Chapter 4

Late at night.

I lay in the pure white bed, my body as if trapped in an invisible cage.

Nightmares surged like tidal waves.

"Subject 734, violation of solitary confinement regulations. Thinking about content unrelated to the Code."

"Punishment... water torture..."

"No... don't..."

"Alert, alert! Emotional fluctuation exceeding limits! Initiating electric shock..."

I began to struggle violently in bed, my forehead covered in cold sweat, teeth clenched tight, uttering incoherent sleep talk.

"It hurts... I was wrong..."

My parents in the next room were awakened.

They rushed into my room, turned on the light, and saw me in unbearable pain.

"Nora!"

My mother let out a cry, tears instantly flowing.

She rushed to the bedside, reaching out to hold me, to wipe the cold sweat from my forehead.

"Nora, don't be afraid. I'm here, I'm here..."

The moment her hand touched my skin.

My eyes flew open.

In those eyes was no longer the daytime emptiness, but pure terror and agony taken to the extreme.

Like a cornered beast.

"Alert! Alert! Violation of New Life Code Article Three! Non-necessary contact with strangers!"

I used every ounce of strength to push her away.

"Level Two punishment initiated!"

The shrill alarm seemed to sound only in my mind.

I suddenly sat up from the bed, hands gripping my head tightly, my body beginning to convulse violently beyond control.

My teeth ground together audibly, guttural groans emerging from my throat.

It was a pure, physiological pain response.

My mother and father were completely stunned by the scene before them.

They stood frozen in place, watching me convulse and spasm on the bed, not daring to step forward.

A few seconds passed, yet it felt like several centuries.

The convulsions suddenly stopped.

I released my head and slowly sat up straight, rigid as a spear.

The eyes that had just been full of pain and terror became a deathly emptiness once again.

As if the brutal struggle moments ago had been nothing but an illusion.

I raised my head, meeting their horrified gazes, and said in a disturbingly calm voice:

"System malfunction eliminated."

"Please leave. It is now rest period."

My father's lips trembled, unable to utter a single word.

My mother collapsed on the floor, looking at me—a completely different person—as bone-chilling cold spread from her feet to the top of her head.

The hell they had personally created, named "discipline."

My father sat in the living room calling Director Wallace all night, but no one answered.

It wasn't until nine o'clock the next morning that the call was finally picked up.

"Director Wallace! What the hell did you do to my daughter!?"

"What is that punishment mechanism!?"

On the other end, Director Wallace's voice sounded refined and cultured, even carrying a hint of a smile.

"Mr. Lincoln, don't get excited. That's our latest 'deep sleep therapy.' Through subconscious guidance, we correct bad behaviors. Occasionally some rejection reactions occur—it's perfectly normal."

"Normal? She was convulsing like she'd gone mad! She was screaming about electric shocks! Water torture!"

My father's voice trembled with rage.

The laughter on the other end disappeared. Director Wallace's tone instantly turned cold.

"Mr. Lincoln, it was you who personally requested that we use the most efficient and thorough methods to make her 'normal.'"

My father's breathing hitched.

Director Wallace continued unhurriedly, his voice like a venomous snake.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. My son just received a full scholarship to MIT. He'll be leaving next month."

"This is all thanks to your generous ten million dollar donation back then."

"Our entire family remembers this favor."

A naked threat.

Using his son's future, using that ten million dollar "donation," he blocked all of my father's questions.

My father slammed down the phone.

I heard the dull thud of his fist hitting the table, and his suppressed, beast-like panting.

He was being held hostage by the devil he had created with his own hands.

On the other side, my mother was frantic.

She frantically searched online for any information about "New Life Reform Academy."

Apart from glowing reviews on the official website, she found nothing.

Just when she was about to despair, she finally discovered an encrypted parent forum.

She paid someone to crack the password.

Inside was a hell completely different from the official website.

Line after line, word after word, all blood and tears of accusation.