CHAPTER 111: CHAPTER 111: DR. AXEL WAS KIDNAPPED

The sharp blade kept pressing into the skin of his arm. As Ethan put in more force, it finally cut through, and thin lines of blood seeped out.

He wiped the blood off his arm, rinsed the fruit knife, and said in a low voice:

"Same as those monsters in the [Berserk Blood Warrior] trial—just the limits of a normal human’s strength, speed, and defense."

"My body is much better than before, but it’s still within human limits."

At first, he only wanted to use the special serum to improve his body and get a longer survival time. But after everything that happened over the past two days, Ethan wanted real-world power even more.

He let out a long breath and planned to get checked again at dawn to see if his survival time had changed.

He also needed to find the right weapons—something like a [Damaged Blood-Drinking Long Knife] or a [Ruin Spear].

Of course, in the real world he didn’t expect any special effects. He just wanted them as sharp and tough as possible.

He should also prepare some firearms like pistols and rifles. Who knew when they might come in handy.

Ethan was basically rich now. He still had 6.2 million left from before and hadn’t spent much these days.

He earned 1.6 million for finishing Serena’s job.

There was also a 1 million interview fee from Lucian, and the gear he sold to Sylvan added up to about another 1 million.

All told, he had about 9.8 million in ready cash.

For an ordinary person, that would be enough for financial freedom.

But for Ethan, it still wasn’t enough. He thought of that man in black and the special pen in his hand.

Back then, that pen just flashed a bright white light, and he instantly lost a chunk of his memory.

Ethan was sure there were things in the real world like the weapons, gear, and items from Dawnfall Online.

He had to find a way to get some.

He remembered something he’d seen online: when a real apocalypse hits, stockpiling food and medicine isn’t the best choice.

Guns, ammo, and all kinds of weapons are what really keep you alive.

Given what he was facing now, he had to do whatever it took to get stronger so he could fight back when danger came.

Thinking of this, Ethan glanced at the calico cat lying on the bed and gently petted her head.

The calico, sleeping soundly, blinked awake in a daze, licked Ethan’s palm, rubbed against his hand, then closed her eyes and fell back asleep.

Ethan planned to adopt her. He thought for a moment and decided to give the calico a name. He’d checked before—she was a female.

So he whispered, "From now on, I’ll call you Flora. I think it sounds nice."

Just then, two sets of footsteps came from outside the ward. Ethan hid Flora from view with a pillow and looked toward the door.

Soon, the blonde nurse’s voice sounded softly: "Mr. Ethan, Dr. Axel is here to see you."

Dr. Axel?

Ethan checked the time. It was already three in the morning. What was Dr. Axel doing here?

He found it strange. Just in case, he took the fruit knife that had killed the fake cop and hid it on him.

Then he opened the door and saw Dr. Axel—stubbly, hair messy, dark circles under his eyes.

Dr. Axel looked around the room first, then turned to the blonde nurse and said:

"I have some private matters to discuss with Ethan."

The blonde nurse nodded and turned to leave.

Dr. Axel closed the door, sat on the sofa, poured himself a glass of water, and drank it in big gulps.

Ethan felt like something was wrong.

The doctor seemed off. He walked over and stood across from him, still keeping some distance. "Dr. Axel, what’s wrong?"

Dr. Axel suddenly looked up. His eyes were bloodshot. He took a USB drive and a glass vial from his pocket and said:

"There’s hope to fully cure your illness. But there’s a problem with the research."

"That virus—it’s alive!"

"No, not life the way you think. More like a kind of... consciousness."

"It has awareness!"

He spoke so fast that Ethan got confused. The only thing he caught clearly was that his illness might be curable.

The stuff about the virus, life, and consciousness didn’t really make sense to him.

Ethan was about to ask, but Dr. Axel went on:

"I tested it before. It didn’t do anything special at low temperatures. But in the past few days, as Dolren City got colder, it became more active than ever."

"There’s something wrong with the cold in Dolren City!"

"It’s also something with life, with a mind. You might not be able to understand it, and I don’t know how to explain it in simple words."

"Put it this way: it’s like an ant by the roadside. When a human crushes it with a finger, in its last moment it only sees a huge pillar appear."

Ethan frowned and asked, testing the idea, "A lower-dimensional creature can’t recognize a higher-dimensional being?"

Dr. Axel’s eyes lit up. "Yes, something like that, but at its core it’s very different from dimensions."

"I don’t have much time. Keep these two things safe. Don’t tell anyone."

Ethan quickly asked, "What do you mean by not much time?"

Dr. Axel clenched his teeth, shook his head, and said, "Ethan, you’re just a frail patient. Knowing more will only bring you trouble."

"If I’m still alive, I’ll come back for you. Give me two or three months, and I’m sure I can fully understand it."

"What if you don’t come back?" Ethan asked without thinking.

Dr. Axel took a deep breath, a hard look flashing in his eyes. "Then find a way to destroy both of these."

He pointed at the glass vial. "Ethan, it has a mind."

Then he pointed at the snow outside the window. "So does that."

"You can try to continue my research, but in the end you must destroy them both."

After he said this, he stood up and headed for the door.

Right then, Flora on the bed let out a sharp "meow!" She jumped down, fur standing on end, back arched, staring hard at the door.

Her sudden reaction made Ethan and Dr. Axel look over.

Ethan sensed danger at once. He slipped the USB drive and the vial into his pocket, then pulled out the fruit knife he’d been carrying.

As the two of them and the cat watched, a faint black smoke seeped in through the crack of the door. The smoke drifted into the room, then gathered and shaped itself into a hand. It turned the lock and opened the door.

A man in a black hoodie walked in. Behind him, a few people whose faces they couldn’t see stood in the hallway, staring quietly.

Ethan froze. He hadn’t expected this many enemies.

The man in the hoodie was suddenly wrapped in rolling black smoke. It gathered in the air and formed words:

[You have nowhere to run. Come with us.]

Dr. Axel’s face went pale. He took a deep breath, stepped in front of Ethan, nodded, and slowly said:

"I can go with you, but please don’t hurt my patient!"

The black smoke shifted suddenly.

[A patient? Are you bargaining with me?]

Dr. Axel gritted his teeth and said, "Either kill me, or agree to my terms!"

The man in the black hoodie walked slowly up to Ethan and glanced at him.

Ethan noticed he was wearing something like a gas mask. He quickly thought that if a fight broke out, he might try to break the mask.

As the tension rose, the black smoke floating in the air suddenly faded.

Ethan turned his head on instinct, but to his surprise, there was no smoke behind him.

Instead, black smoke started to seep from his own body.

Ethan’s pupils widened to the limit. What kind of power was this, beyond normal human understanding?

Soon, the smoke drifted back to the man in the hoodie and formed words:

[A patient? This guy is not weak at all. His body is at the limit of a normal human.]

[Is he the helper you found?]

Dr. Axel looked back at Ethan, shock and disbelief in his eyes.

He knew very well what Ethan’s condition was supposed to be.

Before Dr. Axel could figure it out, the black smoke stirred again.

[Let’s go. I won’t kill him, but he has to come with us.]

[If that gives you a little laughable sense of safety, I don’t mind. I hope you’ll cooperate and not try to resist.]