Sorry Too Late (by J.J. Twelve) novel Chapter 34

+25 Bonus

Evan slid the first silver needle into the Iron Dragon’s body and asked calmly, “Do you feel anything?”

The elder shook his head with a bitter smile. “All my meridians were severed. How could I feel anything?”

William frowned, shaking his head. “Other doctors need precision instruments, and you’re just poking around with a needle?”

Evan ignored him and pressed the needle a little deeper. “How about now?”

“Still nothing… Wait… I feel something!” The Iron Dragon suddenly exclaimed.

William’s mocking expression vanished in an instant. “What?”

“My meridians should’ve been completely severed. How can I feel anything?” The Iron Dragon stared at Evan in disbelief.

“Feeling something is the whole point.” Evan smiled faintly. “Right now, your chances of recovery are at forty percent.”

“What?” William blurted out, stunned.

Evan grabbed another needle and inserted it into a different point. “And here?”

“There’s something, but not as strong.”

“Sixty percent.”

Then, the third needle, the fourth, all the way to the tenth.

“I… This…” William looked like he was watching a trick unfold before his eyes.

“Here, here, and here… All of these respond, and they’re pretty sensitive,” the Iron Dragon said.

“Eighty percent.” Evan grinned.

Ivana stood off to the side, too shocked to even speak She didn’t know medicine, but how could something so simple cause the success rate to skyrocket? Countless experts had examined her father’s condition, and none of them had been able to do a thing.

And yet Evan, with nothing more than a handful of needles, had raised the odds so dramatically.

When the final needle went into the worst of the Iron Dragon’s injuries, the elder shook his head. “Nothing here.”

‘Not even a tingle coming from the deepest wound–the spot with the heaviest bleeding?‘ Evan quirked a brow. He pulled the needle out to check it, and a sharp sizzle sounded. The tip was blackened, visibly corroded.

“You’re poisoned.” Evan narrowed his eyes. “Who did you fight before coming to Silverton? Or perhaps the better question- who’s trying to kill you?”

As he spoke, he saw a hint of malice in the Iron Dragon’s eyes.

But just as quickly, it faded.

“I’d like to know that myself,” the elder said with a sigh. “I’ve fought my entire life. Large battles, small ones too many enemies to count. Plenty of people want me dead. And yet… here I am.”

Evan gave him a knowing look and played along with a mild smile, saying nothing else.

It wasn’t hard to tell that the Iron Dragon did know who the culprit was. He just didn’t want Evan or Sylvie dragged into the mess and was choosing to feign ignorance.

Since the elder didn’t want to say, Evan didn’t push. His job was to cure him

Catching the culprit? That could be left to Aria and the others. And who was to say that the mastermind wouldn’t be driven into

+25 Bonus

The open if they learned the Iron Dragon wasn’t just alive but recovering well?

After Evan left, Ivana turfred sharply to her brother. “Didn’t you say he was a fraud? A lucky amateur who got results by chance?”

“Well…” Sweat poured down William’s face. He looked like he’d just swallowed something foul.

‘How was I supposed to know the kid actually had the skills?‘

“Will, Dad won’t die. He built our family’s glory from the ground up, and what I need to do is protect his legacy.” Ivana’s voice was calm, but the chill beneath her tone was unmistakable “I won’t show mercy to anyone who threatens it. Even if they’re family.”

“Yes, yes, I feel the same…” William knew exactly what she meant and rushed to show his loyalty.

Then, he suddenly remembered something Evan had said before starting the treatment–Ivana would face a bloody disaster.

It crossed Ivana’s mind too, but she didn’t take the warning seriously.

She believed in Evan’s medical skill–but prophecy? That was another matter. She shook her head and got into her car.

The vehicle slowly headed toward the Alderford Grand, where she was staying.

The trip was smooth and uneventful. It only made her take Evan’s warning even less seriously.

‘Didn’t you say I’d face a bloody disaster? Where is it? Where’s the danger? I knew it. It’s just superstition.‘

Alas, she never noticed a blind spot in her surroundings–a massive out–of–control truck barreling toward her like a wild beast. By the time Ivana realized something was wrong, it was already too late.

A thunderous explosion ripped through the night, flames erupting skyward.