Chapter 593: The Rats
The next day, Gabi jogged with Aden with a dark look on her face. Who would have thought that last night, she would end up sleeping on the floor? Yes, on the floor! Just as Aden said, the fact that she was next to him didn't bother him at all.
He slept like a log and wasn't even aware that she transferred to the floor.
Truth be told, it wasn't really his fault. It's just that she was uncomfortable lying next to anyone else. She never had a proper lover in the past life and her social skills were close to none. It would be weird if the presence of someone else in her bed wouldn't bother her.
"You see… you should get used to it."
"To you sleeping in my bed?" she hissed.
"No. I mean… if someone gives you a knife, and you used that same knife to stab a person, are you just going to blame the person who gave you the knife?"
"How is that the same? If you were a gentleman…"
"I'm not. And you should keep that in mind." He returned her fiery gaze as he stopped running. "Don't think that the world would stop just because you are uncomfortable." He stood in front of her, his gaze straight on hers. "You are smart. You are good at planning. You speak many languages, you can memorize a book. But in the real world, a bullet could still pierce your head. What's the use of being smart when someone could just kill you like squashing a bug?" He narrowed his eyes. "I didn't ask you to sleep on the floor. You did it on your own. And the way that you blamed me would not help you when you are out there. Stop being childish. When you are out there… people are going to make you uncomfortable. And no one is going to listen to your complaints."
"You are being mean," Gabi said.
"I am just telling you to survive even if you are uncomfortable."
Gabi snorted. "That wasn't you telling me to survive. That's you just making me irritated without any reason whatsoever."
He stared at him in disbelief. "You seriously don't remember?"
"Remember what?" Did she do something?
"I heard you are smart." Realization registered on his face. Then he started mumbling. "Yet… you couldn't remember things… even with the treatment. Then why were you screaming back then?"
"Screaming?" Gabi frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Never mind." Aden suddenly turned around and walked the other way. "I will jog this way."
"Hey… where are you going?"Confused, Gabi followed him. This was honestly confusing. "Hey…." Seeing that he already started running, Gabi hastened her steps until she also started jogging. "What the hell was that about?" Did he do all that because he thought she remembered something? Was he waiting for her to tell him what she recalled? But… what the hell was he talking about?
Did she forget something?
Did she do something wrong?
"Hey…" Seeing that he sprinted, Gabi stopped running and stared at his back in confusion. That man is acting strange since she woke up. Did he assume she remembered something? Shrugging, Gabi started jogging again. This time, she didn't try to catch up to him.
After she finished thirty laps, she immediately went to her room, expecting him to be there, waiting for her. However, the one that was waiting inside her room was Tureis.
"You really don't recall anything?" Tureis asked.
"No. I don't know what you are talking about."
"Ah…" Tureis shrugged. "Too bad."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Gabi asked. This time, everything was really confusing her. She couldn't understand what he was trying to say.
"The nanoparticles… could have different effects on humans. Let me tell you, it affects the rat. This experiment was something that Aden did himself. There were two rats. One of them was exposed to a bad environment while a piece of music was being played. So… every time the rat was exposed to that awful environment, that music would be played around it. Soon the music became traumatic to the rat. The other rat or rat number two didn't experience that. The second rat grew up in a happy environment with food and toys. It was the exact opposite of rat number one."
Tureis continued. "Anyway… the two rats were allowed to procreate. They have lots and lots of descendants. Until one of their descendants was treated with nanoparticles. "
"Rat number one's descendants weren't showing any abnormalities. They didn't show any problems with their bodies. This was the same with the descendants of rat number two. However… " Tureis got up from the chair and looked out from the window. "Aden decided to play the music that was originally used on Rat number one. That same music made all of rat number one's descendant panic."
"They knew about the trauma?" Gabi couldn't help but ask. Rat number one had some trauma that was connected to the music. However, why would its descendant feel the panic when they didn't experience what he experienced back then?
"Yes. They felt it. Aden tested them and he realized that their reaction is exactly the same as the reaction of rat number one every time the music is played."
"They can… recall the trauma?"
"Using genes." Tureis nodded. "And nanoparticles."
"That…."
"Unheard of? Nothing is impossible. Especially when Aden decides to put his head into it."
"So… you are saying that I should have remembered something?" She recalled something, yes. But that was Luca. "I don't understand."
"I don't understand why he was so upset, too. At least I didn't understand it at first."
"Then…"
Tureis shook his head. "I don't have the right to tell you. You should leave now. Prepare yourself for Tartarus."
Seeing the hesitation in her eyes, Tureis added, "Don't worry. Aden isn't someone that would hold any information. He is a lazy person. He hates complications. He would tell you what you needed to know soon."
"But when is soon?"
"When you are strong enough."
"I hate riddles and mysteries," Gabi said after a long stretch of silence. "I don't read those kinds of books."
Tureis only gave her a shrug. "The car is ready. And oh… Aden said something."
"What is it?"
"He said… return alive. He will be waiting." With that, Tureis left her room.
Gabi sat on the edge of the bed, contemplating. Aden assumed that she would remember something. From the story that Tureis told her just now, it's obvious that the nano could trigger some form of reaction that would make someone remember a traumatic experience. However, Aden didn't calculate that Gabi was someone who had much more traumatic experience from her past life.
She nodded.
The reason why she didn't recall whatever it was that he wanted her to remember was that she experienced something more… traumatic than that. It was her and Luca's death.
What could be more traumatic than watching her own son die?
Even she wouldn't be able to answer this.
A sigh left her lips. Soon… she is going to leave the country. Soon… she is going to start a hellish training. All for the sake of changing herself. After this, the election is going to happen and Alfons is going to become a councilman. By then… the true game shall begin.
With this in mind, she took a quick bath, grabbed her things, and went out of the Bobo jewelry store.
Staring at the signage, Gabi paused and thought about the things that happened when while was inside. Who would have thought that this humble store would actually have a huge underground facility that was equipped with everything? From a training facility to an armory to a laboratory.
This place…
How come she didn't know that a place like this existed in her past life?
Just as the car started accelerating, Gabi thought she saw Aden at the corner of the jewelry store, eating some candies. However, when she looked back, he was gone.
Was she hallucinating?
Of course she was.
There was no way that he would stand there and watch her leave.
…..
Aden wasn't angry.
However, he couldn't stop the disappointment in his heart.
He had done everything for this research.
He wanted to find her. Heal her and help her with what she experienced when she was a child.
In the end… he couldn't make her remember anything. He couldn't help her.
In the end, he wasn't able to do anything. In the end, he was really useless.
He stared at the crowd of people before he sighed.
Since when did he start acting like a moody child?
This wasn't something that his mother taught him.
If anything, his mother always told him to be direct. Wasting his time like this isn't going to help him in the long run. If he wanted to do something, do it. Regret it later. Wasting too much time overthinking things is just counterproductive.
Right.
Why would he waste his time like this?
According to his mother, the best way to waste his time is either by eating or sleeping. Thinking and regretting stuff isn't one of them!
.....