Joshua noticed Cedrick’s unusually stern expression. “What’s on your mind, Cedrick?”
Cedrick was staring at the cover of the book, Abnormal Psychology, and thinking about what Benedict had said to him earlier in the ward.
“Benny told me a professor in the lab gave it to him, so I came to ask you since you were with him the most. Who else spends that much time with him?”
He wanted to know if it was a coincidence or a deliberate act to give a five-year-old child something so disturbing.
“I’ll look into it,” Joshua promised. “I wouldn’t be too worried, though, Cedrick. It must have been a coincidence.”
Cedrick nodded.
Five minutes later, Joshua found out from the professors on duty in the laboratory that it was given by a biochemist named Eugene Yortz.
Eugene was an elderly professor of about sixty, with a snow-white beard, a straight nose, and chiseled features.
He was not Chanaean. Instead, he was sent from Astoria as part of a collaborative project.
Joshua led Cedrick to Eugene’s office to pay the professor a visit.
“Eugene is a strange fellow,” he warned Cedrick in a whisper along the way. “Aside from having a funny character, he’s withdrawn, easily irritable, obsessed with research, and has zero regard for interpersonal communication skills. The things he does sometimes are bizarre.”
Behind his back, the other professors called him Professor Nuts.
After listening intently, Cedrick mulled it over for a while.
that researchers and doctors are weirdos. Wasn’t Kieran initially an oddball? After he got married, he now shares a stable and loving relationship with Inez. Compared to the earlier version of himself who had devoted his life to research, he seemed to have become an
pair found themselves outside
never flatters anyone. He does what
he quite liked
somebody like that give Benedict
his eyes, Cedrick knocked
Knock, knock, knock.
thrice in
the office, nor was there
I keep an
saw him leave the lab during work hours. He
force, he rapped the door
you do is knock.” A raspy, irritated voice sounded from the office. “What good would knocking do? Why won’t
the other side
have already gotten an earful before we even
is Prof. Mallory. I have something urgent to
silence, the doorknob twisted with a
come knocking again without stating your intention, Joshua, I’ll
an elder who was his father’s age. Being familiar with his temperament, he thought it was
in Chanaea, Professor Yortz. How could you
his gaze on his face. “I opened the door like you wanted, and you’re telling me off,” he said huffily. “Feel free to make an anonymous report about me
I meant,” Cedrick replied. “Like you, Professor Yortz, I
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
The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!