"But what?"

"That night, a big fire broke out. The maid was burned to death, and you were seriously injured. That delayed things."

Bradley pinched the bridge of his nose.

He remembered that after Freya saved him on the mountain that day, Shadow One had already come over.

When he returned from the mountain that day, he did indeed go to the swimming pool.

That night, the villa caught fire, and except for Frederick and himself, no one survived in the entire villa.

"Why didn't you report it afterward?"

Bradley's face looked somewhat unpleasant, recalling that period of time gave him a headache.

"After you were injured, I was recalled to the organization and never found the opportunity."

All night long, Shadow One had been thinking of solutions, one that could both save her brother and dispel Bradley's suspicions.

She thought of the maids in the villa.

Since they were all dead, she could push all the blame onto them. Even if Bradley wanted to investigate, he wouldn't find anything.

"I didn't expect Madam to discover those photos and get angry with you. This was my fault from the beginning. If you feel that I am at fault, I, Shadow One, willingly accept the punishment."

She bowed deeply, her expression extremely sincere.

"You can leave."

Bradley waved his hand.

"But, Mr. Bradley, you..."

"This matter is not to be mentioned again in the future. Leave!"

Bradley's tone was very cold, and his black eyes were filled with swirling ink.

"Yes."

Shadow One didn't dare to stay longer and left the study.

Passing by Freya's door, she squinted her eyes, a smug curve appearing at the corner of her mouth!

…

Early the next morning.

Freya arrived at the entrance of the woods on time and set off the signal flare.

True to his word, Shadow Specter arrived ten minutes later.

Like the previous night, he was clad in a lengthy black robe that trailed along the ground, like a child playing dress-up in adult clothes.

During the darkness of previous night, Freya had only glimpsed his appearance vaguely.

Now, upon closer inspection, she was startled.

His eyes were swollen, his complexion pallid and sickly, and his lips parched and lacking color.

"You don't seem well. Did you not get any sleep last night?"

"Yeah, my leg was acting up, and I was in agony all night."

Standing there, Shadow Specter's legs trembled.

He had endured intense pain and sleeplessness throughout the night, feeling as if death were imminent.

He had been eagerly awaiting daybreak, hoping that Lexi would come to his aid and relieve him of the torment of his ailment.

Fortunately, the signal flare had sounded!

"Lead me to your place first, and I'll assess your condition."

"Follow me."

With these words, Shadow Specter limped towards the woods.

Freya surveyed her surroundings carefully. The area was tranquil, with birdsong filling the air.

The scent of nature pervaded the atmosphere, evoking memories of Hayden Barnes' forest dwelling.

Thinking of Hayden, she felt a twinge of sadness in her heart.

"This is where I live."

Shadow Specter stopped in front of a bamboo hut and indicated, "I've placed bombs all around here. Be careful of the hay underfoot."

Freya surveyed the surroundings and affirmed, "No worries, even if I were determined to advance, your bombs wouldn't hinder me."

They entered the house.

Inside, chaos reigned; tables and chairs lay overturned, and debris littered the floor.

Even the walls showed signs of blood.

"Last night, during an attack, I messed up the place. Find a spot to sit."

With that, Shadow Specter hobbled into the kitchen. He returned with a cup of water.

"Don't rush. Sit down, and let me examine you."

She could see that his leg injury was very serious. If he was not treated in time, he might not be able to save his legs.

Shadow Specter laid on the bed. Freya furrowed her brows when she took his pulse.

The pulse was agitated, with a strange energy running around.

And this breath was very familiar.

She inquired, "Have you taken any medication or… been injected with anything?"

"Just painkillers, which didn't work after a while. And injections..."

After some thought, Shadow Specter recalled, "Yes, at the Duke's palace, I received painkiller injections."

"These initially effective drugs eventually worsened my temper and leg ailment, so I stopped them.

Hearing this, Freya narrowed her eyes.

What he thought were painkillers were actually a new poison!

Deceived by Ian, he was injected with poison without knowing it.

"The so-called painkiller injections were traps."

Freya disclosed. "They're a new poison. Initially, it will make the person feel excited, But if the dose is too high, he will start to feel irritable, even out of control and bloodthirsty, and finally turn into a wild beast controlled by people."

"What?"

His eyes widened.

"Ian Logan deceived you, using poison to control you, making you his experiment."

The worsening leg ailment was likely a poison side effect.

Luckily, his ailment flared up; else, he'd be Ian's puppet.

"No wonder I felt so irritable and wanted to smash things and kill people during that time. Apparently, they injected something into me!" His fists clenched in anger.

"Yes, and your leg ailment actually saved you!"

"Can you cure me?"

He was fed up after years of torment by this illness.

"I'll try acupuncture. Now, lie down."

Freya took out the needle bag and began to give him acupuncture.

Shadow Specter's leg disease was caused by the sequelae of a serious injury in the past, and later became so serious because of the influence of the poison.

However, as long as the meridians were unblocked, it was still curable.

While giving acupuncture, Shadow Specter asked, "May I ask, how do you know that Ian Logan injected me with poison?"

"My husband is also a victim."

Recalling Bradley's illness, Freya still harbored lingering anxieties.

Fortunately, discovering her master's medical book gave her the assurance she needed to treat him; otherwise, she would have lacked the confidence.

"Was he also poisoned by Ian Logan?"

"Yes."

At the mere mention of his name, Freya's gaze turned deadly.

"I remained devoted to him, even took in his two sons as students and instructed them in explosive techniques. I never imagined he'd harbor ill intentions towards me. If it weren't for my leg ailment immobilizing me, his poison would have likely been my end."

Shadow Specter clenched his fists tightly.

"Don't get too agitated, and don't exert yourself. It'll affect the effectiveness of the acupuncture."

Seeing his veins bulging with anger, Freya warned him.

Only then did Shadow Specter relax his grip.

When the silver needles were inserted into the acupuncture points, he felt sleepy and quickly closed his eyes and slowly fell asleep.

After the acupuncture was done, she stood up and looked around.