Ch. 1851..1860
The Return of God of War Chapter 1851
She had hypothesized that although the old man saved them at the crucial moment, the blast had somehow affected her still and given her superpowers.
Therefore, Zoey might experience the same phenomenon too.
“Me?”
Zoey was surprised.
“Why don’t you try and see if there are any changes?” Wynona asked.
“Sure!”
By then, Zoey was already a warrior. Hence, she tried to sense the changes in her body.
However, she didn’t feel anything different.
“Let me try gathering my energy.”
At that moment, she felt an electrical jolt rush through her head.
The pain it caused felt as if her head was about to be blown apart.
In her mind, a hazy image appeared. But, she couldn’t tell what it was.
It felt as if there were a thousand needles tearing her brain apart, causing her to feel a terrifying sensation.
“Argh!”
Holding her head, Zoey screamed in agony before collapsing onto the ground and rolling in pain.
Wynona was shocked when she saw it.
What’s wrong with Zoey?
As if she had gone mad, Zoey grimaced on the floor and let out a demonic scream.
It was so terrifying that Wynona’s hair stood on end.
Her eyes were bloodshot while her eyeballs seemed as if they were about to pop out.
Bam!
Bam!
Bam!
She slammed her head onto the ground, letting out a frightening sound.
The shocking part was that the ground began to shatter with cracks appearing everywhere.
To Wynona, Zoey looked as if she was the devil herself.
Hence, she put her arms around Zoey and tried to restrain her.
“Zoey, calm down! You have to calm down!”
One minute later, Zoey finally calmed down and lost consciousness.
By then, she was drenched in sweat.
“What happened to her? Did the particle collision affect the nerves of her brain?”
Wynona did a preliminary analysis.
It seems not every failed experiment will gift everyone superpowers. It depends on one’s physical body and luck. So far, the particle collision seems to bring Zoey more harm than good.
“I should let her rest first. When she’s awake, I’ll take her back and examine what’s wrong with her,” Wynona mumbled to herself.
Zoey finally woke up a few hours later.
“Zoey, what happened to you just now?” Wynona asked.
Zoey massaged her head. “Just when I was gathering my energy, I could feel a burst of energy charging through my head. It felt so painful that I thought my head was about to explode. At that moment, I couldn’t feel myself. As if I no longer exist.”
Rubbing her head still Zoey took a deep breath.
“Don’t worry. Your nerves might have been affected by the blast. I’ll check on them once we get back,” Wynona reassured her.
“Erm, I think it’s no big deal too. After all, there doesn’t seem to be any changes to my body.”
Both Zoey and Wynona didn’t give it much thought.
However, that wasn’t what Wynona felt when she saw Zoey earlier. She was actually shocked by what happened.
When Zoey was unconscious, Wynona examined herself.
Not only did she have super strength, but her speed and intelligence had also broken all barriers.
In fact, she even acquired the ability to heal herself.
When she tried to cut herself, her skin quickly recovered.
The particle collision did a total upgrade of her physical capabilities.
“You are really lucky to have benefited greatly from the close shave,” Zoey commented with a smile.
“I’m sorry Zoey. All I could think of back then was to take Jared down alongside us.”
Wynona looked apologetic.
Zoey shook her head. “Don’t worry. By the way, where’s Jared? Did he survive the blast?” Zoey suddenly asked.
The Return of God of War Chapter 1852
“Good question.”
Slapping her forehead, Wynona suddenly recalled the grave issue at hand.
Jared! He’s the reason for all this! If he isn’t dead, wouldn’t my actions be in vain?
Zoey knitted her eyebrows. “If the old man hadn’t saved us, no one could have survived the blast.”
Wynona nodded.
That’s true.
The reason she had gained new powers was because she had only been exposed to a small amount of radiation.
A larger amount would have obliterated her instead.
“However, it would make sense for him to rescue everyone, including Jared,” Zoey analyzed.
Wynona remarked, “Perhaps, we’re most probably the only two survivors while Jared and his men are dead! Or there’s still another possibility. The old man may have come specifically for us because he is someone related to Levi. Hence, he would definitely not rescue Jared.”
Zoey nodded. “Mmm-hmm, it’s probably one or the other. Regardless of which, it means Jared is likely dead.”
“I agree. But, we’ll have to return to the training base to verify it.”
No one knows for sure if Jared is dead.
Meanwhile, Levi looked for Zoey all over Erudia enthusiastically.
At the same time, The Cardinal Hall kept sending out wanted notices for him.
His danger rating had risen to level eight.
In order to prevent him from reaching level nine, The Cardinal Hall issued The Cardinal Order (TCO) against him.
The edict was only issued under extremely desperate circumstances.
Upon issuance, The Cardinal Hall, Eragon, and any Erudian organizations had to obey it without question.
In fact, all the countries under Erudia’s influence had to comply and participate.
Anyone who went against it would be executed.
In simple terms, The Cardinal Order was an edict that mobilized all resources to kill its target, no matter the cost.
It would not be withdrawn until the target was dead.
Consequently, The Cardinal Hall issued one against Levi.
No one had expected them to take such a drastic move to order Levi to be killed.
Ever since The Cardinal Hall was formed, The Cardinal Order was only issued twice.
The first was when Cyrus emerged.
It was rescinded only after Cyrus’ disappearance.
The second was for Levi.
There was a saying in the martial arts world.
Once The Cardinal Order was issued, it was considered glorious for a martial artist to die executing it.
Hence, both Erudia and the entire world were shocked by The Cardinal Order.
The Dragonites lamented, “Is this the last resort? With TCO, no one will rest until Levi is killed.”
Leonidas, Robed Slayer, and Xenotoph might be able to take on Levi.
However, one had sealed himself away while the other two were nowhere to be found.
However, once TCO was issued, the elite warriors of Eragon prepared for battle, together with the strongest from The Cardinal Hall.
Given that these elites were their respective organization’s trump cards, they were kept secret and not listed on the Gem&Stone List.
Therefore, no one truly knew the extent of The Cardinal Hall and Eragon’s power.
These elites seldom showed themselves. Most of the time, it was warriors like Kaiden who were sent out.
However, given how big a threat Levi was, they had to send their strongest fighters.
The moment TCO was issued, the sky darkened.
However, Levi didn’t seem to care as he continued his search for Zoey.
Meanwhile, Zoey and Wynona had sneaked back to the Gamma Tech training base.
They were shocked to see the entire training base was reduced to rubble.
What a massive power!
By then, the rescue teams had completed their work and there was not a soul left.
“Come, let’s go and take a look.”
Both of them entered the training base.
“Ah!”
The Return of God of War Chapter 1853
Suddenly, Zoey let out an agonizing scream, giving Wynona a fright.
“Zoey, are you all right?”
Zoey was holding onto her head and yelling hysterically.
The familiar scenes of Gamma Tech’s exterior and labs before its destruction flashed across her mind.
The more she recalled, the greater the pain she felt in her head.
The commotion alerted the guards nearby. When they rushed over, Wynona quickly led Zoey away.
She suspected that Zoey had sustained damage to her brain.
Soon, Wynona had brought Zoey to a private hospital in Oakland City for an examination.
As Wynona owned the hospital, she was able to not arouse any suspicion.
Right after the check-up, the results revealed that there was nothing wrong with Zoey.
Her brain didn’t sustain any damage, but the nerves in her brain had been thrown into chaos.
Wynona thought about Jared’s experiment at once.
Although it was interrupted in time, it had left a mild side effect on Zoey.
Consequently, the doctor advised Zoey to get more rest.
The result also eased the concerns both of them had.
“By the way, my men have reported back that other than those who hid in the underground training base, everyone else was dead. Hence, there’s no way Jared is alive!” Wynona remarked.
“That’s wonderful! We are finally rid of him!”
Zoey let out a smile.
However, she frowned the next moment. “But the Gamma Tech training base was destroyed. It was a high price to pay, and it all happened because of me!”
Wynona shook her head without much care. “It doesn’t matter. At most, I can compensate the alliance with my own scientific training base. Even though it isn’t as big as theirs, it will be sufficient for the time being.”
Zoey was surprised. “Your training base?”
“Yup. My dad and my grandpa are both the foremost scientists in their respective fields. My family owns a training base of international standards and another three of national standards…”
Wynona began explaining her family background.
She came from a family of scientists where everyone was a genius.
Therefore, she too became one at a very young age and had many accomplishments to her name.
It was all thanks to the environment she was brought up in.
“Ms. Wilcox, I cannot thank you enough. If not for you, I would have turned into Jared’s puppet. If that had happened, I would be better off dead. Even then, I wouldn’t even have the choice to kill myself,” Zoey thanked Wynona profusely.
“That’s the least I can do. Look, I even benefitted from the accident. Actually, both of us should be thanking the old man. If not for him, neither of us would be alive, don’t you agree?”
“You’re right. We are in his debt forever.”
Meanwhile, somewhere in Erudia…
Bruce and a few other men were gathered for a mission in Erudia.
He had come into the country on the pretext of hunting Levi, when in actual fact, he had a different objective.
From their perspective, Levi would undoubtedly be killed. However, no one expected him to still be alive.
They no longer paid any attention to Levi. Instead, they were focused on their mission.
Nevertheless, they had heard about what happened at the Gamma Tech training base and were aware that Jared had fallen.
Prior to that, Bruce had a brief meeting with Jared.
He was delighted to see how powerful Jared had become and thought that Zarain had gained a powerful ally.
However, he didn’t expect to hear of Jared’s demise in less than a day.
“That can’t be! Jared’s consciousness is still around although it’s currently very weak. Nevertheless, he is still alive!” one of Bruce’s subordinates remarked in surprise.
They had still managed to pick up the presence of his consciousness.
Hence, it was evidence that he hadn’t died.
Before Jared changed his own body composition, he had come to Bruce for help. He obtained a set of equipment to store his memory and turned it into an energy form.
Therefore, Bruce was using that same equipment to detect Jared’s consciousness.
He had verified that Jared was still alive.
The Return of God of War Chapter 1854
“What? His consciousness is still there? It means that he is still alive! That’s wonderful!”
Feeling jubilant, Bruce waved his hands in the air.
In fact, he even poured a glass of whiskey to celebrate.
With Jared still around, both his and Zarain’s power would increase significantly.
“Send a group of men to find Mr. Schmidt at once. Determine his condition and provide assistance when necessary,” Bruce instructed.
“Understood!”
A moment later, he changed topics immediately, “By the way, are there any updates from all the different teams? Look for him! We have to find him before they realize what we’re up to. Once Levi has been dealt with, The Cardinal Hall will turn their attention to us!”
The smile on Bruce’s face disappeared.
Evidently, their mission in Erudia was more important than Jared.
“Mr. Johnston, do you need us to rescue your brother?” someone asked.
“Not at the moment. You will inadvertently alert them if you do. Once Levi is dead, we will be able to free him anytime.”
Bruce already had a plan in mind.
“All right. We’ll try to locate Mr. Schmidt first.”
Using their equipment, the few technical specialists began scanning for Jared’s presence.
A few minutes later, someone remarked in surprise, “Oh? Why did we lose the signal of his consciousness? Did something happen?”
Even Bruce was jolted.
“What? Did you lose the signal? Continue searching! We need to confirm if Jared is still alive!”
Everyone was shocked by the development.
Jared consciousness was there for a second and disappeared in the next.
Therefore, no one was sure about what was going on.
Meanwhile, inside a private hospital in Oakland City…
Zoey was holding her head and screaming. If not for Wynona restraining her, she would have fallen off her bed.
“Again?”
Wynona was dumbfounded.
Ten minutes earlier, the same thing had happened to Zoey without warning.
Just after she had managed to calm down, another attack followed.
This time, Zoey reacted more hysterically than before.
In the end, she simply fell unconscious from the pain, causing Wynona to call for the doctor.
Despite having examined her brain nerves again, the doctor didn’t find anything wrong and advised her to rest.
Whenever it was necessary, he would inject her with medication that would calm her down.
However, the same phenomenon kept repeating itself.
Both Wynona and Zoey knew something was wrong but couldn’t tell what it was.
They had to find a Miracle doctor to examine Zoey.
Hence, Wynona managed to contact one via her contacts.
Meanwhile, the Raysonians, who were behind everything, were busy plotting still.
They were at the final stages of their scheme.
“We need to accelerate the plan by bringing forward the second stage!”
“Firstly, Levi knows that someone is masquerading him and has even crossed swords with the impostor. Also, he knows of our existence and is closely watching us.
“Secondly, The Cardinal Hall has issued The Cardinal Order. Hence, Levi would soon be killed, and they would turn their attention to us very quickly! Therefore, we have to work faster amidst this chaos.”
“Understood! The plan will be brought forward at once!”
It was true that the moment The Cardinal Order was issued, everyone’s attention was focused on Levi while everything else was being neglected.
Therefore, as long as anyone could ascertain Levi’s location, elite fighters would gather to eradicate him.
Once TCO was sent out, Robed Slayer, who was now relegated to third place from second on the Gem List, emerged.
Back then, Levi had torn up his clothes which was equivalent to spitting in his face.
Obviously, Levi had no respect for him at all.
Hence, Robed Slayer had both personal and professional reasons to meet Levi.
The man who dominated an entire era was on his way.
Meanwhile, Levi returned to the Gamma Tech training base.
“Hmm? Zoey’s scent?”
Levi was delighted as he was certain Zoey had come by the place.
Suddenly, Levi bellowed, “Who is it?”
The Return of God of War Chapter 1855
He noticed that someone was following him in the shadows.
At Levi’s level, his sensitivity to every living thing was heightened.
In fact, he could even sense the minute movements of all the trees and insects through the energy waves they emitted.
His senses were so astute that he could detect an insect flapping his wings.
Hence, Levi had noticed Okano Yuichiro, the Shadow Samurai, following him.
Okano had just caught on to Levi but didn’t expect to be found out so quickly.
“Retreat!”
Okano withdrew at once.
This was the first time he had been noticed by someone in his entire career.
Evidently, he had underestimated Levi.
“I’m not going to let you escape so easily!”
Although Levi was a kilometer away from him, his voice thundered right beside Okano’s ear, sending a chill down his spine.
Such terrifying power! No wonder he is in second place on the Gem List!
Bam!
The next moment, he felt as if a plane had crashed into him.
The sensation was no different than having been pinned underneath a mountain.
Pfft!
Okano spewed blood and was sent flying backward in disbelief.
His callsign was the Shadow Samurai.
He was supposed to move like a shadow and an expert in subterfuge.
All this while, no one could ever find a trace of him.
Regardless of whether he was hiding or fleeing, it was impossible to track him down.
Moreover, he moved at frightening speeds.
Unfortunately, by running into Levi, he was not only noticed but also chased down.
Just when Okano wanted to get up and flee, he realized that he couldn’t move at all.
Levi had immobilized him by attacking his vital points.
Left at Levi’s mercy, Okano was filled with regret.
Against a formidable opponent such as Levi, one couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.
Or else, one would have to pay with their lives.
Given the situation he was in, Okano didn’t even have the opportunity to kill himself.
In truth, Levi had immobilized him on purpose to prevent him from doing exactly that.
He had stopped Okano’s escape in advance.
“A Raysonian? Haha, how dare you follow me?”
Levi laughed.
“However, you aren’t him!”
Okano knew who Levi was talking about.
Obviously, it was the impostor.
“By capturing you, I can learn everything I need!”
Levi was cognizant that someone so highly skilled in subterfuge wasn’t just an ordinary footsoldier.
With that, he dragged Okano along with him and left.
Soon, he was noticed by the security guards at the training base.
Phew!
Bam!
Phew!
Bam!
They set off flares into the sky at once to signal that they had found Levi.
Soon, the elite warriors of The Cardinal Hall and other forces nearby rushed over.
However, Levi didn’t care about them as he needed to find Zoey first.
As for Okano, he didn’t even have the right to die.
Meanwhile, back at Wildefield…
Avery and the elders were standing together discussing something important.
“Something major has happened! The Cardinal Hall has issued The Cardinal Order! All of you don’t understand how serious this is!”
Avery’s face turned pale in fright.
“If The Cardinal Hall finds out that Levi’s wife and daughter are hidden here, we will be accused of being his accomplice. Wildefield will then be wiped out for siding with the Fiends!” Avery explained.
Everyone else nodded in agreement. “That’s right. By giving them refuge, doesn’t it make us his subordinates?”
“Now that The Cardinal Order has been issued, Levi is as good as dead. When the time comes, The Cardinal Hall will accuse us of treason and annihilate all our families.”
“In that case, what should we do? I don’t want to see Wildefield to be destroyed.”
“Wildefield’s survival will have to come first. After all, this matter has nothing to do with us.”
Avery sighed. “Exactly! I don’t want to see Wildefield get destroyed while I’m in charge. I would have let everyone who came before me down! Therefore, I have decided to hand her over to The Cardinal Hall.”
The Return of God of War Chapter 1856
“Any objections from anyone?” Avery asked.
Everyone turned to look at one another and came to a consensus. “We agree to your proposal. That is the only way we can save Wildefield.”
“That’s right! We should not take such a risk for Levi.”
“Moreover, even if we hand over the kid, The Cardinal Hall is not going to hurt her.”
So it was decided that Wildefield would hand over Forlevia and her family.
Once the decision was made, Avery rushed out to inform The Cardinal Hall. And within a few hours, the army from The Cardinal Hall arrived at Wilderfield.
They immediately escorted Forlevia, Emma, and Mia out of Wildefield and headed straight to The Cardinal Hall, not leaving any opportunity for Levi to intercept them.
That was a twist of event that Levi had not thought of.
“Excuse me, Sirs, but would Levi come after us over this matter?”
Avery and his team were worried Levi would seek them out and kill them after he got to know about their decision to send Forlevia away.
“Don’t worry. Levi would not get to live beyond today. We have already identified his hiding place and the elite team from The Cardinal Hall is after him. However, if you are worried, we can provide a hiding place for you.”
“That would be great!”
With that agreement, Avery led his followers into hiding while the warriors from The Cardinal Hall brought Forlevia away from Wildefield.
“I thought the kid was kidnapped by some foreigners. Little did I know Levi had staged that act to deceive us!” Zelda brooded.
“Now we see the true colors of Fiery Demon’s heir! Not only does he practice dark skills in order to achieve unbelievable prowess, but he is also good at cunning deceitful acts as well. What a terror!” Kaiden gasped.
“Well, now that we have his mother and kid in our hands, let’s see how arrogant Levi can be!” Zelda gloated.
“Our men are already after him. It would be perfect if they can kill him off. In the event they failed, we can use his mother and daughter as a bargaining chip to force him into surrender. But we are not unscrupulous people out to kidnap them in order to blackmail him. Our intention is to protect his family from harm,” she added in self-justification, and her fellow teammates slyly smiled, pleased with the plan.
In the meantime, Levi brought Okano to a deserted place. Just as he was about to interrogate Okano, he got news from his men.
“What? Avery handed Forlevia to The Cardinal Hall?” he exclaimed in shock.
He had positioned some men around Wildefield to guard Forlevia. However, The Cardinal Hall sent a formidable army over and they made an effort to embark on their mission stealthily, so by the time his men detected their move, it was too late.
“You are in big trouble, Avery!” Levi roared, startling Okano.
Levi had not foreseen the weak link to be Wildefield, but it was also due to the unexpected issuance of The Cardinal Order, or TCO in short. It was unlikely Avery would have made that drastic decision to let go of Forlevia if not for TCO.
Levi did not feel assured entrusting his family to The Cardinal Hall, so he had to get them out of that place. However, he had no intention of engaging The Cardinal Hall in a head-on clash as that would be exactly what their foes wanted to see.
If he could figure out and expose the plots of Raysonia before meeting The Cardinal Hall, that might help prevent the foreseeable bloodshed.
“Tell me who is the mastermind! Otherwise, you will regret it!” Levi turned toward Okano and howled.
Seeing his desperation, Okano laughed out loud instead.
“That information does not matter anymore. We have already activated our second stage of action! Moreover, now you are in deep trouble yourself, so do you think you have the ability to protect other people?” he hooted.
“What? The second stage of action?” Levi frowned at that revelation as it meant serious trouble ahead.
“That’s right! Because of the issuance of TCO, we brought forward our second stage of action. Hehehe… Levi, how are you going to decide? Do you want to protect your family or your country? What is your choice?” Okano gleefully asked.
“What is that second stage of action? Tell me!” Levi yelled at Okano in desperation.
The Return of God of War Chapter 1857
“Your time is up, Levi!” Suddenly, there was a loud shout and hundreds of highly skilled warriors appeared out of nowhere. They were there to kill Levi because of TCO.
“What a nuisance!” Levi shook his head in resignation, surprised they managed to get to him so quickly.
“Guess I have to settle you guys first.” And he started fighting with the warriors, with Okano in tow.
Although his opponents had arrived in big numbers, they were too weak, and Levi could defeat them easily. However, it still took him a bit of time due to their sheer numbers.
Unfortunately for Okano, Levi was too formidable, and the fight was almost effortless to Levi, so he did not get a chance to escape.
As the fight dragged on, Levi realized there was an endless stream of people joining in the fight. News of his whereabouts had spread, and he believed more warriors would be on their way to take him on. He decided he had to get out of the place. Otherwise, he would have to waste his time dealing with these weak fighters.
“I have to shake these people off!” he mumbled to himself.
He broke through the chaotic scene and escaped toward the north, his opponents in hot pursuit. Shortly after, he reached the border of Oakland City.
“Come what may, I’ll get into the city first!” Thinking it would be easier to find a hiding place there, Levi headed straight into Oakland City.
“What? Hahaha, Levi went into Oakland City? That is our territory! Is he out of his mind?” His pursuers laughed triumphantly when they realized he had made his way to Oakland City, and sent that great news to The Cardinal Hall.
Instantly, everyone knew Levi was in Oakland City, and all the warriors who received TCO rushed into the city.
During that period, Zoey had repeatedly suffered from debilitating migraine, and the frequency and intensity of the migraine attacks had gotten worse by the day.
Even when she was in the postdrome stage, she was dull and apathetic and confined herself to bed. That was causing Wynona great distress.
Wynona was at her wit’s end. She had mobilized all resources and used all her connections to get Zoey the best medical treatments, but none had shown any promising results.
She decided to make a public announcement to invite the international top specialists to come forward with their treatment plans. Her offer was tempting, and she spared no expense in this open invitation.
Meanwhile, the search for Jared was not going well for Bruce. His men had been trying to track Jared down, but they did not have much success.
Initially, they managed to detect his presence occasionally, but as time passed, information got scarcer and despite their efforts to monitor all corners of Erudia, there was simply no news. It was as if Jared had vanished into thin air.
“We have successfully accomplished all our assignments, other than the search for Jared, Mr. Johnston,” Bruce’s men reported proudly, relieved they had managed to complete almost all of their assigned missions.
They had not given up on looking for Jared though, as they added, “We heard the Wilcox family of Oakland City had extended an open invitation to the international medical communities. It is possible Wynona is still alive! And she was in the same laboratory as Jared!”
Bruce’s expression changed upon hearing the news from his men.
“So Jared was not the only survivor in that incident! If we can get Wynona, we may be able to find Jared or at least news on his whereabouts,” he deduced.
“That’s right!”
“We’ll head to Oakland City then.” With that clue, Bruce, together with his men, immediately set out for Oakland City.
Meanwhile, back at the Raysonia camp, they were getting worried for Okano.
“Okano is not back yet, and he had not sent back any news. I think he has gotten into trouble!”
“We just received a report. Okano was captured by Levi! When the warriors from The Cardinal Hall were pursuing Levi, they saw Okano with him!”
The faces of the high-rank officials fell when they heard the news.
“What? Okano was captured? If he reveals our plans to Levi, all our efforts will go to waste!”
“That’s right! Levi has been monitoring us, and he has gotten many leads about us. If Okano spills the beans, all our plans will be exposed!”
“Send someone to Oakland City! Okano has to be eliminated!”
“But how are we going to get to him if he is in Levi’s hands?”
“I guess we only have one suitable candidate for this mission… Ghost Samurai!”
“Oh! Ghost Samurai!”
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Everyone let out a gasp when that name was mentioned, as though it was taboo to speak that name.
“Make it quick! Do it this instant!”
“Yes, only he could do it!”
Back at Oakland City, in Wilcox family’s private hospital, Zoey was staring blankly out of a window, having just survived another terrible migraine attack.
Wynona had a strange feeling she was different compared to before. She seemed cold and rather ruthless.
All the specialists in the hospital had taken turns to give her a checkup using the sophisticated equipment they had, but they could not figure out what was wrong with her.
Wynona could only place her hope on the arrival of the international specialists.
“Ms. Wilcox, a medical team from Zarain is here. They wanted to examine Ms. Lopez!” A hospital staff brought her good news.
“Thank goodness! Yes, please let them in!” Wynona cheered up upon hearing that news and immediately went out to welcome them.
Bruce was leading the Zarain team, but he wasn’t lying about it being a medical team. Among them were top medical specialists from Zarain.
Wynona was overjoyed and did not suspect a thing, so she let them into the hospital.
“Ms. Wilcox, we need to know more details about the patient. What happened to her?” Bruce made use of the opportunity to pry some information about what happened in the laboratory on that fateful day.
“Well,…” Wynona hesitated, wondering how she could explain the part where the rescuers had pronounced them dead after the incident.
Bruce gave her a smile and said, “Please do not hide anything from us, Ms. Wilcox. That is not going to help us with the diagnosis. Moreover, we know Ms. Lopez and you were supposed to have perished in the explosion at Gamma Tech training base. Why are the two of you still alive and here with us?”
“Huh!” Wynona was taken aback, as she had not expected him to know that as well.
“All right, I will be honest with you then. This is what happened…” She briefly told him about the particle collision accident but left out most of the details.
Bruce did not get the information he was seeking, so he continued to probe, “Oh, but that doesn’t explain much. Did anything special happen to Ms. Lopez before the particle collision accident?”
“This information is crucial, so please tell us the truth!” The rest chipped in to pressure Wynona.
The main subject of interest to Bruce was Jared. He was hoping Wynona would have useful information on his whereabouts.
Wynona paused in hesitation, then decided to share more with the Zarain team.
“The truth is, Zoey was involved in an experiment before the particle collision accident. It was about the transfer of one’s thoughts and consciousness to another. They came very close to success, but unfortunately, it failed at the last crucial moment.”
She went on to briefly describe what transpired during Zoey’s experiment.
“Oh my! That actually happened?” Bruce couldn’t help but gasp in shock. He was positive the other person involved in that experiment was Jared.
“What about the other person? Is he or she still alive?” One of the Zarain team members asked, unable to hold back his curiosity.
Wynona shook her head and said, “No. Only the two of us survived.”
“Oh?” Bruce and his men were truly shocked to hear that. If Jared was dead, how could they have detected his consciousness?
It did not make sense at all!
Just then, Bruce heard a voice over his earpiece reporting, “Mr. Johnston, we detected Mr. Schmidt’s consciousness, and it is nearby. We suspect he is in the hospital.”
“What?” It was an unexpected piece of news from his team surveying outside the hospital grounds.
“Arhhh…!”
Suddenly, a piercing scream could be heard, and it came from one of the wards.
“Oh no, another attack!” Wynona immediately ran toward the ward, and the Zarain team followed her.
Inside the room, they could see Zoey rolling around in pain on the ground, and her screams were haunting and unsettling.
“Arhhh…!” Another agonizing scream and they could see Zoey was in a lot of pain, as her hands had dug into the ground and left deep scratch marks on the hard floor.
Wynona was shocked beyond words as that attack was much more severe than all the previous attacks she had witnessed so far.
“Mr. Johnston, I could pinpoint the location of Mr. Schmidt. He is very near to you. In fact, he is right in front of you!” The surveying men reported to Bruce over his earpiece again.
Boom!
It was a eureka moment for Bruce!
He looked at Zoey in disbelief and seemed to have pieced the puzzle together.
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This is unbelievable!
At that instant, Bruce knew exactly what was causing Zoey’s sufferings, and he also knew what had happened to Jared.
He was extremely shocked, but he suppressed his emotions and put up a calm front.
Suddenly, a light bulb went on in his head, and he loudly declared, “I have seen a case like this! I can stake my reputation on this and guarantee a cure for Ms. Lopez!”
Everyone turned to look at him, stunned.
“You can cure her?” Wynona looked at him in disbelief.
Bruce did not reply to Wynona. Instead, he went forward to examine Zoey and pretended to give her an injection. Meanwhile, he quietly gave instructions to his team outside through the earpiece. He ordered them to stop their work, turn off their equipment and quit searching for Jared’s consciousness.
And the next moment, a miracle happened. Zoey instantly calmed down!
All present were dumbstruck, especially Wynona, who was skeptical of Bruce just a moment ago.
Bruce was the only one who could calm Zoey down in the midst of an attack!
In all her previous migraine attacks, she would end up fainting from her pain.
Even those who came with Bruce were confounded by what they saw.
“Leave her to me. I have seen a similar case before…” Bruce started making up a case study to back himself up.
Given his vast experience and capability, he was able to come up with a credible lie, and no one could find fault with his story.
Moreover, he had just proven he could deliver incredible results instantly, so everyone trusted him.
“Let me bring her back to the best hospital in Zarain, and I will be her doctor in charge!” he offered.
“No! Zoey has to be treated here. I will provide whatever equipment you need. If we don’t have it here in Erudia, I will source it from overseas.” Wynona was quick to veto the idea.
“Sure. That could work as well.” Bruce could not find a reason to object to her counter-proposal, so he had no choice but to accept her condition.
“Also, I hope you understand, but I have to be present during all the treatment sessions,” Wynona added another condition, and that totally ruined Bruce’s plans.
“That is fine.” Bruce could only accept whatever Wynona requested, as Zoey was his last hope.
It would be fantastic if he succeeded in his plan, but failure would not be a big issue as well. After all, Jared was already dead, so he could only place his hope on Zoey.
“Let’s get started and not waste any time. I need to bring in my other team who is waiting outside.”
Bruce called in the team that detected Jared’s consciousness from outside the hospital building. Wynona made a careful and thorough search of all the people and equipment before letting them in.
“My proposed treatment plan is to stimulate her to the highest level that she can tolerate. She needs to develop immunity to the neurostimulation in order to get well.” Knowing Wynona was cautious and meticulous, Bruce made a special effort to explain his plan to her in detail so as to assure her.
“You are able to stimulate her?” Wynona asked, doubt written all over her face.
Her team of doctors had proposed the same treatment plan previously, but they were unable to get any response from Zoey.
“I’ll show you.”
Bruce secured Zoey in a special isolation installation and started his treatment.
“Turn it on!” he instructed.
His men turned on their equipment and started searching for Jared’s consciousness again.
“Arhhh…!”
And instantly, Zoey started screaming in agony.
“Oh my! It works!” Wynona and her team of doctors were astounded and became hopeful.
Like a magician, Bruce could control Zoey like a puppet. He could make her scream in pain whenever he wished and calm her down instantly with a snap of his fingers.
“Up the intensity! Up the frequency!” Bruce ordered, and Zoey began to struggle crazily.
From the looks of things, if they had not restrained her in advance, she could have torn down the hospital when in that state of mind she was in.
“Arhhhhh!” Zoey’s screams got louder and more hysterical, and Wynona became extremely worried.
“Is everything going to be okay?” she asked with concern.
“Don’t worry. This isolation installation is strong enough to withstand an attack by a Rank Seven, so it will be all right,” Bruce assured her.
The look in Bruce’s eyes became more deranged as Zoey struggled more vigorously. None of the doctors present had any idea what was going on, and only Bruce knew what he was doing.
The Return of God of War Chapter 1860
Bruce had proven to himself that his guess was right. He knew why Jared had disappeared, yet they could detect his consciousness. He also understood why the doctors could not find any problem with Zoey, but she constantly suffered from agonizing pain.
The two were actually related.
It was true that Jared had died. His physical body was totally destroyed during the experiment, and the body made of pure energy had also disintegrated, so there was no hope of reviving him.
The reason they could detect his consciousness was that part of his consciousness had been embedded in Zoey’s mind.
His consciousness was like data, and some of the data had been transferred into Zoey’s brain.
The experiment Jared did before the particle collision was to embed his own consciousness into Zoey. It was his attempt to control her mind and make her his puppet. Unfortunately, that attempt failed at the final critical moment.
Although it had failed, a big part of his consciousness was already transferred into Zoey, so there were two consciousness overlapping in her mind.
It was a crazy experiment and the cause of Zoey’s debilitating migraine attacks.
That was also the reason why Zoey had impressions of the different laboratories in Gamma Tech training base, even though she had never set foot in them before. They were the remnants of Jared’s memory.
The experiment also led to constant agonizing migraine for Zoey. It was caused by Jared’s consciousness stimulating her brain.
Bruce’s men were able to receive intermittent signals from their search as there was a constant clash between Zoey and Jared’s consciousness, resulting in an unstable emission of his consciousness. And whenever Zoey fainted from the pain, they would totally lose all signals.
Jared’s consciousness would overstimulate the nerve cells in her brain, leading to a migraine attack. The constant clash of the two consciousness and overstimulation caused Zoey to act weird at times, behaving like a totally different person.
Bruce made that discovery by chance, and he was the only one who knew it at that moment.
Jared was dead, and only his consciousness survived in Zoey’s brain. Bruce figured the only way to revive Jared would be to let him take over her brain.
Obviously, that would be a difficult feat to achieve. He would have a better chance of success if he had Zoey with him in Zarain. That way, he would be able to take his time to analyze and experiment on her.
Unfortunately, Wynona refused to let Zoey go with him, so he could only go with the next risky bet.
He planned to stimulate Zoey’s brain as much as he could, in the hope it would help Jared’s consciousness win over Zoey’s. The other possible outcome would be Zoey’s mind became totally messed up, which he couldn’t care less about.
The greater the stimulation, the more pain Zoey was in. She was like a restrained beast that had gone crazy.
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
The ground was shaking, throwing everyone off-balance.
Bruce was beginning to have a bad premonition, and fear prompted him to secretly put on his invisible protective armor.
“Maximum!” he ordered.
The machine was turned to maximum strength, working Zoey’s brain into a frenzy.
Wynona wanted to put a stop to it, as she could see Zoey was being pushed to her limits and suffering immensely.
However, Bruce stopped everyone by yelling out loud, “Don’t give up! We are at the brink of success!”
Everyone could only stand by and watch as the stimulation went into overdrive.
Wynona watched with a sense of foreboding, unable to conclude if that was the right thing to do.
“Now is the moment!” Bruce howled.
“Arhhh…!”
Zoey let out an utter shrill as the stimulation went to the maximum level.
Boom…!
Crack!