Will's Villa, Pacific Highlands

Xia Nan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass window, watching the darkness slowly fade away, revealing a white underbelly of the sky in the distance. A new day, yet still one filled with despair. What was happening outside? Had the police found the real murderer? Or did they still suspect her of killing Professor Albert?

Confined in this bleak, sterile villa for five days now, Xia Nan had no idea what was going on in the outside world. There were no computers, TVs, or phones—no devices that could bring news from the outside world. Although Will had allowed her to move freely around the villa after she broke the door lock, it made no difference to Xia Nan. She could be found easily by Will, who had installed surveillance cameras in every room of the villa.

Will had imprisoned her, but treated her very well. He took meticulous care of her, from personal items to clothing. He even surprised her. This tall, strong man was gentle as a lamb in her presence, forever capturing her image with his adoring gaze. He rarely left, only when work matters became urgent would he reluctantly leave the villa.

Will was in love with her. A love that was suffocating for Xia Nan. The more he loved her, the more imprisoned she felt. "I'll never let you leave," "From now on, you're only my woman," Will often whispered such things into her ear.

Last night Will didn't come back, and Xia Nan felt a sense of relief. For three days she hadn't slept well, tightly held in Will's embrace. Every muscle in her body was taut with tension, and she had no room to resist. Nightmares usually woke her up.

In her dreams, she was assaulted at fourteen or fifteen. She struggled, resisted, but no one came to her rescue. Each time, she woke up to her own terrible scream. Each time, Will would hold her tight. Just now, she was awakened by this nightmare again. This time, Will was not there, and she felt empty. This emptiness frightened her. Her heart was yearning for Will's embrace.

It was Will, not Chen Chen! She heard her inner voice very clearly, which drove her mad. She suspected she was suffering from Stockholm syndrome, longing for the man who had assaulted her. She often fantasized about Will's soft tongue, strong body, and the pleasure he brought her. She even believed that Will could help her out of this predicament. This was terrifying. She must leave Will immediately, or she would sink deeper.

Warm tears slid down her cheeks. She could no longer support herself, she leaned against the glass window and slowly slid down, falling to the floor. Her crimson silk robe covered her frail body as she buried her head in her knees and began to sob.

"What's wrong? Woken up by nightmares again?" After an unknown period, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her.

Xia Nan had not noticed Will's entry. His warm, strong embrace soothed her emotions. She lifted her head, saw Will, and instinctively reached out, hugging his neck.

"I brought breakfast back, let's eat first," Will whispered in Xia Nan's ear, and, finishing his sentence, picked her up from the floor and headed to the dining room. His steps were light; this was the first time Xia Nan had initiated a hug.

Two large servings of truffle scrambled eggs, crispy bacon-wrapped beef, a pot of black coffee, even preserved egg and lean meat porridge with fried dough sticks—a mix of Chinese and Western cuisine filled the air with an intoxicating aroma.

"I had Nofi's chefs prepare this; it's a bit hot," Will tasted the preserved egg porridge, "Nofi Pharmaceuticals has quite a few Chinese employees, so the cafeteria hired two Chinese chefs."

"I grew up in San Francisco; I also had Western breakfasts in China," Xia Nan poured herself a cup of coffee, unwilling to accept this kindness, feeling she had been very undignified just now.

"You should stay in the U.S. for your career. If you're willing, Nofi would be delighted to have you," Will wasn't bothered by Xia Nan's cold words. At this moment, he felt ecstatic.

"Don't forget, I'm currently a fugitive," Xia Nan sipped her coffee, lifted her eyes, and asked, "Have the police found the real culprit?"

"No," Will's deep blue eyes shimmered, "It doesn't matter, you'll be free soon."

"What do you mean by that?" Xia Nan looked puzzled.

"The police are running out of options. They will forget about this soon," Will said smugly, laughter lines forming at the corners of his eyes as he stuffed a piece of bacon-wrapped beef into his mouth.

"Is the Super Brainwave getting worse?" Xia Nan stopped sprinkling pepper on her truffle scrambled eggs, turned to Will, and waited for him to continue.

"Yes, it's escalating," Will said, chewing. "The number of infections is increasing geometrically. The police department is also seeing widespread infections, reducing available manpower to 60% of the original force."

"Oh my God!" Shock spread across Xia Nan's lifeless face. Compared to the suffering of humanity, she felt her own pain was trivial. She was no longer bitter, depressed, or even ashamed. Concern for the future of mankind once again occupied her emotions. "Can we only watch as the epidemic continues to worsen?"

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"Not necessarily," Will wiped his mouth with a napkin and took a big gulp of black coffee. "Some media have reported that the source of the outbreak is a leak from Chen Chen's lab."

"What did you say? The Super Brainwave virus leaked from Chen Chen's lab?" Xia Nan's bloodshot eyes widened, and her finely arched eyebrows knitted together.

"I just heard it too. Some media reported that the first case of Super Brainwave was a researcher from Chen Chen's lab. The researcher fell ill right after there was a chemical leak in the lab. I don't think it's a coincidence. The highly secretive pathogen of Super Brainwave might indeed be related to the lab leak." Seeing Xia Nan's strong reaction, Will felt somewhat uneasy. He knew well that it had nothing to do with Chen Chen's lab; he was merely testing Xia Nan, or more precisely, hoping that she would forget Chen Chen sooner.

"That was just regular viral Brainwave," Xia Nan unconsciously raised her voice, laden with noticeable anger. "The timing of the researcher's illness and the lab leak were indeed very close, but the researcher recovered quickly after treatment. It wasn't Super Brainwave! The media not only lack common sense but also professional ethics!"

"You shouldn't get so worked up. He has nothing to do with you anymore. Chen Chen left you here and flew back to China; he doesn't care about your safety at all." Will lost his earlier good mood and paused for a moment to suppress the anger rising in his chest before continuing, "As long as Chen Chen discloses the chemicals used in the lab research and proves they are unrelated to Super Brainwave, you don't need to worry about him."

Xia Nan lowered her head, remaining silent.

The lab led by Chen Chen was researching MTX, the fruits of her and Chen Chen's labor since college. Professor Albert once joked that when a genius neuroscientist and a genius chemist come together, a unique chemical reaction occurs—MTX was their chemical reaction.

"It's as if God is guiding me!" Xia Nan recalled the ecstatic moment when Chen Chen told her about the groundbreaking discovery that magnesium ions have a unique effect on neural network communication.

MTX couldn't be disclosed now; it was too risky. Its potent impact on neural networks could alter the natural evolution of the human brain. While it might significantly enhance brain function, it could have disastrous consequences if misused.

To protect this secret, Chen Chen had implemented very strict lab protocols. The researchers involved only had access to highly diluted MTX. To this day, only she and Chen Chen knew the chemical formula for MTX. She believed that even if it cost Chen Chen his life, he wouldn't hesitate, and neither would she.

Xia Nan looked down and fiddled with the scrambled eggs with black truffles on her plate, breaking them into tiny pieces due to her distraction. She felt increasingly uneasy. Was someone with ulterior motives manipulating the media to pressure Chen Chen into disclosing his research?

"Your most important task now is to protect yourself," Will softened his tone, thinking he had frightened Xia Nan earlier.

"Can you give me a computer?" Xia Nan suddenly lifted her head and looked at Will. This was the first time she had asked him for something, and in some ways, she felt like she was making a concession to him.

She had been confined to this villa, losing contact with the outside world. Her only source of information was Will, and if he didn't tell her, she wouldn't even know that Chen Chen was also in danger.

"A computer? What do you need a computer for?" Will hesitated, puzzled by this sudden request.

"Being cooped up in this airtight house doing nothing, I feel like I'm going insane! I should find something to do. I need a computer to write my paper," Xia Nan pleaded with her eyes.

She looked like a lost bunny in the forest, seeking help from a hunter. Will's softest spot was touched by her gaze. He wanted to make her happy. But this request for a computer was one he couldn't satisfy just yet; he didn't want her to have any contact with the outside world.

"Wait until I come back from my Geneva meeting. I have to leave right after breakfast," Will finished the last sip of his coffee. "Feel free to use anything in this house; it should help you pass the time."

"What about a car? Can I drive out for some fresh air? Just to go out for a bit, buy some feminine products, and come right back. My period is coming soon. You said earlier that the police are too busy to look for me, so it should be safe."

Xia Nan noticed a softening in Will's attitude. She saw through his nature of responding better to tenderness than toughness. As long as she made Will feel that she wanted to stay by his side, he would grant her freedom. Having spent time with Chen Chen, Xia Nan had picked up some knowledge in neuroscience. The human brain was quite easy to manipulate. Once emotions were activated, rationality vanished like smoke. Across the dinner table, she took Will's hand and looked deeply into his eyes, saying, "I love you, Will!"

Will gripped Xia Nan's cool hand as if by reflex. The electrifying sensation surged from the top of his head to the soles of his feet. He believed that Xia Nan could fall in love with him. Whenever they were together, he felt intense chemical reactions in his brain, releasing an unceasing flow of special neurotransmitters—dopamine, norepinephrine, phenethylamine—that filled him with immense pleasure and excitement. He believed Xia Nan felt the same.

"Me too, my love!" With rationality fleeing him, intense emotions erupted. "The second drawer on the left in my study has spare keys for all the cars. You must be careful."

Will stood up, walked over to Xia Nan, bent down, and kissed her forehead. Were it not for the New World Plan, nothing at this moment could pull him away from her.

"I have to go to the airport now. Wait for me to return."

"Could you set up a voiceprint for me to unlock the door?"

"I'll set it up on my phone shortly."

Will's right hand caressed Xia Nan's back. He was incredibly reluctant to leave her. He even considered taking her with him to Geneva. If not for Ulysses' arrangements for the New World Paradise trip prior to Geneva, he believed he would do so. He could take Xia Nan away from the United States, which might be safer for her.

"It's getting late." Xia Nan pointed to the wall clock and walked Will to the door. They hugged goodbye.

Once Will was gone, Xia Nan felt a weight lift off her. She rushed upstairs to grab the car keys. The first thing she did was search for the memory chip in the Ferrari. She had long discovered where Will kept the car keys, but she couldn't enter the garage without voice-controlled access.

She had searched every corner of the villa earlier and hadn't found it. She suspected it might be in the car. However, her meticulous search inside the car came up empty.

Now, she needed to plan her escape. But she would wait until darkness fell; the cover of night was the best disguise, making it less likely she'd be recognized.