“Watch out!" Gerard's voice cut sharply through the chaos.

With a disdainful sneer, Barth effortlessly dodged a sneak attack, seized the assailant by the collar, and hurled him aside like a ragdoll.

"Gerard, car keys!" Barth yelled, flinging a bunch of keys through the air toward him.

"Let's go," Gerard said, placing his trust in Barth's capable hands.

Clearly, much had transpired during his absence.

As they drove away, Gerard's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.

Back at the small yard, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Lilah's condition had stabilized, thankfully, but Cyrus was in a grave state. He lay motionless, unable to feel his legs, his mind clouded and distant.

“cyrus, I'm Devonte. Can you hear me?" Devonte's voice boomed, desperate to break through the fog enveloping Cyrus.

Beside him, Xavier also raised his voice, trying another tactic.

“cyrus, I drank the wine you hid. Can you hear me clearly?"

Xavier's voice cracked with emotion, his usual carefree demeanor giving way to a heartfelt, raspy tone.

At that moment, Gerard and Miranda were at the door. When they heard Xavier's desperate voice, they quickly rushed over.

“Everyone else, out," Miranda commanded in an icy voice that brooked no argument. When Gerard turned to follow the others out, she added, “Mr. Harris, stay and help."

Xavier hesitated for a moment, but when he met Gerard's gaze, he swallowed his protests. He wiped his tears and left.

Only Cyrus, Miranda and Gerard were left in the huge room.

Miranda asked Gerard to help unbutton Cyrus' shirt. Then she started disinfecting his wounds with iodine.

When she was done, she set about preparing her acupuncture tools.

Shortly after, Gerard was also asked to leave the room.

Everyone stood around, anxiously waiting for news. Occasionally, a few of them would peek through the crack in the door, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't make out any sound.

Nestled in Gerard's arms, Jerrold recounted the events of the last few days. Gerard's brows furrowed, a determined glint in his eyes. He told Jerrold if those bad guys dared to return, he wouldn't wait for Lilah to deal with them; he would take care of them himself.

Three hours later, the door was finally opened again and a fatigued Miranda emerged. The crowd outside the door surged forward, eagerly asking for an update on Cyrus' condition.

Miranda shook her head wearily, her exhaustion evident in her slumped shoulders. "I've done what I can to suppress the toxins but it's a temporary measure. If we don't find an antidote soon, I'm afraid he'll be beyond saving.”

Xavier's jaw clenched, worry written all over his face. “I know a place that has Winter Wood, but I haven't heard back from the people I sent there. We might need to..."