Chapter 461 A Strange Sense Of Familiarity 

Chapter 461 A Strange Sense Of Familiarity 

“Cassian?” Upon hearing the name, Rin immediately bolted toward the lab where Cassian was being held. 

Even though Cassian had been poisoned and was in no condition to escape–let alone take Benedict with him–Rin wasn’t about to take any chances. The longer that boy remained alive, the more unpredictable things became. He had to find Benedict. And kill him. 

But while Rin was rushing down the corridor, Benedict had already squeezed through the air duct and landed in the adjacent lab. 

He was now crouched in front of Cassian, carefully dabbing at the blood on the man’s body with a folded handkerchief. 

Cassian, who even on the brink of death had frightened trained researchers into backing off, showed no resistance. 

He didn’t summon even a flicker of his usual pressure. Instead, he simply let the child’s small hands move gently across his wounds, not even flinching when Benedict accidentally pressed against an open cut. 

Cassian knew he didn’t like kids. He never had. But for reasons he couldn’t explain, there was something about this one–a strange, aching sense of familiarity. It wasn’t warmth, exactly. Just… something that made him not want to push the boy 

away. 

“Sir… does it hurt?” Benedict asked softly. 

He stared up at Cassian with eyes that mirrored his own, brows and lashes strikingly similar. 

Cassian shook his head. The pain from the poison had already drained most of his strength; even speaking felt like a battle. 

But then he glanced around and realized where they were. He drew in a shallow breath and managed, “This place is dangerous. How did you even get in?” 

Benedict looked up at him, then lowered his voice and replied, “I came looking for my dad… but some people caught me and locked me in the room next door.” 

Cassian frowned. “Your dad was taken here too?” 

“I’m not sure,” Benedict murmured, lowering his head as his lips trembled. “But I want to find him. My uncles said he didn’t want me… that’s why he left me behind. I just… I just want to know if that’s true.” 

Cassian stared at the little boy, his heart clenching at the sight of that downcast face and the quiet grief in his voice. A fierce, inexplicable rage surged through him. 

“If he didn’t want a child, then why have one at all?” he snapped, voice low but full of fury. 

“Even a stray dog or cat earns your care when you raise it–how heartless does a man have to be to walk away from his own child? This boy’s no nuisance–he’s just a kid. A kid that should’ve been loved,” he added. 

Just as he was about to say more, footsteps echoed from the hallway outside. 

Cassian tensed and looked at the tiny figure in front of him. “Someone’s coming. You have to hide–now.” 

There was no way he had the strength to carry the boy and escape with him. 

The poison had sapped nearly everything he had. The only chance was to draw attention to himself and give the kid an opening to slip away unnoticed. 

His eyes scanned the lab. There was only a wide experiment table and a storage cabinet tucked in the corner. 

‘No good, he thought. ‘They’ll find him in there in seconds.‘ 

Then, in a flash of desperation, his gaze shot upward–to the ceiling. 

Bracing himself, Cassian slowly pushed to his feet, biting back the pain as he reached up and slid aside a ceiling tile. Using every ounce of strength left in him, he lifted Benedict and hoisted him into the crawl space above. 

There was barely two feet of clearance up there. Cassian had noticed it when he first infiltrated the lab. It wasn’t enough for an adult to hide–but it would be just right for a small child. 

Once Benedict was inside, Cassian carefully pushed the tile back into place. 

But before sealing it completely, he looked up and whispered, “No matter what happens next, you don’t make a sound. And you don’t come down. Understand? If they hear anything, if they even suspect you’re up there–we’re both dead.” 

Benedict nodded hard, eyes wide with fear but filled with understanding. 

The moment he did, the footsteps reached the door. 

Cassian slid the tile shut, leaned back against the wall, and slowly sank to the floor. 

The effort of lifting the boy had nearly drained the last of his strength. The room spun around him, and darkness began to creep into the edges of his vision.