Chapter 347

Chapter 347

Leopold pulled over a chair nearby and had me sit down.

Then he rested his hand on the back of the chair, leaning in close as he spoke.

"Sophia was arrested too. The Guise family is terrified of being implicated, so they're scrambling to cut all ties with her."

I was confused. "Why was Sophia arrested? None of this should trace back to her."

"She turned herself in. She confessed to her dealings with David and revealed other shady secrets."

I was stunned. "Why would she do that? Weren't she and David helping each other?"

"It was just a transaction of mutual interest." Leopold's tone turned cold. "Sophia used David to get insider intelligence on the Percy Group. David used Sophia to access resources from the Guise family and the Seymour family. They each took what they needed."

"Sophia actually helped him connect with the Guise family and the Seymour family?"

That was something I hadn't expected.

"The real focus is Ethan." Leopold pieced it together for me. "Sophia's relationship with Ethan isn't as simple as you think."

"The communication between David and Ethan was established through Sophia. Whether it was driving a wedge between us earlier or using the Percy Group's reputation for under-the-table deals, the three of them had formed a stable alliance long ago."

It clicked. "So Sophia turned herself in to protect herself?"

The more you know, the faster you die.

"Exactly." Leopold straightened up. "With both David and Ethan in trouble, if she didn't protect herself now, it was only a matter of time before she went down too."

"Rather than wait for the royal family to investigate and pin everything on her, she chose to strike first. Plus, she's holding David's dirty secrets. By shifting all the blame onto him now, she can negotiate immunity with the authorities."

Leopold's tone was flat as he described a corporate bloodbath involving billions of dollars.

I sighed quietly.

I'd always thought Sophia was just bitter that Leopold chose me. I never imagined there was so much more going on behind the scenes.

Sophia had schemed and fought for every advantage, only to lose to the unpredictability of human nature in the end.

"What about Ethan?"

Leopold tapped his fingers twice on the chair back before answering. "He's in the hospital with serious injuries. For now, he's avoiding interrogation."

I leaned back in the chair, feeling a wave of emotion.

Just last night, Ethan had used his noble status to activate the highest-level security system and lock me in the villa.

In one night, he'd lost every card he had.

But he didn't deserve sympathy.

Right now, all I cared about was Orion's safety.

---

The next morning, the sky had just begun to lighten when Arlo knocked on our door.

"Time to start."

Leopold and I had been too worried about Orion to sleep. We'd stayed by his bedside all night.

Without realizing it, we'd both dozed off.

At the sound of Arlo's voice, we jolted awake.

"Yes, just a moment."

I opened the door and stepped aside to let him in.

Arlo walked straight to the bed and observed Orion for about half a minute before reaching out to check his eyes and pulse.

"The controlled parasite and the controlling parasite share a single life meridian. The controller dominates; the controlled is subjugated. Under normal circumstances, to remove the controlled parasite, you must first deal with the controller."

My heart sank. "But the controller isn't here. Is there another way?"

Arlo lifted his eyelids. His weathered gaze held a reassuring calm.

"Yes."

I blinked.

Did reclusive masters all enjoy keeping people in suspense like this?

Arlo continued. "When the controlled parasite is dormant, its connection to the controller weakens. If I act during this window, I can extract the controlled parasite on its own."

"What are the risks?" Leopold pressed.

Arlo glanced at him. "The risk is that the window is short. The boy's constitution is weak. If he wakes up during the extraction process, the parasite will backlash against the host."

"What does backlash mean?" My nerves were on edge.

"Pain." Arlo's answer was simple. "Even adults can barely endure it."

The room fell into heavy silence.

Pain that even adults couldn't bear—could Orion, just a child, hold out?

"Can't bear to go through with it?" Arlo saw my hesitation. "You can take the boy and leave now. Once we start, there's no stopping."

I stared at Orion. He looked so peaceful, as if he were simply asleep.

Leopold squeezed my shoulder and asked Arlo, "What are the odds of success?"

Arlo thought for a moment. "Fifty percent."

I whipped around to face him. "Only fifty percent?"

"If the controller's host cooperates, it could go up to seventy percent. Can you contact the person with the controlling parasite?"

Arlo's question left me shaking my head helplessly.

"He won't come."

Arlo didn't seem surprised by this. He confirmed once more. "If you have no objections, I'll begin."

"Go ahead," Leopold said.

Arlo didn't move. He looked at me.

As if waiting for my decision.

"Please begin." I gave my answer too.

Arlo had us remove Orion's shirt, then pulled a bamboo tube from the cloth pouch he carried.

A small red worm crawled out.

The worm was about 0.4 inches long, its entire body blood-red.

I gasped and instinctively stepped back.

Arlo's expression was focused. He pinched the red worm between his fingers and placed it on Orion's chest.

"Hold down his hands and feet. No matter what happens, don't let go."

Leopold saw I wasn't handling this well and told me to wait by the door.

He called for Brady.

Brady rushed in, and the two of them pressed down on Orion's legs from either side.

Watching the red worm crawl across Orion's chest made me uneasy, but I was afraid of disturbing Arlo, so I bit my lip and stayed silent.

Finally, the worm stopped over his heart.

Arlo quickly took out a silver needle and pricked his own left index finger.

A drop of blood fell onto the worm's back.

The worm immediately began burrowing into Orion's skin.

Orion, who had been completely still, suddenly started twitching.

"Hold him down. Don't let him move, or the worm will burrow erratically."

Arlo's warning was stern.

Leopold and Brady both used all their strength.

The red worm burrowed into Orion's chest, and a small bump immediately rose on the surface.

The worm was still moving.

It was enough to make your scalp crawl.

At that moment, Arlo pulled out a small knife and made a cut on Orion's right index finger.

Black blood oozed from the wound.

"Dr. Wood, prepare a tourniquet."

Seeing that Brady couldn't move, I quickly said, "I'll get the medical kit."

I set the kit on the floor and rummaged through it for the tourniquet.

"Here you go."

Arlo took it and pressed it against the cut on Orion's finger.

The red worm's movement slowed down.

Orion's twitching also began to ease.

It seemed like everything was improving.

I held my breath, not daring to even blink.

"The red worm is almost at his wrist."

Brady's voice broke the silence.

"Stay steady. Don't panic."

Arlo pulled a glass vial from his pouch.

He peeled off the tourniquet from Orion's fingertip and held the vial beneath his finger.

The red worm seemed to receive a signal and moved straight to the fingertip.

The next second, the worm mixed with the blood and dropped into the vial.

Arlo quickly sealed the cap.

"I've confirmed the location of the controlled parasite."

"Today's treatment is finished. We'll continue tomorrow."

As he spoke, Orion's body stopped twitching.

His legs relaxed.

His breathing gradually steadied.