Le charme envoûtant du groupe ethnique Ba - le bourreau

Chapitre 9

He trembled with excitement. "To you, I'm just good."

In her terror and confusion, she could only stare at him blankly, completely bewildered. She couldn't understand a thing.

Just then, she looked over the man's shoulder and found herself staring into a pair of blue eyes that belonged to a real wolf.

Behind the wolf was a half-open wooden door. Mina, half-confused, realized that this must be the wolf that had escaped from the zoo. It had wandered through the streets and alleys of the city, and somehow, jumped over an open window or door, and ended up in the backstage area of this movie theater.

Her companion also noticed the animal standing behind him. He released Mina and turned to face the wolf.

At this moment, Mina, in a panic, turned and tried to run away after losing his hand and gaze.

The wolf, more frightened than ferocious, followed her and jumped forward.

Dracula, with a brief shout in a language the Minoans had never heard before, subdued the wolf that was about to leap up.

The wolf retreated timidly, emitting a low growl, as if it not only understood but also had no choice but to obey.

Meanwhile, the huge image in the background continued to appear silently on the other side of the screen, its shadows, sometimes bright and sometimes dark, falling on the beast and the two people.

Dracula calmly and matter-of-factly crouched down and gently beckoned to the wolf. The wolf lowered its head and obediently walked towards him.

He wrapped his white-gloved hands around the "madman's" head, rubbed its ears, and stroked its back.

Then he looked up at his companion. “Come here, Mina. I’m telling you, there’s nothing to be afraid of.”

Mina initially resisted, shaking her head violently.

Dracula stood up, silently took her hand, and easily and steadily pulled her toward the wolf. As she approached, the wolf's ears perked up like a big cat's, but then it relaxed.

Mina touched the wolf, feeling perfectly safe. Her fingers brushed against her companion's hand through the thick wolf fur, and she felt intoxicated, mesmerized, and utterly trusting.

Two hours later, a hired carriage arrived at the front porch of the Xiling Manor and released the weakened and altered Mina.

In the last few minutes in the car, they didn't exchange a single word. Her companion—her new lover—helped her out of the car, and Mina, not allowing any time to speak, turned and ran towards the gate, leaving the man and the car behind her.

As she ran towards the door, an irresistible urge made her stop. She turned back and cast one last, longing, and painful glance. But the carriage she had just ridden in and the person she had shared it with had vanished without a trace.

Chapter Ten

The lights of the Shilling Manor burned late into the night once more. In a room upstairs, Dr. Seaworth was still by Lucy's bedside.

He took the patient's pulse again, shook his head sadly, and then quietly walked out of the ward. He went to the lobby to stretch his limbs, try to stay awake, and try to think.

Just then, a carriage pulled up at the entrance to Shireing Manor. A middle-aged man of medium build and considerable dignity stepped out. He was carrying a large medicine chest—he had hurriedly left Amsterdam, crossed the Channel, and left most of his luggage at the Berkeley Hotel in central London.

After paying the fare, Abraham van Houssin stood there for a while, blinking as he looked at the magnificent building before him, as if the windows upstairs, with their lights shining through, might be telling him about the patient.

After Dr. Shirley left the ward, Lucy was left alone in the room for the time being.

But only for a moment. She awoke abruptly as she began to notice a quiet, eerie shadow looming over the balcony. The exhaustion that Jack Schwartz had seen on her sleeping face just minutes before had vanished; Lucy now appeared energetic, even cheerful.

Her eyes were bright. She smiled lasciviously at the vaguely visible thing outside the window, and provocatively pulled back the covers.

After a sleepy-eyed servant announced the arrival of Howsin, Jack hurried downstairs and found his teacher taking off his hat, gloves and coat in the front hall.

He breathed a sigh of relief and almost ran to greet him, extending both hands in greeting. "Professor, thank you for your help!"

“I have come at the invitation of a friend!” The old professor clenched his fists and carefully examined Jack. A moment later, Howsin’s expression turned serious; he easily discerned that the social pleasantries and reminiscing were best postponed.

He demanded urgently, "Jack, tell me the details of this case."

Jay ran his weak fingers through his hair and briefly described Lucy's symptoms and the experiments he had conducted.

He concluded, “She has all the signs of common anemia. Her blood tests are normal—yet not entirely normal. She shows signs of continuous blood loss—but I can’t find the cause.”

Before Hao Xin could think of the next question, he heard the screams of climax coming from upstairs.

The two men exchanged a surprised glance, then ran upstairs without a word. Jack went first, while Howsin followed behind, panting, carrying the medicine box. Even as they pounded up the stairs, Lucy's wanton moans didn't stop, only abruptly ceasing after a while, at some climax.

A little while later, Jack and Howsin rushed into her room one after the other.

Hao Xin stopped abruptly as he entered, exclaiming, "Good heavens!"

The octagonal French windows were wide open, and the curtains fluttered in the cold wind. Lucy lay almost naked on the bed, a small pool of half-dried blood beside her pillow, her chest heaving as she struggled to breathe.

Hao Xing immediately moved to the bedside to check if the patient had any bleeding wounds. He paid special attention to the neck area—the black turtleneck that was usually concealed had been removed. The old professor pulled up the sheet to cover the patient's naked body.

Then he turned to face Jess; the latter had just closed the French windows leading to the terrace, and after making sure they were bolted shut, he slowly closed the windows again before turning back to walk to the bedside.

Howsing told his students firmly, "Time is of the essence." Jack had never seen him so resolute. He added, "We must give the patient a blood transfusion immediately."

Jack lit a candle by the bedside and looked up in surprise. "A blood transfusion? Are you very familiar with this procedure?"

"Skilled?" Hao Xin shook his head. "Nobody's skilled. I've only experimented using the Lan family's methods. Although it's very dangerous, we have no other choice. If we stand idly by, this girl will die tonight."

A commotion arose in the outer hall. The servants were in a panic, and two maids even poked their heads into the bedroom with lamps.

Jack immediately ordered the servants to be dismissed and warned them not to wake Lucy's mother. Meanwhile, Howsin took out the tools needed for this major operation from his medical kit—several rubber tubes with walls so thin they were almost transparent, two large needles, and some accessories, including a small hand-operated pump.

Jack busied himself arranging the tables and chairs and placing many lamps around the bed, still observing the various arrangements with astonishment.

"Professor, it seems you were already prepared to receive a blood transfusion?"

His teacher nodded solemnly. "Yes. Based on what you said in your telegram, I had my suspicions—and now it is indeed necessary."

New footsteps, heavy and almost running, echoed in the hall. A moment later, Arthur Hound appeared at Lucy's door, still wearing his hat and coat.

Jack realized that Arthur must have just left his critically ill father, Lord Goethemin. When he saw the scene in the bedroom, he was stunned and astonished, staring blankly at the two men in the room. Then he noticed the pale, thin figure on the bed, and the blood-stained sheets and pillow. All of this made Arthur's nerves taut.

"What the hell?" Arthur stepped forward and roared, "What do you want to do to Lucy?"

Jack quickly intervened. “Arthur, this is the expert, Howe. He’s trying to save her, old friend.” He quickly introduced the two more formally.

Completely absorbed in the medical work about to begin, Hao Xin did not extend his hand to shake hands, but simply looked up and nodded in acknowledgment. His expression was solemn and resolute.

“Ah, fiancé,” he murmured. “You’ve come at the right time. This young lady is quite ill. She needs blood, and she absolutely must. Take off your coat.” Arthur hesitated almost without a second, but Howsin felt even half a second of delay was too long. He roared again, “Take off your coat!”

His coat and hat immediately fell off. Arthur was now apologetic and fearful. "Forgive me, Doctor. My life is hers. I would give my blood to save her."

Howin grinned, revealing a hint of a smile. "I'm not asking for much—it's not the right time yet. But come on! You're a man, and that's exactly what we need." He waved his hand, pointing to the chair beside the bed.

“Jaco was supposed to donate blood”—this was still news to Jaco, so he looked up abruptly. The young doctor hadn’t even thought about the blood donor selection process yet—“Because he’s younger and stronger than me. But now you’re here, you’re a better choice. Our nerves aren’t as calm as yours, and our blood isn’t as clear as yours!”

Jack observed with appreciation that the old professor was clearly invigorated, even quite excited, by the midnight challenge, despite having just endured a tiring journey across the sea. He continued his preparations, picking up two thick, large syringes, one in each hand, and attaching rubber tubing and pumps to the back.

His low laughter seemed to have a hint of malaria-like madness.

At this moment, Jack had already taken off Arthur's coat, torn off his shirt sleeves, made him sit on the chair by the bed, tied his arms tightly, and felt a bulging vein.

Now, Haoxin quickly and methodically carried out the surgery.

When he inserted the large needle into Lucy's arm, she shuddered briefly in pain, but remained unconscious. Arthur frowned as he watched, then inserted the needle into his own arm. He then calmly leaned back in his chair, following the professor's instructions to hold the syringe and tubing in his other hand. Arthur's anxious gaze hardly left Lucy's face.

Time ticked by, minute by minute. The rubber tube carried warm blood, and the two doctors occasionally exchanged brief words of technical terms about the transfusion process. Lucy's cheeks gradually regained some life. At first, the improvement was subtle and imperceptible, but soon her complexion became noticeably rosy.

Monsing carefully observed the result, and only when the facts were beyond question did he breathe a sigh of relief.

At this moment, after handing over the monitoring of the surgery to Jack, the old doctor searched his medical kit again and took out something that Jack found even more unimaginable than blood transfusion equipment: a large bunch of white flowers.

Jack and Arthur stared wide-eyed as he placed the flowers in the vase beside Lucy's bed, carelessly discarding the vibrant blooms that had already been in the vase. Then, he took more of the same white flowers from his suitcase, braided into a circle, and hung it around the patient's neck like a necklace. Howsing offered no explanation for these actions.

Jack avoided Arthur's questioning gaze. He sniffed the scent emanating from the white flowers, trying hard not to reveal his confusion.

garlic?

If he hadn't known the old doctor for a long time, he probably would have thought Hao Xin had gone mad.

Haoxin was clearly satisfied with the room's layout. He glanced at his watch, then put it back in his pocket. After checking on the patients and blood donors, he checked his watch again. In the silent room, all three men could hear the ticking of the watches.

Finally, the old professor removed the rubber tubes from Arthur and Lucy's arms and simply bandaged their injured arms.

A few minutes later, Arthur, still somewhat pale, stood up again and put on his coat. At that moment, Lucy's thin body suddenly emitted a loud scream. The scream was so terrifying that the three men involuntarily moved away from the bedside.

Lucy screamed again. "Is this why I can't breathe?" With a seemingly unnatural surge of energy, she sat up in bed, picked up the vase of white flowers on the table, and threw it forcefully, causing the vase to fall to the floor a distance away and shatter.

For some reason, Howsing wasn't too surprised by this reaction. He almost calmly told the patient, "These flowers have healing properties—to help you sleep soundly—and have sweet dreams—"

Lucy burst into wild laughter and violently ripped the floral wreath from her neck. "These flowers are just ordinary garlic!" she exclaimed, then collapsed onto the bed, her sudden burst of energy completely drained.

After accompanying Arthur out of the bedroom, Hausin and Jack returned to check on Lucy, who was now asleep. Jack thought to himself that at least she looked much better than when Hausin had first arrived.

The old professor then pointed out to Jack the two small red holes with white borders around Lucy's neck.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked his student, giving Jack a shrewd look.

Jackie shrugged. “Mina is Lucy’s friend. Miss Murray told me that these wounds were caused by Lucy accidentally using a safety pin while sleepwalking. However, they are indeed healing very slowly.”

From the professor's eyes, Jack knew that his answer was wrong.

Jess and Howsing joined Arthur, who was waiting in the hall. One of Lucy's maids, who was very worried about her mistress, had been sent to her room to look after her.

After donating blood, Arthur's face was naturally pale, and his eyes were also a little dizzy from blood loss. Howin's words were rambling, as if his thoughts were not on the matter, as he advised the blood donor to eat more and get plenty of rest.

Then, as he reached the entrance hall, the old professor seemed to mutter to himself, "We won the first battle—but I'm still afraid of her." With that, he turned back and frowned as he looked into Lucy's room.

Arthur followed behind the two doctors. "My blood—didn't it heal her?"

Just as he reached the top of the stairs and was about to step down, Hao Xin gave a few bitter laughs without turning his head, as if he were talking to himself.

Arthur silently begged Jack for an explanation, but the look he received in return revealed a helplessness almost as profound as his own.

The three men then walked out of the mansion and into the large garden, where Jonathan Hack had waited to see his fiancée just four months earlier, during what was clearly a more pleasant period of his life.

It's a warm and pleasant September night, and with no rain, one can't help but want to take a deep breath and gaze at the stars. A gas lamp on the terrace attracts many moths and casts a bright light on the fence and brick wall, illuminating the flowers still blooming at the end of September and a small fountain.

Before Arthur went outside, he took a stroll around the dining room. Now he has a bottle of brandy in his hand and takes small sips from time to time.

Hao Xin had been silent for a while. He had just lit a cigar, tossed away the match, and turned to challenge his colleague behind him: "Well? Now can you tell me why this young lady is anemic?"

Jack couldn't find the answer.

“Use your logic,” Howsin urged, “Young man, think!”

Jack gazed at the wide staircase leading to the balcony outside Lucy's bedroom. A light was still on in Lucy's room. He pondered, "Those two wounds on her neck, perhaps they weren't caused by the pin accident, as Mina thought—could her massive blood loss have come from there?"

Hao Xin muttered something thoughtfully, as if in agreement. His attitude suggested that his student had grasped the basics, but not yet gone deep enough.

He said, "Jaco, you've always been a very attentive student. Now you're a teacher—or you should be. Jack, where did the blood go? Think about it—"

Jack sighed and shook his head helplessly. "I'm so stupid! It couldn't have come from those wounds or any external injury, otherwise the sheets would be covered in blood." He paused.

"Really? So what?"

“Unless…” Jack hesitated again. A terrifying explanation seemed to flicker in the air before his eyes like a will-o'-the-wisp, but it drifted away before he could grasp it.

The old professor, like a seducer in a play, approached Jack and whispered in his ear.