Only then did he enter the inner room, pressing his hands into cold water to stop the shaking, forcing himself to detach from the influence of Selene and Andy, and return to his former indifferent self.

He thought he could, but the influence was growing larger.

To the extent that when Silas stood before the clinic room and saw a female patient with brown, slightly curled hair, he suddenly felt suffocated, his hands began to tremble again, and he fell into a panic-stricken nightmare, unable to move.

In the end, it was the nurse who saw something was wrong and snapped him out of his catatonic state, switching another physician over to continue the treatment.

"Silas, have you been under too much pressure lately?"

The worried, kindly face of the medical station director slowly appeared before his eyes. Silas’s hollow gaze recovered a bit of life, but he couldn't speak.

Watching the once efficient healing genius clearly exhibiting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, the director’s expression turned solemn.

"Your condition is very bad right now. I suggest you go see a psychological therapist for ability users..."

"That won't be necessary, Director. Thank you." Silas interrupted him, his tone devoid of any emotion.

The director hesitated, wanting to persuade him, but seeing his indifferent attitude, he eventually let out a long sigh and placed a bottle of medicine before him, giving careful instructions.

"Silas, take a few days of rest. You’re not in a state to conduct treatments. Keep this medicine; if you start feeling unwell or experiencing auditory or visual hallucinations, you must remember to take it..."

The director looked at the handsome man before him who couldn't hide his exhaustion, his face full of gloomy emotions, praying that he would find a way to let go.

If this wasn't resolved thoroughly, a person’s will would only sink deeper and deeper, eventually becoming a slave to their emotions, never able to escape again...

In an alley on the other side of the base.

Low houses were crowded together, the mottled walls covered in the cracks of time and the erosion of wind and rain.

The alleyway was narrow and winding, paved with uneven stone slabs. Occasionally, sewage overflowed from broken drains, emitting a pungent odor.

The agitator from before was carrying rotting vegetables that couldn't be distributed, walking toward the most dilapidated house deep in the alley.

Just as she was grumbling and complaining about the manager who refused to give her the rotting vegetables earlier, the old-fashioned communicator in her pocket rang.

"Hello, is this Wang Mei? Regarding the investigation you mentioned last time about the case where Ms. Rivers caused your daughter’s ability to run wild and die, we need your cooperation..."

A glimmer of irrepressible panic flashed in her eyes. "Officer..."

Her voice trembled slightly, lacking the momentum of the shouting and killing she had displayed at the academy gate earlier. Her tone became somewhat erratic: "Anyway, my daughter and that... that bitch are both dead. Why don't we... just..."

Chapter 15

Silas walked indifferently toward the parking lot, only to be blocked by Yara.

She stood before him, beaming, pulling her son along. Behind Silas’s back, where he couldn't see, she pushed the boy hard toward him. Accidentally revealing the black stockings beneath her short skirt, she covered her mouth and giggled, mocking him: "Oh my, Senior brother, look—Chenlin misses you so much; he just can't help wanting to be close to you!"

Yara assumed the man would soften up as he had before, giving her a chance to invite him to her home, occupy his time, and keep him from returning to see that woman.

Just as she was feeling smug, Silas dodged the child who had tried to hug him, turned him around, and sent him back to Yara’s side. He didn't even look at her, offering only a perfunctory remark before trying to leave.

"Sorry, I’m busy."

Ignoring the child who had been shoved and was now red-eyed, Yara rushed forward, trying to grab the hem of his jacket, desperate to say something.

"Senior brother..."

Silas impatiently shook off her hand, his voice filled with a coldness she had never encountered before.

"Enough!"

The commotion attracted passing colleagues. Some looked over with strange expressions, leaving Yara standing there in embarrassing, furious humiliation, staring in disbelief at the man’s retreating back.

He had never treated her like this before, never humiliated her to this extent!

"Mommy..." Chenlin, seeing her face full of resentment, couldn't help but want to cry.

"Shut up! How many times have I told you to act obedient? Can’t you understand anything?" Yara didn't hold back, scolding him loudly, completely disregarding that they were in a public place and the surprised looks coming from others.

Chenlin turned pale, his eyes brimming with tears, not daring to speak, his face scrunched up as he tried to endure it.

Yara looked at Chenlin’s features, which resembled his father—her ex-husband—and a thick wave of disgust flashed in her eyes: "How have you become more and more like that dead pig? You’re truly disgusting!"

Thinking of her ex-husband’s bloated, fat body made her feel nauseated. She had originally married him because she fancied his assets and wealth in the black market, never expecting to be deceived!

All the assets that "dead pig" claimed to have were rented just to trick her; he was nothing but an ugly, penniless lecher.

When she saw Silas casually bidding high-tier energy crystals as a gift just to celebrate the end of Selene Rivers’ mission, her jealousy-driven madness exploded. To win Silas, she had employed quite a few tricks.

She had used methods to lure that 'lecher' ex-husband to the place where Selene and Silas had agreed to meet after her tour ended, and even had him use a specific technique to cripple Selene’s hands.

Then, she staged a zombie attack to delay Silas.

By the time Silas rushed back, Selene had already been defiled by that 'lecher.'

She thought Silas would soon divorce Selene.

Yet, she waited for a very, very long time. She didn't wait for news of their divorce; instead, she heard news of Selene’s pregnancy, and they seemed to go on as if nothing had ever happened.

Silas even used his healing abilities to treat Selene’s hands. The moment she saw Silas providing that treatment, the jealousy burning in her heart grew even fiercer.

Why? Why did she have to live in the abyss, and why was there no one who treated her as well as Silas treated Selene?

Where was she inferior to Selene Rivers?

Didn't Silas love the focused look Selene had when she used her purification ability, looking down from her high pedestal?

Under the guise of seeking advice, she went to their home and stole Selene’s theory manuscript on purification, giving it to someone else.

She kept provoking their relationship from behind the scenes, until the moment Selene gave birth to the child.

She succeeded. Everything that followed went according to her plan, proceeding smoothly.

Selene lost the career she was so proud of and lost the man who loved her deeply.

And all of this would become hers.

Although things had taken a slight turn after Selene’s death—Silas hadn't married her immediately as she had planned—to Yara, since Selene was already dead, her marriage to Senior brother Silas was only a matter of time.

Whatever Yara set her eyes on, she would never let go.

"Beep, beep, beep..."

She looked at the incoming call on her communicator labeled 'Broke Trash,' a flicker of disgust flashing in her eyes.

Before the impatient words could leave her mouth, she heard Wang Mei’s anxious and terrified voice on the other end.

"Didn't you say that if I helped you play a part in a show, nothing would happen?"

"How come people are dead?!"

"Now the Law Enforcement Team has tracked it down to me!"

"I’m going to tell them that you were the one who directed us to do this, and it has nothing to do with me or my daughter."

Chapter 16

Yara’s face turned white as she listened to the sound of the call being disconnected.

The thought of the impending consequences left her feeling cold and frozen in place. The fearless posture she had moments ago vanished, and her bloodshot eyes were filled with nothing but despair.

She called back, but no one answered; there were only the monotonous beeps and a wait as agonizing as slow-motion execution.

A ruthless glint flashed in her eyes. She took out her communicator and transferred a large sum of crystals to a black-market account, waiting coldly for his call.

Sure enough, it didn't take long for that person to call. On the other end, there was the sound of raucous music and one or two hostesses.

"What’s wrong, wifey?"

Yara’s face darkened. "Clean your mouth. We have nothing to do with each other anymore."

"Go and take care of two people for me."

The person on the other end paused.