A Cabin in the Woods
"You're in good spirits—very good."
Juno and the others pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing that Amy the Marvelous had shaken off her previous terror and despair, seemingly regaining her fighting spirit, they couldn't help but smile knowingly.
Earlier, Juno had deliberately slowed down the sedative drip, anticipating this exact reaction. Convincing and guiding someone like Amy the Marvelous to change wasn't something that could be achieved with one or two blows, or a couple of moments of despair.
If once or twice wasn't enough, then three times, four times—countless times would do the trick!
Psychological warfare had to be matched with physical confrontation.
If she were left immobilized for too long, her psychological resistance would temporarily weaken.
However, once her body recovered, the despair and forced submission she had previously felt would naturally fade away, giving her the illusion that the storm had passed and she was back in control.
This was a dangerous mindset—one that had to be eliminated.
The method was simple: gradually ease her physical restraints while continuing the psychological battle. The goal was that by the time she regained full physical freedom, her mind would be completely submissive. That would be the true victory.
Similar to falconry training.
This required an extremely delicate technique—something that ordinary people couldn't possibly execute successfully.
But Juno was a natural genius in this field, with extensive and proven experience.
Given enough time, she was 100% certain she could succeed.
To be safe, she only had a little over two days—definitely not enough time—but she still had a 70% chance of success.
"You must be feeling conflicted right now, huh?"
Amy the Marvelous, regaining some of her resistance, sneered, "You don't dare to kill me, but you also can't let me go. You're trying to make me develop Stockholm syndrome? Ha! Do you really think that's possible?"
"Don't dare to kill you?"
Karen smirked. "Do you know how much Juno is holding herself back? She's a medical student—do you have any idea how much she longs to perform surgery with her own hands?
Under normal circumstances, she would have to wait years before getting the chance. And to fully take control of a surgery? That would take at least a decade—something most doctors never get to do their entire lives.
But now, in a situation like this, where she can do as she pleases? That's an opportunity too rare to waste."
Amy the Marvelous turned pale, her confidence and determination shrinking once again. Her voice trembled as she asked, "Then why…?"
"Why haven't we killed you yet?"
Karen sneered. "It seems you still don't understand your own value. Opportunities like this don't come often. Every step of preparation must be perfected, practicing repeatedly to reach the best state—so as not to waste the valuable chance you've provided."
"Don't scare her."
Juno interrupted with a smile when she saw Amy's face turn ashen and her body tremble uncontrollably. She then turned to Amy and reassured her, "Don't worry, you're right—I am conflicted. That means you still have a chance."
"I'll do anything—please, just let me go."
Amy the Marvelous trembled even more violently, begging through her tears.
Because Juno hadn't denied a single word of what Karen had said.
"Let's wait and see."
Juno chuckled and nodded toward Karen.
Karen and Heather placed another deer on the operating table, expertly helping Juno put on her surgical gown once again.
The sight of them preparing for another round of practice completely broke Amy the Marvelous.
If this was just meant to scare her, why were they so well-prepared?
They were serious!
"Shhh, shhh, shhh."
Juno gently soothed as Amy continued sobbing. "Don't cry. Feeling bored? Heather, why don't you read us a fun story to lighten the mood?"
"Alright."
Heather, understanding Juno's intent, picked up a stack of manuscripts and began reading aloud.
It was the outline of Gone Girl—a story written by Adam.
At first, Amy the Marvelous was still sobbing, but as the story progressed, she became completely captivated.
Because this story—this character—it was her.
Then, she became even more terrified.
Because in the story, the version of her was so terrifying that even she was afraid of it.
And suddenly, she understood why Juno and the others had reacted so strongly.
Simply writing a diary and moving to New York wasn't enough to make them take such a huge risk to kidnap and possibly kill her.
But when viewed through the lens of Gone Girl, their extreme reaction started making sense.
Would she ever do something as manipulative and dangerous as the character in the story?
She only had to think for a moment to get the answer: Yes.
And would Juno and the others kill someone like her?
That answer was also clear: Yes.
With these realizations sinking in, Amy the Marvelous spiraled into an even deeper breakdown...
New York City
Morning Run
Monica, busy with funeral arrangements, didn't join that day—only Adam and Chandler went for a run.
After finishing their jog, while walking back, Chandler suddenly caught sight of someone and instinctively called out:
"Casey! Casey!"
Adam followed Chandler's gaze and saw a beautiful woman jogging across the street, wearing headphones.
"Casey! Casey!"
Seeing that she didn't hear him, Chandler, completely losing his sense of reason, dashed across the street—nearly getting hit by a car.
Then he slipped on some butter, knocked over a pedestrian, fell into a trash pile, stepped on the roof of a taxi—causing absolute chaos—before finally coming to a breathless stop in front of Casey.
"Chandler? What are you doing here?"
Casey looked at him in surprise.
(Classic sitcom-like chaos ensues… No mistakes, just perfect comedic timing.)
"I was just out for a run."
Chandler panted, "Then I saw you and wanted to say hi."
"Hi."
Casey smiled back.
"Okay."
Chandler suddenly didn't know what to say. Besides saying hello, he had no idea what to do next. After struggling for a moment, he walked away dejectedly.
Leaving behind a very confused Casey.
Meanwhile…
"I just wanted to say hi," Chandler muttered awkwardly to Adam.
"Okay."
Adam shrugged.
Seriously? All that chaos just to say hi?
Yeah, right.
Who could believe that?
"Adam…"
Chandler hesitated, then admitted sheepishly, "You already know, don't you?"
"I think Joey is the only one who doesn't know."
Adam smirked.
"What should I do?"
Chandler sighed. "I didn't mean for this to happen, but I just can't control it. I've never felt this way before. I think… I'm in love."
"But she's your best friend Joey's girlfriend."
Adam reminded him. "Remember what I told you about the Bro Code?"
And there it was—the inevitable moment!
No matter how much Chandler had tried to avoid it, when Joey started dating an actress named Casey, Chandler still fell for her. Hard.
"But shouldn't we follow our hearts?"
Chandler protested. "Loving her is my freedom!"
"Animals follow their instincts and act freely."
Adam scoffed. "But humans are different. We live in a society bound by morals and laws. Absolute freedom doesn't exist.
So, the real question is—do you want to be an animal, or do you want to be human?"
Chandler: "…"