Chapter 76 Charles's Request

Bernard had just finished his meal and was gearing up to get back to the meeting when Lorna yanked him into the office.

She pushed him onto the bed in the office's resting area, and he looked totally confused.

"Go to sleep! I'll wake you up in five minutes," Lorna ordered, making him lie down and covering him with a light blanket.

Bernard couldn't fight her off, so he pretended to sleep, but ended up dozing off for real.

Over half an hour later, Lorna gently woke him up.

"Bernard, it's time for the meeting," she said, placing a glass of Spirit Alcohol on the bedside table.

Lorna knew the company was at a critical point and that Bernard was eager to handle things, but she still couldn't bring herself to wake him up too soon.

Bernard sat up, rubbed his temples, and downed the Spirit Alcohol.

Lorna sat by the bed, frowning at him. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better," Bernard said, feeling warmth spread through his body. Even the fatigue-induced blurriness in his eyes eased up a lot.

He looked at Lorna, whose eyes were filled with concern, and felt a surge of joy.

"I'm fine. You just got back; go get some rest. I'll be home for dinner tonight." Bernard smiled, helped Lorna up, and saw her out before heading back to the meeting room.

Lorna didn't go home; instead, she took a cab to Mystic Haven: Fortune & Fate.

As soon as she sat down and prepped the Spirit Alcohol for the guests, someone pushed the door open.

Lorna looked up and saw Kieran and a distinguished middle-aged man named Charles Green.

She stood up to greet them and invited them to sit down.

"Ms. Martin, long time no see," Kieran said with a smile, placing a gift on the table. "These are a token of my appreciation."

Kieran's company had been growing fast and was now entering the medical field. Lorna had played a part in its rapid growth.

So, Kieran had gathered some rare medicinal herbs and gems as a gift for Lorna.

Lorna raised an eyebrow but didn't refuse. After accepting the gift, she poured some Spirit Alcohol for the two of them.

Charles saw that it was poured from a bottle and hesitated.

"Mr. Green, this is Spirit Alcohol infused with many rare herbs. It won't make you drunk," Kieran quickly recommended, having experienced its benefits himself.

Charles hesitantly picked up the glass and took a small sip. His eyes widened in surprise, and then he drank the rest in one gulp.

"By the way, Mr. Green, this is Lorna Martin. Ms. Martin, this is Charles Green, the Minister of National Talent Management," Kieran said, introducing them.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Green," Lorna said, examining Charles with a composed smile, noting his authoritative presence.

"Ms. Martin, you are quite young and capable, truly an outstanding figure among the younger generation," Charles said with admiration. Usually, young women were too intimidated to speak to him, but Lorna remained composed and confident.

"Mr. Green, you flatter me," Lorna said, looking at Kieran with a composed expression.

Kieran smiled and picked up the conversation. "Ms. Martin, Mr. Green needs your help."

Kieran was a friend of Charles, whom he happened to meet and was recommended to act as an intermediary.

"What can I help you with, Mr. Green? Fortune-telling or charms?" Lorna asked curiously.

Charles shook his head and thought for a moment before speaking slowly, "Ms. Martin, have you been following the recent news?"

Seeing Lorna's puzzled expression, he continued, "Recently, eight PhDs who volunteered to join the National Academy of Sciences were ambushed on their way back home. One of the key PhDs is severely injured. We have arranged for the top doctors to treat his external injuries, but he still hasn't woken up."

As he spoke, Charles felt a surge of hatred for the enemy country, his eyes filled with disgust. They must have been desperate to resort to such measures.

Lorna's eyes showed understanding. "So, conventional medical methods can't help, and you want me to assist?"

Lorna was a bit taken aback by their request. She didn't expect folks in such high positions to be into this kind of stuff.

"Yeah, Ms. Martin. All the machines show normal readings, but the patient just won't wake up. That's why we turned to occultism as a last resort," Charles said sincerely, looking at Lorna with hope.

Losing such a highly educated talent would be a huge blow to the country.

Without hesitation, Lorna agreed.

"Alright. Let's go now," she said, standing up.

Charles was surprised by her decisiveness but was more concerned about the PhDs in the hospital.

Kieran drove them to the military hospital. To ensure the safety of the PhD holders, the national leaders had transferred them to a specialized military hospital.

When they arrived, Charles and Lorna got out of the car.

Kieran rolled down the window and waved. "I have some business to attend to at the company, so I'll take my leave."

Charles nodded, and Lorna followed the officer who had come out to greet them into the hospital.

As soon as she entered, Lorna felt a strong presence of death energy, and her eyes narrowed.

"Mr. Green, can you clear the area? I need space to perform an emergency ritual, and the magic involved in occultism shouldn't be seen by others," Lorna said urgently.

It was normal for a hospital to have some death energy, but this was a military hospital with plenty of positive energy from the soldiers. Such a strong presence of death energy was definitely unusual!

Charles understood Lorna's implication and became anxious. "Ms. Martin, rest assured. We will cooperate fully."

He turned and called over an officer, who saluted respectfully.

Charles instructed him to remove the guards from Zachary's room.

Lorna first had Charles take her to see the other patients with lighter injuries.

After examining them, Lorna had a clear idea and told Charles, "Mr. Green, move these patients to a larger room so I can treat them. Their conditions are relatively mild. I need to check on the key PhDs first."

Lorna didn't detect any severe death energy on these patients.

Charles nodded, signaled for the officer to make the arrangements, and then quickly led Lorna to the adjacent room. "Ms. Martin, this is Zachary Baker. I've cleared the guards from his room."

Now, only Lorna and Charles were in the room.

With just one glance, Lorna saw the room filled with dark energy mixed with death energy, almost overflowing.

Lorna was shocked. It was the first time she had seen such an overwhelming amount of death energy. What kind of heinous acts had Zachary committed to accumulate so much dark energy?

Lorna quickly walked to the bedside, raised her hand to disperse the nearby dark energy, and swiftly yet carefully examined Zachary's condition.

Finally, she found a small rune behind his ear.

Lorna's expression darkened. "Mr. Green, come and look at this."

Charles immediately leaned in to see where Lorna was pointing.

"What is this?" Charles gasped. He didn't know what it was, but he could feel the uncomfortable aura.

"This is a rune cast by a necromancer. It absorbs all the malice directed at him, concentrating it into the dark energy that grows stronger until it completely consumes Zachary's consciousness," Lorna explained, her brows furrowed, realizing the severity of the situation.

"Who exactly is Zachary? What could he have done to make so many people hate him?" Lorna blurted out, unsure how to phrase it otherwise.

Charles hesitated for a moment before explaining, "Zachary once created many destructive weapons for the enemy country, which were used on the international battlefield, causing massive casualties. He was unaware that his research had led to such devastation. By the time he realized it, it was too late."

Lorna finally understood. Zachary had unwittingly become an accomplice, earning the public's hatred and giving the enemy Necromancer an opportunity to amplify the dark energy.

They wanted to destroy Zachary, this exceptionally talented genius!