Chapter 294 Held Hostage
"Yes." Sophia admitted frankly.
A flash of surprise crossed Elijah's eyes. "When?"
Sophia pondered for a moment and said, "Let me think... when Benjamin and I just got off the plane and were being followed? Or maybe even earlier, like when we first arrived in Harmony City?"
Elijah's expression stiffened for a moment, but he quickly recovered and said stubbornly, "How can you be so sure those were my people?"
"Only a few people knew about Benjamin's and my whereabouts. Among them, you were the only one who happened to show up during this time period." A slight smile curved Sophia's lips, and a cold glint flashed in her bright eyes.
Elijah laughed out loud, looking at Sophia with eyes full of admiration. "You're really smart. Why don't you join us? With your abilities, you'll definitely achieve great things within two years."
"Why would I join you?" Sophia asked back.
A burning light flashed in Elijah's eyes. "Of course, to optimize human genes and make everyone talented!"
"Talented people..."
Sophia murmured these words softly and couldn't help but smile. "Robert taught me that extremes lead to reversal. Isn't the devastating disaster seventeen years ago the best proof of that?"
Seventeen years ago, the laboratory was completely destroyed, and all the data and materials were gone.
Only a few people who weren't in the laboratory at the time survived by chance.
Elijah was one of them.
He said, "If the world is unfair, I'll create a fair world to show everyone! Sophia, I thought you were different from those people. As long as you join us, I can give you whatever you want."
Sophia remained calm, without a ripple in her eyes. "I can fight for what I want myself. I'm not like you, playing with people's lives to satisfy your own selfish desires."
"Hahaha..." Elijah laughed wildly. "Their sacrifices are all valuable! When I develop the serum, many people will thank me."
He stepped forward and grabbed the data report Sophia had placed on the lab bench, his eyes full of excitement.
Soon, he would succeed!
After waiting seventeen years, he had finally made it!
It was all worth it!
Sophia lowered her eyes and slowly shook her head. "Do you really think I'd be stupid enough to give you the real data report?"
Elijah froze. "This is fake? Impossible! I watched the entire process with my own eyes!"
"Have you ever wondered why, after you injected those children with the serum, their bodies only showed signs of poisoning, but no other data changed?"
From the beginning, the data report Elijah got was fake.
How could something developed based on fake data possibly produce the effects they wanted?
"Impossible! This can't be!" Elijah's eyes widened in disbelief, his face contorted with rage.
At that moment, the laboratory door was suddenly burst open.
Many people in SWAT uniforms walked in, holding guns and surrounding Elijah.
"Don't move!"
Elodie and Francis walked in from outside, looking at him in disbelief.
Francis was trembling with anger, pointing at Elijah and cursing, "I never thought you would do something like this!"
He had known Elijah for over twenty years and never imagined that Elijah was part of that illegal organization from seventeen years ago.
He had hidden it too well.
Elijah stumbled back two steps in panic. "You, don't come any closer!"
"Elijah, give it up. You're already surrounded."
The SWAT officers held their guns and tentatively stepped forward.
This action deeply provoked Elijah.
He frantically grabbed a syringe from the lab bench and, with lightning speed, grabbed Sophia by the throat.
He looked down at Sophia, his eyes full of mockery and anger. "So you deliberately lured me here?"
"Yes." Sophia answered without hiding anything.
Elijah was a cautious person, so she had to be very careful.
In the end, after weighing the pros and cons, she decisively chose the laboratory.
Before leaving the hospital, Sophia had quietly told Elodie to call the police and gave her the laboratory's address.
Elodie was pretty reliable, and the police came quickly.
It was just that the laboratory was too cramped, and before Sophia could escape, she was held at the throat with a needle.
The gleaming needle tip was less than a millimeter away from the skin of Sophia's neck.
The syringe contained a chemical agent—one injection and she'd probably be dead.
Sophia's whole body went cold, and her heart jumped to her throat.
Her body stiffened slightly, but her gaze remained calm. "Elijah, we've already come this far. There's no point in resisting."
"You're lying!" Elijah glared at Sophia with bloodshot eyes.
"Elijah, let Sophia go." Benjamin looked at Sophia nervously, afraid something might happen to her.
"Make them all back off! I'm leaving here, or else I'll take Sophia down with me!" Elijah couldn't think about anything else now. Only one thought remained in his mind—to survive.
Benjamin's heart jumped to his throat, his throat tightened, and he waved at the SWAT officers beside him. "Back off."
The SWAT officers hesitated for a moment, then slowly retreated half a step.
They had to consider the hostage's safety.
Sophia suddenly laughed softly. "Elijah, do you really think you can escape?"
"Shut up!" Elijah glared angrily at Sophia. While gripping her neck, he tentatively moved forward, watching the SWAT officers warily.
All the gun barrels were pointed at him, the SWAT officers' eyes cold and sharp, as if they would shoot without hesitation if he dared to hurt Sophia.
He laughed too. "Don't worry, I won't kill her. Once I get away safely, I'll let her go."
He had searched in secret for so many years before finding someone as talented as Sophia.
It would be such a waste if Sophia died like this.
Sophia figured he wouldn't kill her, so her stiff body gradually relaxed.
However, the others weren't as relaxed as she was.
The SWAT officers followed step by step, their eyes fixed on Elijah.
Elijah brought Sophia to his car, shoved her inside, and got into the driver's seat himself.
He quickly started the engine and drove away at top speed.
Before the SWAT team arrived, they had already notified the principal to send all the students back to their classrooms and dormitories.
So the campus was empty at the moment.
The SWAT officers quickly got in their cars to follow. Benjamin and Elodie also got in a car.
Benjamin kept accelerating, his eyes locked on the car ahead, a trace of worry and bone-deep killing intent flashing in his deep eyes.
Sophia, please don't let anything happen to you...
In Elijah's car, Sophia's hands were cuffed with handcuffs from who knows where.
She glared at Elijah angrily. "You think kidnapping me will make me work for you? Impossible!"