Chapter 107: The Enigma

"Arthur!" Xiahou Yu screamed as Arthur, after vomiting a mouthful of blood, collapsed to the ground.

Xiahou Yu quickly caught Arthur’s slumping body and shouted to Guangming, who had been following him in a daze ever since the incident with Ying Yue, "Quick, go call the doctor! Go now! Hurry!"

As he spoke, Xiahou Yu carried Arthur and rushed toward the small cabin where Ying Yue had been staying.

Guangming, previously in a stupor, finally snapped back to reality at the sound of Xiahou Yu’s urgent, roaring command. He sprinted toward the doctor’s quarters, shouting as he ran, "Dr. Lin! Dr. Lin! Go to Ying Yue’s room, hurry!"

After a flurry of activity, Dr. Lin set down his stethoscope and spoke to Xiahou Yu with a grave expression. "The patient is extremely frail and requires bed rest. You must not agitate him; ensure he remains calm and in a relaxed, pleasant mood."

"How is he? Is it serious?" Xiahou Yu asked, filled with anxiety.

"Yes. This time, it was caused by an extreme surge of anger affecting his heart, leading him to cough up heart-blood, which has caused severe damage to his cardiac function. Furthermore," the doctor hesitated before continuing, "this is not the first time this has happened. If there are any more incidents that put strain on his heart, I fear that—"

Xiahou Yu shuddered, staring in disbelief at Arthur lying on the hospital bed. The doctor had left his sentence unfinished, but the implication was clear: Arthur might...

He could...

No, no, no!

Xiahou Yu shook his head violently. He would not believe it; he absolutely refused to believe it!

Arthur would be fine. He had to be fine. He would not let anything happen to him!

The cabin was silent now. As the sky turned black, the room grew dim.

Arthur lay quietly, still unconscious, while Xiahou Yu sat by the window, watching him without moving. In the pitch-black room, his dark eyes flickered.

"Ugh..." A faint groan broke the silence. It was particularly distinct in the quiet room. Xiahou Yu trembled, then looked at Arthur with surprise and joy.

"Arthur, you... you’re finally awake?"

Arthur slowly regained consciousness. His sky-blue eyes gazed vacantly at his surroundings before landing on Xiahou Yu’s haggard face. Suddenly, he bolted upright, grabbed Xiahou Yu by the shoulders, and shook him forcefully, asking urgently, "Is there any news of Lanlan? Have you heard anything about her?"

Xiahou Yu’s eyes, which had just brightened, instantly dimmed again. He said painfully, "Not yet. Charles and Newt have been searching for two days, but there is still no word."

*Thud.*

Arthur collapsed back onto the bed, his eyes devoid of any light, staring straight at the ceiling.

Xiahou Yu buried his face in his hands, unable to say another word. The air grew heavy with stifling gloom.

Not until the sky outside began to turn pale did Arthur blink his sore eyes and say hoarsely, "I will not give up. Never!"

Immersed in boundless despair, Xiahou Yu lifted his head upon hearing this. His dim eyes gradually regained their luster. He clenched his fists and replied in a deep voice, "Yes, never give up!"

Outside the cabin, Newt, who had been worrying about Arthur, finally smiled. He rubbed his red, swollen eyes and walked away.

He had more important things to do.

He had to find the master's heart—Miss Ying Yue.

*But what is happening? Where am I? Why can’t I open my eyes?*

*My ears are filled with a roaring, chaotic noise; I cannot hear anything at all.*

*My chest feels so tight, as if I am submerged in water. My nose is full of liquid, and I cannot breathe. My whole head feels swollen, as if it is about to split open. The world feels like it is spinning.*

*I want to struggle, but I cannot move at all. I can only feel the liquid in my nasal cavity flowing, and my throat and trachea are also filling with fluid. I cannot draw in any oxygen.*

*Finally, after much effort, I manage to lift my heavy eyelids.*

*But!*

*I can see nothing, and my eyeballs cannot even move!*

*God, am I blind?*

*No, I don't want to be blind! I don't!*

*I want to scream, but I cannot make a sound, as if someone is choking me. It is agonizing.*

*Am I... am I dead?*

*My consciousness drifts away again, sinking into darkness. My final thought tells me—I really am dead, aren't I?*

In the spacious, luxurious room, white curtains fluttered as a breeze drifted through, making every corner of the room seem alive.

On the magnificent white European-style bed lay a petite figure. Her long black hair spread across the soft pillow, though it lacked luster. Like its owner, her face was deathly pale and translucent. Her small lips were cracked and folded, and her face was so gaunt that it seemed as if one could see the bones beneath the skin.

"How is she?" A melodious female voice echoed in the room.

"Reporting to you, Miss, her life should be out of danger for now. She needs some time to rest and recover her strength. However—" A man in a white coat spoke cautiously, glancing furtively at the woman.

The woman had brilliant golden hair, skin as fair as milk, and deep blue eyes. Her rosy lips were pursed, and she wore a pristine white dress. Bathed in the sunlight, she looked like a holy angel. At this moment, she slightly arched her golden eyebrows and asked with some impatience, "However what?"

"After this young lady wakes up, she will likely suffer from memory loss," the doctor said gingerly, carefully observing the woman’s expression.

"Memory loss?" The woman’s golden eyebrows furrowed completely, as if she were very dissatisfied with this result.

"Yes, Miss. Furthermore, she may also undergo a drastic change in personality!"

"A change in personality?" The woman’s sharp eyes darted toward the man. "How could this happen? Isn't it just that she would forget a few things?"

The man lowered his head, swallowed hard, and summoned the courage to say, "Miss, the situation is this: because the needle she was struck with previously targeted the brain, it caused severe damage. Moreover, the dosage was quite high. Originally, it should have only resulted in the loss of some memories, but now she has lost them all. More seriously, because her brain had previously been subjected to hypnosis, combined with the chemical stimulation this time, the cerebral cortex has suffered severe destruction. It is a miracle of miracles that she has not gone completely insane."

"She was also subjected to hypnosis?" This time, the angelic-looking woman was no longer calm.

"Yes, Miss. Based on her condition, it seems the hypnosis was performed by a very powerful hypnotist, because even though the drug caused her to lose her memories, it did not include the memory of the hypnosis itself."

"Then, will the hypnotized memory be recovered?"

The man thought for a moment and shook his head. "I do not know. Perhaps it will be recovered, perhaps it will never be recovered for the rest of her life. However, looking at her current state, for her to recover those memories would require a miracle of miracles!"

A miracle of miracles?

That is to say, will she be a person without memories for the rest of her life?

As the woman thought this, she accidentally spoke her thoughts aloud.

"Miss," the man looked at her, his eyes rolling, and then he said flatteringly, "Perhaps you could tell her who she is, and what has happened..." The man hinted pointedly.

The woman looked at the man in confusion. Then, under his strange gaze, her blue eyes gradually cleared. A smile touched her lips, and she looked at the man with quite a bit of approval.

The man smiled triumphantly.

The woman walked to the bedside, sat down, reached out her fair, slender right hand, and gently stroked the pale, thin face of the small person on the bed. She said softly and meaningfully, "My dear sister, don't let your big sister worry. Wake up soon, will you?" Her blue eyes were so soft they seemed to melt. "My dear... Eva Wettin!"

After saying this, the woman curled her lips into an enchanting smile and looked at the man standing to the side.

The man shuddered when he heard her words. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the woman. Then, under her meaningful gaze, he nodded and said respectfully, "Miss Avril, you need not worry too much. Miss Eva is just too tired; she will be fine after some rest. You must not exhaust yourself!"

Avril nodded, satisfied, and smiled.

"Then I will leave Eva in your care, Dr. Bentley. From now on, you are Eva’s exclusive doctor."

"Yes, Bentley understands. I will certainly live up to your trust, Miss," Dr. Bentley replied sagely.

"Good, you may leave."

The room was suddenly quiet, with only the sound of breathing left. Avril rose and walked to a bar in the corner of the room. She gracefully poured herself a glass of blood-red liquid, then walked back to the window, watching the person sleeping on the bed. A seductive smile curled her lips, and her eyes shimmered with a brilliant light.

Her lips, stained with the crimson wine, parted slightly as she whispered, "You must wake up soon. Do not keep me waiting for too long, my dear sister!"

After staying on Sirius Island for several days, Arthur found no clues regarding Ying Yue. The eyes that had once brightened with hope faded back into a deathly silence of despair.

Xiahou Yu, too, sank into hopelessness with each passing day of disappointment.

Although neither of them spoke of it to the other, they both saw the despair in each other’s eyes, even though they desperately wanted to believe otherwise.

In the end, Arthur returned to England, heartbroken and desperate, as there were many matters there waiting for his attention.

Xiahou Yu remained on Sirius Island. He said that the development project for Sirius Island was Ying Yue’s dream, so even if... even if... he would see it through to completion.

Far away in China, Yuwen Xi received an overseas call.

"George, when will you come home? Last time, you were right at the doorstep, yet you didn't come in. Do you dislike this family so much?"