyed hemoglobin at a rate of 92.7 harmonic resonance per second.
Austin’s suit jacket settled around her shoulders, heavy and warm, carrying the deep, unmistakable scent of tobacco and cedar.
“Domenic, lock down every Barton Group biological lab,” Austin ordered, his tone sharp enough to cut glass. “Get eyes on the Delta District. I want Nexogenix’s board members tracked in real-time. No blind spots p>
Yelena took hold of his wrist. “That centrifuge tube is… dangerous p>
“Wait—what the hell are you talking about? None of this is making any sense!” Ellen’s voice rang out in a sharp, panicked scream. “Did you do this to the Barker family? Answer me p>
She had only wanted revenge on Johan for slighting her—nothing more. Never in her wildest nightmares had she imagined Yelena would go this far, dragging the entire Barker family into something so monstrous. Innocent lives were on the line.
Her hands trembled as she stumbled back, her phone slipping through her shaking fingers and crashing onto the cold floor with a sharp, jarring crack.
“Yelena! Austin! Do you even realize how many innocent researchers are in those labs?” Ellen staggered, colliding with the wall. Her manicured nails scraped across the fire extinguisher glass with a piercing screech. “Biological warfare? Are you out of your damn minds? How is that any different from those psychopaths who experiment on living people p>