Chapter 353: Chapter 353: Blood Metabolism
The temperature in Tarr City plummeted to forty-nine degrees below zero. Though the snow and rain had stopped, a brutal cold front surged through. Every inch of exposed skin felt as if it were being slashed by knives, the stinging pain accompanied by a maddening itch.
At four the next morning, when Evelyn Ford woke up, Ronan Kendrick was holding her tightly. Evelyn sensed something was wrong with him. She touched his forehead, only to find his body was frighteningly cold.
"Ronan? Ronan?"
Evelyn called his name several times, but Ronan didn’t stir. Her hands were trembling violently. She forced herself to calm down, checking his pulse and his eyes. But his pulse was already different from a normal person’s, making it impossible for her to get a proper reading.
Ronan’s eyes were squeezed shut, his arm still locked around Evelyn’s waist. She couldn’t break his grip no matter how hard she tried.
"Ronan, wake up. Don’t scare me."
Evelyn cut her own finger, hoping her blood might wake him. But as it flowed into Ronan’s mouth, he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of black blood before falling back into unconsciousness.
Evelyn could only stare at him. His breathing was incredibly faint, and the veins on his neck bulged, looking as if worms were squirming beneath the skin. After a moment, his skin began to turn pink, then gradually deepened to red.
He coughed up several more mouthfuls of black blood. Evelyn quickly cleaned him up and fed him a dose of potent medicine from a small box. Ronan’s skin began to return to normal, but two minutes later, it turned an unnatural, deathly white.
For the first time, Evelyn despised her own helplessness so acutely. She had no idea how to save him and could only watch as he coughed up blood again and again in his unconscious state.
"Ronan, please, wake up. I’m begging you." Evelyn’s eyes were bloodshot as she clutched Ronan’s hand. Her own hands were trembling violently, and a sharp pain lanced through her chest, as if her heart were shattering piece by piece.
At ten in the morning, the streets and alleys outside began to bustle with activity. Residents from the floors above and below started to venture out. The child next door began to cry again, and the sound of a woman’s desperate shriek reached Evelyn’s ears.
"Cry, cry, cry! That’s all you know how to do! If you don’t stop, I’ll have the patrol guards take you away!"
Evelyn took out several lamps, flooding the room with light. Ronan’s face was still ashen. At noon, he suddenly snapped his eyes open and immediately fell off the folding bed. He curled into a ball, his features contorted in agony. Just as Evelyn moved toward him, he raised a hand, stopping her from coming any closer.
"Get out of here! Leave me alone! Come back tomorrow."
As he spoke, he coughed up another mouthful of black blood. Blood even began to trickle from his eyes. Evelyn stared, stunned. "Don’t send me away."
But Ronan could no longer hear anything. Blood was streaming from his ears and nose. Evelyn frantically pulled out a tissue to wipe it away, but he lunged forward and grabbed her by the throat. He had lost all reason, his entire being radiating the same ferocity as a wild wolf.
He lifted her off her feet by the throat. As their eyes met, Evelyn didn’t fight back.
A flicker of confusion and anguish crossed Ronan’s scarlet eyes. He released her, pulling her into an embrace and whispering, "I’m sorry."
"Please, just go. Don’t stay here."
Evelyn didn’t move. Instead, she retrieved hemp rope and iron chains from her storage space. Enduring immense pain, Ronan curled up on the floor and let Evelyn bind him.
"Don’t be scared. It’ll be over soon. I’m not leaving."
Evelyn placed a wad of cotton cloth in his mouth, then held him tightly in her arms. His body trembled uncontrollably. The excruciating pain, like his very sinews were being torn apart, made his appearance terrifying. Evelyn’s clothes were soaked in Ronan’s blood. She tied herself to him and whispered in his ear, over and over, telling him who she was.
The thick scent of blood filled the room. She lost track of how long it had been. The blood on the floor and on their clothes had already congealed. A single tear slid from the corner of Ronan’s eye. He wanted to hold Evelyn, but didn’t dare struggle against his bonds.
Evelyn removed the cotton cloth and gently kissed the corner of his mouth.
"I’m here, Ronan."
Ronan opened his eyes. The color of his irises had completely changed; his heterochromatic eyes were now both a light coffee brown, while his hair had turned stark white. Touching his full head of silvery hair, Evelyn bit her lip and began to cry.
"How did this happen? Ronan, what’s wrong with you?"
Ronan coughed and rested his head on her shoulder.
"Evelyn, don’t look at me."
Evelyn untied the ropes and chains. She reached out, gently touching Ronan’s hair. Other than the color, there seemed to be nothing wrong with it.
"Your hair is white, and your eyes have turned light brown. Why did this happen? Is it a side effect? Will it affect your health?"
Ronan shook his head. "I don’t know. I’m sorry... I completely forgot that every ten years, my body’s blood renews itself completely. My sinews tear and then knit back together. I must have scared you, didn’t I? And I hurt you."
His voice choked with emotion as he spoke. Evelyn managed a small smile, taking his hand and pressing it against her cheek.
"I’m not hurt. All that matters is that you’re okay. Ronan, do you have any idea how scared I was? When I was calling your name, you wouldn’t respond at all. I didn’t know how to save you."
The emotions she had suppressed for so long erupted in that moment. Evelyn’s voice trembled. "If something had happened to you... what would I have done?"
"I should have remembered sooner. I must have been terrifying. Evelyn, don’t be afraid of me."
Seeing his miserable expression, how could she possibly stay angry with him?
"You weren’t terrifying at all. You’re even more handsome than before. It’s just... all your hair turned white."
Her heart ached for him.
"It’s fine. My hair and eye color change with every cycle. This blood renewal is the final step that turns a failed experiment into a success. I survived it, so I became a successful, gene-edited human."
His tone was calm, but every word felt like a knife twisting in Evelyn’s heart.
"The last time this happened, I was still in the laboratory. They sent in a batch of animals—monkeys, wolves, snakes, centipedes, scorpions—and had them attack me. In the end, I killed them all. I was in a coma for a month afterward."
Evelyn’s hands trembled.
"They were worse than animals."
"So, later, I killed them all," Ronan said with a smile.
"This time, I wasn’t unconscious for very long, which is good news. My abilities are improving. The genetic modifications that would overload a normal person have now fully integrated into my body."
Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief. "That’s good."
"I want to take a shower." He lifted a hand and sniffed it, his eyes filled with disgust. "Do I stink right now?"
"A little," Evelyn said, nodding seriously.
His expression turned plaintive. "What about my hair? Do you have a black wig?"
"How about we shave it all off?"
Ronan’s face was a mask of refusal. "No. It’s ugly."
"Alright, alright. You go take a shower first. I think I have some hair dye in my storage space. I’ll mix it up and dye it for you later."
