Ch. 1701..1710

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1701

The Battle Part One

In the end, Kurt knocked Vivian unconscious and handed her over to Riley.

“Ms. Cooper, sorry for the trouble.”

Riley was stumped when she suddenly saw what was happening on the altar.

Once the matter was exposed, Lucy grabbed a blade from one of the guards and began slaughtering everyone.

With the vicious expression and the fact that she was still wearing her wedding gown, it was a terrifying sight to behold.

After Riley carried the unconscious Vivian out on her back, Kurt tapped his foot and leaped back onto the altar.

“Kaiden, do you think you can turn the matter around just by exposing me?” Lucy sneered when she saw him return.

By then, she had already killed a few of the female royal guards with the blade she was holding.

Meanwhile, Kurt scanned his surroundings and realized how bleak the situation was. Other than the Cyanians and Mordunians, all the other citizens were being controlled like puppets. Brandishing the weapons in their hands, they charged at the two tribes.

On the altar, the situation was even more grim.

The Mordunian chief had already been cut down while trying to protect the king.

Therefore, only the Cyanian chief was left to defend him.

“Your Majesty, let's go!”

“Hahaha!” Lucy burst into raving mad laughter upon hearing his words.

“Don't you see it? There's no escape for you now. Where are you going to flee to? Let me tell you, Kaiden, I control Elysium now. In fact, I deliberately left these two useless tribes alone for your use during the election,” Lucy declared with an unremorseful expression.

Deliberately left?

Kurt narrowed his gaze at her and asked, “Why? Is this election very important to you?”

Lucy replied, “Yes, Kaiden, if you cooperate with me, you can still be the king of Elysium, while I can continue being your consort.”

Despite what happened, Lucy continued to persuade him.

After all, it was a great honor for her. She could turn the entire Elysium into her puppet, while Kurt could ascend the throne.

In the meantime, Kurt took out the blood-red-colored bead. After quickly studying it, he pressed a switch and caused it to turn into the long and sharp Blood Arrow.

He glared at her with a gaze filled with hatred and contempt.

“My consort? Are you even worthy?”

“What did you say?”

At that moment, Lucy's face lost all color, as if she had been forcefully slapped in her face.

“Didn't you hear me? Let me repeat it again. Based on your family background, you're nothing but a pawn of Eddie's. Based on looks, you're not even fit to be Vivi's servant. Thus, what gave you the audacity to claim the position of my consort?”

“You—”

Lucy had never imagined that Kurt was capable of saying something so scathing.

The way he conducted himself resembled her boss very much.

Consequently, she was utterly infuriated by his words. Despite being willing to sacrifice the rest of her life in exchange for his safety, she ended up being humiliated by him instead.

“Kaiden, I'm going to kill you!” Lucy roared before charging at Kurt with her blade.

Upon seeing her response, Kurt cracked a blood-thirsty smile. In the blink of an eye, he unleashed the Blood Arrow and dashed forward to intercept her attack.

In the meantime, Xayden arrived at the scene.

The moment he saw the battle on the altar, he led the Meyans and Zenisians whom he had freed from the worms ahead.

“Quick, restrain the rest of the tribes. We cannot allow them to massacre each other!”

The reason he was held up was that he was busy freeing the two tribes from the worms.

As for the two tribes, they weren't actually hostile to each other as claimed by the high priest. In truth, Lucy had long manipulated them with the help of the worms.

By doing so, she had turned the strongest faction within the tribe into her puppets.

On top of that, she also gained control over all the other smaller tribes. Only the Cyanians and Mordunians were left alone so that the ceremony could still carry on, cementing her position as queen.

However, she had not expected Vivian to return and throw her plans into disarray.

Despite her vicious expression, Lucy quickly realized that she was no match for Kurt.

As a member of SteelFort, he was significantly more skillful than her.

“How dare a weakling like you take me on? You must have a death wish to do so!”

When he noticed that Lucy could no longer defend herself, Kurt drew his bow fully and prepared to shoot the Blood Arrow at her.

However, at that very moment, a high-pitch shriek suddenly rang out above his head. Before he realized what was going on, he felt something bite into the center of his chest.

Ooof!

Despite the intense training he had gone through, the pain was so unbearable that he dropped the arrow in his hand and staggered backward.

The king whom he was protecting cried out in shock, “Kaiden!”

After steadying himself, Kurt raised his head and looked up.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1702

The Battle Part Two

“Craigor!”

Everyone on the altar was stunned to see Craigor, who was Kurt's long-lost uncle. He was the person who suddenly caused the worm inside Kurt's body to turn on him.

Why?

Holding onto his chest, Kurt was pale in shock as he looked at his uncle who had appeared out of nowhere.

The worm that Lucy left inside his body had been disposed of by Xayden. Hence, the one that remained was given to him by his mother when he was young.

It was the red-colored worm that emerged from his palm when he was on the train back then.

That worm was the King Worm of the Zenisians.

Evidently, they were members of the Zenisians too. It wasn't until something happened to his aunt and his mom was exiled to Black Marsh that they were chased out of Elysium.

In spite of that, his mom had given him the King Worm when he was a child.

The King Worm would only protect its host and never harm the latter unless it met with its Mother Worm.

Kurt stared blankly at his uncle.

“Why?”

“Why? How dare you ask me why? Kaiden, have you forgotten how your aunt's two brothers died? Have you also forgotten that your mom and sister are still imprisoned by this heartless animal?” Craigor berated his nephew the moment he arrived in front of Kurt.

At that moment, Kurt's face lost all color.

He had wanted to tell his uncle that it wasn't what it looked like and he had his own reasons for doing so.

Unfortunately, just when Kurt was about to speak, his uncle was outraged to see him using the Zenisians' legendary weapon, the Blood Arrow, to attack those on his side.

At that very instant, fury overwhelmed Craigor.

Shriek!

The mother worm in his hand let out an agonizing cry.

When the King Worm within Kurt's body heard it, it began to struggle furiously. The very next second, Kurt dropped to his knees and lost consciousness from the excruciating pain.

Sprawled on the ground, Kurt grabbed Craigor's pant leg and begged, “U-Uncle, no...”

“What do you mean no? Do you want me to stop? Let me tell you Kaiden, he is the enemy, not Lucy. He, Roppell, is our family's mortal enemy. Do you understand?”

After kicking his nephew aside, Craigor grabbed the blade on the ground with bloodshot eyes and walked up to the king.

Kurt was stumped.

“Argh!”

With a flash of the blade, the palace chief who came forward to shield the king was cut down in half.

As Kurt closed his eyes, his face became terrifyingly pale.

At that moment, Lucy came over, stood in front of him, and gave him a condescending look. When she saw how he was suffering on his knees, she suddenly felt the high of having avenged the humiliation she had suffered earlier.

“Now that you have lost, how does it feel?”

Kurt didn't respond.

Due to the physical torment he felt and the increasingly chaotic situation, Kurt was in so much pain that his body was trembling slightly.

Upon seeing his reaction, Lucy rejoiced in his misery.

“Kurt, you truly are a smart man. Nonetheless, you have made one mistake, which is to chase everyone by your side away. Do you think that by doing so, you're protecting them? Honestly, you will just end up being all alone.”

Kneeling in front of him, she reached out her hand, wanting to lift his chin.

Just when she was about to touch him, Kurt lifted his head suddenly. With sweat covering his entire forehead, he shot her a piercing gaze that caused her to lose her courage.

What's going on? He is obviously my prisoner now, but why am I still afraid of him?

Infuriated, Lucy grabbed Kurt by the face and forced him to make eye contact with her.

“I'm curious to see how stubborn you truly are!” Just as she spoke, she shamelessly attempted to plant her lips on Kurt's.

At that moment, Kurt's entire body was filled with intense hostility.

However, there was no need for him to take any action at all. As a gunshot rang out with a bang, a bullet flew swiftly in their direction.

If Lucy hadn't dodged in time, she would have lost her life at that very instant.

“Lucy, you despicable woman. I'm going to kill you!”

It was the same figure dressed in the white dress.

But this time, she had lost the crown on her head. Holding the gun in her hand like a fiercely protective mother, she dashed up from below with her black hair draped all over her shoulders.

Bang! Bang!

She fired a few more shots consecutively, forcing Lucy to flee some distance away.

Only then did Vivian sprint up in tears and drop to her knees in front of Kurt.

“Kurt...”

The emotions she felt then were just indescribable.

Looking at Vivian who had just returned, Kurt could see the terror in her face and the tears in her eyes.

Also, her hands were trembling, for she had never held a weapon before.

Consequently, his heart ached for her so much that he felt like it was being torn apart.

“W-Why did you come back?”

“I want to be with you. Don't you worry, my brothers and Daddy are on their way here. Therefore, there's no need to fear these villains at all. No matter how powerful they are, my daddy will eliminate all of them!”

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1703

I Will Take You Home

Alternating between laughing and crying, Vivian was filled with hope the moment she mentioned her daddy.

Kurt was stunned.

“D-Did you just say that your daddy is coming?”

“Mmm-hmm!” Teary-eyed, Vivian nodded with conviction.

“I have gotten in touch with my brother, and he has informed me that they will be arriving in five minutes with Daddy. Thus, all you need to do now is wait,” she reassured him with a smile.

Kurt was speechless as he felt a sudden rush of ecstasy in his chest. Just like an ember that was reignited, he began to tremble slightly on his knees.

That's right, as long as the legendary Sebastian is here, everything can be resolved.

Staring at Vivian, he finally broke into a smile.

However, at that particular moment, time seemed to freeze.

“Mmph...”

When Kurt saw blood spew out of Vivian's back like a fountain, he felt the world falling into a deathly silence. It was followed by the sight of Vivian gradually collapsing onto the ground.

“Vivi!”

“Quick, drag her away! Without her as our hostage, there's no way we can escape when Sebastian arrives!”

Having heard their exchange, Lucy knew that she had to strike.

Subsequently, she reeled in the chain that she had pierced Vivian's heart with. Just like a floating piece of origami, Vivian was then pulled over to her side.

“Lucy, I'm going to kill you!” Kurt had finally lost his mind.

Springing up from the ground, he let out a beast-like roar before charging at the raving mad Lucy.

As Kurt was attacking Lucy in a suicidal manner, it was a scene so brutal that no one could forget it for the rest of their lives.

If Kurt tried to resist the control of the worm within him, it would relentlessly chew him from within. The phenomenon would result not only in the death of the host but the worm too.

At that moment, he had gone utterly berserk. With blood oozing out the corners of his mouth, he wielded the Blood Arrow and slaughtered everyone in his path, as if he had gone berserk.

Regardless of whether they deserved to be killed, everyone died when struck by the razor-sharp tip of his Blood Arrow. By the time he caught up with Lucy, there was already a pile of corpses by his feet.

“Kurt, you had better stop moving. Or else, I'll kill her!”

Frightened by Kurt's ferocity and the fact that he had slaughtered his way to get to her, Lucy grabbed Vivian with one hand and tugged on the chain embedded in the latter's chest with the other.

Vivian was in such tortuous pain that she could barely say a word.

Every time she moved a little, her body would shiver. Moreover, her mind grew increasingly hazy.

Despite being in a daze, she cracked a faint smile when she caught a glimpse of the blood-drenched Kurt standing in front of her.

“K-Kurt, l-leave me.”

As the pain he felt reached a climax, a mix of blood and tears streamed out from his bloodshot eyes.

“Don't be afraid, I'll bring you home soon. W-We have promised each other that we will come here and return together,” he comforted her while approaching step by step.

Vivian stared at him.

Even though she felt dizzy just like an anchored kite, she nodded obediently to acknowledge their promise.

With that, Kurt closed his eyes resolutely.

Just when Lucy assumed that she could capture him, he suddenly opened his eyes and stabbed the blood-stained arrow into his own chest.

Hiss!

An even more vicious worm cry was heard.

Suddenly, Lucy felt a stinging pain all over her limbs. When she lowered her head, she noticed countless crawling organisms moving under her skin.

“Ah!”

When she finally screamed in horror, her attention was taken off Vivian.

Seizing upon the window of opportunity, Kurt lunged forward with the last bit of strength he had and swung his blade down.

Clang!

After cutting off the chain successfully, Kurt carried Vivian and then fell down the altar.

“Kaiden!”

“Vivian!”

As countless shouts filled the surroundings, Lucy regained her senses at once. At that instant, her eyes filled with murderous intent after having been tricked.

Just when she turned around to capture the two of them, a thunderous rumble rang out above her head.

It wasn't the sound of a helicopter but that of a jet. Furthermore, there was more than one of them. As they screamed through the air, one could see that their guns were primed.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The jets fired a hail of bullets at the ground, just like a whirlwind of falling autumn leaves. Standing right in their sights, Lucy was soon covered by bullet holes.

Even in death, her eyes were still looking up at the sky.

She couldn't understand how she still ended up being killed by Kurt despite the meticulous planning and the fact that she had the entire tribe under her control.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1704

Kill

This time, she had transformed the entire tribe into her base. On top of that, the guards outside were armed to the teeth to ensure that the day's ceremony would proceed smoothly.

In fact, she even deployed the latest nuclear wave equipment that was available.

How did Sebastian arrive in such a short time? Wasn't he not monitoring the matter?

With her eyes wide open till the end, that was the question she took to her grave.

Thump!

After Lucy collapsed onto the ground, one of the jets spun around and gradually landed on the altar.

Despite flying at breakneck speed a moment ago, it only took the jet a few seconds to come to a stop.

In the meantime, everyone, including all those injured and the king who had lost his arm, stared at the landing jet amidst the gale it generated.

Having barely survived, the king had never looked so pathetic before...

Finally, a towering figure in a black trench coat descended from the jet.

Given that it was raining at that time, he held up a big black umbrella as he disembarked from the plane.

With a figure that stood out among ordinary men, he exuded a distinguish aura that was insuppressible.

The king stared intently at him, for he had heard about this legendary figure of the Jadesons.

From those rumors, he learned that Sebastian used to be a company president with wealth that could rival nations. Later on, he somehow ended up as a son of a powerful family.

After that, he managed to single-handedly subdue the chaos that erupted in the country.

However, no one ever witnessed how he actually did it.

Nonetheless, now that there was peace, everyone would feel a sense of reverence every time he was mentioned as if he was an angel who was sent to protect the people.

At that moment, the situation was no different.

The king watched on as Sebastian walked across the blood-covered altar and stopped in front of the lady he had just killed.

“Is she dead yet?” he asked in a cold and indifferent voice.

Just as he spoke, everyone present could feel the murderous intent he emitted.

It was as if he would turn Lucy into dust if anyone had said otherwise.

After all, Vivian was so precious to him that he would never tolerate anyone hurting even a single hair on her.

And yet, Lucy had torn a huge wound on her chest.

At that moment, Sebastian gave Lucy's corpse a deathly stare.

“Mr. Hayes, she's no longer breathing.”

“Crack her skull and examine her brain.”

“Yes, Mr. Hayes.”

“Also, kill the rest of them,” he ordered through his gritted teeth.

It had been a long time since he felt the urge to kill anyone.

This time, blood was destined to flow like rivers.

As the king continued to stare in awe, he finally understood what a true king and a real massacre actually were.

Despite ruling Elysium like a tyrant, he was nothing compared to Sebastian.

The screams of the slaughter could be heard for half an hour straight. All of them were being cut down just like watermelons. In the meantime, another jet landed behind them. Subsequently, two youths stormed out of it.

Both of them were obviously filled with rage.

It was at the same moment that the king realized that his tribe had long been wiped out.

Other than the citizens who had been freed of the worms' control by Xayden, everyone else looked unfamiliar to him. In other words, Elysium had been replaced right under his nose with men brought in by Lucy.

“How dare you hurt my sister!”

As the youth's voice rang out, a sharp dagger plunged into the high priest's chest, causing him to collapse lifelessly onto the ground.

Meanwhile, the king saw the other youth stepping on the high priest's corpse as he began to control a drone, which had blue lights blinking as it hovered in the air.

After it ascended into the sky, the youth fiddled with the controls, resulting in a sound of a crack.

Suddenly, the drone showered a white light upon the chaotic citizens beneath it. The next moment, the citizens that Xayden haven't freed stopped their hysterical actions abruptly.

At the same time, the blank look on their faces gradually dissipated.

“Mr. Ian, you're amazing to have invented this gadget!” Xayden shouted in delight from below the altar when he saw what was going on.

Evidently, Ian was using advanced technology to free the tribe's citizens from mind control.

The king was so astounded that he was lost for words.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1705

Grave Mistake

“Do you still want to kill?”

All of a sudden, Sebastian walked over.

The king was stunned to see Sebastian's gaze fall upon the man who was threatening him with a blade, Craigor.

It was Craigor's sudden appearance that foiled the entire plan. If not for him, Kurt would have executed the mission beautifully.

Craigor's actions had resulted in mass casualties among the tribe. Furthermore, he had caused the innocent Vivian to be grievously injured and for Kurt to sacrifice his life to save her.

Up till then, no one was sure if Kurt was still alive or not.

As Sebastian stared daggers at Craigor, the latter felt a chill down his spine.

“W-Who are you?”

“Who am I? After making that girl your pawn for so many years, how can you not know who I am? After all that planning, didn't she tell you who she is going against?”

As the black umbrella tilted to the side, Sebastian revealed his face and burst into mocking laughter.

At the same time, Craigor's eyes widened in shock.

“Y-You're the youngest son of the Jadesons!”

“Yes, I am!”

Craigor never said another word thereafter.

Upon learning that he had been used all this while, Craigor stood there blankly as if a heavy blow had struck his head.

So, this is him.

After hearing so much about Sebastian over the years, Craigor assumed that he would look like some kind of a monster.

However, Sebastian not only turned out to be much younger than he thought but was also a handsome and gentle-looking man.

How is this possible?

All the rumors he heard about Sebastian revolved around how ruthless the latter was.

Even though Craigor was dumbstruck, that wasn't going to be his greatest blow.

Standing in front of Craigor, Sebastian continued, “You claim that you are seeking revenge upon Roppell for killing your two sisters and nephews, but do you know that your nephews have been killed by the mastermind behind this lady?”

“What did you say? They died by his hand?”

“Yes, after your two nephews were sent away by their mother, my father took them in. Ever since then, they stayed with the Hayes family. The elder nephew sacrificed his life in Jetroina after stabbing my father's killer. He had wanted to repay his debt of gratitude by exacting revenge on the man who plotted against my father.

“As for your younger nephew, he continued to stay by my side. When I joined the Jadeson family, Eddie wanted to dispose of me when he saw how fast my influence was eroding his control over the Jadesons. Unfortunately, your nephew died protecting me when he was caught in Eddie's trap. And now, you have the cheek to tell me that you're avenging their deaths?”

Sebastian's final sentence was filled with sarcasm.

In truth, he had no interest in speaking to Craigor, especially after the latter had thrown a wrench into his grand plan.

However, after watching Kurt suffer tremendously, Sebastian felt the urge to let the idiotic Craigor know of the massive mistake he made.

He wanted to ensure that Craigor would live in regret, without any hope of redemption for the rest of his life.

“T-That's impossible. You must be lying. It can't—”

Craigor was thrown into a panic.

With his face turning pale, he staggered backward and adamantly denied the fact.

In response, Sebastian sneered, “If you don't believe me, why don't you ask your nephew, Kaiden, who is lucky to still be alive. When he awakes, you can ask him yourself about how he survived.”

“Let me tell you, killing Roppell is like squashing an insect to him. However, why doesn't he do it? Why did he stay in court for such a long time? Do you really think he's after the worthless throne?” Sebastian reminded Craigor in a cruel tone.

By then, Craigor fell into silence.

Meanwhile, the king, who was also being accused by Sebastian, turned pale upon a sudden realization.

No one was able to accept the truth.

Both of them realized that when Kurt was declared dead back then, all ties had been severed between him and them. Upon his return, everything Kurt did had nothing to do with them at all.

As a result, the two of them slumped to the ground.

However, Sebastian paid no heed to them.

Clang!

The moment he turned around, he heard the crisp sound of a sword falling to the ground. Without looking back, he descended from the altar with his umbrella in hand and hurried to where the casualties were being treated.

Ten minutes later, Kurt and Vivian were loaded onto the jet once their condition had been stabilized.

After that, someone rushed up behind Sebastian to report, “Mr. Hayes, Craigor has committed suicide.”

Sebastian simply responded with a smirk.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1706

He Will Not Die

Just when Sebastian was getting back into the plane, the king dragged himself with his broken arm to stop the former.

“M-Mr. Jadeson, I would like to ask you if my son is ever coming back?”

Standing in front of the giant aircraft which he had not seen before, the king peered inside, hoping to find his son.

Son?

Sebastian turned around and gave him a disdainful look.

“Is he even your son?”

The king was speechless.

“When your son was ten, you had sentenced him to death. Therefore, he doesn't exist anymore. Roppell, he is now known as Kurt, and he was rescued by me back then,” Sebastian reminded word by word.

To the king, Sebastian's answer felt like a slap to his face. In fact, even his neck was turning red.

In response, the contempt in Sebastian's eyes intensified along with the frosty aura he was emanating.

“Listen up, release his mother and sister in three days' time. Or else, I will decimate your court. Roppell, I have shown you a lot of compassion by not subjecting you to the authority of the government. If you still dare to mess around, I don't mind razing this entire place to the ground!” Sebastian gave the king his final warning.

Razed to the ground.

Roppell's face lost all color. In the end, he no longer dared to move a muscle.

At that moment, he experienced for himself what true power was. As king of a small tribe, he was just like an insect when compared to someone who held the reins of a nation.

At the end of it, Roppell could only watch as the jet took flight.

Two days later, in Summerbank Hospital, Vivian's parents, her brothers, and Devin had been keeping watch outside the ward for the last forty-eight hours.

That morning, the doctor approached them to tell them the results.

“Mr. Hayes, your daughter has cleared the danger zone. All she needs to do now is to take her medication and rest.”

After hearing the news, everyone was filled with ecstasy before heaving a sigh of relief.

Vivian was finally safe.

“In that case, what about the Kurt? How is he?” Sasha asked with a concerned tone.

This time, the doctor's expression was less optimistic.

“His condition isn't looking good. The worm in his body has formed a parasitic relationship with all his organs after living inside him for more than ten years. Its sudden death is the equivalent of him losing part of his organs at one go. Just think about it, what are the consequences of that? Mrs. Hayes, we have already done our best.”

The doctor's solemn answer was indicative of how grim the situation was.

He wasn't familiar with worms. Hence, he gave his analysis to them in layman's terms.

The doctor's words were apt in their description. The worm within Kurt had amalgamated itself with his body. The reason he didn't deploy the worm during his first battle with Lucy was that he knew about the huge repercussion he would suffer.

Later on, Craigor, who was aware of that weakness, used the Mother Worm against him.

The matter was a testament to how he was willing to sacrifice himself in order to save Vivian back then.

“No, you can't do this. You have to save him!”

Unable to hold back her emotions, Sasha burst out in tears upon hearing the doctor's words.

After all, she had watched Kurt grow up.

As for Ian and Matteo, both of them were equally devastated by the news. Turning pale, they stood there listening to the doctor with reddened eyes.

Only Sebastian and Devin were relatively calmer due to the fact that they were adults.

“Doctor, is there any other way?”

“Not at my end. Mr. Hayes, if you know someone who is a better doctor, you can give it a try.”

Finally the doctor let out a sigh before leaving.

At that moment, the corridor of the intensive care unit fell silent, for everyone felt as if their hearts were weighed down by a giant boulder.

Filled with sorrow, they couldn't bring themselves to accept the reality.

After all, Kurt was only sixteen.

In the end, Sebastian pulled Sasha back into the ward, for he could see how devastated she was as she couldn't stop crying. After closing the ward's door, he poured her a glass of water.

“Don't worry. I'll contact the best doctors overseas and get them to take a look.”

“You're right. What about Dr. Shoki? Isn't he an excellent doctor? He came to check on me when I fell terribly sick the last time. You should give him a call and get him to come.”

As if she had found a sliver of hope, Sasha insisted that Sebastian call the doctor right away.

She had resolved not to give up easily, as Kurt meant everything to her daughter.

However, after the doctors sent Kurt's medical and surgery reports to Haruto in Jetroina, he too shook his head helplessly after looking at the scans.

Consequently, Sasha was heartbroken, while everyone else lost hope.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1707

“There's no more hope, Mr. Hayes. Can one live without a heart?”

Haruto raised a cruel example.

Just as he spoke, Sebastian's expression darkened drastically.

“Is it really that serious?”

“Of course. If you look at the scans, they clearly show that his organs can't even perform basic functions once the worm has died. That's the equivalent of losing his heart. This case is just out of this world. I have never seen something so unnatural in my entire life,” Haruto remarked in disbelief.

At that moment, everyone's heart sank.

This time, it felt as if there was no longer any hope left.

“What should we do? Should we tell Vivian?” Sasha finally asked with sullen expression and tears in her eyes.

Everyone was equally stumped for an answer, for they didn't know how Vivian would react upon learning of the news.

In spite of their concerns, she still found out in the end.

On the third day after Vivian awoke, her parents had gotten Xayden to give her some medication for short-term memory loss.

Three days later, due to the fact that she had the worm inside her before, her memory gradually returned. Later on, she overheard two nurses discussing something while she was taking a walk along the corridor.

“I heard the youth in the intensive care unit will be taken off the ventilator today.”

“That's right. Actually, he's already dead. It's just that his family couldn't bring themselves to do it.”

“Mmm-hmm. I heard about that too. It's such a shame, especially for someone as good-looking as him.”

Both of them were gossiping while tidying up one of the wards.

When Vivian heard what they said, she stopped at the door at once.

A youth? One that's extremely handsome?

At that moment her eyes sparkled with intrigue. After all, the doctor had reminded her to be more active so that she could recover faster.

Hence, she headed toward the intensive care unit for a walk.

When she arrived, she saw the doctors and nurses entering the ward wearing cleanroom suits. Even though they had their masks on, she could still see the sense of pity on their faces.

Who is he to elicit such an emotional response from the doctors and nurses?

She gradually walked up to the intensive care unit and peered through the glass window.

Just as expected, there was a patient on the bed inside who was connected to tons of tubes.

Nevertheless, the ECG machine stationed beside him was still showing a pulse.

At that moment, Vivian felt a sudden squeeze in her heart when she saw the doctor who was about to disconnect the ventilator from the youth.

After looking at the sixteen-year-old youth's face, she turned her attention to his tightly closed eyes.

He's really handsome!

That was the first thought that came to mind.

Nevertheless, the thought was maintained for a fleeting moment as she subsequently saw the doctor remove the respirator from him, revealing his exquisite features.

At that moment, she felt a buzz in her head.

Standing there, her mind was suddenly filled with a blinding light before a voice began to ring out in it.

“Vivi, I'll take you home.”

“Vivi, don't cry. I'm here to save you.”

“Vivi, you have to remember that your dad sent me to your side to protect you. I'm not your sibling in any way!”

The tone of the final sentence sounded especially sharp.

After staggering backward, Vivian widened her eyes and stared inside. In a few short seconds, she felt as if her mind was in turmoil.

Vivi.

Kurt.

Vivi.

Kurt.

“No, don't touch him! Don't you dare touch my Kurt!” Having finally regained her memories, she lunged forward like a raving mad girl and began to bang on the glass furiously.

“No! Let go of him! Don't remove his respirator!”

Her screaming voice was so sharp that the entire floor, including the intensive care unit, could hear her.

Hence, the nurse inside came over to open the door.

Nonetheless, she couldn't have expected the girl in a hospital gown to dash madly in.

Looking at Kurt, Vivian put the respirator back on him without a moment's hesitation.

When the doctors and nurses saw the terrifying look on her face, they looked at each other in confusion.

By the time Sebastian and Sasha arrived, Vivian was shielding Kurt's bed in the intensive care unit as if she was possessed.

“Vivi...”

When Sasha saw Vivian's reaction, she felt as if her heart was pierced by a knife.

In the ward, Vivian was threatening the doctors and nurses not to come near with a needle. The moment she saw Sasha, she finally bawled.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1708

“Mommy, he isn't dead. I beg of you, don't let them take his respirator off. No, Daddy. No...” she pleaded with her parents with tears gushing out of her eyes.

Her entire body was shivering at the same time.

When Sebastian and Sasha saw the desperation in Vivian, both of them were so heartbroken that they didn't dare to do anything.

Consequently, the respirator was put back onto Kurt.

As for the doctors and nurses, none of them dared to enter the intensive care unit at all.

Meanwhile, Sasha accompanied her daughter in the ward for a long time until the latter had finally stopped crying. After that, she simply sat there and stared listlessly at Kurt, just like a puppet.

Sasha began to comfort her, “Vivi, you—”

“Mommy, I know what you want to say, but he won't die, and neither will he leave me.”

Sasha remained silent.

“He told me that he would take me home and asked me to wait for him. He also said that we must go there and return together. Mommy, can you give him some time? He will definitely come back to us.”

This is just like when she was six.

When Sasha had just started speaking, Vivian talked over her quickly. Despite Vivian's sound presence of mind, Sasha felt as if a knife was stabbed in her old wounds upon hearing her daughter's tone.

The reason was that she was reminded of what happened to Calvin.

Back then, he had died in front of Vivian, and she was only six that year.

Sasha could still remember Vivian crying in a piercing voice when she saw Calvin die.

Come to think of it, if she could communicate better back then, she would probably be begging us just like how she's pleading for more time on Kurt's behalf right now. However, will he come back just because we have granted him more time?

Sasha cried her eyes out again.

While the mother and daughter were overwhelmed by sorrow, someone suddenly entered the ward to see Sebastian.

“Mr. Hayes, Kurt's mother and sister are here and would like to see him.”

“What did you say?” Sebastian raised his gaze.

Ten minutes later, Sebastian, who was waiting outside the intensive care unit, saw a middle-aged lady with gray hair. She was dressed in Elysium traditional clothing and had a young girl in tow.

The lady was very thin and looked extremely haggard.

Even then, one could see from her features that she used to be a stunning beauty in her younger days.

Once both of them came up to Sebastian, Nina recognized him.

After blinking her eyes, which resembled Kurt's, Nina meekly introduced Sebastian to her mom, “Mom, this is the man who saved Kaiden.”

The moment her mother heard it, she dropped to her knees in front of Sebastian.

“Madam, there's no need for such courtesy.” Sebastian quickly helped her up.

Given how much she had suffered, she insisted on kneeling. Subsequently, she bowed to Sebastian in front of everyone.

“Mr. Hayes, I, Ruby Calyette, can never repay the debt of gratitude I owe you for saving my son. I hope that I can somehow make it up to you in my next lifetime.”

“Madam, don't say that. Saving your son was a coincidence. It just wasn't his time yet. Hence, there's no need to make too much of it.”

Sebastian helped her up again.

This time, Ruby didn't refuse.

After that, Sebastian turned to the intensive care unit with a darkened expression. “Do you want to go in? He's right inside.”

From Sebastian's grave tone, one could easily surmise what the situation inside was.

Unexpectedly, Ruby wasn't as sad as Sebastian even though it was her son that was lying inside. In fact, her expression was a sea of calm.

“All right, Mr. Hayes. There's something I would like to ask of you. Will you promise me to do it?”

“Go on.”

Sebastian was surprised but agreed anyway.

With that, he saw the feeble-looking Ruby push Nina forward.

Raising her head, Ruby gave Sebastian a teary-eyed look and requested, “Can you please tell her brother to take care of his sister when he awakes? Wherever he goes, he has to bring her along and not leave her anywhere, all right?”

Sebastian was stunned.

Despite how smart he was and how much he had been through, he didn't understand the meaning behind her words.

After Ruby entered, Vivian and Sasha came out shortly. Subsequently, they watched her through the intensive care unit's window.

After Ruby said something to her son teary-eyed, she suddenly stabbed something into her own chest. The next instant, everyone saw blood spurt out of her body, followed by her pulling something out that was dripping with blood.

“What is she doing? Open the door!”

“Open the door at once!”

In response, Sebastian and Sasha screamed from outside the ward.

At that moment, Nina suddenly wailed, “Don't open the door, Mom is giving her own nest to my brother!”

Nest?

What nest?

Everyone was bewildered.

In the meantime, Ruby placed the thing she was holding in her hand into her son's chest.

A nest was actually the worm's habitat when it was raised inside a human body.

Since Kurt's worm was given by his mom, she was its nest. Therefore, the only way to revive the worm within Kurt's body was to incubate the worm eggs left behind by the King Worm within the nest.

Once the worm hatched from its egg, Kurt would naturally be saved.

The gruesome scene that Sebastian witnessed would go on to haunt him for many years ahead.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1709

In the end, the intensive care unit fell silent by the time the doctor arrived.

Ruby was lying motionless on top of her son, just like a caring mother who fell asleep from exhaustion.

Unfortunately, everyone knew that wasn't the case.

After being shocked by what had unfolded, the doctor examined the noble Ruby and shook his head in tears. “Mr. Hayes, I'm sorry. She no longer has a pulse.”

“Mom...”

Nina's wail echoed throughout the corridor, moving everyone present to tears. Meanwhile, Sasha knelt down and hugged her tightly.

“Be a good girl, and don't cry now. Let's stop crying.”

No one could bear to watch the noble yet heartbreaking scene.

Nonetheless, the conclusion was for the best, for no mother in the world could stand idly by and watch their children die. Such was her fate.

As a result, one could understand why she took such drastic actions.

However, it was still a shame that Kurt couldn't see his mom one last time before her death. After all, he had gone through so much hardship to save her to only have her sacrifice her life to save him.

Therefore, he would be utterly devastated upon learning of what happened when he woke up.

After that, Vivian kept vigil in his ward for over three days. She was worried that he wouldn't be able to accept the truth.

However, Kurt was still in a coma three days later.

Nevertheless, his condition improved, and he could now breathe independently.

After finishing the examination, the attending physician looked at Sebastian in amazement. “Mr. Hayes, this is the most unbelievable event I have seen in my entire career. As of now, all his broken organs are attaching themselves back together. But, it's still a painstaking process.”

Unable to explain it in medical terms, the doctor could only describe it crudely by using the words “broken” and “attaching,” for that was the phenomenon that was occurring inside Kurt.

The King Worm's death had resulted in all of his organs being destroyed. Hence, they lost their basic ability to function.

Surprisingly, after Ruby inserted a piece of flesh that contained the bacteria that could incubate worms into him, a strange organism began to amalgamate itself with his organs.

Within three days, his supposedly dead organs became active again.

“Hmm. There's no need to be surprised, as there are many unexplained phenomena in this world. It's just a matter of humans not bothered to find out more.”

Sebastian plainly advised.

The doctor nodded, “You're right. Even the medical field is still in development. Or else, we wouldn't have so many incurable diseases still.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“Anyway, you can rest easy now, Mr. Hayes. Even though he isn't awake yet, it's just a matter of time before he does. By the time his body has repaired itself, he will naturally wake up.”

The doctor let out another long sigh after he finished.

This is way too strange.

With that, Kurt's condition stabilized.

That afternoon, Devin finally returned with the twins after tying up loose ends in Elysium.

“How is it?”

“Everything has been resolved. A total of four to five thousand people died. Half were the remnants of Eddie's men, while the rest belonged to the tribe.

Devin handed over a name list with a grim expression.

That was the consequence of a disaster caused by a madman. In the end, thousands of innocents from the Elysium tribe lost their lives.

To a tribe that had less than twenty thousand members, it was considered a devastating blow.

Sebastian stared at the list with a sullen expression.

“Haven you found any leads from Lucy's body?”

“I have, Daddy. It's as you have predicted. After dissecting her brain, we found a chip. My analysis confirms that it's the exact same chip implanted in Duncan's brain.”

Ian walked over and took out a sealed bag that contained the chip. The moment he mentioned Duncan, his tone was tinged with anger.

So, it appears that Lucy is nothing but a puppet. From the very beginning, there has always been reason to suspect her. Even though she was only about Kurt's age, she had the ability to wield significant influence and control many people in the tribe. That was certainly a red flag. Furthermore, this plan wasn't put in motion in just a year and a half. From the men in the forest to those in the tribe, it would have taken decades to do it. Consequently, there's no way a clueless sixteen-year-old girl is capable of something of this scale.

That was the reason why Sebastian suspected Lucy was a puppet from the start.

In the end, the results vindicated his speculation.

Meanwhile, Sebastian stared at the chip with an increasingly murderous aura.

His Secret Lover Returning from the Dead Chapter 1710

Being Assigned Important Missions

“Ian, I have a mission for you.”

“Sure, Daddy. What is it?” inquired the young man as he lifted his head to look at Sebastian. He had the same determination in his eyes as his father.

Then, Sebastian handed his son a microchip. “I want you to use this microchip against them as a weapon. Can you do that?”

“What do you mean by that, Daddy?”

“I need you to crack it and get it under your control. That way, those who're like Duncan or Lucy will all be at your command. Do you understand?” explained Sebastian while gazing sternly at his son, who was already almost as tall as him then.

At that point, Sebastian was no longer treating his son like a child but like a grown man instead. He saw Ian as an adult who could help him shoulder some responsibilities.

Ian was all fired up when he realized how important a task his father had assigned him, so he immediately straightened his back before replying decisively, “Yes, I understand. Don't worry, Daddy. I'll get it done!”

“Good!” Sebastian was more than pleased to see how dependable Ian was.

Standing just beside his brother, Matteo started to get anxious because he had not been assigned a mission yet like Ian.

“What about me, Daddy? I want a mission too.”

“I haven't forgotten about you, Matteo. I have something I need you to do as well,” assured Sebastian while patting his son on the shoulder. Then, he turned around and took out an item to show Matteo.

“This is the Dragon Insignia of SteelFort. It represents the authority of the head of our family. From now on, it belongs to you.”

Matteo was utterly dumbfounded when his father gave him something so important.

Even Devin was surprised when he saw what Sebastian did. “Sebastian, are you sure—”

“He likes to use children as his pawns, doesn't he? Well, two can play that game. I'm sure you and your brother will be more than enough to deal with him in my stead. Now listen to me carefully, Matteo. Your mission is to lead SteelFort and uproot whatever remaining forces that b*stard has.”

There was nothing but murderous intents in Sebastian's eyes when he handed his son the Dragon Insignia. Even in his death, that old b*stard continues to haunt me, but I'm not going to let him have his way. Since he's already dead, I believe it's time I let my boys handle things for me. We'll see who has more capable children—Eddie's or mine.

On that same day, Sebastian took Kurt and Vivian with him and returned to Jadeborough, leaving Matteo in Yorksland.

The young man's first mission was to scour Elysium for the former high priest, Daphne, and her son, Jason.

Meanwhile, on the Oceanic Estate in Jadeborough, Vivian had been visiting Grayson for the past two days, leaving Nina behind in the strange environment.

“Nina, are you hungry? Would you like me to make you something?” inquired Sasha caringly.

She was worried that Nina might not be comfortable staying there since the girl had remained on the third floor for quite a while.

True to Sasha's concern, Nina did indeed have trouble getting used to the new environment. On top of that, she missed her mother and brother dearly.

However, Nina remembered her mother telling her to behave there since Sasha was not only a good person but also a great benefactor to her family.

Sitting by herself on the floor, Nina swallowed her emotions before lifting her head to respond to Sasha. “It's okay, Mrs. Hayes. I'm not hungry.”

Seeing how understanding Nina was only made Sasha more downhearted that she could not do anything to help.

Suddenly, Sasha heard the voice of a little girl coming from downstairs.

“Aunt Sasha! Where are you, Aunt Sasha?”

Sasha knew exactly who that voice belonged to, so she looked down from the third floor to smile at the little girl carrying two big baskets. “I'm up here, Jaena!”

“Hey, Aunt Sasha! What are you doing upstairs? You've got to come down here and help me. These watermelons are just so heavy! I'm about to die from exhaustion!”

After she finally found Sasha, Jaena let go of the watermelons and slumped into a chair. The girl then panted like a dog while leaning back.

Nina got curious because of the ruckus, so she stuck her head out to see who Sasha was talking to.

Something about Jaena's behavior reminded Nina of herself back in the palace after Kurt rescued her.

Nina's beautiful eyes widened when she saw Jaena, a girl just about her age. “Is she really older than I am?”