Chapter 722 - Opponent!
Chapter 722 Opponent!
Sure enough, at the sight of the phone number, Iris’ pupils shrank slightly and fear arose in her again.
She wanted to pick up the phone and switch it off, but before she could touch it, a big well-defined hand took the phone.
Iris’ head whipped up abruptly and she looked at Justin incredulously.
Justin looked at her firmly. His voice was calm and steady, and he seemed capable of protecting Iris from everything in the world. He said, “Let me.”
Iris shook her head.
She was very scared.
Although the Hunts were powerful, they were really no match for globally powerful families that had hundreds—even a thousand-of years of history.
She swallowed. “Justin, forget it.”
Justin could understand her fear and panic. His mother was worried that she would affect the Hunts because of her own affairs, but she didn’t know that he had another identity that was powerful enough to make him fearless.
It was just that due to certain reasons, he couldn’t reveal that identity of his.
He lowered his head and said, “Mom, don’t be scared.”
After saying that, he picked up the cell phone, got up, and answered the call. A deep and pleasant male voice traveled over through the phone: “Iris, you have broken our agreement.”
Nora stood beside Iris.
She held Iris’ shoulders and looked fixedly at Justin.
Justin said into the phone, “From now on, I will be the one to fulfill that agreement.”
The original agreement was that Iris would age and die alone in the suburban villa as punishment. If she couldn’t restrain herself and got close to her son, then Philip would take action against the Hunts and Justin.
When Justin said that he would fulfill the agreement, the man immediately understood what he meant.
Philip sneered, “Heh, that weak little boy from back then has grown up and become independent, hasn’t he? In that case, I’ll teach you how to behave.”
As soon as he said that, Iris panicked. She rushed forward and shouted, “Philip, come right at me if you want! Don’t do anything to the child, you…”
But before she could finish, Philip snapped, “Iris, that’s enough!”
Iris was taken aback.
Philip smiled and said, “Aren’t you just saying that because you’re very sure that I won’t do anything to you? Now that the kid has grown up, you can’t blame me for being nasty anymore!”
He hung up right after saying that.
Iris: “…”
The disconnected tone from the phone resounded in the depths of her heart like the bangs of a drum, making her feel terribly flustered. She swallowed and looked up at Justin, feeling like she had become the sinner of the Hunts.
The most mysterious megacorp was about to take action against her son.
Iris grabbed Justin’s arm. She wanted to say that she would go and apologize to the other party, but when the words reached the tip of her tongue, she couldn’t bring herself to say them-because if she did, then it would be no different from her throwing her own pride onto the ground and trampling on it.
Iris took a deep breath.
Just as she was filled with worry and trepidation, she saw Justin walk around her and look at Nora. He asked, “Nora, are you scared?”
Nora raised her brows. The Hunts had offended the most mysterious megacorp in the world, which sounded pretty exciting. Also, if Justin really lost everything, then wouldn’t Pete’s status as the next head of the family become useless?
But…
She broke into a grin and raised her eyes slightly. “It’s okay, if you go bankrupt, I’ll support you…”
After saying that, she spotted Iris, so the rest of her words did a U-turn in her mouth and she added, “… guys.”
Justin: “?”
He’d originally intended to tell her not to be scared, but he hadn’t expected Nora to say something like that. Suddenly, it made him really feel like going bankrupt for fun.
It seemed like it wasn’t that bad an idea to have a sugar mommy and be kept as a lover?
Ahem.
Iris looked at the two of them, suddenly finding herself speechless.
This must be love.
If she had trusted Philip back then, things would not have come to where they were. Now that she thought about it, so what even if she had to fight to the death with her family back then?
At most, she would have just started all over from scratch.
The woman, who was nearly fifty, was moved by the love between Nora and Justin. This inspired the greatest fighting spirit in her.
She said, “Okay, if we go bankrupt, then… we’ll let Nora support us!”
Justin: “?”
The corners of his lips spasmed. Those who didn’t know better would have thought that Iris was saying that she would support them after he went bankrupt!
He couldn’t reveal his identity, but when he saw that the two women seemed so full of fighting spirit, he got out of his internal struggle. He smiled and said, “Don’t worry, even though I would very much like to sponge off a woman, I’ll refrain from trying that.” He spoke solemnly. “With me around, the Hunts will not go bankrupt.”
Her son’s firm and confident words made Iris’ flustered heart calm down.
To be honest, before she told the truth, she’d still been taking a chance.
She felt that since twenty years had gone by, perhaps Philip had already forgotten her a long time ago, or perhaps he no longer minded. But now that things had reached this point, it was useless to dwell any further on
it.
When she was young, for Justin’s sake, she had suffered so many grievances and wasted twenty years of her youth in this villa.
Now that her son had grown up, it was time for him to support and protect her.
After Iris came to terms with it, she got out of her internal struggle. She suggested, “How about having a meal before you leave?”
“Nah, it’s fine.”
Justin rejected her. Iris nodded and said, “Well, I’m sure you have a lot of arrangements to make. In that case, go ahead!”
Justin exchanged a look with Nora when he heard this.
There were some things that Justin was too embarrassed to say, but Nora understood what he was thinking, so she said, “Well, he does have a lot to do, but the most important thing now is helping you to move out, Iris.”
Iris was a little surprised.
She looked at Justin in disbelief, only to see him nodding at her.
Iris bit her lip. “S-surely there’s no need for that? I’ve already become accustomed to living here.”
“Really?” Nora was a little troubled. “But both of us will be very busy in the future. I was thinking of asking you to take care of the three children at home…”
At the mention of the children, Iris hesitated.
Nora sighed again. “Pete has been with Justin since he was a baby and has mild autism. Cherry also likes her grandmother’s company very much. As for Xander, the situation is even tougher. That boy was raised by Trueman Yale, so he lacks companionship from his family and is very insecure. Sigh! I wonder if Xander will end up straying onto the wrong path in the future…” Convinced, Iris gritted her teeth at once and said, “I’ll come with the two of you!”
Iris was someone whose actions spoke louder than words.
Now that they had agreed on it, she would no longer be afraid. She immediately called Mrs. Landis over to pack her things for her.
Justin held her shoulders, walked to the side, and said softly, “Mom, after you come back, you have to take over the home.”
Iris wanted to refuse, but Justin said with a cold look in his eyes, “Grandma has issues with Nora. Now that Herman is back, she’ll definitely waver again. She has become muddleheaded, I can’t let her control the house anymore. Otherwise, when Nora marries me in the future, the family will definitely be a huge mess.”
Justin sighed. “You don’t understand Nora. The only thing she likes to do is sleep, and she hates troublesome things the most. If she finds out she’ll have to face so much trouble by marrying me, there’s a high chance she won’t marry me anymore.”
Iris: “…”
Her son was being too exaggerated. Nora hadn’t even uttered a single word of rebuttal despite the super huge trouble she had just caused. From that alone, one could see that Nora would never refuse to marry him just because of something as trivial as that.
However, her son was right in saying that she ought to take over the house. This way, when Nora marries into the family, there would be a lot less trouble handing over the family affairs.
Now that she could do something for them, Iris felt that her return was no longer entirely meaningless.
There were almost a hundred pots of orchids in the greenhouse. But with just a phone call from Justin, more than twenty bodyguards walked in one by one and started to move the flowers out.
Seeing them going in and out, Nora slipped over to Justin and remarked, “Pete said that you always bring more than twenty bodyguards with you when you go out. So, it really is true!”
Justin nodded. “Yeah, sometimes I bring more.”
Ever since he was abducted at the age of five and subsequently rescued, Justin always traveled with this many people.
Nora glanced at him silently with a pitying look in her eyes.
Justin thought that she was feeling sorry for him because he had been kidnapped at a young age, but in the end, Nora unexpectedly said something that totally ruined the atmosphere, “Just how scared of dying are
you?!”
“???יי :Justin
The night was so pleasant and the environment also so nice. There was a romantic mood in the air even till the woman had kept quiet, so how come it was ruined the moment she spoke?! The corners of his lips spasmed.
The group eventually separated.
Nora was going to the laboratory to continue her research into Xander’s affairs. For her, no matter how important something was, and no matter how big the Hunts’ fortune was, Xander’s affairs must still be handled first.
Because it would be time for him to be injected with the V15 in another three days.
Nora had been struggling over whether or not to inject it into him.
Would he really die if he was not injected with
it?
Was the gene serum really lethal, or was it more like a drug addiction where one must continuously consume it? She had to study it and find out properly before the deadline.
Besides, since Philip had said that he was going to take action against the Hunts, then it definitely was not going to be something he could accomplish with a few words.
He also needed to make preparations. It would take a few days for things to ferment. Therefore, her main task during these three days would still be to study the V15.
In the hospital.
When Nora arrived at the laboratory, Lily was analyzing the components of V15. Seeing Nora enter, Lily immediately said, “Boss, the serum’s components are indeed not analyzable. It is too complex, I am afraid it will take a few years for us to study it thoroughly.”
Nora was not surprised.
If the gene serum’s formula was that easy to analyze, then Trueman and the others would not have pursued her mother so persistently.
Twenty-five years had already passed, yet Trueman and the others were still putting their hopes of finding clues on her. In that case, this must surely be a herculean task.
To be honest, Nora had already expected the results, but she still couldn’t bring herself to terms with it.
She nodded. “I’ll take over.”
Lily stepped aside and Nora sat down. She held various instruments in her hands and separated the components of the serum, hoping to find clues from it.
Three days later. Nora’s eyes were bloodshot and she had dark circles under her eyes.
After three consecutive days of work without any sleep, she had finally derived the V15 formula, but at the same time, her heart also sank.
It was really a gene-repairing drug and not some kind of narcotic drug.
In other words, Xander must be injected with the drug, otherwise, he would really die.
She took a deep breath.
A while later, she took out her cell phone and called Caleb, who was abroad.
As soon as the call connected, Caleb said, “Nora, I have been waiting for your call.” Nora kept quiet for a while before she asked, “Is it necessary to inject him with the V15?” “Yes, it is.” Caleb said, “If you don’t, the reparation of the previously repaired genes won’t be adequate, and his brain will explode which would surely kill him. I have already looked into it-Xander’s modifications are in his brain genes. If the V15 is not injected at the stipulated time, he will die.”
Nora sighed. “The V15’s formula does not seem very complex.”
“Yes, none of the formulas from V1 to V15 are complex. The most complex one is the V16. In addition, there are a few types of gene serums. Some improve IQ while some improve physical strength. The formulas for V1 to V15 are all different for each type of serum. The only thing they have in common is that they all need the very last V16!”
Upon hearing this, Nora’s pupils shrank.
Caleb sighed. “I’m dying, so I don’t need the V16 anymore. However, every genetically-modified person would need the V16 at the end. Therefore, you should know the importance of the V16 now, right?”
Nora nodded to express that she had understood.
No wonder her mother had said that she must not expose her abilities, lest she ended up being targeted.
It was possible that some of the most outstanding people in the world might just be genetically-modified humans. Additionally, there were so many people that needed the V16 as an antidote.
She suddenly felt even greater pressure.
Such a group of people looking for her, could she really obtain the V16 for Xander?
Also…
If what her mother had left behind was really the formula… If she really produced the V16, thereby removing the last restriction on successful genetic modifications, what would the world turn into?
Would someone deliberately train a group of genetically modified warriors and unify the world?
Or would human beings with genetically modified IQ genes develop at a high speed and deplete the earth’s resources in a dozen years -or perhaps even just a few years?
She dared not imagine such consequences.
But with how things currently were, she didn’t have the leisure to care about such things anymore either.
Nora said, “I see.”
Caleb was silent for a while. Suddenly, he said, “I didn’t expect Xander to also be your son. Don’t worry, I will contact you in time if I find clues regarding the V16.”
Nora had been trying hard to find clues from the things that her mother had left behind, but she still couldn’t find any.
It would be for the best if Caleb could inform her if he found any clues.
Nora replied, “Thanks a lot.”
Caleb kept quiet for a while before he finally said, “You’re welcome.” After hanging up the phone, Nora called Justin.
The phone only rang once before Justin answered. He asked, “How is it?”
Nora was silent for a moment. Finally, she said, “Let’s inject him with it.”
When Justin heard this, he knew at once that the serum was safe and could be injected as-is. But at the same time, the injection would only extend Xander’s lifespan by three months.
If they still couldn’t find the V16 within three months, Xander would still die. He said, “Okay.” Before hanging up, Nora asked, “How is Xander?”
“He was fine the last few days, but he started having a headache when he woke up today. I’ve gotten the family doctor to inject him with an anesthetic, so he is now asleep.” Justin explained Xander’s condition, “I will inject the gene serum into him now.”
“Okay, I’m on my way. Observe all of Xander’s reactions after the injection.”
“Okay.”
Nora left and drove straight to the Hunts.
The car stopped right in front of the villa. When she went upstairs, she saw that Justin had not injected the serum into Xander yet. When he saw her, he explained, “Our medical equipment is constantly observing Xander’s condition, so it won’t cause any delays. I wanted you to see it with your own eyes.”
Nora nodded.
There would probably be physical reactions after the injection. These were all important clues and experimental data, which might play a certain role in Nora’s subsequent research and development of the V16.
This was despite Nora realizing after studying the v15 that she probably would not be able to develop the V16 in just three months with her own abilities.
Her only option now was to look for clues that her mother had left her.
Xander was lying quietly on the bed. She personally injected Xander with the V15. Little by little, the liquid was injected into his body. Xander, who had been under anesthesia, suddenly opened his eyes after the serum was injected.
His eyes were clean and clear as though he hadn’t been affected at all.
He sat up in a daze. He looked at Nora and then at Justin. Then, he rubbed his head.
Justin asked nervously, “Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
Xander shook his head, his big eyes filled with puzzlement. He replied, “I don’t feel any discomfort. It’s just that a Mathematical Olympiad problem that I was discussing with Pete yesterday has suddenly become very simple…”
This was the consequence of taking the IQ improvement gene serum.
It seemed that Xander’s IQ would be the highest in the family in the future.
Nora observed all the numerical data of Xander’s body. In the end, she concluded that everything about Xander’s body was normal.
It was so normal that Nora even wondered if she had been fooled by Trueman.
Had she made the right decision in injecting Xander with the V15 or not?
Then, someone pushed the door open. Pete and Cherry followed behind Iris obediently, and the three came over together. When they saw Xander sitting there, all three of them released a huge pent-up breath.
The two little fellows and Iris’ movements were exactly the same, which gave people a joyful feeling.
Nora and Justin looked at each other and smiled.
However, Nora’s mood became increasingly
heavy.
The more one understood the gene serum, the more they would realize just how amazing it was.
It was too un-human-like.
She sighed silently.
At this moment, they suddenly heard a noise from downstairs.
Justin went downstairs and saw Herman standing there. When Herman saw him, he immediately yelled, “Justin, have you become muddleheaded? How can you let Iris move back here? Do you have any idea how big a disaster she will bring to the Hunts by moving back here?!”
Herman was furious. He pointed to Iris and said, “And you, too. Never mind that you have offended an influential person, but you still have the cheek to come back here now? Will you really only stop after you’ve implicated all the Hunts?! Leave the Hunt Manor at once! Otherwise, the Hunts will really be in huge trouble!”
Iris frowned.
With regard to that, she had no right to speak.
Justin stepped forward and asked, “Where’s the butler? Who let him in?”
The butler was wiping his sweat in silence beside him. No matter what, Herman was still Justin’s father. The bodyguards did not dare to take any real action against him when he forcibly broke in.
The butler didn’t speak. It was instead Herman who shouted angrily, “Do you know that Philip Coleman has already started to take action against the Hunts? I heard that he has been doing a large-scale acquisition of the Hunt Corporation’s shares, our share prices are rising madly right now. A lot of the shareholders have all decided to sell their shares. He has made up his mind to take over the Hunt Corporation!”
Justin calmly replied, “Yeah, I know.”
“You do? Are you sure you do?! With the shares becoming more and more expensive, we will have less and less cash flow to buy back the shares! At the same time, we will also have fewer and fewer shares in our hands. I know you have also been dispatching people to secretly buy them, but how can the Hunts’ cash flow compare to theirs? They have accumulated generations’ worth of riches! No one knows how many trillions of dollars they have! Can you beat them? As far as I know, the Hunts only have a few hundred billion dollars worth of cash flow!”
Herman pointed at him. Then, he lowered his voice and said, “I have also heard another piece of important news—I heard that Philip is a member of the Imperial League. Do you know what the Imperial League is?
“The dozen or so people in there are in control of global economic trends! The Hunts can’t beat them at all! What you are doing is no different from risking the entire Hunt Corporation! Everyone already knows about this and they are all waiting to laugh at the Hunts?! Your uncle’s family are also waiting for you to step down!”
After saying all that, Herman went on anxiously and angrily. “You are my son, so I will definitely have to take your side. Justin, your only option now is to drive Iris out or send her to Philip. Otherwise, you won’t be able to appease his anger! Our family really can’t afford to mess with them! The Imperial League! They are part of the Imperial League, you know!”
Justin frowned when he heard him say the things he shouldn’t be saying, and the look in his eyes turned cold.