"You need to drink." Lucian handed a glass and a pill to Alastair, who had been letting out long, heavy sighs.Although his master didn't complain, Lucian knew Alastair's heart was currently fluttering erratically because the situation was changing so rapidly—and becoming incredibly dire."Damn it!" Alastair took it and drank, staring at Dustin, who was still lying on the stretcher. The boy hadn't woken up yet due to the drug injected during the kidnapping."When will the serum be ready? I refuse to use this body any longer!" Alastair stared at his trembling hands as he handed the glass back to Lucian.The worse the pressure he faced, the worse his body's condition became—and that naturally made him more impatient to obtain the serum Ron promised.The serum Ron produced from Lonan's body in the past wasn't perfect—it could only heal his heart halfway. It did extend his life by a few years, but it wasn't enough.Alastair needed a young, healthy body, not just to simply stay alive.Ron

For a moment, Seth's legs felt weak—believing he was too late.But after forcing his mind to stay clear, his fear faded. Seth's eyes flicked briefly toward the corner of his vision.The system's red numbers were still glowing brightly: [ 10 Minutes 14 Seconds ]."Liar," Seth hissed sharply, taking a slow step forward through the room's tension."You won't kill Dustin. He's the only raw material you have left for your serum."Alastair went silent for a moment. Then his hoarse laughter burst out, echoing across the sterile operating room."It was really hard to fool a Seth Olympus.” Alastair chuckled, looking at his grandson with a dark mixture of hatred and admiration."But I'm very interested. How did you find this hideout so quickly?""I have a highly reliable friend," Seth answered coldly, referring to Chloe without naming her."Finding a dusty old lab you used for your illegal past experiments wasn't a hard task."Alastair's eyes widened slightly, shock flashing across his wrinkled

Seth's eyes were glued to the body on the bed.If earlier he had only felt pity—generally speaking, when seeing someone suffer—Seth now felt as if he had just been dropped from the top of a skyscraper.His body and heart were shattered. It felt as if no part of him was left, everything torn to shreds alongside Dustin's incredibly real agony right in front of him.Seth couldn't cry because his projected body didn't have tears, but every sensation in his body translated into a profound grief.His throat constricted, making it increasingly difficult for Seth to speak, and when he finally managed to open his mouth, his voice sounded incredibly fragile. "What... what actually happened to you, Dustin?"The fluctuating voice from the avatar screen answered again.[I survived after you died, Dad. After Max killed you, I lived for a long time and eventually crossed paths with Olympus.]Seth stared at the screen, then at the frail body on the bed, and finally realized one absolute truth. "This

"And you're still incredibly smart. I'm relieved." Seth couldn't possibly be enraged hearing Chloe's curses; instead, he teased her with a compliment.Chloe scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting. "I don't feel smart at all. The Chloe in your timeline is truly stupid for being so easily seduced by a womanizer like you!"Seth smiled, the first genuine smile he had felt since entering this room. "Any version of Chloe will always be adorable in my eyes."Chloe's face grew even redder, holding back embarrassment and anger. "You lunatic!" She stomped her foot and finally ran out of the room again, slamming the door hard.[She's just embarrassed,] Dustin commented."I know," Seth chuckled softly. He was certainly well-versed in Chloe's behavior. Seth's gaze softened again as he looked at Dustin's screen. "At least you aren't alone now."[Yeah. I'm very grateful to Aunt Chloe. She's still willing to stay near me and take care of my physical body, even though we can only commun

Seth's footsteps echoed softly down the corridor of the maximum-security VVIP psychiatric ward. Per his request, Kael had arranged for Alastair to be admitted to an asylum affiliated with Olympus.There were no issues on that end, so Seth only came to ensure that the old tyrant locked inside wouldn't have the slightest loophole to poison the minds of the people around him.Seth knew firsthand how capable Alastair was at manipulating others. His act of playing a poor, pitiful old man would easily fool people.Just as expected, when Seth reached the garden—where Alastair was, according to the front desk nurse—he saw a familiar sight.Alastair was sitting in a wheelchair, looking at a young nurse with a pleading gaze that seemed incredibly convincing.His wrinkled hands trembled as he held the nurse's wrist. He coughed weakly as if his life were hanging by a thread."Nurse, please..." Alastair's voice sounded hoarse and shaky. "Just five minutes. Let me use the phone at the front desk. I