?Chapter 1228:


    He nodded toward the sealed door where William had been taken. “General White brought in advanced tech from the military. It can tap into the subconscious, extract fragments of buried memory. If Ste ever mentioned anything about the forms—even once—the device will detect the brainwave signals tied to that memory.”


    Nina went still. Her pulse quickened as dread crawled through her veins.


    Extracting memories?


    It sounded like science fiction.


    But the greed and certainty in Drake’s eyes told her he wasn’t joking.


    “You can’t do that,” she whispered. “It’s inhuman. You’ll destroy him.”


    Her voice trembled, heavy with fear.


    Drake’s gaze hardened. “For what we’re after, that’s a risk worth taking.”


    There was no remorse in his tone—only cold conviction. If William hadn’t been useful, Drake never would’ve gone through the trouble of rescuing him—or her.


    Now that Arlo’s machine was ready, there was no turning back.


    Drake signaled his men. They moved swiftly, grabbing Nina by the arms. She fought against them, kicking and shouting, but they dragged her down the corridor and locked her inside another metal room.


    She threw herself against the door, pounding on the heavy metal, but it was all in vain.


    In theb, William was moved onto a reinforced metal bed, his wrists, ankles, and head locked down by mechanical mps.


    A helmet was lowered over him, its surface lined with sensors and thick cables that snaked toward a set of humming machines, lights blinking in a steady rhythm.


    Arlo stood in front of the control panel, his eyes fixed on the monitors with sharp, feverish focus.


    A technician finished the final checks and reported, “General, the system is ready. The subject’s in a deepa. Neural defenses are minimal—ideal for extraction. But the process could trigger severe neural stress.”


    Arlo’s tone was calm, almost detached. “Begin.”


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    The hum of the machines deepened.


    Lines on the monitor spiked violently.


    William’s body jolted upward, muscles straining against the restraints as if struck by an unseen current. Even unconscious, a hoarse, guttural scream tore from his throat.


    “Ahhhh!!!”


    The sound cut through the air—sharp, raw, desperate. In the next room, Nina froze. The walls muffled it, but not enough.


    Nina’s chest tightened until she could hardly breathe. She pounded on the steel door, her fists aching, tears spilling down her cheeks.


    “Stop! Please, stop! You’ll kill him!”


    Her screams went nowhere. The soundproof door swallowed every word, leaving her trapped in suffocating silence.


    Inside theb, William’s agony continued.


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