Chapter 1684

Black blood flowed from Edmund's mouth as he offered a chilling smile of mixed emotions. His body went limp; Alexander caught him before he slumped to the floor. "Edmund!"

Lily was shocked. She hadn't expected such a sudden suicide attempt. "Why?!"

He raised a finger, gazing at Lily. "I would have succeeded," he said haltingly, "if I'd taken one more step!"

Lily's gaze hardened. "Your goal wasn't just to destroy potential cures, but to crush hope, to make people believe the disease was incurable, right?"

Edmund gave her a strange look, his lips moving as if to speak, but the poison acted swiftly. His body stiffened; his head lolled to the side before he could utter another word. "He's dead," Alexander stated, after checking for a breath.

The others were stunned. Lily stared at Edmund, then at Dr. Blanc. "He…"

"I'll take care of it," Dr. Blanc said, his brow furrowed. "All I want is confirmation of something."

Lily understood. "Rest assured," she said, "we've developed a herbal cure. I guarantee its efficacy. And for convenience, it's in pill form."

"Are you certain there will be no problems?" Dr. Blanc asked, though he'd seen the results and discussed Lily's medicine with senior practitioners. He believed it would work, but the stakes were too high for even the slightest error.

"I vouch for it with my life!" Lily declared, tapping her head.

Dr. Blanc nodded, then summoned someone to remove Edmund's body. Turning back to Lily, he said, "You two have been through a lot these past few days. Get some rest."

Lily nodded, watching him leave. Before she could turn, Alexander embraced her from behind, his breath warm against her ear. Despite not being newlyweds, the disease and his treatment had prevented such intimacy.

Lily stiffened. "Cut that out! Remember where we are. You're okay now, but I can't guarantee I'm virus-free," she said, half-threateningly, yet serious. Even with a cure and Alexander's recovery, a second infection remained a possibility with this novel virus.