Chapter 1520 A Crushing Blow
The basement housed others besides them—medical personnel and the head of the engineering team.
The doctor was examining Octavia's condition while the engineers assessed the structural integrity of the underground facility.
After two days, however, the engineering team had come up empty-handed. Only the doctor had made any meaningful progress.
"Mr. Smith, she appears to have lost her ability to communicate after being isolated from strangers for so long, almost as if she's forgotten how to speak. More concerning, her body shows clear signs of surgical modification." The doctor adjusted his glasses as he spoke.
Richard's entire body tensed. Though he'd barely spent any time with Octavia, blood ran thicker than water, and he felt a sharp pang of pain.
"What do you mean by surgical modification?"
"Several of her bones have been removed and replaced with artificial devices. Given the passage of time, these implants have essentially become part of her skeletal system. We're uncertain of their purpose—they could be for communication transmission or behavioral control, possibly containing microchips. The technology is far too advanced for a standard medical examination, and even with state-of-the-art equipment, analysis would prove challenging."
The thought of bones being extracted from her body—the agony she must have endured—made Selena's stomach churn with nausea.
She immediately moved to Octavia's side, reaching out to clasp her hands. But Octavia recoiled violently, slapping her away and scrambling backward, her entire body trembling with fear.
She'd reacted similarly when Raymond's men had attempted to remove her previously. After being imprisoned for so long, she should have become indifferent to life and death—so why did human contact terrify her so?
The doctor continued taking notes, pushing his glasses up his nose. The Smith family had assembled only the finest medical professionals, and indeed, every person brought to this basement was a leader in their respective field.
"Mr. Smith, she's most likely suffering from PTSD."
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was a mental health condition that could occur after someone experienced or witnessed a traumatic event.
Selena watched as her outstretched hand was rejected, seeing Octavia retreat further and curl up on the bed. She remained silent, like a fragile, beautiful butterfly with its wings torn away.
Selena had never imagined that Barbara—the formidable woman she'd always known—could be reduced to this state. Her heart ached as she asked, "What could have caused this?"
The doctor paused, choosing his words carefully to make them more accessible. "To put it simply, initially she wouldn't have feared human contact. But from a certain point, someone systematically conditioned her through repeated trauma. People would visit this basement daily to interact with her—and by interaction, I mean violation. Perhaps not physical assault, but rather psychological torture, watching her struggle to survive. Day after day of this treatment would gradually instill a deep fear of human touch."
Selena's hands clenched into fists, her breathing becoming ragged. She wanted to ask more but found herself too consumed with rage to form words.
The doctor gestured toward the surrounding walls. "Over a thousand cameras are embedded throughout these walls. Every microexpression, every flicker of emotion was constantly monitored. The person behind this didn't want her dead—they wanted to savor the vivid expressions of fear and desperation on her face."
He pointed toward the door. "There's an electric shock device positioned there. Ms. Fair, do you know what happens to a person after intense electrical shock?"
Selena bit her lip, her eyes immediately welling with tears. She knew all too well—beyond the risk of death, victims often lost control of their bodily functions.
Such humiliation would be unbearable for anyone, but to have it witnessed and critiqued by observers made it exponentially worse. This was no different from human experimentation—what meaning could such an existence possibly hold?
Sensing that she understood, the doctor sighed heavily. "What surprises me most after examining her thoroughly is that despite these trauma responses, her mind remains remarkably lucid. She hasn't descended into madness, which speaks to extraordinary mental fortitude—stronger than most special forces operatives I've known.
"Something must be sustaining her, some belief or perhaps information that her captor occasionally shared with her, information that aligned with whatever keeps her anchored to sanity."
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