Chapter 1452 A Dark Secret
Emilio got off the bus after a half-hour ride and stopped in front of a rundown courtyard.
Selena followed him inside.
As soon as the door opened, she was hit by a strong medicinal smell, accompanied by the sound of an elderly person and a child coughing.
"Emilio, you're back!"
"Emilio's back."
In no time, about a dozen children swarmed around Emilio, surrounding him.
Emilio nodded and comforted the children for a while before turning to Selena. "Come with me."
Selena stepped into the innermost room.
The room had decent lighting, but the environment was extremely shabby. The ceiling was leaking, with a bowl placed underneath to catch the drips.
"Teacher, I met someone today."
Emilio pushed open the door. The person he called "teacher" was a middle-aged woman who looked utterly exhausted.
She glanced over, covering her mouth as she coughed hard. "And this is?"
"She has money and wants to know about my tattoo."
Selena wasn't sure how to greet the woman, so she simply nodded and said, "Hi."
The woman's eyes narrowed, looking sharp.
Emilio continued, "Teacher, let her take over your classes."
Selena frowned, still unsure of what was happening.
The woman on the bed remained silent for a long time before shaking her head.
"It's too risky. For her, this could be a matter of life and death."
"Isn't investigating the tattoo already a life-and-death matter?"
The woman on the bed stiffened, then gave a pale smile. "I was being naive."
Selena wisely stood aside, not moving or speaking.
She heard the woman cough a few more times. Their eyes met, and the woman asked, "What's your name?"
"Just call me Selena."
"Do you know what the jellyfish tattoo means?"
Selena shook her head.
The woman and Emilio exchanged a glance.
Emilio poured her a glass of water, his tone calm. "The jellyfish tattoo is an honor on this island, but it's also a dark secret."
"Why is it a secret, and how did Emilio get it?"
"Selena, if you want to know, you have to agree to our terms. You need to enroll in the local high school and take over my teacher's position."
"I've never been a teacher."
"My teacher teaches art, and you won't be there just to teach. There's something more important you need to do. If you agree, I'll tell you everything about the tattoo."
Selena was silent, unsure if the deal was worth it.
Emilio sweetened the pot. "On this island, no one knows more about the tattoo than my teacher and me."
The woman saw Selena's hesitation and coughed heavily again, almost as if she were about to cough up a lung.
The strong medicinal smell in the room filled Selena's nose. After a brief pause, she agreed.
Emilio looked at the woman sitting on the bed and took her hand.
Tears of excitement welled up in the woman's eyes.
"Emilio, if only someone could save you, if only."
Emilio patted the back of her hand, then turned around, showing Selena the tattoo on the back of his neck.
"This appeared just this year. Every year, students take a standardized test, and the top ten scorers are chosen to get this tattoo. It's been a tradition at Mystic Prison for years, and it's something every student cherishes. For years, we've taken pride in earning it.
"But a month ago, my teacher overheard a conversation between two mysterious people. It turns out this so-called tattoo means being selected for experiments. It's said that no one ever comes out alive. Those who were chosen, we only know they went to serve the people on the inner island, supposedly with high status, but no one knows what they actually do. Over the years, none of the few selected from the outer island have ever returned.
"We always thought the tattoo was a symbol of great fortune, a chance to change our fate. We never imagined it was a death sentence."
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