The Rich Cultivator
Chapter 240. Who is the Culprit? (Part 1)

Chapter 240: 240. Who is the Culprit? (Part 1)

"Wake up, Tyler! Wake up!"

The urgent voices of Hawk and GG pierced through Tyler’s slumber, jarring him awake. His eyes shot open to find the two women standing beside him, their faces pale and filled with panic. Both were still naked, but their disheveled state wasn’t from passion—it was clear something was terribly wrong.

"What’s going on?" Tyler groaned, his voice heavy with sleep as he rubbed his eyes.

Hawk, trembling, pointed toward the bed. Tyler turned, and his heart sank. Serena lay motionless, her usually vibrant skin now pallid, with black, web-like veins snaking across her body. Her breathing was shallow, her chest barely rising and falling.

"She’s poisoned, Tyler!" Hawk cried, her voice breaking as tears rolled down her cheeks.

GG knelt beside Serena, desperately pouring a glowing antidote into her mouth. Her hands trembled as she tried to steady the vial, but it was no use. "It’s not working! The poison isn’t reacting!" GG exclaimed, her voice a mix of fear and frustration.

Tyler snapped fully awake, his exhaustion vanishing in an instant. He leapt from the bed and crouched beside Serena, inspecting the ominous black veins. His expression darkened.

"The fuck happened?" he demanded, his voice sharp as he looked at Hawk and GG.

"We don’t know!" Hawk sobbed, clutching her hands to her chest. "She was like this when we woke up. One moment she was fine, and then... this!"

GG’s green face was ashen. "This isn’t an ordinary poison. It has an Abyss aura..."

Tyler’s eyes narrowed. He quickly grabbed an expensive antidote potion and poured it into Serena’s mouth, but there was no reaction. He took a small injection and injected it. But there is still no reaction. Frustrated, he stood. "We’re taking her to the hospital. Now!"

---

At the hospital, Serena was hooked up to various machines, her body surrounded by glowing medical arrays. Needles and tubes protruded from her arms, and half of her body had turned a purplish black. Tyler stood at the edge of the room, his jaw tight as he observed the setup.

The lead doctor stepped in, his expression grim. "The poison has already seeped into her heart. It’s Abyssal Poison—extremely rare and deadly. We’ll need to replace her heart to save her life."

"Then do it!" Tyler said, his voice firm.

"It’s not that simple," the doctor replied. "The surgeon capable of performing this procedure is currently in another country. And even if we could start the operation now, we’d need a cloned heart using her DNA, which will take time to create. Keeping her alive until then will be a challenge, even with the most expensive potions."

"Is there any other way?" Tyler pressed, refusing to give up.

The doctor hesitated. "If you can find an Angel with a Healing trait, they might be able to slow the poison’s progress and buy us time."

Without hesitation, Tyler pulled out his watch and made a call. Within an hour, Astrid, the Half-Angel from his crew, arrived through a Teleportation Hub. Lily, Mathilda, and Darla accompanied her, their expressions filled with worry.

Astrid immediately knelt beside Serena and activated her Healing ability. A warm, golden White glow enveloped Serena’s body, halting the poison’s spread. Sweat dripped from Astrid’s forehead as she worked tirelessly. "This will hold her for three days, but no longer," Astrid said, her voice strained.

The group sighed in collective relief. The surgeon and the cloned heart would be ready in two days, giving them just enough time.

---

Later, Tyler and Lily stood outside Serena’s room, discussing the situation.

"Do you have any suspicions?" Lily asked, her tone calm but probing.

Tyler glanced toward GG and Hawk, who sat anxiously in the waiting area. "It could be a high-level assassin, or..." He hesitated, his gaze darkening. "...it could be one of them."

Lily’s eyes narrowed. "Then why wait? Capture both and interrogate them. We’ll squeeze the truth out of them."

Tyler frowned. "I... I’m not sure. What if I’m wrong?"

Lily’s frustration bubbled to the surface. "What’s stopping you? Is it because you rode their butts last night?"

"Tsk, it’s not that!" Tyler snapped, taking a deep breath. "But I really hope it’s not one of them."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Fine. I’ll use my methods to investigate. But first, let’s think about the motive. Why was Serena poisoned now, of all times? You already have a guess, don’t you?"

Tyler nodded slowly. "It’s probably related to her research. Since I bought the Academy, she can make progress rapidly without interference."

"Exactly," Lily said. "So, who stands to lose the most from her success?"

"The Vice Principal’s faction," Tyler replied, his jaw tightening.

Lily smirked. "Bingo. Now, let’s assume one or both of them—Hawk and GG—are connected to that faction. Based on what we know, let’s call it a 50-50 chance for now."

Tyler sighed. "So what do we do?"

Lily’s eyes gleamed mischievously. "Tell me what happened last night. Everything."

"Are you serious?" Tyler asked, his face turning red.

"Dead serious. Spill it," Lily demanded.

Reluctantly, Tyler recounted the events of the previous night.

When he finished, Lily leaned back, her expression thoughtful. "Hmm... Based on that, I’d say the odds are now 60-40."

"Who’s at 60?" Tyler asked warily.

Lily grinned but refused to answer. Instead, she leaned in and whispered something in his ear.

Tyler’s eyes widened. "You can’t be serious."

"Do it," Lily insisted. "It might fail, but it’ll make my job easier."

Tyler agreed reluctantly.

The plan is simple.

To keep an eye on both Hawk and GG.

But in another way,

Serena is dying while Abyss poison is consuming her.

" Ahh .. We shouldn’t be doing this. But Idk why, my mind feels so light." Hawk shouted while grabbing the bed that Serena is sleeping.

GG tried to crawl out. But she was dragged back by Tyler.

"I am also sad that Head got poisoned. This is the only way I can vent my frustrations." He said as he started doing with GG.

Both of them awoke suddenly, their bodies jerking upright as the vivid sensations of their shared dream evaporated. Their breaths were shallow, their faces flushed.

"It was... just a dream," GG murmured, breaking the silence. She glanced at Hawk, who was equally disoriented.

The two women sighed in unison, relief mingled with lingering embarrassment. They instinctively scanned the room, ensuring that no one had seen them in such a state.

When their eyes met, the memory of the dream flashed between them. Both quickly looked away, the awkwardness palpable.

Outside the room, Mathilda smirked, watching the scene unfold from a hidden corner. "The drug worked like a charm," she muttered to herself. Beside her stood a striking red-haired elf, her arms crossed as she observed with a mix of annoyance and curiosity.

"Thank you for the illusion," Mathilda said, her tone both grateful and conspiratorial.

The elf, whose name was Aeliana, raised an eyebrow. "You owe me for this, Mathilda. Asking me to craft an illusion like that? For that?" Her cheeks turned a faint shade of pink as she folded her arms tighter.

Mathilda chuckled, clearly unfazed. "Relax, Aeliana. It’s all for the greater good."

Aeliana shot her an exasperated look before shifting her gaze to Tyler, who was standing a few paces behind them. She reached out and gave him a sharp pinch on the arm.

"What kind of requests are you letting your friend make?" she demanded, her voice a mix of indignation and embarrassment.

Though the pinch didn’t hurt, Tyler winced theatrically, clutching his arm. "Ow, ow! Senior, I didn’t plan this! I’m just the middleman here!"

Aeliana huffed but didn’t press harder. She turned to Mathilda. "You’d better make good on your end of the deal. I want that product you promised. And if anyone finds out I was involved in this, you’re both dead."

Mathilda gave her a playful salute. "Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with us."

Tyler added, "As promised, Mathilda will deliver exactly what you want. No one will ever hear a word about this."

Aeliana’s posture relaxed slightly, though her glare lingered. "You’d better keep your word," she muttered.

As the elf walked away, her fiery hair swaying behind her, Mathilda turned to Tyler with a mischievous grin.