The next morning, as expected, Deanna woke up late.
There was no sign of Lance in the room.
Deanna sat on the bed, feeling as if she had been run over by a truck, her body aching all over.
"Damn it-"
She rubbed her waist while glaring at the pillow Lance had slept on as if it were him, and angrily punched it a couple of times.
After venting for a while, Deanna glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table and realized it was almost ten o'clock.
Remembering her promise to see Lionel out of the hospital, Deanna hurriedly got up, got ready, and rushed downstairs.
Old Ashley saw her and said kindly, "You're up. I had the kitchen save some breakfast for you."
"Grandma, I can't eat now. I promised Mr. Grant I'd pick him up from the hospital, and I'm running late."
With that, Deanna quickly changed her shoes, grabbed her bag, and left in one swift motion.
By the time she arrived at the hospital, half an hour had passed.
Fortunately, Lionel hadn't left yet; his luggage was packed and ready.
Seeing Deanna arrive late, Lionel joked, "I thought you weren't coming today."
"I stayed up late last night and didn't hear the alarm this morning," Deanna half-joked, then asked, "Are we leaving now?"
Lionel shook his head. "We need to wait a bit. The doctor had me do a check-up this morning. We have to wait for the results before we can leave."
Deanna nodded in understanding and sat down on the nearby sofa to rest.
Noticing the dark circles under her eyes, Lionel expressed concern, "The research institute is important, but so is your health. Don't overwork yourself."
"Thanks for your concern," Deanna replied, knowing Lionel had misunderstood her tired appearance. She didn't plan to explain further.
Lionel's voice broke the silence again. "What's the current situation at the research institute?"
"It's still under renovation. Apart from the researchers, I've arranged for everyone else to work from home. The production line has also resumed making the medication," Deanna explained.
She then remembered her master's instructions from the previous night and her expression grew serious.
Lionel noticed her change in demeanor and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I'll tell you in a moment. But first, we need to check something," Deanna said as she got up and left the room to call Shannon in. "Check this room for any listening devices," she instructed.
Though puzzled, Shannon nodded and began searching the room.
Lionel watched with a furrowed brow but didn't ask questions immediately.
When Shannon reached the area around the TV, she stopped and her expression turned grave.
Deanna, who had been watching closely, quickly asked, "Did you find something?"
Almost instantly, Shannon pulled out a small black device from behind the TV. It had a tiny red light blinking on it.
Both Deanna and Lionel were taken aback at the sight of it.
Deanna hadn't expected her precaution to actually uncover something.
"Is this a bug?" she asked Shannon.
Lionel also looked over.
After examining it for a moment, Shannon shook her head. "This is a new audio surveillance device from the black market. It can record conversations."
Hearing this heightened Deanna's sense of danger.
Lionel was even more puzzled.
He looked at Deanna and saw that she seemed to know something. Unable to hold back his curiosity, he asked, "What's going on?"
Deanna glanced at him but didn't answer immediately. Instead, she instructed Shannon, "Stand guard outside the door. Don't let anyone come near."
"Yes," Shannon nodded and left the room.
Seeing Deanna's serious demeanor made Lionel realize that things might be more severe than he had thought.
Just as he was about to ask again, Deanna spoke first, relaying the information she had received from her master the previous night.
"Because of the special medication, various forces are now targeting the research institute. But we don't know exactly which ones. Neither my master nor Lance has found any leads."
She then gave Lionel a choice. "You still don't know much about this. If you choose to back out now, those people probably won't trouble you. Think carefully about whether you want to stay or leave."
Lionel was visibly stunned by her words.
He hadn't expected Deanna to say that.
After processing it, he looked at her with a complex expression and asked, "What about you? What's your choice?"
"I choose to stay," Deanna replied firmly, her eyes filled with determination.