Despair and Hope
Such a defiant gaze seemed to rile a burly Black man, who abruptly stood up and took a step forward.
"Being too beautiful has become your burden," Aiden said casually, as if he had anticipated this. He pulled his cap down low and approached the man.
"Watson, don't scare people with your belly. Sit down. I just replaced these tables and chairs," Weasel hurriedly interjected, and the man, Watson, halted, clearly respecting Weasel's wishes.
Relieved at the averted crisis, Weasel said, "They're waiting for you inside, kid. You know bringing her wasn't the best idea. Cats with claws like Vanessa's are one of a kind."
Weasel smirked at Aiden and gestured to a spot on the right.
With a grunt, Aiden's icy gaze swept over Watson and he continued on with Nicole. Behind them, Weasel's whistle followed, "Psst, beauty, make sure someone accompanies you to the restroom. It's unlikely you'll walk out of our 'House of Bad Kids' unscathed."
A chorus of laughter erupted.
Nicole cast a similarly pitying look back at Weasel without missing a step, then turned to catch up with Aiden.
"Wow, she's got spirit. Shame about that pretty face. Could this dame be a merc too?" Weasel's eyes rolled, seeing a reflection of Aiden in Nicole. After all, it was rare to see a woman so unfazed in such a dangerous setting.
"Wow, look who's here," Wade greeted them, his face pale and bloodless, as he swung the door open before Aiden could knock. His eyes instantly locked on the woman beside Aiden, blinking hard before turning to Aiden with a lecherous grin, "So, this is your type, huh? Tell me, gorgeous, does he satisfy you?"
"Wade!" Vanessa's voice scolded from behind, followed by an apologetic tone, "I'm so sorry. You all know about his condition; his mood is very unstable right now, it's not really him speaking."
"Wade's" emotional state was indeed volatile. He was wasting away day by day, struggling in pain and despair, feeling death drawing closer. The more he cherished his beloved Vanessa, the less he wanted to leave her. Wade was not like Aiden, who knew he wouldn't die and would become a significant figure in the future.
"You know what they say, never piss off the chef serving your food. You never know what he'll put in it." Aiden wouldn't take offense with someone suffering from terminal cancer, aware of Wade's current state.
"She's my assistant, Nicole Norton. You can call her Ms. Norton." Once seated, Aiden briefly introduced Nicole, continuing, "If you agree to this treatment plan, you'll be seeing her every day. You wouldn't want to anger the only person who will be taking care of you."
"Treatment plan? Kid, spill it all. I want to hear how you plan to con us." Wade was clearly reluctant to be there, but Vanessa's persistence left him no choice but to let her make the decisions. The girlfriend who stood by him was the person Wade loved the most and owed the most. So he waited for Aiden to slip up.
"I must be upfront; my treatment plan involves a risk of death," Aiden said matter-of-factly.
"Pfft," Wade snorted disdainfully, "Take a good look at me. I'm a man marching toward death. Your words hold no threat to me; I'm already in the late stages of cancer! Give me something intense, don't beat around the bush."
"If you have no objections to this, there are a few more things you need to understand," Aiden nodded, acknowledging that Wade was, in a sense, already a "dead man," at least according to modern medicine.
"I have only one way to keep you alive. That's to turn you into a mutant," Aiden stated, sipping his orange juice.
"A mutant?" Vanessa looked at Aiden in surprise before turning to Wade.
"Can you give me some genuinely frightening news? Mutant, ordinary person—they're the same in my eyes: 'living people.'" Wade looked at Vanessa, seeing the same resolve in her eyes.
Clearly, compared to death, becoming one of the reviled races in society was not unacceptable to this couple.
"Mutant genes are innate, and perhaps we all carry them, hidden within our DNA. Some have mutated and transformed; others remain, still considering themselves ordinary people. In fact, mutation is the irreversible direction and trend of future humanity."
"Wah-wah-wah," Wade mumbled, resting his head on his hand, clearly annoying the attentive Vanessa, who elbowed him sharply.
"Right now, you're undoubtedly an ordinary person. If we must activate the potential mutant genes within you, it will require a very violent process," Aiden refocused on the topic at hand.
"What kind of violence?" Vanessa asked, worry etched on her face.
"I need him in a state of extreme anxiety."
"Ha, that's my daily routine," Wade looked up at Aiden, half-joking.
"I need the potential in your body to be stimulated repeatedly. I need you to walk the edge of death over and over. And the method won't be a clean, swift cut. It will be a torment through pain and despair. In other words, I'll use inhumane, cruel methods to torture you, each more painful than the last, until you either trigger your body's potential and unleash your mutant genes to survive or until you're truly dead from the torment," Aiden explained, each word chilling, startling not only Vanessa but also Nicole, who frowned deeply, unprepared for such extreme measures.
Wade stared dumbfounded at Aiden, finally uttering a single word, "Wow!"
Then, standing abruptly, Wade locked eyes with Aiden, "So you just want to torture me? Isn't my current state pitiable enough, and you want to add more pain?"
"So, as I said in the first sentence when we sat down for this formal conversation, there is a chance of death. Think it over," Aiden stood as well, turning to Vanessa, "Give me your decision within three days, or the offer expires."
Aiden left the room with a contemplative Nicole, leaving behind a bewildered Vanessa and Wade with a "you must be an idiot" expression.
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