Chapter 666:
Back on the island, the children were rewarded with sweets after surviving grueling experiments or brutal training sessions. That was how the lab operated, conditioning loyalty with treats and praise.
Verruckt remembered the first day he was brought to the lab, how terrified and on edge he felt. It was then he encountered subject 001 for the first time. She was just a young girl back then, yet her eyes were as cold and lifeless as the dead, like sheâd already seen the worst of what the world had to offer. Yet, the scientists around her treated her like a cherished pet, ruffling her hair and handing her a handful of candy.
âSweet child, your mother may have abandoned you, but we never will,â they crooned.
Once the researchers left, subject 001 turned her cold eyes on him. Silently, she offered him her candies.
âThey wonât bother you while youâre eating candy,â she said in a low, detached tone.
That was the first thing subject 001 ever said to him, and that was the first peach-flavored candy Verruckt had ever tasted. During the brutal experiments that followed, it was those peach-flavored candies that became his lifeline during the relentless trials that came after. Over the years, whenever he felt on the brink of losing control, he would pop a candy into his mouth to calm his nerves.
He had always thought he was addicted to the candy itself. But after seeing Allison, he realized it wasnât the taste he craved, it was the memory of subject 001.
How ironic, he thought bitterly. The very person who had once been his solace had ended up as his enemy.
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With the boss gone, the atmosphere in the room lifted, and hushed conversations broke out.
âDid you see that? The boss didnât kill the cleaner,â someone whispered.
âOf course not. Mr. Shaw isnât a fool. He knows whoâs right and whoâs wrong,â another chimed in.
âLooks like Alice dodged a bullet today,â someone else added, casting curious glances in her direction.
âTalk about lucky,â one murmured, eyeing Allison up and down. âBut maybe itâs just her looks saving her skin.â
The staff didnât bother hiding their chatter, though none dared to linger where Verruckt had stood moments ago. They quickly scattered back to their duties, each returning to their posts as if nothing had happened.
Allison, however, couldnât shake the uneasy feeling. She frowned, her mind racing, trying to decipher Verrucktâs cryptic actions.
Before long, Jareth returned, his demeanor much more composed than before. He offered a polite smile as he addressed her.
âI apologize, Alice. I imagine this tool room must bring back some unpleasant memories. Allow me to escort you somewhere more suitable.â
He wore the guise of a gentleman, but Allison wasnât fooled. She understood that his words were just a formality. There was no real choice in the matter.
Putting on a gracious smile of her own, she nodded. âThank you, thatâs very considerate of you.â
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