Chapter 1181

Elijah followed the East End district's deputy head to Hank's house. As soon as he stepped inside, a foul stench filled the air. It was reeking of urine and feces. He furrowed his brows. In just a single day, Hank had already lost control of his bowels. His entire body was weak and drained. Looking at him now, he was barely hanging on. Turning his head, he asked his men, "Where's Neil?" In this state, Hank was useless to them. They wouldn't get any answers out of him. Neil needed to treat him first. One of his men lowered his head and sent a message on his phone. After receiving a reply, he said, "He'll be here in five minutes." Elijah nodded and said nothing more. As he waited for Neil, his mind raced. First, Heaven's Gate appeared. Then, the East End deputy head got into a conflict with two kids and fell gravely ill. Next, East End was inexplicably sealed off. These events happened in rapid succession. It couldn't be a coincidence. Who was targeting the underground forces? What was their goal? Did they think that with Reese dead, they could challenge the underground forces' authority? As Elijah was lost in thought, Neil arrived. Elijah greeted him, "I'm so relieved now that you're here." Over the years, Elijah had little contact with Loid and the others. After Reese's death, he focused on expanding the underground forces, spending most of his time away from Bridgeport. More importantly, he still harbored resentment toward Loid for failing to protect Reese back then. Though he wouldn't act against Loid, he had no desire to associate with him either. But with Neil, it was different—they stayed in frequent contact. Neil was Reese's apprentice. Since Reese had built the underground forces, Neil was determined to protect them in his stead. Whenever someone fell seriously ill or suffered a severe injury, Neil was the one to step in. Neil nodded. "Since he was Reese's man, I'll do everything possible to save him." He stepped forward and took Hank's pulse. A moment later, his brows were tightly knitted together. Elijah noticed the grim look on Neil's face and asked, "What's wrong?" Neil looked up and lowered his voice. "Who did he offend?" "I'm not sure. I heard it was two kids. I haven't identified them yet. But first, can you cure him?" Elijah asked. "He's not sick. His blood vessels have been destroyed." Neil stood up, turned Hank's head to the side, and said, "Someone inserted a silver needle into his brain. The needle is positioned right at his life gate meridian. I can't save him." "Is there really nothing you can do?" Elijah asked, his expression darkening. "If it were just the needle, I might be able to remove it and nurse him back to health. But the needle is poisoned, and this poison…" Neil trailed off, deep in thought, as he observed Hank. "What about the poison?" Neil pressed his lips together. After a long pause, he finally said, "This poison is called Deathly Orchid. It's…" He hesitated momentarily before continuing, "It was created by my mentor. I never fully mastered it, so I have no idea how someone else got their hands on it." "Reese?" Elijah was stunned. After a brief pause, he asked, "Did she ever teach anyone else besides you?" Perhaps this could lead them to the one who poisoned Hank. "My mentor only took me as an apprentice, and even then, I only managed to learn the basics. But this person… Their poison is even purer than what my mentor created. That's why I'm asking you—who did he offend?" Neil asked again. Elijah fell silent.