Chapter 497
As Michael looked at the evidence, he suddenly burst into crazed laughter. His hands slumped down dejectedly, scattering the evidence all over the floor.
"Are you out of your mind?" Eason scolded, bending down to pick up the evidence.
"Impossible!" Michael snapped at Eason furiously. "This is outrageous... She's Stephie. She is Stephie!"
Eason ignored entirely him, regarding him as being delusional.
Michael lost control. He squatted on the ground with bloodshot eyes, refusing to accept Stephanie was gone for good. He wasn't able to accept the fact that his selfishness and arrogance had led to her demise.
I couldn't help but sympathize with Michael. Though I wasn't certain if Stephanie had truly loved him, his realization of his love for her came too late.
Suddenly, the door of the emergency room swung open, and the doctor emerged.
Steven anxiously rose and hurried to the doctor. "Doctor... is she-"
"The patient is temporarily out of danger, but we can't predict when she'll regain consciousness."
The doctor sighed, adding, "Fortunately, the dosage she received wasn't fatal. Upon examining the syringe Officer Landon provided, it contained a dose typically used to euthanize deformed infants at birth. "While the dosage wasn't lethal when administered to two adults, it's still highly perilous. We'll need to continue monitoring the patient."
I looked at the doctor, aware that the euthanasia injection was intended for the experimental subjects. If the subjects failed to meet the organization's criteria at birth, they were euthanized and cremated.
That underground laboratory was akin to a vast furnace and purgatory. Some subjects might have spent their entire lives there, from birth to death, without ever catching a glimpse of sunlight or the blue sky... It was truly chilling.
"Once Nancy's crimes are exposed, it could send shockwaves across the entire nation," Eason remarked, massaging his temples. "How deep does the darkness of human nature truly go?"
He continued, "Years ago, I worked on a case with my mentor. A 13-year-old gathered a group of 13 to 14- year-olds and kidnapped young couples who were hiking in the mountains.
"Surveillance wasn't as advanced back then, making it difficult to locate missing people in the mountains. Within a year, three young couples had disappeared one after another. It wasn't until the fourth couple was abducted that the case finally broke open."
"The boyfriend of the fourth couple had bravely fought back, allowing his girlfriend to escape. Upon receiving the girlfriend's report, the police found the crime scene. The minors were still carefreely frolicking in the mountains at that time.
"The boyfriend was found dead, brutally murdered. The minors had mutilated his body and removed his organs. When asked why they did it, they simply said it was fun, and they wanted to see what was inside a human's body...Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g
"We eventually discovered the bodies of the other three missing couples in the mountains. Some had suffered severe abuse leading to death while others had been buried alive. All the females had been subjected to sexual assault.
"After the incident, the local police provided us with information, mentioning that they had encountered those kids in the mountains during their search for the first missing couple. They had asked the kids if
they had seen the missing couple, but the kids lied without hesitation."
"The darkness of human nature knows no age limits. It's as if some people are born with it," Zion said solemnly.
Who could've imagined that a group of minors would commit such heinous acts?
"It's clear that a person's propensity for good or evil is inherently ingrained in our genes. Some people are born malicious, irrespective of the education they receive," I murmured softly, leaning against the wall.
Steven and Michael remained motionless at the door of the emergency room, observing as the doctor wheeled me out. My face was pale.
"Stay away from her. It's your fault she's in this state," Michael blamed Steven for handing me over to Nancy.
Steven stood despondently in place, saying nothing.
Michael followed the doctor to escort me to the ward.
I stood beside Steven, gently comforting him, "Steven, don't let his words get to you... He's delusional..."
If Michael had truly cared for Stephanie as he claimed now, perhaps things would have turned out differently for her.
Facing Steven, I observed his bowed head and reddened eyes. His sorrowful and remorseful demeanor stirred both sympathy and a touch of affection.
Was he crying in secret?
"Steven..." Feeling a pang of empathy, I reached out to him. I longed to offer solace, but my hands fell in despair.
Could I embrace him, knowing all evidence pointed to me being Stephany Larson and not Stephanie Carlson?