Chapter 106: Buying the Drug

"Three hundred dollars a bag. Half a bag is enough; don't use more, or it could cause trouble!"

In a secluded alley, a repulsive middle-aged man scrutinized John, who was dressed in a school uniform. As he spoke, he took out a bag of white powder from his pocket. From a distance, the powder looked like fine grains of pearls, with each particle clearly visible.

John took the bag of white powder, weighed it carefully in his hand, and examined it closely before putting it into his pocket and handing the man three hundred dollars.

Afterwards, the two of them exited the alley on opposite sides, acting as if they were complete strangers. Their furtive movements were akin to those of spies on a covert mission.

In reality, the white powder John had purchased from the man was none other than the kind of drug he had seen in novels—capable of rendering someone unconscious with just a small dose.

Of course, the bag John had bought would be sufficient for only two uses at most. But that was more than enough for him, at least allowing him the opportunity to test whether the drug was genuine or not.

With a complex mix of emotions, John, clutching the bag of hallucinogenic drugs, returned home. Upon seeing Grace, who was wearing an apron and busily preparing dinner for him in the kitchen, he felt a wave of nervousness and fear. Bowing his head as if he had done something wrong, he retreated to his room.

"This child..."

Noticing that John hadn't greeted her as usual, Grace shook her head with a smile, not giving it much thought.

Once inside his room, John locked the door securely from the inside. To ensure that Grace wouldn't discover him, he even double-checked the lock. Satisfied that the door was locked, he eagerly rummaged through his school bag, took out the bag of white powder, and placed it on the bed, staring at it in a daze.

In the adult novels John had read, many of the protagonists had used external means to possess their beautiful mothers, and these external means were often drugs. The drug he had purchased through an advertisement could, just like in those novels, be used to achieve his goal.

With just half a bag of the drug, he could make his mother, Grace, fall into a deep sleep, and then he could do whatever he wanted, just like the protagonists in those novels.

Although that was how it was supposed to work in his imagination, in reality, John still felt a bit afraid and hesitant. The act of drugging someone was very intimidating to him.

What if he used too much? What if something happened to Grace after she took the drug? For a moment, John, staring at the drug, couldn't make up his mind.

On the other side, Grace, who was still wearing an apron and cooking for John, had no idea that her son, with whom she had no blood relation, was acting strangely. She was completely unaware of what he had done the night before and had no memory of it.

All she knew was that she had to take care of John and cook delicious meals for him, without realizing that her son had already become as ungrateful as the security guard Thorne.

After finishing cooking, Grace, as always, called out to John, bustling about as she brought the dishes out from the kitchen. As for John, he was still in his room, struggling with an intense internal conflict.

It was only when he heard Grace calling him that John snapped out of it. He quickly put the bag of white powder back into his school bag, then nonchalantly acted as if nothing had happened. He left his room, sat at the dining table, picked up his utensils, and began eating the meal his mother, Grace, had prepared.

Although the food was delicious, John, preoccupied with his thoughts, behaved quite differently from his usual self. Instead of chatting and laughing at the table, he kept his head down, like a child who had done something wrong.

Noticing John's odd behavior, Grace frowned slightly.

"Is something wrong? Is the food not to your taste?" Grace asked, holding her utensils.

"No!" John quickly shook his head.

"I'm just not very hungry today!"

"Loss of appetite?"

"Well, it's not that. I had a snack after school. There was a street vendor near the school, and I ate something there. I'm not hungry now!"

Quick-witted as ever, John came up with an excuse on the spot.

Hearing this, Grace pretended to be displeased and pursed her lips.

"The food from street vendors outside the school is not clean. Try to avoid it in the future and eat more home-cooked meals!"

"Okay!" John nodded, his gaze constantly shifting, too anxious to meet Grace's eyes.

Just like when John had first entered the house, Grace didn't take his unusual behavior seriously.

She had no idea that the person she considered the one glimmer of hope in her heart would actually turn against her.

For John, Grace was like a mother, and she trusted him completely, as any mother would. After all, which mother would constantly guard against her own son?

Grace had never guarded against her son John and even regarded him as her only support.

John, on the other hand, kept a close eye on Grace the entire time. After pretending to eat the food in his bowl, he put his utensils on the table and took the opportunity to say, "Mom, I'm going to the bathroom!"

With these words, John got up and rushed towards the toilet, but in reality, he was heading to his room. With a trembling heart full of nervousness, he took out the bag of white powder from his school bag and put it into his pocket.

Then, John walked back to the dining table.

At this moment, Grace had already finished her meal and was busy cleaning up in the kitchen. John glanced around and finally focused on the glass of water on the dining table in front of him.

While observing Grace in the kitchen, he unscrewed the lid of the water glass, sprinkled the bag of white powder into it, and then stirred it gently with hot water. He quietly placed it back on the table while Grace wasn't looking.

Afterward, John got up from the dining table with a sense of unease.

"Mom... I'm going to my room to study. I have a lot of homework today!"

"Okay, go ahead!"

Grace, who was washing dishes in the kitchen, didn't turn her head and didn't notice the dark and sinister things happening in the corners she couldn't see...