Erik recognized the logic in his words but remained deeply troubled. “Why not simply let me safeguard it until your grandpa is gone? Wouldn’t the outcome be identical?”

“Why are you being so stubborn?” Theo exhaled dramatically. “Allow me to show you something. If you’re still determined to take the will afterward, I won’t object.” He snatched his jacket and strode toward the exit.

Confused but intrigued, Erik hurried after him.

Their car journey ended at a vast experimental plot dominated by a large greenhouse draped in semi-transparent white sheeting.

Once parked, Theo led the way indoors, navigating past rows of cultivated plants until they reached an isolated utility space housing a boiler.

“Why drag me to this place? Have you stashed the will here? With all the irrigation and chemicals around, it would get destroyed in no time,” Erik grumbled impatiently.

Abruptly, the harsh screech of metal grinding filled the air.

Erik jerked his head up to see Theo rotating a massive valve on the boiler. The enormous unit slid aside slowly, exposing a concealed staircase descending into darkness below.

“What… what’s going on here?” Erik stammered in shock.

Without turning, Theo began his descent. “What I’ve built beneath these crops is my genuine empire.”

Erik trailed behind, stepping down into a profoundly concealed underground level that opened into an extended hallway equipped with advanced scientific instruments—an unmistakably high-tech lab.

In partitioned chambers, personnel clad in full protective suits busied themselves with enigmatic flasks and specimens.

“You’re running tests down here? Isn’t your business a medtech firm? Why conceal operations like this instead of conducting them publicly?” Erik struggled to comprehend the revelation, frozen in astonishment for several moments.

“Because these projects must remain forever hidden from scrutiny,” Theo answered with a chilling grin. “The will is further ahead, alongside my greatest concealed achievement. When my work bears fruit, it will revolutionize everything. The entire world will bow in submission. I’ll emerge as the visionary who commands global destiny.”

Erik’s eyes bulged in alarm, suddenly grasping that his apparently compliant son harbored wildly perilous aspirations.

A scientist commanding the world? What rational individual would proclaim such madness?

As they advanced deeper, a sharp, metallic tang intensified in the atmosphere, eroding Erik’s resolve.

“We’ve arrived,” Theo declared, halting in front of a clear glass enclosure.

The minimalist chamber contained only a basic bed and a simple commode, all under constant surveillance.

What horrified Erik beyond words was the frail, gaunt figure in patient garb reclining on the bed—Ellie.

“Ellie? How can she be here? I thought she had run away from home long ago?” Erik pressed his face against the glass, gaping at the woman reduced to skin and bones. Realization dawned in terror. “It was you… You’ve kept her imprisoned this whole time!”

Erik spun around furiously, but a sudden, piercing sting struck his neck before he could utter another word.

Theo’s features filled his blurring vision. “You monster!”

“Your greed knows no bounds. Why demand the return of a document that no longer concerns you?” Theo observed coldly as Erik collapsed limply at his feet, a twisted smirk forming. “Now that you’ve uncovered my hidden world, you’ll join it as a participant in my trials! Grandpa will serve as one subject; it’s only fitting you donate yourself to the cause as well.”

He knelt beside the paralyzed man, whispering menacingly into his ear amid Erik’s wide-eyed panic. “You’ll become my experimental material, and I’ll extract maximum value from every aspect of your being for the advancement of science. Your life will have served a profound purpose.”

“Please don’t…” Erik’s speech slurred incoherently as suited figures hauled him into the glass cell.

From his lab coat pocket, Theo retrieved the coveted document—the will Erik had so desperately sought.

Yet the contents had been altered, designating Theo as the exclusive heir.

“You led a mundane life, but in the end, you aided me in securing this… Naturally, I owe you my deepest gratitude,” Theo murmured with malevolent satisfaction.

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