The Million-Dollar Heart

Barnaby chuckled, a hint of steely resolve behind his humor. "I choose to have the chip removed even if it means I have to be conscious during the process."

No matter the pain, she refused to let someone else dictate the course of her life!

"The chip is currently lodged in your brain, and I'll be performing the surgery with my mom. We'll keep chatting with you throughout, and you'll even hear and feel us poking around in your noggin, so brace yourself."

It sounded simple enough, but only those who have been through it knew the agony was beyond any normal threshold of endurance.

It was akin to the trauma Arabella suffered after Brody and Vivienne had planted and then diffused a bomb inside her. The psychological scars were likely still unhealed.

Not that she had much time for healing.

Barnaby nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's get on with it."

Time was of the essence. The chip could travel through her bloodstream to any part of her body.

Noah had met his end when a similar chip had migrated near his heart. Barnaby was luckier; the chip was near her stomach when Karen intervened, sparing her life.

But now the chip had moved to his brain, and if F-Poison struck again, it would be too late.

Soon, Barnaby was wheeled back into the OR, with Karen and Vivienne scrubbing in together.

Throughout the procedure, Barnaby's eyes remained open. She could feel the drill and other surgical instruments stirring inside her skull, each nerve echoing the whine of the drill, her glands vibrating with every movement.

The sensation was indescribable.

If she had to label it, 'terrifying' would be a vast understatement.

"When was this chip put in? Can it track our location?" Barnaby inquired, curious despite the circumstances.

said, her gaze fixed on the screen displaying Barnaby's brain scan. Karen, manipulating the scalpel, added, "The

can't recall

possibility," Karen agreed, nodding at the

how could we swallow a chip without noticing?"

another part of the skull and switched instruments to dig deeper. "The chip could dissolve upon entry and then slowly assemble its particles inside the body." Pausing, Karen

who could resist a device that pinpoints your pet's location? We could even link it to the pet's retina, offering a pet's-eye view of the world," Vivienne rambled on, already hearing the

expected her casual question to spark such

form, they were quite the pair-money-minded

see it!" Vivienne

Vivienne successfully extracted the chip from Barnaby's

slipped into

sister going to be okay?" Caspian

reassuringly. "She'll be fine. She just needs some sleep, and my mom ensured she won't remember any

captain. I'm in

apart, it was only thanks

the thanks. "If you're truly grateful, go

was eager. "Anything you need, just say

map appeared on the screen, dotted with numerous red points marking

Caspian. Those red dots were the whereabouts of every member of

"Yes, right away!"

task; it was an opportunity

and their squads arrested every marked individual, using a jamming device developed by Karen

even if F-Poison wanted to kill them now, there was

who remained at large, all GTO members

the "Destruction Plan," earning Thomas, Leopold, Soren, and even