Chapter 973 Nearly Strangled to Death

Back when I assisted Officer Jackson in identifying Lucas in Macamer, he had explained to me the nature of cocaine, especially the characteristics of those who consumed it. He educated me, fearing that I might accidentally consume something on the cruise ship and get addicted. To make me more cautious, he repeatedly described what would happen to someone who got addicted to cocaine. An addict could probably get by with lower-purity substitutes at first. If they did not work, they would snort it at most. However, if it escalated to the point where injections were needed, it could very well mean that the person was beyond redemption. Moreover, a single incorrect injection could be fatal. With so many needle marks on his body... I sat stunned on the floor, looking at the man curled up in the corner, clutching his head and frantically pulling at his hair. His clothes, which had been changed not long before, were now torn and ragged from his tearing at them. The skin exposed on his body was covered in bloodstains from his self-harm. He looked ghastly and terrifying. Even his amputated leg, which he was so cautious about, was inadvertently revealed due to his twisting and thrashing. Seeing the stump and its wound left me petrified and breathless. I did not know that the cut after an amputation looked like that. The incision was not neat but resembled a large tree torn apart from both ends, with wood splinters sticking up. The split was messy, the rough incision covered in large scars and red marks, almost as if the remnants of the bone could still be seen inside the severed part. "Lucas..." "Get out!" His eyes were bloodshot, and he no longer appeared as uncomfortable and timid as before. He seemed like a completely different person in an instant. Watching him, my heart was filled with an indescribable feeling. Perhaps my gaze was too direct because when he looked at me with those bloodshot eyes and our gazes met, he averted his eyes uncomfortably. With a restrained voice, he said, "Yvette, please leave..." I pursed my lips, unsure of how to face him in this state. However, if I let him continue to suffer alone, I feared something terrible might happen. After hesitating for a moment, I moved a bit closer to him and said, "Lucas... Ah!" I did not realize he had been restraining himself to the breaking point. As I approached, he violently grabbed my hand and then clutched my neck, pouncing on me before I could react. "Ms. Scott..." Hearing my scream, Astoria ran into the room. Upon seeing Lucas clutching my neck tightly, she hurriedly tried to pull him off. However, Lucas was beyond reason at this point, his eyes were bloodshot as he strangled me with explosive force. It was a struggle to breathe, and my face turned red from the lack of oxygen. Looking at Lucas, who had lost all sense, I desperately tried to squeeze out a few words from my throat, "Lu… cas, it's me... Yvette, you need to..." No matter how hard I tried, the extreme lack of oxygen made it impossible for me to utter a word. The severe oxygen deprivation caused a strong sense of dizziness, and I felt close to death. Seeing this, Astoria desperately cried out, forcefully trying to pry Lucas's hands off as she shouted, "Mr. Lucas, she's Ms. Scott! Please, let her go! You're going to kill her, let go!" Perhaps Astoria's efforts had an effect, as Lucas's grip on my neck loosened slightly. Finally able to take a breath, I hoarsely told Astoria, "Knock him out!" Officer Jackson had said that when a drug addict's craving hits, if it was impossible to calm them down, the best course of action would be to knock them out to prevent self-harm or harm to others. Hearing my words, Astoria quickly looked around, grabbed a ceramic flowerpot holding a cactus from the balcony, and smashed it down on Lucas's nape. "Bang!" With a dull sound, Lucas slowly released me and collapsed to the ground. "Ms. Scott, are you okay?" Astoria asked as she dropped the flowerpot and rushed to support me. At this moment, I lay on the ground, taking deep breaths of fresh air, feeling my numb body slowly recover. Looking at Lucas, who was now unconscious on the floor, I was still shaken by the ordeal.