Elsewhere.
OGW's secret base. This is a private location built by Rohomes. Hidden in the city, upstairs is a bustling dining and culinary center. No one would have thought that beneath it lay eight levels, serving as a secret base.
Since Athena broke free from Christian's control, Cloud moved her here to recover and bide her time. No one knew about this place, including Christian.
Ever since Cloud vanished from OGW, he disappeared without a trace.
Rohomes sent a new leader, Aldis, to assist Athena.
At this moment, Athena lay on the sofa in the basement living room, adorned in a pink cherry blossom-embroidered pajama. Despite the warmth outside, the underground was damp and chilling, sending shivers to her very core.
New wounds layered upon old ones, her injuries, though healing, could not fully mend.
She massaged her shoulder lightly, the basement's chill making her joints even more uncomfortable. Damn it, all of this was caused by that wretched Joyce, piercing her shoulder blade, and then Luther actually shot at her, exacerbating her previous injuries, making her suffer immensely. She would never forgive him, nor would she spare Joyce.
A light massage couldn't alleviate the pain. Gradually, her addiction resurfaced, convulsions taking over her body uncontrollably.
Gritting her teeth, she knew the dosage was already at its maximum. Since leaving Christian, no one dared to restrict her medication. Unbeknownst to her, she escalated from one shot a day to four, every six hours. But now it seemed even six hours were unbearable as the pain began to strike.
She knew Christian wanted her to quit the painkillers for her own good. She knew that by constantly using medication, the dosage would increase, the addiction would grow, and eventually, she would be ruined. But she couldn't care less. The hatred burning within her was like an unquenchable fire, growing fiercer by the moment. Even in death, she was determined to drag them all down; no one would find peace.
Aldis approached, holding a set of blueprints.
Seeing Athena's pale face and trembling body, he glanced briefly but didn't ask much.
Handing the blueprints to Athena, his voice low, "Miss, our technicians just reported that these blueprints for the electromagnetic pulse device have a flaw in a crucial technical section, making it impossible to construct what we need according to the plans."
Athena sat up abruptly, incredulous. "What do you mean? Are you saying the blueprints are fake?"
Aldis shrugged. "I wouldn't say entirely fake. The blueprints are real, but there's a flaw in the key technical section. We can't surpass this part of the technology."
"Are you suggesting that Cloud gave us faulty blueprints in exchange for his freedom?" Athena's gaze turned cold. If that were the case, Cloud had betrayed her, which was utterly despicable.
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