Chapter 37 Crushing the Entire Field with Strength
Lucas froze for several seconds, then suddenly asked me after snapping back to reality: "Why didn't you tell me?"
I asked coldly in return: "Was it necessary for me to tell you?"
"No." Lucas got his emotions under control and replied just as coldly, "Whether you have a fiancé or not has nothing to do with me."
Jonas looked back and forth between Lucas and me. He asked Marcus quietly: "They're like enemies - how did they get a high score on that relationship assessment?"
"That assessment system must be broken!" Marcus said without hesitation.
Just then, Amelia walked over.
"Lucas, I'm here!" She was wearing delicate makeup and a pretty dress that was a bit thin for the season. She spun around happily in front of Lucas. "Diana gave me this dress - does it look good?"
Lucas wasn't in the mood to appreciate it. "Why didn't you tell us in advance that you weren't traveling with us?"
"Didn't I explain on the phone? It was a last-minute decision - I didn't have time to notify you in advance." Amelia was a bit unhappy at not getting the praise she'd expected.
"You call that a reason?" Lucas asked, suppressing his anger.
"Why wouldn't it be?" Amelia stared at him, confused. "I just made you wait a few minutes - is it worth getting this angry over?"
"A few minutes? I waited half an hour for you!" Lucas's tone was stern. "It wasn't just me waiting - my grandfather is so old, and he's sick. Don't you feel any guilt?"
"I didn't ask him to wait." Amelia muttered unhappily, then quickly apologized obediently to Harold under Lucas's angry glare: "I'm sorry."
Anyone could tell she wasn't sincere. Harold got annoyed just looking at her, turned his head away, and couldn't be bothered with her.
"Lucas, your grandfather won't talk to me." Amelia tugged at Lucas's sleeve, showing a wronged expression.
Lucas pulled her hand off his sleeve. "Reflect on what you did. Don't talk to me until you realize your mistake."
"Fine, I won't talk then!" Amelia pouted and sat down huffily.
Michelle and Diana arrived last. As soon as they came, last night's auctioneer immediately appeared: "Distinguished guests, Roger's challenge is about to begin! Without further ado, please take your seats. I will now announce the first round of the challenge."
Someone asked: "Where's Roger?"
The auctioneer: "In the small building behind me."
"I want to see him!"
The auctioneer answered calmly: "Only those who pass all three rounds of challenges can see Roger."
"I paid one billion dollars!" The speaker began coughing violently - turned out he was the last person who bought a spot last night.
I didn't know his identity, but observing his complexion, this man was seriously ill. His cough was hoarse and urgent, as if something was squeezing his chest cavity, making the space in his lungs smaller.
Some people who bought spots were simply after Roger's value as a person, like Jonas. Others were seeking treatment - this man was clearly the latter.
The auctioneer clapped twice, and ten attendants appeared carrying ten tablets. The auctioneer said, "In front of each of you are 86 images that have been shuffled. The task is to arrange them in the correct order on the tablet. You have ten minutes."
"What the hell is this?" Jonas couldn't help muttering as soon as he got his tablet.
Each image showed an open chest cavity with clearly visible left and right ventricles. I quickly scanned through the images and recognized them as the suturing process after heart surgery.
Some images clearly showed the thread, others didn't. At first glance, each image looked similar - only experienced doctors could spot the differences immediately.
Many people at the scene gasped. Over eighty bloody images crammed onto the screen were quite a shock for ordinary people.
Marcus asked me quietly: "Is it hard?"
I shook my head. "People who don't understand will find it difficult. For those who do, it's very simple."
Marcus relaxed immediately. "You answer it then." He looked around curiously. "These people all brought doctors with them - what a coincidence."
I glanced at the other buyers at the scene. Almost all the buyers seeking medical treatment had doctors accompanying them to provide care, and the tablets were immediately handed to these professionals.
There were also people like Jonas who came prepared. The only ones without accompanying doctors were I, Lucas, and Diana.
Diana was used to solving problems with money and pressure. She took a liking to a doctor's assistant and tried to recruit them to help her answer the questions.
Lucas frowned as he carefully examined the images. Harold probably thought there was no hope and advised him not to feel too much pressure: "If it doesn't work out, forget it. I'm not going to die right away."
"Grandpa, don't worry. Amelia should be able to answer it." Lucas placed the tablet in Amelia's hands. The Caldwell family members looked at her with surprise and suspicion. Amelia looked confused: "Me?"
"Stop being upset and answer the questions." Lucas softened his tone to persuade her.
"How am I supposed to answer? I don't understand any of this." Amelia pushed Lucas's hand away in shock. "Why are you making me look at all this bloody stuff? It's scary."
Lucas's expression hardened. "This is the suturing process for heart surgery, using Doyle's original suturing technique. Don't you recognize it?"
I was very surprised - Lucas not only understood the images but also recognized the suturing technique invented by Doyle!
"So what if I don't recognize it? The others don't know either, do they?" Amelia said.
"When you saved me back then, my fatal wound was sutured using this technique." Lucas's face was expressionless, staring intently at Amelia, veins bulging on the back of his hand.
"I, I..." Amelia denied it frantically: "You remember wrong!"
"The doctor who did my follow-up examination later told me. There's no mistake." Lucas scrutinized her with icy eyes. "Was it really you who saved me back then?"
My surprise grew even more.
So the person who saved Lucas back then was connected to Doyle? Or was it Doyle himself?
"Of course it was me!" Amelia loudly refuted Lucas. "You collapsed on the roadside back then, and people were searching everywhere for you. I was the one who brought you home to hide you, deceived the searchers, and took care of you painstakingly for three days and nights. You woke up in my house - have you forgotten?"
"I haven't forgotten." Lucas seemed stimulated, his expression alternating between dazed and serious, as if thinking about something.
I withdrew my scattered attention and quickly tapped on the screen with my fingers. Jonas seemed bored and stared at me, asking in surprise: "Bella, do you know the correct order?"
I didn't look up and continued answering, acknowledging with a sound.
Amelia couldn't withstand the pressure of facing Lucas. Hearing my response, she suddenly stood up and walked over: "How could you possibly know? You must be answering randomly!"
Marcus stuck out his foot. Amelia tripped and stumbled, then glared at Marcus angrily after steadying herself.
"What are you looking at? Believe it or not, I'll gouge out your eyes? If you can't do it yourself, don't interfere with others!" Marcus raised his hand, and Amelia backed away in fear.
I didn't have time to enjoy her embarrassment. The countdown was about to end. I did a final check and calmly submitted my answer.
Soon, the auctioneer announced the results: "Three people passed the challenge. First place goes to Ms. Sorelli, with a perfect score!"
I hadn't expected to completely outperform everyone, but I calmly accepted the astonished gazes from everyone at the scene, not surprised by this result at all.