Chapter 3 Forty Minutes to Death

A young contestant was clutching his throat as he collapsed from his seat.

Right after him, a lead surgeon from another country convulsed as blood burst from the corner of his mouth. Then a third, fourth, fifth… The poisoned victims fell like falling dominoes, dropping like mayflies one after another.

The chief flight attendant rushed to the intercom, her voice trembling. "Attention, passengers, we are experiencing a medical emergency. If there are any medical professionals on board, please identify yourselves immediately!"

William finally lost his composure. He grabbed Sabrina's wrist, squeezing so hard her bones nearly cracked. "How much did you use? Why are people dying?"

Sabrina had gone white with terror. Her lips trembled, tears streaming down her face as she blubbered the sentence that dragged everyone into hell. "I-I left in a hurry… I might've taken the wrong sample…

"The XN Neurotoxin sealed in the deepest part of the lab… I-I must've brought that instead…"

The air around us froze.

The XN Neurotoxin was a Schedule-I controlled substance under the International Convention. It boasted a 100% fatality rate as it had no known cure.

William's face turned from ashen gray to ghostly pale within seconds. He released her wrist, stumbling backward and knocking over the service cart behind him. Cups and plates shattered across the floor.

"You've screwed us all over…" he whispered in horror.

Cedric stumbled back from the front, his forehead drenched in cold sweat. Then, he raised his hand and slapped Sabrina across the face.

The sharp crack echoed through the cabin.

Sabrina clutched her cheek, staring at him in disbelief. The same hand that had just brushed her hair now left half her face burning and swollen.

"You're yelling at me? You all agreed to the exercise! Why am I the one getting blamed now that something went wrong?"

Cedric gritted his teeth as he spat angrily, "Agreeing to an exercise doesn't mean agreeing to murder!"

Matt suddenly let out a muffled groan as they squabbled.

Everyone turned.

A patch of eerie purple blotches spread across his forearm, creeping along his veins like twisting vines. That was when they remembered that he had drunk the very glass he had poured himself.

Matt stared at his arm, his voice cracking. "N-No… I've been poisoned too…"

William lowered his head and saw the same purple marks appearing on the back of his hand almost at the same time. He had only drunk the Americano.

Cedric froze before slowly rolling up his sleeve. Dark violet spots were quietly spreading from his wrist—the only thing he had was the latte.

The captain's voice came over the intercom. "Attention, passengers. We are experiencing an extremely severe biochemical emergency. The aircraft will make an emergency landing at the nearest airport. The estimated time to land is 40 minutes."

40 minutes.

From the appearance of the purple blotches to cardiac arrest, XN Neurotoxin only needed 20 minutes to take a life.

They wouldn't make it to the ground.

Sabrina turned to me, her eyes bloodshot, her voice sharp to the point of breaking. "Lucia, you're the most cautious one on the team. You must have brought an antidote, right? Take it out! Quick!"

All eyes snapped toward me. Cedric even rushed over, his eyes red as he reached straight for my bag.

I quickly grabbed the scalding black coffee in front of me and threw it into his face. He screamed, clutching his face as he staggered away from me.

I stood, looking at this group of ashen-faced "medical elites." Then, I drawled, "Now, why would I carry an antidote? Didn't you all insist this was just a fun little exercise?"

Cedric, his face still flushed red from the burn, gritted his teeth. "Lucia Scott, are you seriously going to just watch us die? I swear I'll use every connection I have to ruin you once we land!"

I smiled and unzipped my bag. However, I didn't take out an antidote. Instead, I pulled out a rigid document folder, slid out the certificate stamped with a gold seal, and flung it at his face. "World Health Organization Special Observer—Lucia Scott."

His shouting immediately died in his throat.

William's legs gave out, and he nearly fell onto the shattered glass.

I took the certificate back, enunciating clearly. "Ruin me? Once this plane lands, I'll be the only person on board who isn't poisoned. It just so happens that I also didn't participate in the poisoning. What do you think my classified report would say about the rest of you, I wonder?"