?Chapter 1482:

    Corrine stood frozen, a little stunned by the sudden theatrics. She threw Jules a sideways re, her expression saying: Was that really necessary?

    Jules only gave a helpless shrug, answering her look with one of his own: And how exactly is this my fault?

    Corrine lifted her hand and gently patted Eaton’s head, but her tone was sharp. “You sound exactly like some lovesick woman calling out a cheating ex.”

    A flicker of contempt crossed Eaton’s face. “Who ends up with a killjoy like Jules must be paying for sins from a past life.”

    Corrine’s eyes shimmered with a knowing smile. Paying for sins from a past life… not the worst description.

    “Now there’s only one substance left,” Jules interjected.

    “Yes and no,” Eaton replied, casting him a crooked smile. “Technically, this final sample isn’t a singlepound at all. ording to my analysis, it’s aposite—likely made up of ten separate materials, maybe more.”

    Jules’ expression soured instantly. “That’s… miles off from our original hypothesis.”

    It wasn’t just a deviation—itpletely overturned their working theory from three years ago.

    What they had believed to be four separate toxins had now morphed into something far moreplexyered. Their projected timeline for a cure had just been shattered.

    They had initially hoped that cracking those four substances would be enough to synthesize a full antidote—something capable of suppressing the toxins still raging inside Corrine. But now, that hope had turned hazy.

    No one could say how long it would take to decode all the substances. And even more pressing—no one could say whether Corrine had that long.

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    Eaton understood how cruel the discovery was.

    He paused, then spoke slowly after a deep exhale. “We tested theory after theory, ran countless simtions. We even experimented with thousands of medicinal ingredients from the global database—nothing worked. Every attempt failed.”

    His thoughts drifted to his recent meeting with the elusive, legendary Jonathan Martel.

    Sometimes, it felt like the universe was ying chess with them. Other times, it felt like it was just cleaning up a mess it had caused itself.

    Actions have consequences.

    He looked down, his voice tinged with quiet regret. “I should’ve seen thising. I got careless.”

    Jules didn’t reply. A cigarette dangled loosely from his fingers, thin wisps of smoke curling around his face, masking whatever emotion stirred beneath. “So… how long will it take?”

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