Chapter 731 How Could They Win?
The second round of the competition officially began, and only three teams could emerge victorious in this round. The winning teams would secure a spot in the final round, competing for the ultimate victory against the previous champions.
Throughout the competition, the Styre Team was undoubtedly the most popular and prominent. Although they only sent two teams to compete, both advanced to the second round, showcasing unquestionable strength.
As the competition was about to commence, members of the Styre Team were making their final preparations in the backstage lounge.
Eamon looked towards the entrance of the lounge, asking, “Professor Hartley, Catherine can’t come, right?”
“Alas!” Marshall sighed deeply. “She’s still in the hospital. From now on, you all need to compete seriously. Don’t bring shame to her.”
Eamon’s eyes showed some disappointment. Catherine had always worked miracles for them. He thought she would do the same this time, but the miracle did not happen.
Due to Fergus being busy researching antidotes in the laboratory, he couldn’t lead the team. Marshall had to take on multiple roles. Just like Marshall’s team, Fergus’s team was now short of one member as well, as the police had taken away Paddy. However, Paddy wasn’t a core member of their team. As long as they used substitutes, they still had a good chance to win.
Although Catherine’s situation hadn’t been exposed, there were no secrets in this world, especially since Paddy was taken away for no reason. Many people speculated that Paddy had something to do with Catherine’s hospitalization, causing her to lose the opportunity to participate in the competition.
Therefore, although Paddy’s teammates knew Fergus had gone to treat Catherine, none of them had any complaints. After all, Paddy was Fergus’s student, and if he were genuinely responsible, Fergus would also be held accountable for it.
When the time came, the bell at the venue officially rang. Marshall led the students toward the laboratories, but the miracle still did not occur. Catherine was still lying in the hospital bed, awaiting the development of the antidote.
Fergus’s students sent updates of the competition to him via their phones. Fergus paid special attention to Marshall’s team and discovered they had substituted Catherine with a backup. A smug smile appeared on his face as he turned to enter the laboratory.
“Connie, I’ve developed another batch of antidote. Although it may not immediately clear the neurotoxins in Catherine’s body, it might help her wake up quickly. Let’s send it over for a trial!”
Connie looked at Fergus, her eyes full of excitement. “That’s great, Professor Lynch. I’ll take it to Catherine as soon as possible!”
Fergus handed the prepared reagent to Connie and asked her to take it to the hospital room. Watching her departing figure, he smiled faintly. The competition was already halfway through, and even if Catherine had woken up now, she wouldn’t have been able to make it to the competition. But then again, the show would truly begin only after Catherine woke up.
An hour later, Fergus finished tidying up the equipment in the laboratory and planned to go to the hospital room to check on Catherine’s condition. Upon reaching the hospital room, he found it empty, with even the guard at the door missing. He quickly stopped a nearby nurse and inquired about the situation. “Where is the patient in this room?”
“The patient experienced an adverse reaction after taking the medication, and her vital signs kept declining. She’s in critical condition and has been taken to the emergency room!” the nurse replied.
Upon hearing this, Fergus was somewhat astonished, finding it hard to believe what he had just heard. The medicine he provided was supposed to wake Catherine up, so how could it have led to a critical condition? “Could there be an issue with the dosage in the reagent?” he wondered. “Or was it administered in excessive amounts?”
With a mind full of doubt, Fergus hurried to the entrance of the emergency room. By this time, several people had gathered there, all wearing solemn expressions.
Upon seeing Fergus, Ronin rushed forward, grabbing him by the collar and glaring at him. “What kind of medicine did you give Catherine? What the hell did you do?”
Everyone could tell from Ronin’s aggressive stance that he was ready to beat Fergus up. Several people rushed forward to restrain Ronin.
Fergus finally managed to break free from Ronin’s grip and crouched to the side, coughing violently. Ronin was really ruthless; he had almost strangled him to death just now.
Paxton brought a bottle of water and handed it to Fergus. “Professor Lynch, are you okay?”
Fergus took a sip of water and then shook his head. “I’m fine. How is Catherine? I need to see her.”
Hearing this, Ronin instantly became furious. “See her? I won’t let you harm Catherine again, you bastard! If you want to go in, step over my dead body!”
Ronin was furious, and Paxton quickly intervened to calm Fergus. “Professor Lynch, Ronin is really worked up right now. We all know this isn’t your fault, but he’s being stubborn and won’t listen to us. Please, just ignore him for now. I’ll let you know when there’s news about Catherine.”
Fergus was glared at by Ronin, who looked like he was about to kill him, leaving him terrified. He then chose to heed Paxton’s advice, saying, “Alright, I’ll go back to the lounge for now. Let me know if there’s any news later.”
“I’ll walk you there,” Paxton said, escorting Fergus to the lounge before leaving.
Back in the lounge, Fergus lay comfortably in bed. He just wanted to rest and put what happened just now aside. However, the nagging pain in his neck made him feel like he wanted to kill Ronin. “You really went all out, Ronin,” he murmured inwardly. “I gotta teach you a lesson, you brat!”
At the Bide Cup scene, many spectators noticed that Catherine didn’t make an appearance. They had been looking forward to seeing her prove her strength again, but her absence left many feeling disappointed and even worrying about the Styre Team’s performance.
Although the opponents the Styre Team faced this time weren’t as strong as the Johnville Team from the previous round, they were a world- class team arranged by the top laboratories. Without Catherine, how could the Styre Team win?
Watching the progress of the two teams, many began to worry about the Styre Team because it was indeed falling behind. Some even predicted that at this rate, the Styre Team would undoubtedly lose!
