“Xing Chen, is there really no way to save them?”
The hospital beds were already overflowing with people, including innocent citizens and medical Originium Arts practitioners.
Theresa watched the Columbia soldiers clumsily change IV drips for the patients, feeling a deep unease.
She held onto Xing Chen's arm, hoping to get the answer she desired from him.
“Unless you can find a practitioner who can repair damaged genetic material, the most merciful thing to do for them now is to put a bullet in their heads.”
Xing Chen was not a god; he had no good solutions for radiation sickness.
These people’s genetic material was almost completely destroyed, and their blood systems had completely shut down—even painkillers were useless.
He patted Theresa's shoulder, signaling her to take him away.
Next was the second, then the third hospital… some of these hospitals were more severe, some less so.
Although he hadn't found the person he was looking for, it gave Xing Chen a slight idea.
He mapped the number of affected people into a distribution chart and found that the closer patients were to a certain block, the higher the density.
The area with the highest density included a company Xing Chen was very familiar with—the Beach Umbrella Company.
Xing Chen no longer remembered the exact time of the 'Isolated Island Incident'. The only thing that left a deep impression was the protagonist of 'Unfinished Chapters'.
Coincidentally, his Originium Arts and Saria's Originium Arts were of the same type, just with different targets.
If Rhine Lab had commercial spies from Beach Umbrella, it wouldn't be difficult for them to replicate Rhine Lab's technology.
“Xing Chen, who exactly are you looking for?”
In the hospital's storage room, Theresa helped Xing Chen organize the recently admitted radiation sickness patients by symptom, making it easier for him to search.
“Jeston Williams.”
After Xing Chen spoke, Theresa shook her head; she had never heard that name before.
“That’s normal, because he… um… he’s just an ordinary person.”
Jeston was quite good at cricket fighting, and if he hadn't run into the Rhine Lab Boxing King, he probably… well, never mind, he lost several times when Xing Chen went all in on him, and he’d be out of commission with even a slight encounter with Sarkaz elites.
“Is it possible that this person wasn't sent to a major hospital at all?” Columbia's medical insurance was notoriously expensive, and Theresa felt that ordinary people probably couldn't afford the cost of staying in a large hospital.
Actually, what she really wanted to say was whether he had simply died, because Rhine Lab, at Xing Chen’s suggestion, had implemented very strict protective measures.
Beach Umbrella had only stolen the technology and caused such a major accident; their nuclear protection must not have been adequate.
“That shouldn't be… right… probably. His Originium Arts are iron-based, which can provide limited protection when exposed to radiation sources, so he wouldn't die that quickly.”
“I'm thinking, perhaps his initial symptoms weren't that severe, and Beach Umbrella didn't dare send him to a major hospital, so they could only send him to an unlicensed clinic?”
Theresa's words reminded Xing Chen; he always prioritized official hospitals, overlooking the unlicensed clinics that might be more common in Terra.
“You're right,” Xing Chen gave Theresa a thumbs-up.
With a new goal, Theresa quickly followed her intuition and led Xing Chen to the unlicensed clinic closest to Beach Umbrella.
The once bustling Trimounts Street was now devoid of pedestrians, and the blocks near Beach Umbrella were so deserted that not even on-duty Columbia soldiers could be seen.
Xing Chen symbolically knocked on the iron door of the basement, but there was no response.
He stepped aside, and Theresa summoned her blade, piercing the door with one strike. However, a different sensation came from the other side of the door.
The door opened, and a corpse fell towards them.
“The sooner you die, the sooner you enjoy.” Xing Chen didn't believe in gods, but he still made a sign of the cross on his chest. Theresa also followed suit, performing a gesture of solace.
“Why didn’t my sense of smell fail?” Xing Chen complained.
Theresa shrugged; having lived in Kazdel, she was pretty much used to it.
In the cramped space, vomit and excrement were everywhere, used medical equipment was strewn about, and the blood from patients’ shedding skin had dried.
Disregarding their dignity, since they would all die and reset their status anyway, the two searched room by room.
Finally, in one room, they found the only survivor.
Theresa, with her excellent skills, rummaged through the trash on the floor and found the patient's information.
Jeston, his surname had been crossed out.
Xing Chen looked at the man in front of him; all his hair and feathers had fallen out, and an iron-based shell encased his skin, preventing him from bleeding profusely.
He looked nothing like his original self.
“Xing Chen, hurry and do what you need to do; he doesn't have much time left.” Theresa checked the IV drip; the nutrient solution was almost at the bottom.
“He probably can’t speak now—you ask him, I’ll try to find nutrient solution.”
Theresa took the notebook Xing Chen had prepared in advance, which contained his questions, while Xing Chen groped in the dark for nutrient solution, trying to extend his time.
For Jeston, Xing Chen not finding the nutrient solution might have been good news, as Theresa had already obtained the information Xing Chen needed by peering into his memories.
Then, the two headed to the Trimounts blockade command center and, under the guise of scientific consultants, dispatched a team.
The power armor of this team was modified by Rhine Lab according to Xing Chen's instructions, installing a complete NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) protection system, and coating the armor's surface with the latest type of polymer—this was currently the best insulating coating in Terra.
Under the guidance of Xing Chen and Theresa, the squad entered the Beach Umbrella headquarters building in Trimounts.
As a large company, as soon as they realized an accident had occurred, they immediately activated their evacuation plan.
Inside the entire building, apart from the excessive quietness and the failed lighting system due to destroyed Originium circuits, it was basically like a normal company after closing hours.
With the assistance of the power armor, the obstacles caused by the loss of energy did not slow down their progress.
“Consultant, over here.”
A Columbia soldier used his power armor to smash open a wall, revealing an elevator shaft not present in the architectural blueprints.
The squad rappelled down the cables to the bottom, where the depth was far greater than Rhine Lab's advanced laboratories.
“Consultant, my power armor isn’t working.” A Columbia soldier’s rappelling motion wasn't quite standard, and he landed with a bit more force.
“You, and you, take him away; the rest of us will continue exploring,” Theresa ordered.
There were quite a few secret laboratories in Beach Umbrella, and the squad took some time before finally discovering the deadly uranium cake on a workbench in one of the laboratories.