Chapter 582 The Prisoner’s Last Bluff

    48 Pearls

    b“/bbMy /bgirl is so incredible,” Landon murmured, pressing a kiss to the crown of Tessa’s head. His voice bheld /bpride—but also a deep undercurrent of worry. “But I’d rather you didn’t have to be. I just bwant /bbyou /bbsafe/bb? /b

    He had never imed to be a selfless man. In his world, her safety would always matter more than saving the world.

    Tessa noticed the red in his eyes and gave him a gentle shove. “You came straight from Yalvaria, didn’t youb? /bLanded and ran straight here?”

    “Mhm.” Landon didn’t deny it. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the narrow bed in the break room. “I wanted to see you first.”

    The small hospital bed left no space between them. Pressed together so closely, he could feel every breath she took against his neck. Exhaustion ebbed from his limbs under her touch, but being this closeb–/bafter so long–set his nerves humming again.

    “Go to sleep.” His hand stroked slow, calming circles on her back, voice tender and quiet.

    Tessa nestled deeper into his arms, nose brushing his corbone. “You haven’t slept either.”

    Landon let out a quietugh in the dark and turned, pulling her tighter against him.

    His lips brushed against hers almost by ident–and that single touch lit a fuse between them. Their breaths tangled, quickened. He gave her one more kiss, slow and restrained, before pulling back.

    “If I stay any longer, neither of us is getting any sleep.”

    Tessa only let out a muffled “Mhm” against his chest, her face burning.

    Landon lingered for a long moment, holding her close before he finally let go. “Call me if anything happens. I won’t be far.”

    Only after the door clicked shut did Tessa curl up, breathing in the lingering scent of pine on the sheets— and fall into deep, peaceful sleep.

    The next morning, freshly showered and dressed, Tessa returned to the research center to meet Micha

    The newly formted antidote showed promising results–but a small residual side effect remained. “Honestly, it’s already negligible,” Rosa said, scanning the data on the monitor. Her voice was tinged with awe. “Most top–tier teams can’t even reach this level.”

    “Not enough,” Tessa said firmly, pointing at a subtle gene fluctuation on the screen. “Even a minor side effect like this could causetent damage to the werewolf gene chain. It needs further refinement.”

    With millions at stake, there could be nopromises.

    Michael nodded in agreement. “Rosa, stay here and continue monitoring the trial group’s vitals.”

    Then he turned to Tessa. “Come with me. We’re going to see Stephen.”

    Outside, Ethan was already waiting beside a military jeep–one of the elite members who’d returned to

    b10:06 /bMon,4 bAug /b& N

    Chapter 582 The Prisoner’s Last Bluff

    Montedra with Landon.

    bWhen /bbhe /bsaw them approach, he jumped down and opened the doors.

    “Mr. Michael, ma’am,” he said respectfully. Now that Michael was operating on Montedra bsoil/bb, /bbEthan’s /bbjob /bbwas /bto ensure his safety at all costs.

    Michael climbed in. Tessa followed.

    They were driven into a highly fortified military base. Deep inside, Stephen was locked inside a reinforced istion cell.

    When he saw Michael enter, he lunged for the bars, eyes bloodshot with rage. “Traitor! You think moving the medical institute to Montedra means you’ve won? As long as I live, I’ll never let you seed!”

    Michael only scoffed. “Still so arrogant for a man behind bars. When you unleashed a gic virus on civilians, did you think this day wouldn’te?”

    Stephen’s gaze slid to Tessa–and then locked on Landon, who stepped in behind her.

    His tone suddenly turned slick. “Michael, we’re both from Yalvaria! Help me get rid of Landon, and I’ll make you the permanent head of the medical organization. You’ll have absolute power.”

    Michael didn’t even bother replying. He turned to Landon. “Alpha, what’s the n?”

    Landon had just ended a video call with the Montedra Council. Now, he walked up to the cell, eyes like sharpened ice.

    “Stephen, do you really think silence will save you? Waiting for Yalvaria to swoop in and rescue you?” He tapped the metal bars with his finger, voice cold. “Or are you hoping Montedra will get desperate enough to beg you for the antidote?”

    Stephen’s flinch was almost imperceptible–but it was there. The jab hadnded.

    He sneered, stiff–necked. “You won’t get a single word out of me. The core data for Project Z is known only to me. Once the virus fully spirals out of control, you’lle crawling.”

    But the look in Landon’s eyes said it all.

    That was never going to happen.

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