A Second Chance at Forever

Chapter 1321
Bernard jolted awake, his heart pounding painfully in his chest. Instinctively, he thought of Eleanor and the pain intensified. He
had sent her away without explanation, and he didn’t know whether it was right or wrong. But he felt an unsettling sense of loss,
as if something precious was slipping away from him.
The excruciating pain turned his face pale, his fingers gently tracing the bite mark on his collarbone. The pain eased a little at the
touch. Eleanor had left a mark on him, a beacon in his loneliness, a temporary respite from his gloom.
Wrapped in darkness, he could hardly see anything. The sound of rhythmic tapping echoed from the adjoining wall: Bernard sat
up straight, straining his ears to decipher the Morse code: [It’s me, Mr. Quartus.]
With a nod, he tapped back: [How’s Robin doing?]
A cold, ruthless look flashed in Bernard’s eyes. He had a hard time killing Sophie and Mr. Ben due to the chip control. But he
could take someone else down in their place.
With this thought, he tapped back: [Robin died in the eighth round.]
Mr. Quartus’ hand froze on the wall, but quickly regained composure: [Understood.]
Bernard lowered his long eyelashes, hiding his emotions, and sent another message: [He was Wendy Pine’s son, your nephew.
Don’t you want revenge for him?]
Mr. Quartus – Sheldon Pine, unmasked, his face showing no signs of aging, handsome and sophisticated, leaned against the
wall and tapped back nonchalantly: [I said I will get him out.]
His inside man in the upper district would tamper with the program after Robin’s game failure. Knowing the rules of Area Opaca,
Mr. Quartus would not rely on Scarface Man alone. He had other backup plans.
Bernard understood and didn’t reply. Like a moth drawn to a flame, he had tried to manipulate others to his advantage but to no
avail.
Sheldon knew what Bernard wanted him to do. He sent another message: [2-7 betrayed me, which my nephew suffer too much.
I’ll get rid of them once I’m out.]

The eighth round was a shooting game. The people in the upper district could tamper with the program, but the shot would still
hit. Whether one could survive was another matter.
And he had had enough of those two, flaunting in Area Opaca as they carried the list of the members of Siren Organization. He
didn’t understand why a traitor felt entitled to challenge
him.
Sheldon asked, [I heard you not only manipulated the game but also hacked into 1-1’s privileges to get to the lower district?]
Bernard, plotting to use everything at his disposal, replied without emotion, [Yes.]
Sheldon continued, [Was it to stop Eleanor from participating in other district’s games?]
Bernard didn’t reply, but silence was an answer itself, which made Sheldon frown.
Even though he was confined, he had guessed the situation. Bernard would protect Eleanor at all costs, even if it meant
challenging the authority of 1-1, but...
Sheldon’s deep eyes showed concern, [1-1 rarely comes to Area Opaca, but if he finds out about this, he’ll definitely seek
revenge.]
Bernard’s expression hardened: [I’m waiting.]
Sheldon didn’t know Bernard’s true identity. All he knew was that 1-1 was impressed by Bernard’s skills and wanted to recruit
him. But when 1-2 planned to invite Bernard, he showed up first and challenged the seventh round’s game.
Bernard’s ally, Caleb, had sacrificed himself for Bernard. So, 1-2 designed the ninth round, which Bernard won by thinking out of
the box.
But it seemed he was not interested in winning the prize but meeting the man in black. However, this was just a speculation by
the people behind the scene. After all, Bernard had replaced Evan, and the bond between them might be strong. But they
needed evidence, not guesses.