"Weak digestion and inflammation," Mosby declared confidently. "The other patient is two months pregnant—make sure to focus on prenatal care."

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, the examiner beside him burst into applause. "Impressive, Dr. Lake! Flawless diagnosis, not a single mistake!"

"Round eight, contestant Mosby, pass!" the judge announced, and Mosby slowly released the two threads in his hands, letting them drift down.

His patients, clearly impressed, could not stop showering him with gratitude, their voices blending with the roaring applause from the stands.

A triumphant grin spread across Mosby's face, his eyes flashing with an unspoken challenge. He regarded Thomas and Andrew as mere obstacles in his path. The prize—the treasure map fragment—would be his, no matter who stood in the way.

Meanwhile, Thomas' thick eyebrows were tightly furrowed as his fingers rested on the threads, focusing all his attention on sensing the pulses. Mosby's early success did aff