?<strong>Chapter 749:</strong>


    Verruckt poured the wine into a decanter, his movements as unhurried as ever. After letting it breathe, he filled both sses and handed one to her. His cautious nature made the gesture almost redundant, but it yed into her hands.


    She raised her ss with a smile. “Where Ie from, it’s customary to toast to new beginnings after a close call. Since I prepared this meal, would you honor me with a toast?”


    Verruckt didn’t reply immediately. He lifted his ss and clinked it against hers, the sound clear and resonant.


    “Alice, you have an unusual knack for survival,” Verruckt remarked, his smile as ambiguous as his words. There was an edge to his tone, a blend of amusement and menace.


    He was a man who rarely spared anyone, women least of all. Yet with Allison, he seemed… lenient. Perhaps it was her calm presence, reminiscent of someone he once knew, the subject 001.


    Unfazed by his remark, Allison sipped her wine, swallowing the antidote hidden beneath her tongue.


    Verruckt leaned back in his chair. “Do you know what theb’s working on?”


    He was probing for answers, Allison thought, feigning doubt as she shook her head. “I don’t. Isn’t it some kind of drug research? Those specimens looked… unsettling.”


    Hisughter was low and sharp. “You’re not curious? Not even about what happened that night?”


    She met his gaze with wide-eyed innocence. “Not really. They say curiosity killed the cat, and I’m quite attached to my nine lives.”


    “Sometimes, even when you’d rather not know, you end up finding out,” Verruckt said with a quietugh. He reclined in his chair, bing part of the cold, oppressive vibe of the room.


    “Alice, the Fleeinnd is called Devil Ind. You know why? No one leaves here,” he exined.


    Allison already knew that. As soon as she had walked into the research institute, the staff had made it clear that the secrets kept here were permanent. They were never leaving Fleeinnd.


    “Don’t worry, Mr. Shaw. I won’t speak out of turn,” Allison assured him. “Since the new recruit came to Room No. 9, I’ve known exactly what to do and what to avoid.”


    Her words brought back memories of their first meeting for Verruckt. At that moment, he sent a man straight to Room No. 9, the ughterhouse, without so much as a second thought. But in reality, the darkest corners of theb hid even more terrifying secrets.


    Verruckt chuckled mockingly, saying, “That ce is a true hell for the outcasts. Not just outcasts from here, but from all of humanity.”


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