Chapter 1521


    What belief?


    Maja couldn''t guess, not after hearing those words. She was too far gone to stay calm.


    She took a deep breath. "So how do wemunicate with her?"


    Right now,munication was the biggest hurdle. Cynthia recoiled from any human contact, going into


    a state of distress with just a touch.


    And she couldn''t hear if they spoke.


    The doctor lifted a hand to massage his temple. "We haven''t figured that out yet. We''ll see if the


    engineering team can break through the basement''s defenses. Until then, we''re being monitored


    around the clock."


    He gestured to their surroundings.


    Standing up, Maja scanned the area. "Can''t we just cut the power?"


    The engineering team shook their heads, clearly frustrated. "We can cut power everywhere on the


    ind, but this circuit is isted. The main switch is encased in a solid steel box. We''ve tried shooting


    it, explosives, nothing damages it. Plus, it''s got backup from wind, sr, you name it."


    Maja''s impatience grew.


    Meanwhile, Cynthia leaned against the wall, her forehead slick with sweat.


    Just knowing there were people around her was overwhelming, covering her in sweat.


    A chain was still mped around her ankle. As she slid off the bed to move around, the nking of the


    chain dragged across the floor, echoing in the room.


    Maja sat on the bed, suddenly feeling defeated.


    Especially after watching Cynthia navigate to the bathroom with such familiarity, it was clear she knew


    the basement like the back of her hand. No one knew how many years she''d been confined. Her skin


    was unnaturally pale.


    The engineering team continued their inspection, and the doctor reviewed the notes he''d taken.


    After a few minutes of silence, the bathroom door opened, and Cynthia slowly emerged.


    As long as no one touched her, she could pretend they didn''t exist.


    Maja tried again. "Have we tried Braille? Just a few simple words, she might be able to understand


    that."


    "Ms. Pennyfeather," the doctor begun, "we''ve attempted that as well. No matter what we present her


    with, she won''t cooperate. She—"


    "What is it?"


    "Three of her fingers show signs of reattachment."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Someone had severed her three fingers once, then immediately stitched them back on."


    Maja inhaled sharply, feeling a surge of rage in her chest.


    So now, Cynthia, with her traumatic stress disorder, refused all human contact.


    She also had a history of having her fingers cut off when trying to receive something.


    They were at a standstill.


    "Ms. Pennyfeather, there are only two options now. One, the engineering team figure out the design of


    this room, and we remove her from this environment. In her mind, being here means she has to live by


    the rules she''s learned. Away from here, her rationality might return for the most part. Two, we find the


    device that canmunicate with her, but chances are it''s with the puppet master behind all this."


    Both options were daunting.


    No wonder this ce had managed to hold Cynthia captive for so long.


    N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    For now, all Maja could do was to make the basement a bit more bearable for Cynthia''s recovery.


    And using mirrors, they could redirect some natural light inside.


    She looked at Beck, who was quietly wiping his eyes in the corner.


    "Beck?"


    Beck turned quickly, his voice hoarse. "What do we do now?"


    His father was unconscious in bed, his mother imprisoned, and the Sanders family had many waiting to


    pounce.


    Maja felt a pang of sorrow, fighting back her tears.


    "Once Ian wakes, we need to dig into that research facility. Those with gifts on Forbidden Ind,


    they''re taken there for human experiments. Also, we need to find Patric. He holds most of Eric''s


    memories now, and he might remember some details about the facility."


    Whether it was Patric, with a decade of Ian''s memories, or Eric himself, they were prodigies.


    With just a sliver of memory, they could pinpoint the location of the research facility.


    Beck wiped his eyes again,posed now.


    "Alright, I''ll send someone to find Patric."


    She tried to recall the exact spot, wanting to retrieve what was left of the bones.


    But the debris was too much for one person to clear.


    Standing there, helpless, her mind went to the children back at the Outer Ind orphanage.


    She ran forward, tripped, and fell.


    What tripped her was a corpse, hidden in the underbrush, beyond recognition, covered in wounds.


    Co?tent оf Draмa?ovеls.cом


    Maja''s brow furrowed. She thought to leave but felt something tug at her conscience.


    She stopped and began to dig in the earth.


    Her fingers hurt from digging, so she used broken nks to continue.


    After digging a half-meter-deep grave, she pushed the body in.


    As it fell, a small object fell from the mouth - a tiny stone.


    After covering the grave, she ran toward the Outer Ind orphanage without looking back.


    The makeshift gravey there, solitary, with no one to know whoy beneath.