?<strong>Chapter 666:</strong>


    Back on the ind, the children were rewarded with sweets after surviving grueling experiments or brutal training sessions. That was how theb operated, conditioning loyalty with treats and praise.


    Verruckt remembered the first day he was brought to theb, 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 she’d 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.


    “Sweet child, your mother may have abandoned you, but we never will,” they crooned.


    Once the researchers left, subject 001 turned her cold eyes on him. Silently, she offered him her candies.


    “They won’t bother you while you’re eating candy,” she said in a low, detached tone.


    That was the first thing subject 001 ever said to him, and that was the first peach-vored candy Verruckt had ever tasted. During the brutal experiments that followed, it was those peach-vored 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 wasn’t the taste he craved, it was the memory of subject 001.


    How ironic, he thought bitterly. The very person who had once been his sce 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.


    “Did you see that? The boss didn’t kill the cleaner,” someone whispered.


    “Of course not. Mr. Shaw isn’t a fool. He knows who’s right and who’s wrong,” another chimed in.


    “Looks like Alice dodged a bullet today,” someone else added, casting curious nces in her direction.


    “Talk about lucky,” one murmured, eyeing Allison up and down. “But maybe it’s just her looks saving her skin.”


    The staff didn’t 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, couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling. She frowned, her mind racing, trying to decipher Verruckt’s cryptic actions.


    Before long, Jareth returned, his demeanor much moreposed than before. He offered a polite smile as he addressed her.


    “I apologize, Alice. I imagine this tool room must bring back some unpleasant memories. Allow me to escort you somewhere more suitable.”


    He wore the guise of a gentleman, but Allison wasn’t 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. “Thank you, that’s very considerate of you.”


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