Chapter 1521 His Brief Redemption
What belief?
Selena couldn't fathom it, and after hearing those words, she found herself unable to remain calm. She took a deep breath. "Then how do we communicate with her?"
Communication was the biggest obstacle now—Octavia recoiled from human contact, becoming agitated at the slightest touch. And she couldn't hear spoken words.
The doctor rubbed his temples wearily. "We haven't figured that out yet either. Let's see if the engineering team can breach the basement's security system—we're being monitored constantly otherwise." He gestured around them.
Selena stood, scanning their surroundings. "Can't we cut the power?"
The engineering team leader shook his head, clearly frustrated. "We can cut power to the rest of the island, but this place runs on an independent circuit. The main switch is housed in a reinforced steel casing—we've tried gunfire, explosives, everything. Nothing works. Plus, it's got backup power from wind and solar sources."
Selena's frustration mounted while Octavia leaned against the wall, her forehead beaded with sweat. Knowing people surrounded her created immense pressure, leaving her body drenched in perspiration. Shackles bound her ankles, and when she rose to pace, the chains dragged across the floor, their metallic scraping echoing through the chamber.
Selena sank onto the bed, feeling utterly helpless, especially watching Octavia navigate to the bathroom with practiced ease—clearly, she knew every inch of this underground prison. No one knew how many years she'd been trapped here.
The engineering team continued their survey while the doctor reviewed his notes. After several minutes of silence, the bathroom door opened and Octavia emerged slowly. As long as no one touched her, she could pretend the others didn't exist.
"Have you tried Braille?" Selena asked. "She should be able to feel it."
"Ms. Fair, we attempted that as well, but she won't cooperate with anything we give her. She..." The doctor hesitated.
"What is it?"
"Three of her fingers show signs of reattachment."
"What do you mean?"
"Someone severed three of her fingers and immediately sutured them back on."
Selena drew a sharp breath, rage building in her chest like a powder keg ready to explode. So Octavia's trauma response wasn't just about human contact—she'd also experienced having her fingers cut off for trying to touch or receive something.
They'd reached an impasse.
"Ms. Fair, we have two options," the doctor continued. "First, the engineering team breaks through this room's security so we can remove her from this environment. In her mind, being here means following survival patterns she's learned. Away from here, much of her rational thinking should return. Second, we find the device that can communicate with her—though it's likely in the hands of whoever's behind this."
Both options seemed nearly impossible, which explained how this place had held Octavia captive for so many years.
For now, all Selena could do was improve the basement's conditions to help Octavia's physical recovery and use mirrors to redirect sunlight inside.
She glanced at Richard and noticed him quietly wiping his eyes in the corner. "Richard?"
He turned quickly, his voice hoarse. "So what do we do now?"
With their father unconscious and their mother imprisoned, the Smith family circled like vultures.
Selena felt her own throat tighten with emotion, but she forced herself to stay strong. "Once Raymond wakes up, we need to investigate that research facility. All the gifted individuals from Mystic Prison were sent there for human experimentation. We also need to find Mario—he has most of Christopher's memories, so he'll remember the facility's layout."
Whether it was Mario—carrying a decade of Raymond's memories—or Christopher himself, both were remarkably gifted. Even the faintest trace of memory was enough for them to locate the research facility with uncanny precision.
Richard wiped his eyes again, steadying himself. "Alright, I'll send people to find Mario."
Unable to bear watching any longer, Selena left the basement and stepped into the sunlight outside. Remembering Emilio's remains, she hurried back to where she'd spent that final night, but the building had been reduced to rubble, the acrid smell of smoke still lingering in the air.
She recalled the approximate location and began clawing at the debris with her hands, desperate to recover his remaining bones. But the wreckage was too extensive for one person to clear.
Standing there helplessly, her thoughts turned to the children in the outer island compound. She ran forward but tripped over something, falling hard. What had caught her foot was a corpse hidden in the tall grass, so mutilated that its features were unrecognizable, covered in wounds.
Selena frowned, initially planning to leave, but something tugged at her conscience. She stopped and began digging with her bare hands. When her fingers became too painful, she found wooden debris to continue excavating.
After creating a shallow grave, she pushed the body into the depression. As it fell, something small tumbled from its mouth—a tiny stone. She didn't examine it closely, unable to identify the corpse's identity, and quickly covered it with earth.
Once finished, she ran toward the outer island compound without looking back. The makeshift grave sat there alone, its occupant's identity lost to the world.
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