"You can't be serious!" Biscoe shouted at the phone.

"Mika needs me!" Brandon argued back. "Can't you understand?"

Before Biscoe could reply, Norton reached out his hand to the mob boss. "Let me talk to this bullhead."

Biscoe tried hard not to wince at Norton's face; the second-in-command usually smirked when he had a nefarious idea in his head. However, Biscoe thought he'd better leave this to his right-hand man.

After taking the phone, Norton began, "Really? You don't want to make those bastards pay?" A pause. "Well, if I were the enemy, I'd laugh so hard at you. I just need to hurt your loved ones to bring you down. How easy." A roar exploded in the phone, at which Norton smiled. "You're angry? Good."

Another roar came from the phone.

"Norton, stop provoking him!" Biscoe's hand came to snatch the phone, but Norton swatted it away. Biscoe made another attempt, which only led to Norton standing up and running to the corner of the room. The mob boss ran after him, but stopped in his tracks once he learned what Norton was trying to do.

"Think of me as the enemy, Brandon. What will you do? Will you unleash your wrath and stop me from committing more crimes? Or will you insist on taking care of Mika and let me do whatever I want?" Norton snickered. "You pick."

Brandon screamed into the phone again.

"Speak clearly!" Norton barked. "Kill the enemies or watch them do something worse!"

"I'll kill them all!"

"That's the spirit! Now, listen up, boy. Dr. Zach is coming to patch you up. As you receive the treatment, Biscoe and I will tell you the information we've gathered. After everything is done, you're free to unleash hell on your enemies. Sound good to you?"

Brandon replied with a roar.

"I'll take that as a 'yes.'" Norton turned around and handed Biscoe the phone. "Done."

When Biscoe held the phone beside his ear, he only heard Brandon's quiet sobs. Norton's idea didn't seem to work, but Biscoe figured he'd better wait. "Let me talk to the guards." Once the guard greeted him in the phone, the mob boss said, "Help Brandon walk to the trailer."

"Yes, Boss."

Biscoe suddenly thought of something. "One more thing. I doubt Brandon will take it lightly when the ambulance comes to fetch Mika." Biscoe grimaced at the thought of activating the metal shackles of Brandon's bed; it felt like turning the necrolyzer into nothing but a guinea pig for a mad scientist. However, the mob boss feared that Brandon would end up jumping into the ambulance. "Once inside, take off his prosthetic leg and activate the bed restraint. Those will hold him long enough."

"All right, Boss."

"Thank you." Biscoe ended the call and returned the phone to his pants pocket. Then he looked at Norton with a gloomy face. "Honestly, I didn't like how you made Brandon listen to us."

"I just did what I had to do." With a wicked smile, Norton walked towards his swivel chair by the huge mahogany desk and sat down. "Brandon needs to be very angry to be able to deal with this."

Biscoe also returned to his seat, which lay just beside Norton's. "I don't think so."

"You never learn." Norton shrugged, his smile fading. "Brandon's kind heart is an obstacle. He won't be able to beat some information out of Dr. William if we don't get rid of that."

Biscoe growled, "It's not necessary to use violence on the doctor. I believe sending a few agents to search his house is enough."

"No. We also need to speak to him." Norton crossed his arms over his chest. "Let me tell you something, Biscoe. Yesterday, I told Dr. William that I'd call him to come over once we were done with the footage. But he'd always rejected my call."

"Doesn't mean that he's afraid of coming over. Maybe..." Biscoe took a deep breath. "Maybe the enemies have captured him. Or worse."

"I'm not done with my story yet. I wasn't so stupid to use only my number to call him," Norton added. "When I used a new number, the doctor picked up the phone. But once I spoke, he ended the call. People are afraid when they make a mistake."

Biscoe only looked down. A guilty William didn't hurt him as much as the obligation to infuriate Brandon. As time went on, the scientists would eventually gain enough knowledge and experience to replace that doctor. Meanwhile, Biscoe had yet to find a mild-mannered necrolyzer like Brandon. Not to mention that I still feel horrible for nearly causing more amputation on the stump of his leg...

"Moreover, Dr. William is our main suspect. The footage from the post-operative ICU shows that he often talks to the nurses there. He also had a record of working on that hospital for three years before joining us." Norton picked up the briefcase beside his chair and placed it on the desk. "He must be the man behind Dr. Bernard's necrolyzation."

Biscoe raised an eyebrow. "How is that related to the murder of his family? Dr. William is so distraught at the deaths. I don't think Dr. Bernard would kill his own family either." He paused. "What do you think about Dr. Zach and Dr. Douglas? They also visited Dr. Bernard."

"Hmm..." Norton rubbed his broad chin with a finger. "They're never seen talking to the nurses in the footage, but they know when Brandon would come to the lab. I think it's a good idea to talk to them."

Suddenly, Biscoe's phone rang and vibrated in his pants pocket. Taking it out, he learned that the call came from Zach. "Afternoon, Doc."

"Boss, I've just injected a vial of sedative into Brandon."

"What's happening down there?"

"When I arrived at the parking basement, I saw that Brandon was crying and trying to get into an ambulance. I heard that he was trying to follow Miss Mika. Luckily, his arm was broken, so the guardsmen easily held him back for me to sedate him."

"How is he now?"

"He's sleeping."

Before Biscoe could say something, Norton nudged him in the shoulder. "Ask him about Dr. Bernard."

With a nod, Biscoe continued, "Doc, can we talk? It's about Dr. Bernard's necrolyzation. You visited him at the ICU last time, so I thought you know something."

"Allow me to treat Brandon's wounds first. I'll call you when I'm done."

"Fine. See you later then." Biscoe hung up the phone.

"What did he say?" Norton asked, taking a laptop out of the briefcase.

"He'll talk after he's done treating Brandon's wounds." Biscoe searched his contact list in the phone for Douglas' name. "I'd better call Dr. Douglas first." Once he found the name, he tapped the "call" button. "Good afternoon, Doc."

"Boss?"

"I have something to ask you. You visited Dr. Bernard at the ICU last time, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Someone necrolyzed Dr. Bernard. He's now a green-skinned giant."

"What the hell!"

From Douglas' shocked voice, Biscoe remembered something. Neither he nor Norton had told many Millennion people about Bernard's necrolyzation; so far, only Brandon, Mika, and William knew about this. Why didn't Zach feel bothered at the news?

"Uh, I'm sorry, Boss." Douglas broke the momentary silence. "Green-skinned giant... It means he got the serum from the hospital. Maybe you can talk to the nurses there. Ask them if they've ever received a vial of green liquid from anybody."

"My men asked them when they went to the hospital for the footage, but they refused to speak about it. Likely because it's something embarrassing to the hospital."

"Otherwise, ask William."

Biscoe sighed. "We haven't been able to contact him recently."

"What about Zach? He visits the neonatal ICU everyday. It's close to the post-operative ICU, so he might know something."

"Neonatal ICU?" Biscoe raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"He never told you about his premature son?"

"No."

"Didn't you go to his wife's funeral two weeks ago, Boss?"

"No." Biscoe saw no reason to spend his time for an insignificant member of Millennion like Zach.

"His wife died of seizures. Luckily, the doctors managed to save her baby before he died along with his mother. I think the situation is related to Zach being...emotionless. If you pay attention at his behavior, you'll notice that he's always stone-faced and his voice is monotone."

"All I know about Dr. Zach is that he always has a negative outlook on life." A pause. "Anything else, Doc?"

"That's all I know," Douglas replied. "By the way, Boss, have you checked the footage I sent?"

"Yes, but it isn't that helpful. Many things are missing in there." A pause. "However, this also means that the culprit is inside the organization. Nobody out there can convince a handful of people in the lab to work for them, such as tampering with the CCTV footage."

"What about the phone?"

"Not too helpful. The call history only contains the most recent calls from an inactive number. Meanwhile, the message box contains only about releasing the dog in the lab and the culprit's deal with this surveillance room staff. The sender used the same inactive number as well."

"I see."

Biscoe smiled. "Well, thank you for your time." Then he ended the call.

"It seems like Dr. Douglas didn't help much," Norton spoke from beside Biscoe.

"He only told me to ask Dr. Zach." Biscoe pulled the desk drawer open and took a logbook out of it. "Guess I'll have to wait."

Five minutes later, as Biscoe scribbled in the book, his phone rang. The call came from Oswald, the leader of the squad he sent to investigate William's house. "Good afternoon."

"Boss, we couldn't find any suspicious items in the house. Dr. William wasn't even there."

People are afraid when they make a mistake. William knew something, but how to make him talk? Brandon was the ace when it came to intimidating someone, but would he have the heart to torture William, his caretaker? A furious Brandon would thrash William for information without a doubt, but according to Mika, Brandon usually lashed out on people once grief overfilled the bottle in his mind.

"Boss?"

The agent's voice jarred Biscoe back to reality, but the mob boss managed to remain calm. "Search the town for him. Once you've located him, tell me."

An hour later, when Biscoe's phone rang again, he thought Zach had finished treating Brandon's wounds. But he was wrong; the call came from Harris, the man he'd sent to accompany Mika. The agent told him that Mika had regained consciousness. Moreover, her head CT scan showed a very small mass of accumulated blood in her brain, which the neurosurgeon could easily evacuate. She should be able to leave the hospital in a few weeks.

About thirty minutes after that call, Zach finally called Biscoe. Much to his surprise, the doctor asked him to come to the trailer. Biscoe thought Zach knew a lot about this.

As Biscoe stepped into the trailer, he found Zach sitting on the bench where Mika usually slept on. Further beside the bench, Brandon's slumbering form remained still on a huge bed. Multiple leather straps kept the necrolyzer's body in its place.

Biscoe let out a sigh of relief; Brandon looked less like a test subject this way. Maybe the attack earlier damaged the bed's metallic shackles, which would bind Brandon's neck and limbs when activated.

Biscoe approached Zach, who was reading the small notebook in his hands. "Doc, we need to talk."

Zach shifted his gaze to Biscoe. "Sure. Take a seat." Since Biscoe had learned about Zach's condition, he now noticed the doctor's peculiarity. Unlike most Millennion people, Zach didn't even smile at the sight of the mob boss. The doctor also sounded...a bit robotic.

Biscoe didn't come here to discuss Zach's quirks, though. Sitting down beside the stone-faced doctor, he began, "Tell me what you know about Dr. Bernard's necrolyzation."

"One of the nurses in the post-operative ICU was fired after Bernard's death. His name is Joseph Wells."

"Fired? Because of what?"

"Pouring some green liquid into Bernard's food. Heard that from the nurses at the neonatal ICU."

Biscoe pulled away, his eyes widening in shock. "It's a wonder how they're willing to tell you a lot. Thought nobody would ever talk about it to anybody outside the hospital."

"I used to work there before joining Millennion. That's all." Zach paused. "Try asking Joseph for more information. Also, I heard that Dr. William was the culprit."

Biscoe's eyes widened. William? Then he frowned. Although the doctor was one of the most important people in the organization, rules were rules. Breaking them meant punishment, which ranged from reduced wage to execution.

"Thank you for the information, Doc." Biscoe smiled at the doctor, pulling his phone out of his pants pocket. "I'll be waiting here. I need to talk to Brandon." When he found Norton's name in the contact list, he tapped the "send a message" option and typed, "A nurse named Joseph Wells was fired after Dr. Bernard's death. Have some men find information about his address and interrogate him."

"Also, I have something important to tell you," Zach said. "It's about Brandon."

Biscoe quirked an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Mr. Norton provoked him earlier, didn't he?"

"Yes."

"Tell him that if he values his life, stop angering Brandon." Zach flipped the pages of the notebook as he returned his focus to it. Then he handed it to Biscoe. "Read this. It's written by my senior and Brandon's creator, Dr. Tokioka."

Biscoe gasped at the handwriting before shoving the book back to Zach. "I can't read these worms."

"I'll read it for you then." Zach looked at the black blades of grass in the book. "'There is a reason why we prefer implanting commands into a necrolyzer's head with the brain reprogramming device. Sentient necrolyzers are very aggressive, especially when provoked. Even in normal state, they are capable of tearing their creators to shreds.'"

Brain reprogramming device... Biscoe brushed his bushy mustache with a finger while returning his phone to his pants pocket. Our enemies are smart and secretive... I need to ask Dr. Douglas about this later. Maybe the enemies have stolen that thing from the lab.

"You understand?" Zach suddenly spoke from beside Biscoe, snapping him out of his reverie.

"Hmm..." Biscoe looked at Brandon, who was still sleeping. "But Brandon isn't really that savage."

"The next page explains why." Zach turned the page. "'Brandon Heat, aka Beyond the Grave, proves that the blank slate theory is true. Sentient necrolyzers, when starting out, are like blank slates. The environment, especially the people around them, play a role in their personality. Treat them with love and respect, and they'll learn to appreciate every living thing around them. Treat them like they're real monsters, and they'll really be monsters.'"

"Anything else?"

Zach nodded. "'However, their base personality and tendency to be good or bad still depend on what they used to be, and the quality of the serum they received during the necrolyzation. Good serum keeps most of the base personality intact, while bad serum doesn't. Also, it only takes a few minutes to teach a criminal to steal something, while it may take up to days to teach a gentleman to do that.'"

"Ah, I get it." Biscoe smiled. "It's Miss Mika's kindness that makes him a good-natured necrolyzer."

"And it ends up turning him into a big softie." Zach closed the note and put it on his lap. "He was colder in this journal."

"Well, I don't mind." Biscoe stood up and walked towards the swivel chair by the computer desk of the trailer. As he dragged it towards Brandon's bed, he said, "I like him better as a big softie. I bet Miss Mika prefers him to be like that, too."

"But Mr. Norton seems to have a problem with that."

Sitting down beside the bed, Biscoe shot a glance at the blank-faced doctor. "My stupid second-in-command prefers him as a mindless killing machine." He shifted his gaze to the sleeping Brandon and stroked his face. "Don't worry, boy. I'm here. I won't let Norton pester you again." Because nobody wants to lose you.

Fifteen minutes passed with him sitting still beside Brandon, wondering what he could do to console the necrolyzer. The good news about Mika's condition would do, but wasn't there anything else that could delight him?

Sometimes, Biscoe couldn't help but feel jealous of Mika's ability to make Brandon smile and laugh so easily.

Suddenly, Brandon's fingers twitched.

"You're waking up?" Biscoe asked.

A howl akin to that released by a mad hellhound echoed across the trailer. Eye still closed, Brandon thrashed and continued roaring.

"Brandon, calm down!" the worried Biscoe shouted.

The restless limbs ripped through the straps, and a hand slammed onto Biscoe's face. The resulted bruise throbbed and stung the mob boss.

Don't lose your cool. Biscoe closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he retreated from the agitated necrolyzer. Necrolyzers are kind because people are kind to them. He opened his eyes and smiled. "Brandon, I have good news about Miss Mika."

"She's dead! Those bastards! I'll kill them all!"

"Are you having a nightmare?" Biscoe moved closer to Brandon and stopped at where the necrolyzer's arm couldn't reach. He then placed a hand on the necrolyzer's forehead. "Come on. Wake up."

Brandon stopped thrashing, and his eye snapped open. Beads of sweat trickled down his face as he sat up and panted.

"It's just a nightmare. Miss Mika is doing well. She has regained her consciousness, and her injury isn't too bad. She needs to stay in the hospital for a few weeks, though, because she may be undergoing a surgery soon."

Brandon remained silent for a few seconds before letting a sigh of relief.

"I'll keep you updated about her, so just focus on this case."

The necrolyzer nodded. Biscoe noticed a tinge of sadness in his eye, though. Much like he really wanted to see Mika now.

"You're free to stay with her once this case is resolved, so take care of it quickly, yes?"

Brandon nodded again; this time, he smiled a bit.

"I'll tell you something. Right now, our main suspect is Dr. William. Why? The footage from the ICU shows that he often talks to the nurses, while the nurses are in charge of feeding Dr. Bernard."

"Moreover," Zach suddenly added from the bench, still looking as emotionless as ever, "one of the ICU nurses was fired after Bernard's death. Said nurse poured some green liquid into Bernard's food. Also, people there told me that-"

"Said green liquid came from Dr. William," a familiar voice of a man came from the entrance of the trailer. "Joseph has been missing since he lost his job, but it's not like we can't ask his neighbors. They said he was visited by Dr. William a few days before he was fired."

"Norton!" Biscoe stood up, glaring at his second-in-command. "Don't you dare provoke Brandon!"

"Yes, it's a bad idea to anger a necrolyzer," Zach added. "You won't know what an angry necrolyzer might do. Also, Brandon's wounds aren't severe enough to hold him back right now."

Norton grinned, walking towards Brandon's bed. "I'm willing to take the risk."