“If it weren’t for her, today would’ve been my wedding! Now it’s a funeral“:
“You’re still siding with that outsider? You’re a damn white–eyed wolf, always turning your elbows outward! I feel sorry for your brother!“&
Seeing my best friend about to argue again with Fransisca, I quickly stopped her, speaking bitterly.
“Today is your brother’s funeral. If he saw his favorite sister fighting with his fiancée, he’d be heartbroken.”
“Your sister in–law is right. You’re family. You shouldn’t be torn apart because of someone like me an outsider.”
After saying that, I ignored my best friend’s protests, bowed deeply in front of Benjamin’s portrait and left.
I knew this place no longer welcomed me.
After leaving the funeral, I wandered aimlessly. I was just about to head home when I got a call from the police.
They said Sebastian had been found. The chimpanzee that had gone missing was also located, dead. But they weren’t sure how the chimpanzee had died.
They said Sebastian was only slightly injured and that his body wasn’t in any serious condition.N
I froze.M
Something felt wrong.
If I remembered correctly, the last time Sebastian called me, he said the chimp was skinning him. I could still hear his painful groans echoing in my ears, how could that be a minor injury?N
That chimp had been vicious. The storeroom was soaked in blood. How could he have come out of it almost unharmed?
And if he was really safe now, why hadn’t he called me?N
Under normal circumstances, Sebastian would’ve contacted me the moment he was out of danger. He’d reassure me, tell me not to cry. say he was okay, that this was really him.N
I politely expressed my doubts to the police.N
They told me that when they found Sebastian, he was in a state of extreme psychological shock, he’d even lost his voice. That’s why he hadn’t reached out.
But their explanation didn’t sit right with me. There were holes everywhere.N
Even if he couldn’t speak, couldn’t he have at least sent a message?N
Why was it the police who informed me first?N
Something didn’t add up.)
I initiated a video call, wanting to see Sebastian with my own eyes.N
When he picked up, I noticed that he avoided eye contact and his posture seemed… off.
He’d been missing for days. Logically, he should’ve been exhausted, hungry. But he looked stronger. Healthier. Taller, even. Was it just my imagination?
My gut told me something was off.
So, I packed a bag, made up an excuse and told Sebastian I had to go on a business trip. I checked into a hotel instead.
! didn’t know why, but even though the chimp was reportedly dead, I couldn’t shake the unease.
I couldn’t act rashly until 1 figured out the truth.
The old Sebastian always smiled at me, teased me, made silly jokes.N
But now… he was silent. Like someone had stolen his soul.N
While staying at the hotel, I took a long vacation and began to dig into the chimpanzee’s background.
Why had he been so smart?
Why had he been docile with everyone else, yet turned into a savage beast when it saw me?
Everything pointed to a larger conspiracy.
After some digging, I learned that the chimp had been part of an experiment before it was captured by my best friend’s institute.
He had likely been injected with a serum that increased intelligence.N
Most of the other chimpanzees in the trial had died. Only this one survived and escaped back to the wild.
But if he was so intelligent… how had he been captured again?
31:10 AM
