Twin Cities: Who says scientists can't be conquerors?

Chapter 48 Jumping Back and Forth Before the Gates of Hell

After Aaron exposed Singed's deepest secret, he was inevitably momentarily dazed.

He didn't know how this boy, whom the people of Zaun regarded as "the hope of the future," had obtained that information, or how he had figured out his true identity and purpose.

Could it be that all the research and effort I've put into all these years has been carried out under the other party's nose?

How many years has he lived in Zu'an?!

In that instant, even the usually calm Singid had a hysterical thought.

He didn't want to believe that Aaron could know the secret he carried, but he had to admit that what he had just heard was true. A jumble of chaotic thoughts tore through his mind, leaving Singed frozen in place.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly.

Seeing that he was powerless to resist and now exuding a violent aura, Aaron decided to retreat in order to advance.

"You can't kill me!"

Singid was being grabbed by the collar and could barely breathe.

"Because, cough, because if you kill me, you'll really become obsessed with the glimmer of light!"

"You don't want to see yourself become like that."

Singed explained quickly and precisely what Aaron found most objectionable about Hilcor's smuggling of Glimmer—its highly addictive nature.

He had heard Aaron say things like "we must solve the side effect of light addiction" more than once.

Although he hasn’t actually followed through on this in recent years, he has still managed to develop some medications that can alleviate the addiction to light, taking into account various factors.

Now, that thing seems to have become Singed's lifeline.

He stretched out his hand with difficulty and pointed to a tube of pale yellow medicine next to the operating table.

"Look, this is it."

"You can't kill me. What you need now is for my help to slow the effects of the drug and then recover smoothly..."

Click—

"Restored to what state? Go on."

Aaron snapped off Singed's outstretched arm without batting an eye!

He was like someone collecting some cruel interest, and Singed was not allowed to refuse, exhibiting the same destructive urge as those who were normally infused with the glimmer of light.

"Restored to a normal, normal state..."

Singed will now have to endure the same excruciating pain as Aaron did earlier.

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, soaking his entire body. He clenched his teeth and managed to utter the last half of the sentence.

After saying that, Singed "thoughtfully" reminded Aaron:

"You can't see your own eyes right now."

"Your eyes are even redder than before because you gave in to the desires that the glimmer of light brought you, and that caused harm to others."

"You should use that calming agent to cool down, and then... ah!!"

Before Singed could finish speaking, a new wave of excruciating pain suddenly struck, causing him to howl in agony—Aaron had broken off Singed's other arm!

He was nothing like the Aaron that Singed knew; his rationality was on the verge of collapse, replaced by a cold yet fiery impulse.

"You better not be lying to me this time."

After Aaron finished doing all that, panting heavily, he picked up the vial of reagent.

He looked extremely exhausted, as if he were enduring pain far more intense than Singed's.

Clearly, Singid was right.

Although Aaron temporarily harmonized the two completely different drugs in his body thanks to that magical "inspiration".

However, as long as those drugs remain in his body, he will inevitably be affected by them:

The substance known as "Purification Potion Serial Number ⑦" is the same bright green liquid that Urgot used on those armored monsters.

It was trying to kill Aaron's consciousness and then keep his body active to become a suitable "container".

After repeated iterations by Singed, the "Light Potion Type XII," with its already extremely high concentration, continuously stimulated Aaron's mind, making him excited and active, constantly unleashing the potential within his body.

The instinctive "inspiration" merely reconciled the two, preventing Aaron's consciousness and body from becoming excessively depressed or excited.

But this is not a long-term solution.

Aaron now had to do everything in his power to restrain his urge to tear Singed to pieces, lest he fall into an abyss.

At the same time, he also had to believe that the "light-reducing side effect remedy" created by Singed was truly effective, and not a new conspiracy.

Otherwise, the harmonizing power brought by "inspiration" will be exhausted over time.

What awaits him is only endless darkness, completely engulfed by the two drugs within his body...

"It needs to be injected intramuscularly."

Perhaps Singed was genuinely frightened by Aaron.

Or perhaps he already knew that if Aaron completely lost control, the first person he would kill would be himself.

He didn't dare say anything more, but when Aaron picked up the pale yellow syringe, he reminded him of the correct injection method.

Fortunately, the process of mitigating the high concentration of dim light went smoothly.

As the pale yellow liquid in the syringe was emptied, Aaron's swollen body began to slowly shrink back, and the purple lines deep in his skin gradually faded away. Singed, whose arms had been broken, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He was initially overjoyed after discovering Aaron's special abilities, then terrified after being controlled by Aaron. Now, even the secret about his daughter seems to have been completely exposed to the light of day.

It's hard to say that it wasn't a case of "trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead."

Without much thought, he knew his most likely fate: even if he wasn't killed by Aaron, he would be killed by Hilko for attacking Aaron.

But what about my daughter?

Singid was filled with regret for his impulsive actions half an hour earlier.

Now, the only possibility left to satisfy his will to survive seems to be a pipe dream—

After the high concentration of faint light in Aaron's body was mitigated, the fluorescent green drug that had already been activated still remained in Aaron's body.

If Aaron doesn't want to die, it seems that only he, someone who is well-versed in this matter, has a chance to find a way to "detoxify" him.

"Singed".

Aaron's voice called out to him.

His current physique and appearance have quickly returned to normal.

And as if confirming Singed's inner suspicions, the first thing Aaron brought up was about another drug in his body.

"I can tell you that the fluorescent green potion is called Purification Potion Serial Number 7. It's a potion used to create containers for Urgot."

"There probably isn't a corresponding antidote for Zaun at the moment."

"so……"

Singid's face lit up with joy, and he forced himself to continue the conversation despite the pain from his broken arms:

"I do!"

"I mean, I'm willing to produce the corresponding antidote as quickly as possible!"

He looked at Aaron, and for the first time, he showed a pleading expression.

"Please believe me, I have a very deep understanding of that potion, and I can definitely complete the production of the antidote in a short time!"

"As long as... as long as you don't go there and don't bother her."

Singid pursed his lips and finished stating his final conditions.

He had clearly abandoned all his previous schemes—he had originally planned to conduct experiments on Aaron, then take the mentally unstable Aaron and flee far away, completely out of Hillco's sight.

Unfortunately, things didn't turn out that way.

When he saw that Aaron's body and soul did not seem to have collapsed.

When he heard Aaron accurately pinpoint the location of the life support system and reveal that his daughter was "sleeping" inside, he was deeply moved.

Singed already knew he was doomed.

It wasn't physical death, but rather that the shackles of fate had firmly bound him.

Even if he were to breach the contract or run away now.

But where could the life support system that held his last hope, and the girl sleeping in the crystal coffin, go?

So Singed gave up.

He was like an incurable gambler who was willing to accept defeat, and he slid down to his knees quite decisively.

I only ask that Aaron not harm the girl sleeping in the life support system.

"Well……"

Aaron suddenly hesitated.

He released his grip on Singed's collar, then took a few steps back with considerable suspicion, scrutinizing Singed closely.

It's like getting to know each other all over again.

"Are you really going to refuse me for such a trivial condition?!"

Singid panicked.

He was genuinely afraid that Aaron, and even the entire Hillco Group, would launch a systematic retaliation against the life support system where his daughter worked.

Seeing Aaron hesitate, he wished he could create the antidote for that purification potion right now, to show that he had really lost so much that he had nothing left!

"Oh, that's not what I meant."

Singed's fierce reaction surprised Aaron as well.

He then smiled and waved his hand, as if he had returned to being the same cheerful boy he always was.

Singed stared at Aaron.

He saw the other person move their lips twice before finally speaking, as if making a firm decision, uttering words that both worried him more and left him somewhat bewildered—

"How could I bear to take my anger out on Miss Oriana? It's not her fault at all."

"I was just thinking about a question."

Aaron pointed at Singed, his tone a little strange:

"Tell me, how did someone like you get identified as a 'available research assistant'?"