"You! What you're doing is illegal!"

Xu Fan said and, without looking back, walked towards the office's main entrance, unaffected by the Pharmacist's current reproach.

After leaving the office and locking the door, Xu Fan leaned against the wall outside, squinting his eyes toward the entrance.

In his right pupil, a glimmer of gold faintly lit up, and the wall obstructing his view gradually became transparent. Soon, the situation inside the office fell into his view.

Finding out that they had foolishly drunk the lethal poison, thanks to Xu Fan's deception just moments ago, both Old Xu and the Pharmacist's complexions were particularly unsightly.

With the main door now blocked by Xu Fan, both of them couldn't escape from the sealed office. The Pharmacist, with a face as if in mourning, began frantically clawing at his throat.

He was desperately trying to throw up every last drop of the deadly Bi Hai Qing.

Although Old Xu's complexion was off, it was still better than the Pharmacist's.

He sat motionless on the chair, like a statue, lost in thought for quite some time before standing up with determination.

Bi Hai Qing had begun to take effect, turning his face pale. He endured the discomfort in his body and began to scan his surroundings.

Not until he was sure no one could see into the room did he glance at the Pharmacist, who was busy dry heaving, and then quietly approached the tea table.

The ingredients Xu Fan used to concoct the Bi Hai Qing were all laid out on the table; Old Xu looked at them closely, his lips moving slightly.

He furrowed his brows, appearing to recall the dosages Xu Fan had used.

After a long moment of deep frowning, Old Xu finally let out a sigh of relief.

The relieved expression was fleeting, and soon, Old Xu's countenance returned to one of anxiety.

"Brother, stop clawing at your throat. If you keep at it, you'll die of vomiting before the poison takes effect," he said.

Old Xu approached the Pharmacist and patted his shoulder, trying to offer some comfort.

"Get lost!"

Having been accidentally caught in the crossfire because of this fat man, the Pharmacist was far from amiable. He glared fiercely at Old Xu, then started screaming for help.

But with the staff earlier evacuated and the office's effective soundproofing, his cries for help were futile.

"Ah, why put yourself through this trouble?"

Once the Pharmacist's voice had turned hoarse from shouting, Old Xu sighed and said, "The only way out for us now is to come clean."

"Otherwise, even if we make it out of here today, that boss is likely not going to let us off the hook."

"Then why don't you confess? It was you who changed the prescription! I'm innocent!"

Never before so close to death, the Pharmacist was scared out of his wits. Confess? What was there for him to confess?

He was completely innocent!

"Look here, little brother, we've been arguing for so long, haven't you had enough?"

"In my view, it's likely someone else's doing this time, and we just got dragged into it," Old Xu shrugged and continued: "Neither of us has evidence of our innocence, which is regrettable, don't you think?"

"So, between us, there has to be one person who takes the fall."

"This time, it's a loss of several tens of millions. If I take the blame, I'm sure I won't be able to stay in this pharmaceutical factory. At my age, losing this job means it'll be hard to find another, and then, it might be better to be dead..."

While speaking, Old Xu looked despondently at the Pharmacist, who was still in a daze, and then sat back down.

"I've lived long enough, and there's nothing much I care to cling to anymore. If you still insist on fighting with me over this, then fine, let's both die here."

"..."

The things one longs for...

The pharmacist stared blankly at the complex expression on Xu Fan's face, and couldn't help but think of his own wife and child.

If he were to die here today, who would take care of them after...

He was still young, and even if he took the fall this time and lost his job, with his skills, it wasn't certain that he couldn't find other work.

To refuse to take the fall would be a dead end, but taking the blame didn't necessarily mean death.

Thinking back to Xu Fan's previous demeanor, he didn't seem like a heartless and ruthless person, so the pharmacist started to hesitate.

This was truly a difficult choice to make. At this moment, in the huge office, there was nothing but Xu Fan's sighs and the ticking of the clock on the wall.

An hour's countdown had now but little time left.

It seemed there were no other choices left for himself.

"Later, later I'll admit it was me..."

Perhaps this calamity was destined, and now the pharmacist, with his head bowed, could only silently bear it.

At this moment, his only prayer was that later, Xu Fan would show mercy and let him off the hook.

Xu Fan looked at his now disheartened appearance, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, and he said, "Brother, don't worry, you definitely won't have any problems later."

...

Reading up to this point, one can almost understand the truth.

Who exactly Xu Fan was would probably have to wait until a thorough interrogation later.

The golden light in his right pupil receded, Xu Fan rubbed his temples, waited outside for a little while, and then opened the office door again.

"How's it going? After such a long consideration, the two of you must have come to a conclusion, right?"

With less than fifteen minutes left of the hour's countdown, Xu Fan sat down in front of the two men and said, while tapping on the table, "So, who was it that changed the prescription this time?"

As his words ended, the office fell silent. It was truly unjust to take such a blame, but considering the situation at hand, the pharmacist hesitated for a moment, then stood up.

"Boss, it was, it was me who changed the prescription..."

"Oh?"

Xu Fan raised an eyebrow and looked over at him.

"Is there any benefit at all for you in doing this?"

"Why did you do it?"

"..."

The pharmacist lowered his head, remained silent for a while, and then said, "The original prescription, the one I contributed the most to, could almost be said to be the fruit of my labors alone."

"I had thought that this potion would make me famous and wealthy, but then you changed the prescription midway, boss."

"Your improved version is indeed several times better than mine, but in doing so, you also deprived me of my future prospects."

"Feeling aggrieved, I decided to secretly alter the prescription, to get back at you..."

"Is that so..."

Listening to him, Xu Fan's mouth twisted into a smile, and he said, "Because of a moment of pride, you caused losses in the millions. Tell me, should I forgive you?"

In the end, he had still lost the gamble, and this time, it seemed there was little hope for himself...

The pharmacist lifted his head, looked at Xu Fan with a gaze full of hope, and said with a bleak smile, "I dare not ask for leniency, but I hope, boss, considering the years I have served in the research lab, that you will treat my family kindly..."

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