Chapter 17 titled “999 Priscilla” begins with the unexpected arrival of Lieutenant May on the jungle shore, his presence bringing not only military formality but also answers long awaited. He comes from the U.S.S. New Mexico, dispatched by the Pacific Fleet in response to disturbing rumors and a trail of events too strange to ignore. His orders are clear: apprehend Doctor Carl von Horn, a figure of interest whose name has stirred attention for years. With reports of strange beings, violent episodes, and a young girl kidnapped by whites, the situation had all the markings of danger and international intrigue. Yet at the heart of this expedition was a man—elusive, dangerous, and now nowhere to be found. When Lieutenant May learns von Horn has vanished, he insists the mission continue, offering security aboard the cutter to Professor Maxon and his party while they follow the trail deeper into the island.

Their search leads to an unsettling scene not far inland. A Dyak native, once among von Horn’s ranks, emerges with urgency, guiding the lieutenant’s party through a dense thicket. There, they find von Horn’s lifeless body sprawled grotesquely across a wooden chest, his head missing, and nature already reclaiming what man had left behind. The party is hushed not by fear, but by the irony they are about to face. The chest—once the object of ambition, theft, and bloodshed—is opened by Maxon. Inside are not jewels or gold, but academic journals, notes on selective breeding, and dense volumes on biological theory. These were the seeds of von Horn’s deception and ambition, now worthless in the silence of the forest. Without hesitation, Maxon orders the chest to remain buried, a symbol of knowledge perverted by ego, and the cost of chasing misguided glory.

As their vessel cuts through the sea, returning them to civilization, the shadows of the island begin to lift. Virginia, free from the terrors she endured, finds comfort in conversation with the man she believed was named Bulan—once uncertain, now awakening to his true self as Townsend J. Harper Jr. There is hesitancy in his voice as he recounts his confused memories. Though love anchored him to Virginia, he feared his origins. Was he an impostor, or worse, a criminal cast ashore? Yet as he speaks, a fragment of a forgotten phrase—spoken while delirious—triggers clarity. His name, long buried beneath trauma, returns to him with full awareness, tying together the final mystery. Virginia listens, tears mixing with laughter, as his past becomes a map instead of a void. Her faith in him, once based on instinct, is now affirmed by truth.

Harper’s story unfolds like a confession without guilt. Months before, he had heard of Virginia and fell instantly, foolishly, in love. Her image in a photograph stirred something reckless in him. What began as romantic idealism turned into determination. He crossed oceans, hoping for a chance to meet her, not knowing he’d lose his memory and identity along the way. That persistence led him to Maxon’s island, and to the strange role he played in its chaotic drama. Through fire and fear, he became the very hero she didn’t know she needed—only to realize he had once been a man of privilege who had thrown it all away for one fleeting glance. Harper doesn’t regret it. Fate had intervened, and what was born of infatuation matured into deep, abiding love.

The chapter closes with a sense of finality, but not of loss. Those who survived leave the island with more than they came for—answers, yes, but also a new understanding of love, loyalty, and the line between ambition and obsession. The jungle, now distant, fades into memory. The horrors endured, the truths uncovered, and the bonds formed under pressure form a foundation none of them expected. For Virginia and Harper, their journey is just beginning. And for the others, the jungle remains—not a curse, but a caution: that the human desire to create and control can become monstrous when left unchecked. Their passage away from the island feels like an escape, but also like rebirth. What once was a tale of science turned savage has ended with hearts reclaimed and futures rewritten.