"Open the door."

Juniper walks in and stops next to the man. She gets a clear look at his face.

Emaciated body, sunken features, barely breathing...

And more importantly, his arms are covered in needle marks, and his hands are bruised purple from torture.

One word comes to mind: *Horrifying.*

This kind of existence is worse than death.

The lack of ventilation and the overwhelming stench of antiseptics and medication makes it hard to breathe. Looking at his face, Juniper feels a heavy weight pressing down on her chest.

"Dr. Nocturne, are you alright?" Luella asks, noticing her pale complexion.

"I'm fine," Juniper says, forcing herself to focus. "Tell me about the patient."

"Fluid in his lungs, blood infection, severe head trauma..." Corvus Thorne toys with his prayer beads, slowly listing the symptoms with a mocking tone. "He's died countless times, and I keep pulling him back. I've just been keeping him as a living corpse."

He speaks as if the man were just a stray dog.

"Fluid in his lungs?" Juniper examines his injuries and the previous medical reports, her brows knitting tightly. "How did he injure his head?"

"Impact." Corvus points to a nearby wall, shrugging lightly. "Over there."

Juniper follows his gaze. There is a deep dent in the reinforced steel wall. What kind of force would it take to leave a dent like that? No wonder the photos in the report were a bloody mess.

"And the needle marks on his arms?" Juniper asks, suppressing the nausea churning in her stomach.

"Blood transfusions." Corvus turns his head, his gaze landing on Juniper. "His blood has some use. I draw it every six months."

"But his body hasn't been holding up well over the last two years..." The cardiac arrests were becoming more frequent.

"Did you bring me here to save

him

ve

or to kill him?" Juniper tosses the report aside, her tone sharp "Everything you've done shows you have no intention of letting him live."

To torture a critically injured man to the brink of death, only to suddenly want to save him?

"That's none of your business." Corvus's eyes turn icy, his tone hardening. "You're getting paid to do a job. Keep him alive."

"He can't be saved." Juniper's voice

is even colder, her expression

"Even if I bring

fiercelyunyuring

him back you'll just keep torturing: him. Why make him suffer?"

He'd be better off dead. Blood transfusions every six months... It was a miracle he'd survived this long.

"Dr. Nocturne, you—"

"Luella, refund the money," Juniper orders coldly, turning to leave.

She practices medicine to save lives, not to aid a tyrant.

As Juniper takes a few steps, the guards at the door immediately draw their guns.

"What the hell are you doing?" Luella's expression shifts. She instinctively reaches for her gun, only to remember it was confiscated.

"Are you threatening me?" Juniper stops in her tracks, hands in her pockets, completely unfazed. "I was hired by Subterra Vanguard. I dare you to touch me!"

Corvus is left speechless. He is

desperate to expand his influence in

Borealfa and absolutely needs

Subterra Vanguard's backing te

truly doesn't dare touch her.

"If the money isn't enough, I can double it!"

"Keep it," Juniper replies icily. "Luella, we're leaving."

Just as they head for the door, the heart monitor behind them begins to blare. The unconscious man on the bed starts to thrash in agony.

Juniper turns back, taking in his critical condition. If she doesn't step in now, he's going to die.