SWNOVELXO Chapter 657: Healed
"He'll wake up hungry and confused. He will be stronger, but dangerous until he regains control. Secure the reinforced bed for now." Anna added before she finally left the hall.
***
Later, in the Medic's Lounge—if one could call it that, Anna's stomach growled…
She barely had eaten since there were a lot of patients after the 6th Zombie Horde…
Soon, she sat down with a modest plate. It had steamed rice, dried mushroom stew, and a hard-boiled egg. A simple meal, but it could be considered a luxury by post-apocalyptic standards or compared to other shelters.
On her seat, there was already a plate that was set beside her.
Mira, the logistics officer, joined her with a sigh. "You look exhausted."
"I am…" Anna admitted while picking at her rice.
"But I don't have time for exhaustion. The King-class Zombies are pushing harder than expected. Just 30 minutes ago, I've had six patients with Zombie bites, four cases of Rotting Disease, and some patients who went into strength shock after their vaccinations."
"Strength-shock?" Mira blinked.
Anna nodded. "One of them tried to get up and sprinted straight through a stone wall. He cracked three ribs from the recoil."
Apparently, the serum was still imperfect. However, it does the job and removes the Zombie Virus from the body… or perhaps, it actually converts the Zombie Virus into strength.
Still, because of this unusual effect, it could cause a lot of trouble. That was the reason why the Medical Hall had to be built differently and as much as possible, it must have guards as well.
This was the reason why Anna believed that they should still continue their research on this Serum or Vaccine…
Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, the Medic Lounge shook as their area seemed to be under the bombardment of the enemies.
However, none of them panicked and simply waited for the shaking of the ground to stop before continuing their meal.
They were inside the inner wall and had several barriers protecting them after all. If this place falls, then the outside must have been destroyed already and all the defenders must've perished at the time…
It wasn't something that could happen so easily.
Those powerful attacks may have come from the Zombie Kings and since Shane was out there fighting, they just had to be confident and do their part.
"That's been happening for a few minutes now… I hope everything's fine." Mira muttered.
"Well, there weren't any announcements from Cloud to evacuate. We should be fine." Anna replied. If there were any problems, Cloud would indeed inform them immediately.
"That's true… But let's go back to the topic. Those patients who ran through the walls, they're still alive, right? That must be super painful."
"Barely. But yes." Anna pushed her plate aside. "That's the deal here anyway… We're all close to death because of these Zombies…"
There was silence between the two women, but then, from the open window near their table, they both felt it—the faint, steady aura coming from a faint tune…
Together with the Sculpture or Heart of the Eclipse that Victor and Adrian created they suddenly heard a voice soothing everyone's heart…
"Ahhh… She's already back." Anna muttered.
With the addition of the soothing voice, it seemed as if the Sculpture's effect had doubled!
It reinforced everyone's morale and eased their weariness, and the atmosphere within the Eclipse Domain had completely changed!
"That voice… Is that Miss Jillian? It's beautiful." Mira said as she glanced at the window.
Just the sculpture alone already had a significant effect on everyone. With Jillian's return, the effect had easily doubled.
Anna nodded.
"It's such an amazing ability… However, I hope she takes care of her throat… I must be difficult singing like that for hours." She muttered.
"That's true… But still, we probably have the worth Zombie Wave if she's always staying in our shelter." Mira muttered with a chuckle.
Indeed, if the situation in the other shelters were more dangerous, she wouldn't be here at all.
"Shane's here… That must be why we have the worst Zombie Wave. That's normal." Anna said with a chuckle.
She also couldn't help but recall Shane right now. The man must be quite tired already after fighting the Zombie Hordes for hours.
Although her job was also tough, she knew very well what kind of mentality was needed to be on the front line and face those disgusting Zombies with a stench that she could never get used to… After all, their smell was getting worse each day…
***
Shortly after their break, Anna visited the inside of the Quarantine Ward.
Because of her Alchemist Set, she was confident that she wouldn't be affected by any Virus at all.
"Let's see their condition." She muttered.
The strength-enhanced patients were placed in a separate quarantine section, each in a padded cell surrounded by Warden Units as guards.
At this time, Anna stood before Terin, who had just been transferred…
He had already regained consciousness and was staring at his own hands in disbelief.
"You're awake? How is it?" She asked.
"They're heavier… but also lighter…" he muttered.
"I… I'm not going to turn into a Zombie, am I?" Terin asked worriedly. After all, one of the symptoms of becoming a Zombie was getting stronger.
"You're fine now. You'll get used to your new strength… Right, even if you already have immunity, it doesn't mean that you'd let yourself get bitten by Zombies. They could have different variants of Zombie Virus." Anna said with a gentle smile.
"Anyway, you'll need to adjust your body mechanics, relearn your balance, maybe even retrain your grip."
"Is this what it's like to be… strong?" He asked…
There was a hint of excitement in his voice. After all, he really thought that he was a goner. He was just hoping that turning into a Zombie wasn't painful, or perhaps, he would get 'neutralized' without suffering.
He didn't want to deal with the pain after all.
Thankfully, this angel-like being beside him had saved him!
"Thank you, Angel! Ahh… I mean, Miss Anna!"