Chapter 258

Chapter 258

A dull thud.

The combination lock shattered on impact.

The tightly shut door swung open.

Patrick seemed very cautious. He said to me, "I'll go in first, you stay behind me."

I hummed in agreement.

After Patrick went in, he soon called out, "Come in, there's no one inside."

I was careful, keeping the director in the middle, with me right behind her.

The moment I stepped inside, I was shocked.

Behind the hidden door was a basement less than a hundred square feet, with no windows and only a dim emergency light.

The walls were lined with countless drawers. Opening any one of them revealed all kinds of documents.

In the very center was a huge chart with bold text that read: [Special Blood Records.]

The first row on the chart was my blood name.

I was so certain because my birth date was listed right after it.

I guess at the time Theo and Zoey hadn't thought of a name for me yet, so Max just used the number 00 instead.

Below mine were dozens of more children's information. Some photos had been crossed out with red pen, with notes beside them: [Transferred.]

"Transferred?" My heart went cold. I pressed on, "Where were they transferred to?"

The director shook her head.

I decided not to waste more words and started searching around.

Soon, in a metal cabinet, I found a manila envelope.

I opened it and looked inside. My heart sank completely.

It clearly read: [Immortality Research Lab.]

Below that were some financial transactions, and the remitting account clearly belong to the Sanchez family.

For every child transferred, a corresponding amount of money was deposited.

Seeing this, Patrick couldn't help but clench his fists. "These bastards, what the hell are they trying to do?"

I suppressed my anger, stayed calm, and replied, "Get these materials ready and hand them over to the police. Let them handle it!"

The director hesitated for a moment, then spoke, "Actually, I'm not completely in the dark. On the fifteenth of every month, a black car would come and take away one child each time. Max told me back then that they were sending these children to better places for treatment, or finding adoptive parents for them. But later I discovered..."

She paused, walked to a corner of the basement, and lifted the carpet. Underneath was a hidden compartment.

Neither Patrick nor I had noticed it.

The director took out several glass vials from the compartment and handed them to me.

I glanced at them. The labels showed complex chemical formulas that I couldn't quite understand.

The director explained, "These... are bone marrow stem cells."

"Bone marrow stem cells?" Though I didn't know much about this, combining what the director had said before and after, I suddenly understood. A chill ran down my spine.

The items in my hand became strangely heavy.

My heart trembled as I asked with disbelief, "Are you saying the children who were taken away had their bone marrow stem cells extracted?"

The director lowered her eyes, her expression pained. "I'm not certain."

"But." she bit her lip. "I think that's what happened."

"Also," the director continued through gritted teeth, pulling a USB drive from her pocket and handing it to me, "this is evidence I've collected over all these years."

I didn't take it right away. Instead, I questioned, "Are you sure about this?"

"If we really investigate Max, regardless of whether you want to or not, as his subordinate, you might face legal consequences."

The director smiled with relief. Her face showed no fear or resentment, only serenity. "All these years, I've had insomnia. I keep remembering the expressions on those children's faces when they were taken away. They trusted me so much, and I deceived them. Even though I've been trying to atone in my own way all these years, I still feel I can't wash my sins. If the law punishes me, I accept it."

The director pushed the USB drive into my hands again. "Give me a chance to sleep well. Let me walk in the sunlight again, instead of hiding like this for the rest of my life!"

Seeing this, I didn't hesitate anymore and took the USB drive.

"Alright," I said to the director. "Thank you."

The director waved her hand dismissively. "If I do go to prison, the only thing I can't let go of is these children. You must help me take care of them, find them good homes, that would be best. If not, just let them grow up in the orphanage and support them until they're eighteen."

I agreed, then plugged the USB drive the director gave me into my tablet.

A few seconds later, an encrypted list appeared on the screen.

It was an agreement signed between the Sullivan and the Sanchez families.

Both family elders had participated in the immortality project. Below were some solid evidence and data.

I asked, "When do you think we should give this evidence to the police?"

Patrick frowned. "We need to think this through carefully. The Sanchez family has powerful connections. Who knows if they'll get wind of something! We must have enough evidence before. Or we'll alert them and it'll all be for nothing."

He had a point. I hesitated for a moment, then temporarily put away the USB drive and stored it carefully.

After a brief moment of hesitation, I made a quick decision: "We have to move tonight! If the Sanchez family's people get word and find this orphanage, these children will be in danger!"

The director was stunned. "Move? To where? There are over twenty children here. The youngest are around five or six years old."

"I have a place!" I explained, dialing Liam's number. "Ocean Feast Hotel—you have a permanent suite there, right? Can you let me use it temporarily?"

Liam heard the urgency in my voice and didn't ask questions. He immediately confirmed, "No problem, I'll arrange it right away."

"Also," I quickly added, "get me a pediatrician with equipment. I want to examine the children—about twenty to thirty of them. Most importantly, it must be kept secret. Absolutely no one can find out!"

My tone was serious. After hearing this, Liam didn't hesitate or ask more questions. He just replied with one word: "Okay!"

Seeing this, Patrick exclaimed, "I'll arrange transportation! The Sullivan family has a freight route that definitely won't be noticed by the Sanchez's people."

I looked at him deeply and nodded. "I trust you. But Patrick, you must be careful."

Patrick naturally understood the seriousness of the situation. With a tense expression, he said, "Don't worry, I'll handle this carefully and definitely won't let you down!"

With that, he headed out, making phone calls to start arranging things.

I turned to the director. "Get ready. We're leaving tonight."