Chapter 706: The Iron Wire

Jim Thorne’s shouts came echoing from outside. Just beyond the hallway of the X-ray room was a small garden, where he and Karen Ford were having a one-on-one showdown. A few other patients had even gathered to watch the spectacle.

The shouts didn’t sound right to Tang Xiaonan. ’How could it sound like her brother is the one losing?’

While her brother might not be the undefeated champion of the whole township, he was at least invincible on Millstone Peak. ’How could he not even be able to beat a girl?’

As she got closer, she saw Karen Ford with Jim’s right arm twisted behind his back. Jim was forced to one knee, completely unable to move. Karen Ford had a foot pressed against his back, ready to kick him if he so much as twitched.

Jim’s eyes were both swollen shut, making him look like a panda, and one side of his mouth was puffed up high. He was a total mess.

Obviously, her brother had lost.

And lost. Badly.

Tang Xiaonan was more excited than sympathetic. ’Anyone who can take down my brother is definitely no ordinary girl. She’s incredible!’

"Admit you were wrong!" Karen Ford said coldly.

"Why should I? I won’t admit a thing!" Jim was still being stubborn. ’A real man would rather bleed than back down, and besides, I wasn’t in the wrong.’

"Still want to get hit?"

"If you’ve got the guts, then kill me! I’d rather die than surrender!"

Jim held his head high, truly looking the part of a defiant martyr. For a moment, Karen Ford was at a loss. She certainly wasn’t going to break the law, and while Jim had been wrong, his mistake wasn’t punishable by death. She just wanted to make him realize how wrong it was to bring a dog for an X-ray.

"Miss, my brother knows he was wrong. Can you let him go?" Tang Xiaonan spoke up, trying to mediate. If she let the two of them continue this standoff, they’d be there until dark.

"I didn’t do anything wro—OW! Xiaonan, why are you siding with her?"

Jim gave his sister an aggrieved look. Tang Xiaonan had just kicked him.

Tang Xiaonan shot him a fierce glare, and Jim didn’t dare make another peep. He sullenly turned his head away. ’A gentleman doesn’t fight with a woman,’ he thought. ’I’ll just listen to my sister.’

"Miss..."

Tang Xiaonan looked at Karen Ford with pleading eyes and a sweet smile. Karen Ford’s expression softened quite a bit. Seizing the opportunity to gracefully end the confrontation, she let go of Jim.

Jim shook his aching arm, feeling deeply embarrassed. ’I can’t believe I couldn’t even beat some girl,’ he thought. ’Good thing this wasn’t on Millstone Peak. Not many people in the city know who I am.’

The female doctor called out from the hallway, "The X-ray’s developed. We need to take another one."

Karen Ford’s expression soured again. She shot an angry look at Adrian Hawthorne. ’He actually used a diversion tactic, and I fell for it. That’s infuriating.’

’And my mom is just as bad, with no principles whatsoever. I’m going to have a serious talk with her when I get back. She can’t be a total pushover like Dad.’

The female doctor held up an X-ray film, pointing to a dark shadow around the neck area. "The dog is wearing a collar. You need to take it off and we’ll do another scan."

"He’s not wearing a collar. Is that shadow some kind of growth in Dollar’s throat?" Adrian Hawthorne asked.

"No, that’s the image of a metal object. Your dog is wearing something metallic around its neck," the female doctor stated with certainty.

Adrian Hawthorne dubiously reached out and felt around Dollar’s neck. His expression changed drastically. As he felt all the way around the dog’s neck, his face contorted with exceptional fury. No wonder Dollar couldn’t eat anything—his neck was cinched tight by a strand of wire. ’Jacqueline Spann... I’m not letting that monster get away with this!’

"What is it?" Tang Xiaonan asked apprehensively.

"There’s a wire stuck around his neck. That’s why Dollar can’t eat. We have to get it off."

Adrian Hawthorne gently patted Dollar on the head. ’Poor dog,’ he thought. ’He can’t talk. He’s been in pain for so many days. He must have been in agony.’

’It’s a good thing we came to the hospital for an X-ray today, or Dollar would have literally starved to death. Jacqueline Spann is more venomous than a viper.’