Chapter 157: Finding Him

Suddenly, a man’s pained grunt reached Raylee’s ears, startling her. “There’s someone here,” she whispered. “Ray… Kay… Kay…” The man’s voice echoed out in fits and starts.

Following the direction of the sound, Raylee looked over, only to see a dark, unidentifiable figure huddled in the corner of the opposite wall. She examined the figure, and under the dim light, a familiar face suddenly caught her eye.

“Jeremiah? Is that you? Is it really you?” Raylee exclaimed in joy and surprise.

At that moment, Jeremiah’s face was as pale as a ghost, his eyes red-rimmed. He held up his hands stiffly as he trembled uncontrollably. Sweat drenched his hair and face. His mouth opened and closed, pain causing him to grimace, preventing him from uttering a single coherent sentence. The once invincible Jeremiah had now been reduced to a pathetic figure.

Upon seeing his condition, Raylee immediately asked, “Are you on drugs? Are you having withdrawals?”

Unable to respond, Jeremiah distressingly began banging his head against the wall. Upon impact, a bloody gash was left on his forehead. Blood trickled down from his temple, instantly transforming him into a figure drenched in a crimson hue.

Watching this startling and horrifying scene, Raylee felt somewhat at a loss. Seeing that Jeremiah was about to bang his head against the wall again, she had a sudden idea and took out the painkillers Percival had given her. In total, there were two, both of which ended up in Jeremiah’s mouth. Desperate circumstances called for desperate measures. This was better than just watching him suffer while trying to kill himself. There was no time to consider any potential side effects.

Following that, a remarkable event unfolded. After taking the medicine, Jeremiah began to recover at a gradual pace. The tension in his hand gradually eased, his body ceased to tremble, and his pupils slowly regained their focus. Raylee found it incredibly fascinating. “What kind of miracle drug has Percival given me?” she thought. “I remember him developing it independently in his own lab. That’s really impressive.” She couldn’t help but feel moved by the thought.

“Jeremiah, how are you doing?” she asked anxiously.

After recovering slightly, Jeremiah’s first reaction was to glare at her intensely, and he cursed, “What are you doing here? I told you not to come! Do you even know where you are? You were safe and sound, why insist on getting yourself killed?”

“I came to rescue you, but not only do you not thank me, you’re scolding me?” Raylee retorted. “You’re so heartless!”

With a stern expression, Jeremiah roared, “Who asked you to save me? You’re acting like a lunatic. You’ve faced life-and-death situations before, so why aren’t you valuing your life?”

“I don’t value my life!” Raylee, struggling to suppress her urge to hit him, thundered. “They ordered me to pick you up. If I hadn’t shown up, Layla would have had my head. Did I even have a choice? Either way, I am doomed.”

“Then I’d rather you met your end at Layla’s hands. Even death is a luxury here!” Jeremiah’s voice was thick with anger.

“Why are you suddenly so concerned about my survival?” Raylee asked him sarcastically. “Weren’t you trying to kill me before? If it wasn’t for sheer luck, I would have died at your hands long ago. I bet you would have even kept my organs as souvenirs!”

“Yes, I did want to end your life, as the evidence was leaked by you. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here, tormented like an animal. I just can’t wait to strangle you!”

Jeremiah clenched his teeth tightly, reaching out to grasp Raylee’s neck. Anger coursed through every vein in his body, wishing he could strangle her to death. Raylee didn’t resist; her eyes radiated a despair akin to someone resigned to their fate. Jeremiah was right when he said that in a place like that, even death was a luxury. Rather than enduring inhumane torment, it would have been more merciful to be strangled to death by Jeremiah. Raylee looked so frail and weak that Jeremiah felt he could snap her neck with just a slight exertion of force.

Watching her remain silent without showing any resistance, he felt an inexplicable sense of irritation. In the end, he let her go.

Having narrowly escaped death, Raylee clutched her throat, gulping in the damp, putrid air. “Why didn’t you kill me? What’s wrong, can’t bear to see me dead?” she asked in a hoarse voice.

With a pair of fiery red eyes, Jeremiah sneered, “Do you think you won’t die just because I don’t kill you? Falling into their hands will only result in a worse fate for you. You surely haven’t forgotten your days in District Nine Prison, have you? Now that you’re here, you might as well continue living in that hell!”

Raylee, clutching her painful throat, didn’t argue with him. Instead, she quietly watched him. “I don’t think this is the time for arguing amongst ourselves,” she said. “Our main focus should be figuring out a way to leave this place. What do you think, Mr. Lorimer?”