Chapter 3. Virus.

After a long slumber, Alex finally awoke, feeling refreshed.

He reached for a golden pocket watch amidst the pile of dirty clothes on his bed and checked the time - it was still around 3 am.

Stretching his body, he rose from the bed and made his way to the bathroom to attend to his needs.

After a while, he emerged from the bathroom and settled into his swing chair, contemplating his plans for the day.

Since his previous visit to EverVital Pharmaceuticals had been unsuccessful, he knew he had to return today.

Alex let out a deep sigh, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes, allowing his mind to relax.

Suddenly, he was jolted awake by a loud banging on his door.

This was unexpected, as he rarely received visitors, especially at such an early hour. He sat up, straining his ears to listen for any further sounds, but after a couple of minutes, the banging ceased.

Curiosity piqued, Alex cautiously approached the door and opened it slowly.

As soon as the door swung open, a putrid odor wafted in from the nearby trash. He instinctively covered his nose with his hands, noting that it was still dark outside.

"Help," a weak voice barely audible, came from beside his door.

Startled, Alex turned his head towards the sound and was surprised to find a wounded woman sitting there.

"What's wrong with you?" Alex asked, bending down slightly towards the woman. As he did so, a familiar scent filled his nostrils - the smell of blood, a scent he had encountered countless times during his military days.

"What's wrong? Are you injured?" he inquired, his senses heightened by the smell of blood.

The woman weakly replied, "Help."

Without hesitation, Alex bent down and exerted effort to drag the woman into his small room.

He switched on the light bulb, illuminating the space, and closed the door behind him.

With the room now bathed in light, Alex could see the woman.

She appeared to be in her late 30s, dressed in a white lab coat adorned with the EverVital Pharmaceuticals logo.

The lab coat was now stained red with blood, which seemed to be flowing from a stab wound in the left corner of her abdomen.

Realizing the severity of the bleeding, Alex knew he had to act quickly.

He turned to search for something that could help stem the blood flow, but just as he was about to leave, he felt a weak hand grasping his own.

Alex was taken aback by the sudden grasp of hands on him. He turned to see the wounded woman, he inquired with concern, "Erm, do you need any help?"

The woman looked at him and weakly muttered, "There is no need for you to try helping." Her feeble hand, which had been clinging to Alex's, opened up to reveal a small folded piece of paper and a flash drive. She spoke again, her voice barely audible, "The people coming after me will arrive soon, so leave now." With that, she handed the folded paper and the flash drive to Alex.

Alex accepted the items, his surprise evident. "What should I do with these?" he asked, perplexed. He understood that he shouldn't attempt to assist her, as she had requested, and he also knew he couldn't save her.

His military training had equipped him to tend to minor injuries, but the woman before him was severely wounded, having lost a significant amount of blood. Alex realized there was no way he could save her.

In a weak voice, the woman replied, "Hand it over to Miss Anna Blackthorns and tell her it's from Doctor White. She will know what to do with it." Her voice faded as she continued, "You have to find a way to deliver it, or the entire world will be endangered. The people after me are ruthless and will stop at nothing to prevent the information on that flash drive from reaching its intended recipient. Remember, the only person you can trust with the contents of the flash drive is Miss Anna Blackthorns." With those final words, the woman's body went limp, lifeless.

Frustrated, Alex exclaimed, "You haven't even told me what is on the flash drive, and what do you mean by the world being in danger?" But there was no response, only silence.

Realizing he wouldn't receive any further answers, Alex sighed heavily and focused his attention on the items the woman had given him.

His instincts told him that whatever was on the flash drive held immense importance, but a part of him still struggled to believe the claims about the world being at risk.

Unfolding the blood-stained paper, he read the few words written on it: "The Youthful Elixir is a virus. The Li family plans to spread it further. You are the only one I trust. Everything you need to know about the virus and how to stop it is on the flash drive. Dr. White."

"Wait, what? The Youthful Elixir is a virus? How is that even possible?" Alex questioned, finding it hard to believe what he had just read. It sounded like something out of a movie.

"Does this mean that the people after her are from the Li family?" Alex pondered. "If that is indeed the truth, then I have to leave immediately." He muttered to himself, grabbing a pair of loose-fitting pants and a shirt. Placing the paper and flash drive in the pocket of the pants, he prepared to leave his room.