Chapter 1467

Although Austin could not see her face, he recognized the crisp sound of her high heels. When he looked up, he saw only a vague outline approaching, radiating a chilling demeanor. Rhea's stilettos clacked sharply against the cold stone floor. Once before him, she slowly squatted, setting down a bottle of water and a piece of bread. Without a word, she studied him from head to toe. When her gaze fell upon the cloth around his injured leg, she laughed.

"I almost forgot you can treat yourself," she said. "Did you manage to get the bullet out?"

Her laughter, echoing in the dark room, sounded strangely depressing.

"I never thought a valedictorian from the world's most famous medical school would do such a vicious thing," Austin retorted.

"All right, not bad," Rhea replied. "Since you can still snap back like this, it means you aren't hungry or thirsty!"

She nodded, unconcerned as she weighed the items in her hands. "It seems I've overstepped. You don't need these!"

Austin stared at the bread and water, swallowing unconsciously. He was starved and dehydrated; survival without water would be difficult. However, he would not beg Rhea for food. The internal conflict raged, but he gritted his teeth and remained silent.

"I see," Rhea said, standing up, slightly surprised. "I didn't expect you to be so stubborn. I underestimated you. Let's see how long you can last!"

After taking a few steps, she paused and looked back. "Oh, right. I almost forgot to tell you. The boss doesn't care about your little experiments; it was a cover-up. Our project is almost ready. By then, you'll see the world change! Oh, no! You might not be able to. Without food and water, you might not live that long. What a pity!"

She pouted and shook her head, feigning sympathy. Despite her apparent pity, she showed no intention of offering him the food; it was merely a performance.

"Rhea Moore!" Austin shouted.

Rhea turned back, smiling. "Are you giving up? Maybe if you beg me, I'll leave a little for you. That way, you might live a few more days."

"Your cousin's poisoning… was it you?" Austin asked, foregoing any plea for food.

Rhea's smile vanished, her eyes narrowing. "That's none of your business!"

The answer spoke volumes.

"So, it was you!" Austin exclaimed. "You're brutal! How could you do that to your own cousin? She's suffered from that poisoning for at least ten years. The poison you've been feeding her tortures her yet keeps her alive. You're evil! People like you shouldn't be allowed to study medicine!"

"What do you know?!" Rhea yelled, her voice sharp. "Sacrifices have to be made for science! Don't we always test our experiments on lab rats? What's the difference between testing it on humans? You're being a hypocrite!"