Chapter 160
Just then, inside the laboratory, Lucinda finally set down the last vial. The machine slowly stopped running.
Several researchers nearby looked at the test results and erupted in excitement. "It worked! It really worked! The antidote's activity increased threefold!"
Cheers filled the entire lab. Lucinda only let out a quiet breath of relief.
She looked down at the refined serums, a trace of satisfaction finally appearing in her eyes.
With this batch of materials, many problems could finally be solved.
Over the next few days, Origin Oath Crew began mass-producing the antidote. Box after box of serums were shipped out from headquarters and distributed across every region of Sylvanor.
Those who had long suffered from toxins and pollution finally saw hope.
In the slums, someone received a vial with reddened eyes. "Really? It's free?"
The Origin Oath Crew member smiled and nodded. "Our boss said everything's being distributed for free."
The old man's hands trembled as he held the vial. Tears streamed down his face on the spot.
"Thank you… thank you…"
Similar scenes played out again and again. In just a few days, Lucinda's name spread throughout all of Sylvanor.
In the headquarters conference room, Reginald stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the long lines of people downstairs receiving their medicine. His expression was complicated.
He'd seen too many people fight for profit. Too many who'd stop at nothing for power.
But someone like Lucinda? This was a first.
She clearly had the ability to turn these serums into enormous profit. Yet she chose to distribute them all for free.
Simply because she felt it was the right thing to do.
At that thought, the smile in Reginald's eyes deepened.
Falling for someone like her didn't seem strange at all.
But at the same time, another question weighed heavier and heavier on his mind.
The laboratory. The antidote. The Crimson Star Crystal. And that research ability that seemed to surpass ordinary people…
All of it kept overlapping, pointing toward the same person.
A name that existed only in rumors.
The most mysterious legend in the scientific community. No one knew their age. No one had seen their face. Even their gender was uncertain.
All anyone knew was that countless major scientific breakthroughs over the years had that figure's shadow behind them. Many in the industry referred to them by a single codename.
Felix.
And the reason Reginald was so familiar with that name was because he himself owned a research institute.
Over the years, he'd been collecting that special material—not for profit, but for a plan.
The problem was, while the materials were important, people who could actually utilize them were pitifully rare.
Nationwide, those capable of it could be counted on one hand.
And at the very top? Only the mysterious Felix.
Originally, Reginald's plan had been to gather the materials and send them through special channels to that person—someone truly capable of completing the research and benefiting more people.
But now, watching Lucinda in the lab, Reginald felt like he was getting closer and closer to the answer.
She knew the properties of this material. She could create the antidote formula. Even problems that top international labs couldn't solve seemed as simple as eating or drinking to her.
Could the world really have such coincidences?
At that thought, Reginald's gaze deepened.
Just then, the lab door opened. Lucinda walked out.
She was still wearing her white lab coat, her brow carrying a trace of exhaustion. Clearly, she'd been working nonstop for a long time.
Reginald immediately walked over. "Finished?"
Lucinda nodded. "For now."
As her words fell, Reginald handed her a cup of warm milk he'd prepared earlier.
Lucinda took it, glancing at him with some surprise. "When did you buy this?"
"Just now."
Lucinda smiled faintly and took a sip. The warmth traveled down her throat, easing much of her fatigue.
Reginald watched her. After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked, "Lucinda."
"What?"
"How much more is there about you that I don't know?"
Lucinda's hand paused slightly. She looked up at him.
Reginald's gaze was deep, as if trying to see through her. "You know medicine. You're a hacker. You manage a gang. You research raw materials. You develop antidotes…"
The more he listed, the straighter Elijah's back became.
Hear that? That's their boss.
All-around. Invincible.
Lucinda, however, looked a little helpless. "So?"
Reginald let out a low chuckle, his eyes full of curiosity. "I'm starting to wonder if you know that person."
Lucinda's heart stirred slightly, though her face remained calm. "Who?"
Reginald slowly spoke a name. "Felix."
The air went silent for a moment. Elijah nearly choked on his own spit and quickly turned away, pretending he hadn't heard anything.
Lucinda's expression remained calm. "Why do you ask?"
Reginald looked at her, his gaze growing deeper. "Because I've noticed that what you research is too similar to Felix's work. Sometimes I even suspect…"
He paused, not continuing, but both of them understood what came next.
He suspected she was Felix.
Lucinda lowered her gaze. Her lips curved slightly. She didn't confirm it. She didn't deny it either. She just leisurely finished the last sip of milk, then placed the empty cup back in Reginald's hand.
"Mr. Lancaster, sometimes knowing too much isn't a good thing."
With that, she turned and walked away, leaving only her slender, graceful silhouette behind.
Reginald stood in place, watching her figure fade into the distance. Suddenly, he let out a low laugh.
The answer didn't really matter anymore.
Because whether or not she was Felix, one thing was already undeniable.
The secrets this girl carried were far more than he'd imagined.
And he looked forward to the day he'd uncover them all, one by one.
The next day, Lucinda and Reginald returned to Starlight City together.
The plane glided smoothly through the clouds. First class was very quiet.
After so many exhausting days, Lucinda finally allowed herself to truly relax. She leaned back in her seat and fell into a deep sleep.
She slept quietly, her long lashes lowered, concealing the sharpness she usually carried.
Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling across her delicate profile.
Reginald turned his head to look at her. His gaze softened unconsciously.
Just then, Lucinda's phone lit up. A message appeared on the screen.
Reginald hadn't planned to look, but when he caught a glimpse of the content, his eyes froze.
It was a string of encrypted code. The format—it was the internal communication protocol for national-level scientific research projects.
He'd seen this kind of cipher before.
The last time was in a top-secret research file about "Felix."
Reginald's gaze darkened.
So… she really was Felix?