Chapter 348

Chapter 348

Leopold and Brady released their grip on Orion's legs.

I looked at Orion's pale little face and asked Arlo.

"Is he still in pain?"

"As long as the controlled parasite doesn't wake, he won't feel pain." Arlo wrapped up the glass vial and headed for the door. "You can give him some water. Nothing else for now."

"I'll see you out."

Leopold quickly followed, walking Arlo to the door.

I noticed Orion's lips were dry, so I dipped a cotton swab in warm water and moistened them.

Brady kept his eyes on the monitors. Once the readings stabilized, he turned to me.

"All of Orion's vitals have improved. Arlo really is incredible. Orion will wake up soon, I'm sure of it."

I nodded firmly.

---

The next morning, Arlo arrived right on time.

Leopold and I had woken early and cleared space in the room.

Arlo glanced at us, his eyebrows lifting ever so slightly.

Then he repeated yesterday's procedure.

The red worm was placed on Orion's chest again, burrowing slowly into his skin.

This time, Orion's reaction was more intense than before.

Before Arlo could say anything, Leopold and I were already pressing down on Orion's legs.

Orion's legs kicked violently against the mattress with dull, heavy thuds.

"Hold tight!" Arlo's voice sharpened.

This time, Orion's face flushed bright red instantly. A faint whimper escaped his lips.

I was afraid of hurting him, so I loosened my grip instinctively.

"Don't let go! Hold steady."

Arlo noticed immediately and called out.

I quickly pressed down harder.

But today, the worm's path was different from yesterday.

It seemed to have lost direction, darting erratically.

I was about to ask Arlo when I saw his expression darken. He pulled a long silver needle from his pouch and plunged it straight into Orion's elbow.

"The controlled parasite has woken up."

My heart clenched. "What happens if it wakes up?"

"We can't wait until tomorrow. We have to draw it out today, or the boy will be in danger."

Hearing that Orion was in danger made my chest tighten painfully.

"What do you need us to do?"

"Keep holding him down. Don't let him move."

Arlo set down his pouch and pulled out a roll of white cloth.

When he unrolled it, it was filled with silver needles of varying lengths.

I watched anxiously as he selected needles one by one and inserted them into different points on Orion's body.

But I didn't dare interfere with the treatment.

"Mommy..."

Suddenly, Orion called out to me.

My hand loosened instinctively.

Orion's body jolted upward with shocking force.

"Hold him down!" Arlo shouted.

Leopold clamped down hard on Orion's left leg, then quickly took over my hand and pressed down on his right leg.

The strain made the muscles in his arms tense, creasing the fabric of his sleeves.

I rushed to Orion's side. I didn't dare touch him, so I hovered nearby and said, "Orion, don't be scared. Mommy's right here..."

The red worm thrashed wildly beneath Orion's skin.

It was horrifying to watch.

Arlo observed carefully, then picked up a small knife.

When the controlled parasite reached Orion's shoulder, he pressed the flat of the blade against Orion's collarbone, blocking its retreat, and pushed downward toward his arm.

The parasite had no choice but to move forward, passing through the elbow and reaching the wrist again.

Arlo moved with lightning speed and sliced open the back of Orion's hand.

My brow furrowed. My heart ached for him.

But I held myself back from interfering.

Then, a thin black substance emerged from the wound.

Sensing something was wrong, it quickly tried to retreat.

It collided with Arlo's blade and began twisting frantically.

"It hurts..."

Orion's voice was faint, his consciousness unclear. His little face was deathly pale.

Cold sweat covered his forehead and the tip of his nose.

My heart broke. Tears welled up silently.

I bit my lip hard to force them back, afraid of being seen.

Leopold's eyes were locked on Orion too. When he heard him cry out in pain, his thin lips pressed into a tight line.

Arlo remained unaffected. He retrieved the glass vial and held it against the back of Orion's hand.

Patiently, slowly, he pushed the blade forward.

The next second, the black substance was forced out.

A pungent, foul stench filled the air.

Arlo swiftly sealed the vial.

He exhaled lightly.

"The controlled parasite is out."

I let out a heavy breath and stepped back.

Brady stepped in at just the right moment to bandage Orion's hand.

Leopold finally released his grip and came over to my side. "It's over."

I nodded repeatedly, turning to thank Arlo.

"No need to thank me. I'll go dispose of this thing first."

I couldn't help but ask, "What about the red worm you put in earlier?"

Arlo said calmly, "The controlled parasite ate it."

I froze.

By the time I came back to my senses, Arlo had already left.

Leopold stayed by my side as we watched Brady finish bandaging Orion.

Once Orion's hand was wrapped, Brady reconnected the monitors.

Looking at the data on the screen, he let out a sigh of relief too.

"All his vitals are back to normal. Orion will wake up within the day."

After all that agonizing waiting, we'd finally received good news.

Leopold said, "Orion's color looks a lot better too."

I nodded in agreement. "If it weren't for Arlo, who knows how much more Orion would have suffered. Shouldn't we thank him properly?"

Brady added, "Arlo is the best here. He'd already retired from this line of work. Saving Orion was an unexpected blessing. We really should thank him properly."

"Alright, let's go thank him."

Leopold stood up. I quickly said, "I'll come with you."

When we stepped outside, Arlo had already finished disposing of the controlled parasite and was sitting on the stone steps under the eaves, resting.

Seeing us approach, he said calmly, "Are you leaving?"

Leopold and I exchanged a glance, then bowed deeply to him in unison.

"Thank you for saving our child. Whatever you need, we'll do our best to provide it."

Arlo waved his hand. "No need."

I thought he was just being modest. "Please don't hold back. We're incredibly grateful to you. We want to show our appreciation."

Arlo still refused.

After a moment's thought, he added, "I was willing to help you partly because I'm the one who created this controlling parasite. And at the time, I made a promise to a man with the last name Guise that I would help him once."

"Before you came to find me, he'd already contacted me and asked for my help."

I immediately thought of Ethan. "Was it Ethan?"

Arlo nodded.

But Leopold said, "That's a separate matter. Even though you created the controlling parasite, you weren't the one who used it. We're still grateful to you. If you don't have any other requests, then I'll compensate you financially."

Seeing our insistence, Arlo finally said, "If you really want to repay me, then help us see if there are other ways for people here to make a living, so everyone can have a better life."

"No problem. I'll arrange for someone to come conduct a survey as soon as possible."

Leopold agreed without hesitation.

---

On the way back, Leopold's phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at the screen, and his expression grew complicated.

I was curious. "Who is it?"

"Cade."

"Are you going to answer?"

Leopold took a breath. "I'll take it."

The moment he answered, his expression shifted again.

His gaze focused on me.

"You want to speak with Cindy?"