Chapter 610: The Last Piece of the Puzzle

At Melody Summers’s words, Maeve Summers’s face grew even paler.

Yesterday, Hayden Jennings had given Maeve an Anesthetic Gun. He told her a woman would be visiting tomorrow and that he would send the villa’s maids and bodyguards away. Maeve was to find a way to shoot the woman with an anesthetic dart, knock her unconscious, and imprison her.

Maeve didn’t know what Hayden’s purpose was, but she was powerless to resist his demands and could only do as he said.

At this, Maeve grabbed Melody’s wrist, her expression urgent. "You can’t! Melody, you have to get out of here, now!"

In sharp contrast to Maeve’s anxiety, Melody was perfectly calm. She shook her head at her aunt. "I can’t leave, Aunt Maeve. I’m staying to see what this Hayden Jennings is really up to."

Seeing Melody sitting unmoved, Maeve grew even more frantic. Throwing all caution to the wind, she blurted out, "No, you have to go! You don’t understand, that Hayden Jennings is a madman! He’s... he’s conducting human experiments! He’s researching a new type of virus!"

Maeve’s last sentence struck Melody’s mind like a bolt of lightning. ’I knew it!’ she thought.

’Hayden Jennings really is connected to that new virus!’

’No wonder the epidemic caused by the floods is different in this life than in my last. No wonder a new, zombie-like virus appeared this time around—one that never existed before...’

’It’s all because Hayden Jennings, who died in my last life, somehow survived due to the butterfly effect. He’s the one who altered the development of the new virus in this life!’

Seeing Melody’s silence, Maeve thought she didn’t believe her and rushed to explain, "I know it all sounds too absurd and unbelievable, but you have to believe me! That Hayden Jennings is truly a devil!"

"There are several women locked in the basement of this villa. Hayden brought them all back a month ago. They’re his test subjects! Their teeth and fingernails have been pulled out, and they’re bound in iron chains..."

At this point, Maeve couldn’t continue. The memory of the horrific scene in the basement finally shattered her numbed nerves, and she broke down completely, covering her face and sobbing.

Melody quickly pulled Maeve into a hug, comforting her. "Aunt Maeve, don’t cry. I believe you! I really do! Don’t worry, we’re both going to be okay..."

After hearing what Maeve had just said, some things that had been puzzling Melody finally clicked into place.

It was like the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle snapping into place. In that instant, all the disparate details in Melody’s mind connected.

’No wonder Joelle Lawson from The Serene Leaf Teahouse had her teeth pulled out. She must have been one of the test subjects chosen by Hayden’s group!’

’The Serene Leaf Teahouse wasn’t just an illegal entertainment venue; it was also where Hayden and his people were experimenting with the new virus!’

’When the police raided The Serene Leaf Teahouse a month ago, Hayden must have moved the victims from his lab to this villa.’

’It all added up...’

’As for why they pulled out the women’s teeth and fingernails,’ Melody mused, ’it must be because Hayden and his men were afraid the victims would turn into something like the female owner of 1404—something they couldn’t control...’

While Melody was silently piecing everything together, Maeve managed to compose herself. She wiped the tears from her face, grabbed Melody’s hand, and said, "Hayden wants me to go after you, which means you’re his target now! Melody, you have to find the police! Go to the station and report him!"

Maeve trailed off. She thought for a moment, then shook her head again, her voice laced with panic. "No, no... that’s wrong! We can’t go to the police! He’s in cahoots with the officials. The police are powerless against them..."

At that thought, despair flickered in Maeve’s eyes. She tore the jade pendant from her neck and thrust it into Melody’s hand, sobbing. "Melody, just run! Go home right now, get your mom and everyone else, and move! Move somewhere Hayden Jennings can never find you..."

"I can’t get away anymore, but you all have to. You must! Whatever you do, don’t let that madman find you!"

In Maeve’s mind, her family were just ordinary people; they stood no chance against someone like Hayden Jennings. Now that he had targeted Melody, their only option was to run.

Seeing Maeve so utterly desperate and broken, Melody’s heart ached for her. She gently placed the jade pendant back around Maeve’s neck and whispered reassuringly in her ear, "Aunt Maeve, don’t panic. Trust me. We’re all going to be fine."

’Now that I’ve found the main culprit, Hayden Jennings, there’s no way I’m leaving,’ Melody thought. ’I have to find out why he would risk kidnapping me, and more importantly—what is his ultimate goal?’

’Is he really trying to develop a zombie virus to create his own army of the undead?’

’Does he want to be the Zombie King?’

Melody knew she had to figure all this out, but she also had to stop Hayden from doing something desperate, like releasing the virus. No matter what, she couldn’t leave.

But Maeve couldn’t stay here any longer.

’Hayden could have just had his bodyguards grab me the moment I walked into the villa. Instead, he’s having Maeve ambush me with the Anesthetic Gun...’

’Melody suspected Hayden was planning to turn on Maeve!’

’Maeve has to get out of here, now!’

Her mind made up, Melody pulled out her phone and sent a text to Grace Sutton.

After getting a reply from Grace, Melody led Maeve to the window. She pointed to the northwest. "Aunt Maeve, our family is living just ahead in Sector B, Building 16. I’ve already asked Grace to meet you at that intersection up there. The villa is empty right now. Climb out the window and run!"

Maeve looked in the direction Melody was pointing, as if she could see freedom and salvation beckoning to her.

’If I can just get out,’ she thought, ’I can finally escape that devil, Hayden...’

After a moment of internal struggle, she shook her head and murmured, "No, I can’t... I can’t run... I’m married to him. I’m his wife. There’s no escape. Even if I got away, he’d just drag me back..."

Melody grabbed Maeve’s shoulders, her tone firm. "You are not married to Hayden Jennings! Aunt Maeve, the person married to him is ’Cindy Hughes,’ not you! We’ll take our family’s official records and get you a new ID. Then you’ll have nothing to do with him!"

"And Aunt Maeve, you don’t have to worry about putting our family in danger. My mom and uncle are both working for the Reconstruction Department now. We have the government on our side! As long as you come home, he won’t dare to touch you, even if he finds you!"