NOVEL NEXT Chapter 124: Conversation with Emma
Ethan's real-life background was very ordinary. He grew up in an orphanage, never broke the law, and after graduating from college, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and has been in treatment ever since.
After reading Ethan's file, Lila frowned deeply and kept muttering to herself:
"This doesn't make sense. The feeling I get from Ethan doesn't match the file at all.
"He's crucial."
Lion, who had already woken up, threw his file aside in annoyance and said to Lila:
"You shouldn't have used that wisp of [Calamity Aura] to power up my weapon. We needed to study it, only then..."
Before he could finish, Lila shot him a cold look.
Lion shut his mouth and let out a helpless sigh.
He knew there hadn't been any other choice at the time.
Not to mention the Faceless Department in Dolren City— even the Faceless Departments in core cities can barely get a single wisp of [Calamity Aura].
Lion knew Lila was trying to boost their strength so they could handle whatever danger might come next.
Still, his own strength was too weak. Otherwise, [Space Wolf], [Iron Controller], and the people from [Prism] wouldn't have escaped.
Clenching his fists, Lion stood up and said to Lila: "Sorry, I'm on edge right now. Leave Ethan, Emma, and Dr. Axel's matters to you.
"I'm going to the training room."
With that, he left without looking back.
Lila stared at the file in her hand for a long time before finally getting up and leaving the office.
Because members of [Black Sea] attacked the Faceless Department and caused some equipment in the base to malfunction, she decided to temporarily lock test subject Jake in the underground lab of Veritas Snow Group and assign guards to watch him.
Also, Veritas Snow Group can continue its research on the Ice Virus, but every experiment must be carried out under the supervision of the Faceless Department.
And she would also assign people to keep an eye on Ethan.
…
Dolren City, on the overpass near the oncology hospital.
Ethan sat in the front passenger seat, quietly watching the falling snow outside the window.
White snowflakes landed on the glass and melted at once, turning into drops that slid down.
They were stuck on the overpass.
Leo held the steering wheel, a bit helpless, and said:
"Sigh, Deputy Captain Lila has banned me from all missions. I guess I'm on leave now. If you're free, I'll come by your place more often."
Ethan nodded. He knew the short-haired woman named Lila suspected him a lot and thought he was hiding something.
He really wanted to say he was dragged into this mess, too.
Just then, Lucas in the back seat looked at his sister, then at Ethan, and asked:
"Are we going to your place later?"
Emma didn't say anything.
Ethan paused. After what happened today, Lucas probably felt safer staying with him.
Dr. Axel, also in the back, looked at the ads outside and said: "Let's go. I want to check the hospital now.
"Let's put the research on hold for now."
Silence fell. No one spoke. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts.
Suddenly, Lucas broke the silence. He pulled his clothes tighter and said: "Driver, can you turn up the heat? I feel so cold."
Leo took a deep breath and replied: "I'm not your driver. The department arranged a car to take you back. You insisted on getting in mine!
"And are you just too weak? I don't feel cold at all."
He still reached out and adjusted the air conditioning, turning the temperature up.
Ethan glanced at the rearview mirror and saw Lucas, sitting next to Emma, trembling a little.
Emma didn't react at all.
As for Dr. Axel, with Lucas sitting between him and Emma, he didn't seem cold either.
Ethan frowned without thinking. He noticed the snowflakes on the window next to Emma were melting much more slowly.
Just as he was about to take a closer look, the car suddenly started and sped forward.
Some flakes landed on the window, but the wind outside blew them away quickly.
...
Hospital, inside the patient room.
Dr. Axel didn't go to his office. He sat on the couch in Ethan's hospital room.
Leo, Lucas, and Emma were there too.
Ethan glanced at the bathroom. The fake cop's body was still there—he hadn't had time to deal with it.
He had planned to send Lucas, Emma, and Dr. Axel away, but before he could say anything, the three of them followed him into the room.
Lucas looked at Ethan and said: "Bro, thank you so much for today. Without you, I'd be dead!"
"This is my contact info. If anything happens in the future, just tell me. I can definitely help you!"
He said it very seriously. Worried Ethan might not believe him, he added:
"I can help you with stuff in the world of Dawnfall Online too. Even if I can't, my big bro [Windchaser] can for sure!"
"Those men in black might've been called in by my big bro [Windchaser]!"
Leo slowly turned his head and looked at Ethan.
He knew [Windchaser] was Ethan.
Ethan gave Leo a helpless look. He still hadn't decided whether to tell Lucas he was [Windchaser].
Just then, Emma suddenly said: "Mr. Ethan, could I talk to you about something?"
Ethan froze for a second, then nodded. He walked over to Leo first and whispered a few words.
Leo was stunned, then patted Ethan on the shoulder.
Emma stood up and said to Dr. Axel: "Doctor, may I borrow your office for a bit?"
Axel nodded and led Ethan and Emma to his office.
After the three of them left, Lucas stood up and headed for the bathroom in the room.
Leo quickly said: "Wait. Ethan's a bit particular about cleanliness. He doesn't like using a bathroom after someone else. Better use the one outside."
Lucas paused, scratched his head, and said: "I just want to wash my face and wake up a bit."
Leo shook his head. "Still, go outside. I've known Ethan a long time. Even I can't use his bathroom, or he gets upset."
Lucas had no choice but to head out of the room.
In Dr. Axel's office, he was about to leave, but Emma stopped him.
Emma took a deep breath and said to Ethan:
"Mr. Ethan, you must have a supernatural ability like they do, right?
"I remember the first time I saw you, you looked like you'd just had surgery. But today, you were able to take down a guard by yourself."
"How did you get so strong in such a short time?"
Dr. Axel also stared at Ethan, puzzled. As Ethan's attending doctor, he knew Ethan's condition very well.
Because Ethan's brain tumor was growing unusually fast, he should be much weaker than a normal person now—if not stuck in bed.
Under Dr. Axel's and Emma's doubtful looks, Ethan replied calmly:
"I'm just a normal person."
He wasn't wrong. Back at the Faceless Department, Lila ran all kinds of tests on him and confirmed he was just a normal person—just at the peak of human ability.
Otherwise, Lila would never have let him go so easily.
Ethan looked at Dr. Axel and Emma. He knew these two smart people wouldn't believe him that easily.
After thinking for a moment, he said calmly: "Do you know Dawnfall Online?"
Emma blinked, puzzled. She knew her younger brother had been obsessed with Dawnfall Online and had even taken someone called [Windchaser] as his "big bro."
To her, that was just him wasting time.
Thinking of Lucas gave her a bit of a headache. She let out a small sigh and asked: "Mr. Ethan, are you saying your sudden strength has something to do with Dawnfall Online?"
"Can Dawnfall Online make someone stronger in real life?"
Ethan nodded.
Emma quickly pushed back. "Lucas has been playing Dawnfall Online this whole time. He doesn't seem any different."
Ethan gave a helpless explanation and shared a little about the potions from Dawnfall Online.
He could already tell that, in some ways, Emma was the same type of person as him.
After everything that happened today, she would definitely try to study the supernatural.
And Ethan needed a partner too. Some things should be handled by professionals.
In Ethan's eyes, Dr. Axel and Emma were the best people to help him make the potions from the world of Dawnfall Online.
Besides, he still needed Dr. Axel to keep working on a treatment for him.
After a while, once Emma finished listening to Ethan's explanation, her mouth fell open in shock.
A potion from a virtual game world could actually be made in real life—and even boost a human body?
And the talents from Dawnfall Online could show up in the real world too?