“Is that so? You didn’t drug me?” Luca's eyes darkened. She was in no mood to be polite with men like him, so she kicked him again.The man screamed in pain. Before he acted, he did not expect Luca to be so strong. It felt like he was about to be crushed! The force and sound made everyone around them gasp in surprise.It was ruthless—too ruthless.A woman could kick that hard? They suddenly remembered what Gerald had said and shuddered. This woman was not to be messed with.Even if she was beautiful and had a great figure, they should never mess with her!Otherwise, the next person getting treated this way might be them.Luca crouched down and reached into the man’s pocket, pulling out a cigarette. She shoved it into his mouth. “Tell me, is this an aphrodisiac?” The man spat the cigarette out angrily. “That's my cigarette!”“Very well, then.” Luca's gaze darkened. She had given him the chance to live, but he did not appreciate it. He even kept harassing her.She was not going
Luca pushed open the door and went downstairs. It was still early, and the people for the clinical trials hadn’t arrived yet.Luca found Gerald in the kitchen, making breakfast.Gerald was not as skilled as the others from the Island of Despair, so he was the one who usually cooked breakfast here. After all, the weak had no say in a place like the Island of Despair.When Gerald heard footsteps, he turned around and saw Luca. He could not help but shiver. The man who had tried to make a pass at her yesterday had been carried away later on.They originally wanted Shanks to help treat him, but after Shanks examined him, he said that he needed to go to the hospital for treatment since the equipment here was not sufficient for the necessary surgery.That man had to be sent to the hospital for surgery that very night.According to the group who brought the man to the hospital, the doctor was shocked when he saw the man’s injuries. The doctor even said on the spot that it looked like
The injuries of the volunteer willing to participate in the clinical trial were strikingly similar to Kassy's injuries. If this volunteer recovered, then Kassy should be able to as well.Luca felt it was almost like science fiction—completely unrealistic.Still, when it came to Shanks, she could not help but feel a flicker of hope.Without realizing it, Luca had started to adopt Shanks’ passion for pharmaceuticals and medicine.Shanks glanced at Luca briefly before shifting his gaze back to the volunteer.“Get him onto the vehicle,” Shanks instructed the staff.“Yes, Mr. Shanks."“Why are we putting him in the vehicle?” Luca was puzzled.Gerald glanced at her and explained, “It’s because this room doesn’t meet the necessary hygiene standards. Mr. Shanks arranged for a medical van to be brought in.”He heard that Shanks initially planned to transport the volunteer to the Island of Despair for the procedure since the equipment there was fully equipped. However, the volunteer’s f
The volunteer’s family looked at her in disbelief. An older woman stepped forward to take Luca's hand. “Is it true? Doctor, thank you.”It was Luca's first time facing such warmth from a patient's family, and she felt a bit uncomfortable. She pulled her hand away and looked at Shanks, but he had already left.Luca suddenly understood why Shanks did not like to talk much after surgeries. She had heard that before he came to the Island of Despair, he was already a genius-level doctor, so he had probably seen many situations like this. Not everyone enjoyed being thanked by patients' families. Luca definitely did not.“The patient will need to stay here for recovery. If you'd like to see him, please send someone in a sterile suit, and they can visit him for five minutes. After that, leave it to us and time,” explained Luca.The elderly woman who held her hand quickly said, “I’ll go. I need to see my son.”Another middle-aged person asked, “Doc, is he awake?”“He’s under partial ane
Johann stopped in his tracks, his gaze lazy and unbothered as he looked at Luke, “Anything else, Mr. Crawford?”“Since you have some free time today, go over to Crawford Manor and check on the old man’s health, as well as Luca's parents and grandfather,” said Luke. Johann’s surgery schedule was usually packed, so it was rare for him to have free time. Luke figured he might as well get him to help with a few things.“You!” Johann did not expect that a simple complaint would get him assigned more work!“I’m telling you, don’t push it!”“How much are you charging? Just inform Mr. Doyle to issue you a check,” said Luke, continuing to flip through the documents.“You!” Johann shot him a glare, but it had no effect. With no other choice, he decided to take advantage of the situation. “Since you’re being so generous, I won’t hold back!”Then, he turned and left.Luke did not respond to Johann’s protest and kept his head down, focused on his work.…Two days later, Luca changed the ba
Luca got out of bed and opened the door.The moment she saw the man standing there, she smiled. “Didn’t Gerald tell you not to casually open my door?”The man smiled back. After glancing around, he replied, “Do you really think I’m the same as them?”The man's appearance did not resemble Luke, but his voice was unmistakably his.Luke had disguised himself using the skills of a top-tier makeup artist, assuming the identity of a man who was supposed to arrive for a shift rotation of the organization. The original owner of the face was now securely detained by Gale.Worried he might be seen lingering outside, Luca quickly stepped aside, opening the door wider to let him in.As soon as he entered, she shut the door, locked it, and drew the curtains before rushing to embrace him tightly. “What are you doing here?”“I finished my work and came straight over.” Luke held her just as tightly. It was as though he wanted to merge her into his very being.Luca playfully teased, “This was w
Over the next few days, Luca continued helping Shanks take care of the volunteer. With Luke by her side, she felt much more at ease and was no longer as anxious.A week later, Shanks performed a basic neurological test on the volunteer.The man who had previously shown no response in his calves and feet began to feel sensations of itching and pain.When Luca saw the volunteer's toes twitch slightly, she could not help but feel excited.“I can feel it! It’s ticklish, so ticklish!” the volunteer exclaimed loudly.At that moment, Shanks was tickling the volunteer's foot. When he heard the volunteer’s words, his furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and he pinched the volunteer’s calf. Since the volunteer’s nerves were still healing, he had little sensation of pain, so Shanks pinched hard.“Do you feel it?” asked Shanks.“It hurts... a little!” replied the volunteer, his tone full of excitement. This was a positive sign for him.The volunteer, unable to walk yet, felt the urge t
“Huh?” Luca's voice was thick with sleepiness.“You can't see me in the dark,” hinted Luke.Luca slapped his restless hand away. “I'm tired.”Luke let out a sigh.Luca knew what he was sighing about, but with the intense experiments earlier that day and having waited so long just now, she just said, “Stop thinking about it. Go to sleep. I'm really tired.”Besides, this was the base of the Island of Despair. She was truly scared...“Good night.” Luke had no choice but to endure it. He held her in his arms and closed his eyes.When Luca woke up the following day, Luke had already left.She was used to it by now.Luke had a regular workout routine. Since he did not have to handle work here, he would get up early to train. He even sparred with others at the base. These people had all been trained on the Island of Despair, but none of them could beat Luke. Every one of them had gotten a few injuries from him.On the other hand, Luke came out unscathed each time.Only then did
“You don’t need to remind me. I was going to check anyway.” Abel shot Luca a chilling look.She took a step back and stayed silent.Abel turned to the pale-faced Hera and said, “If you’ve got low blood sugar, get up and eat something.”“I’ll eat now,” Hera replied, sitting up.Luca handed her the takeout.Abel glanced at the food and then frowned at Luca. “Why didn’t you make breakfast this morning?”“I was busy,” Luca explained with a calm indifference, her expression unwavering. She showed no fear, even under Abel’s questioning.Hera suddenly found herself admiring Luca. Everyone feared this man, yet Luca remained composed even when facing potential punishment. Not just anyone could pull that off.At the thought of this, Hera opened the takeout and kept quiet.Abel narrowed his eyes, glancing between Hera and Luca. His gaze was not exactly gentle as he muttered, “Stop eating this junk. It’s bad for you.”“I know, babe. Just this once. After this, I’ll have what Luca cooks f
Hera panicked the moment she heard that. “I trust her!”Luca and Shanks were both watching her.Hera repeated herself, saying, “I trust her, okay? What kind of treatment does she need? I’ll cooperate with anything. But what about Abel…”“I’ll tell him it’s just to help improve your overall health,” replied Shanks. Then, he turned around, opened the medicine cabinet, and started preparing the prescription.Hera let out a sigh of relief. As long as Abel did not find out about her health condition, that was all that mattered.If he knew she was unwell, he would send her back to A City. Without free medical help and no way to make extra money, she would be in serious trouble.“Thank you,” said Hera.“Wait outside,” instructed Shanks.“Okay.” Hera carefully stepped out.Luca, however, remained where she was, waiting.While preparing the medicine, Shanks asked, “Do you know which acupoints to target for her?”“Yes,” Luca replied confidently. As long as she checked Hera’s pulse, sh
“There are a lot of issues.” Luca did not hide anything and handed Hera the phone.Hera looked at it and frowned.“I can't understand any of this.” Hera felt dizzy just looking at the text, let alone the long list of medical terms. It was giving her a headache.“Look at these summaries and indicators. Compare the values on top with the normal values at the bottom, and you'll see what I mean,” explained Luca.Hera did not trust her. Therefore, Luca decided to let her see for herself. Seeing it with her own eyes would prevent any doubts later.Luca pointed out how to read the test results, and after a moment, Hera managed to understand the report. Her face turned pale. “How can there be so many problems?”She looked at Luca and questioned, “Did you fake this?”“I don’t have the power to make the medical center fake anything. Besides, the report has the medical center’s official stamp. If you don’t believe me, you can go directly to the medical center and ask for the official cop
“I heard from the boss that he's coming because of Vivian.” Gale paused for a moment before adding, “But never mind, you don't seem interested in her affairs anyway. I'm just letting you know he's on his way.”Gordan frowned. Ray was coming for Vivian?What could that ugly woman possibly need?“What do you mean by that?” asked Gordan.Gale smirked. “If you and Ray meet, that’s bound to end in a fight. And since you can't win against him, you might want to mentally prepare yourself, or better yet, find somewhere else to stay. It’d be safer that way.”Gordan's expression darkened. “If you have nothing nice to say, just zip it.”Gale grinned, clearly pleased with himself like he had just hit a sore spot.Gordan exhaled sharply. “Of all times, why is he coming to A City now? He’s just making things worse.”“It can't be helped. Vivian's situation is urgent.” Gale covered his mouth mockingly after he said that. “Oh, right. I forgot you don’t like hearing about her.”Ray wanted to br
Luke sat in the villa, staring at Luca’s message.He was worried.For a moment, he considered calling her, but then he remembered that there were surveillance cameras everywhere on her side. He dismissed the idea immediately.Her safety came first.Luke reminded her: [Take care of yourself. Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything. Just focus on keeping yourself safe.] The worry in his heart refused to subside, but at this moment, there was no better solution.“Boss, you’re worried about your wife, huh? If you really can’t stand it, we can sneak you in again during the next shift change, just like last time,” said Gale.It had been his idea last time.Now, the real Lucius was still locked up in the basement of the villa.It had been nearly a month. Luke had forced him to take the antidote Luca had recreated. The man was still alive, proving the antidote worked perfectly.“That plan is too risky.” Luke put his phone away. His gaze was dark and thoughtful.“Risky, sure. But at lea
Luca had not expected Abel and Shanks’ relationship to be like this.It seemed Abel still did not trust Shanks.Shanks continued, “Abel isn’t someone who trusts people easily. He doesn’t trust anyone. You think he’s devoted to Kassy now, right? That’s just his obsession. He's allowing Kassy to receive my treatment, but if it were him… No matter if he were blind or crippled, his safety would always come first. If he were seriously injured, maybe he’d accept treatment, but he definitely wouldn’t do it right away.”Luca stayed silent. Shanks really understood Abel well.Abel did not trust anyone—not even Kassy.Calling him paranoid would not be an exaggeration.Luca felt like they were getting off-topic, but she had never seen this side of Shanks before.In her mind, he was always buried in his work at the lab, only leaving for meals and sleep. Other than that, he was practically never outside.The lab was like his home…“Are you troubled by Hera’s situation?” Luca asked directly
Hera was startled by Luca's words.The refusal that had been on the tip of her tongue suddenly got stuck in her throat.“I…” Hera hesitated, feeling conflicted. Leaving Abel might not be such a bad idea. At least she would not have to live in constant fear.She was finally realizing how unpredictable his moods were. At first, she thought it did not matter as she could still look at other men. She just had to ensure there was no physical contact. In reality, even if she so much as glanced at someone, Abel's expression would darken with anger.It was frustrating. Now, the only person she was allowed to look at was Gerald. Still, what was the point of just looking at Gerald?At that thought, she lifted her gaze to Luca.Luca added, “I’ll give you five minutes. If you refuse treatment after that, I’ll take the medicine back to Mr. Shanks and won’t try to convince you again.”Hera's heart tightened. She did not even need five minutes. She had made her decision within 30 seconds.“I’
“If Abel finds out that Hera's body isn't suitable for organ donation to Kassy, what do you think he'll do?” asked Shanks.He already knew the answer, but he still wanted to hear Luca’s thoughts.“He has invested a lot of time and money in Hera. If he gets nothing out of it, he won’t let her off easily,” Luca said bluntly.Luca and Shanks were on the same page.They did not have a good relationship with Hera, but they had no intention of ruining her either.Hera’s personality was unpleasant, but that was not enough for them to hate her so much that they wanted to see her suffer.“What methods do you think he’ll use?” Shanks asked again.Luca was silent for a long moment.Shanks already knew the answer, yet he still wanted her to say it out loud.After thinking it over, she finally said, “There are plenty of ways he could go about it, but no matter what he chooses, Hera’s fate is sealed. She’s as good as dead…”She lowered her gaze, her tone firm and certain.Shanks nodded.
Hera heard that Luca had returned and immediately went to find Shanks. She narrowed her eyes.That woman went to see Shanks. Could she be talking about her?The thought made Hera uneasy. She had a nagging feeling that something was wrong with her medical report.However, when they left the medical center earlier, Abel asked Luca when the report would be ready, and she said it would be available tomorrow.Hera turned to Gerald and said, “Take these back for me first.”“Alright.” Gerald carried the bags as he walked away. He could not help but wonder what exactly Hera bought. These bags were really heavy!Only after Gerald went upstairs did Hera slowly make her way up as well. Her room was on the third floor, but she stopped when she reached the second floor. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching before heading toward the laboratory.The door was closed.Instead of knocking, Hera pressed her ear against it, trying to eavesdrop.However, the laboratory was special