Chapter 86: The battle

"Ace!"

May’s terrified shriek echoed from the far end of the hallway, thoroughly laced with tears.

Ace shot a quick glance back over his shoulder, a familiar smirk still hanging on his lips, though his face had paled significantly.

"I’m fine, get out of here, fast! I’ll circle back and regroup with Ray!"

Theo had already scooped May up, rushing past the pharmacy and navigating the corridor toward the deeper recesses of the complex.

"Theo, he’s all by himself!" May thrashed in his hold, the rims of her eyes burning red.

"He won’t die that easily," Theo stated with uncanny composure, never breaking his stride. "My sole mission is keeping you alive. If anything happens to you, his stand back there loses all purpose!"

"But—"

"No buts." Theo tightened his grip around her waist, his tone leaving zero room for argument. "Going back now only distracts him. Distracting him gets him killed."

Biting her lip, May ceased her struggling as heavy tears spilled over, splashing onto Theo’s shoulder.

Navigating three sharp turns, Theo kicked open a heavy fire door, passed through a set of double doors, and halted before a windowless room marked Surgical Prep Room.

He kicked the door open, deposited May inside, locked it securely from within, and dragged a heavy iron table over to jam the handle.

The room was modest, spanning roughly ten square meters without a single window. A few surgical gowns hung against the wall, while sterilizing gear was stacked in the corner, filling the air with a pungent scent of disinfectant.

Curled in the corner wrapped in a bath towel, May was still dripping wet, her disheveled hair clinging to her cheeks.

Theo dropped to one knee before her, placing a hand gently on her shoulder.

"Don’t cry," he rasped, his thumb brushing away the tear tracks on her face. "Ace will be fine."

May sniffled, keeping her head low.

"He’s far stronger than you think. Listen—he’s luring those things upstairs. Nothing bad will happen to him."

Clasping her knees tightly in the corner, May buried her face in her arms. Shivering uncontrollably in her damp towel, she shook from the freezing air.

Theo glanced back in silence, unfastening the towel from his waist to layer both towels around her body.

"Theo," May looked up, her eyes rimmed with red.

"Hmm?" Looking down at her fragile state, a subtle curve touched the corner of his lips.

Without another word, he walked over to a cabinet in the corner, fished out a sterile surgical gown, and tossed it to her.

"Put it on. Don’t catch a cold—I’d have to treat that too."

Huddled in the corner, she clutched the sterile gown tightly, her bare legs trembling beneath the towels.

"Theo, turn around!" May clamped her grip onto the towels, staring wide-eyed. "Staring while a girl changes—where did your medical ethics go?!"

Ignoring her outburst, Theo pulled an oversized surgical gown from the cabinet, shaking it open with a sharp snap of the fabric.

"My hands weren’t particularly shy when I was helping you bathe earlier..."

Ah... this... Should I call this playing hard to get?

He turned his back, stepping into the trouser legs and tying the belt at his waist. In less than ten seconds, his pristine, refined demeanor returned completely.

"Hurry up. The Stitch-Splicers possess acute hearing; we don’t have much time."

Theo turned back around. May pouted, thinking how remarkably efficient and warlike this man was even when putting on clothes.

Taking a deep breath, she released the towels and pulled the gown over her head—

BOOM!

The tall sterile equipment cabinet in the corner suddenly shook violently. The doors burst open from the inside as a patient-clothed zombie stumbled out.

It had likely hidden inside to escape before mutating, only to starve to death and turn into a dried corpse. Sporting only two yellowed front teeth, it lunged straight toward May’s delicate face.

"Holy crap! This cursed hospital keeps monsters inside the wardrobes too?!"

With her head still stuck in the neckline, total darkness enveloped her sight. Smelling a foul wave of stench, she jumped back in pure terror.

Theo didn’t even bat an eye.

With a swift flick of his wrist, a cold gleam sliced through the air.

Thwack.

The blade embedded itself cleanly into the zombie’s eye socket, sinking all the way to the hilt.

Without even uttering a screech, the dried corpse collapsed sideways against the glass equipment counter.

CRASH—!

The glass pane shattered into pieces under the weight of the corpse. Countless sharp shards exploded like hail, raining down over May’s body.

"Gasp—!"

May drew in a sharp breath. The moment her head popped out of the collar, a searing, sharp pain flared along her thigh.

Several jagged glass fragments grazed past her upper inner thigh, slicing several small gashes into her skin.

Worse yet, one piece embedded itself directly into the delicate flesh of her inner thigh, barely two centimeters away from her most private boundary.

Compounded by the earlier chafing from Ace’s wire in the shelter and the toxic splatters from the Stitch-Splicer, that patch of skin was already red and swollen. The glass cut cleanly through her defenses, sending tiny droplets of blood trickling down her fair thigh.

Damn it! Is my leg cursed this year or what?!

Tears burst from May’s eyes from the stinging pain. She hastily yanked the hem of the surgical gown downward, attempting to cover the unsightly injury.

Yet the gown was naturally loose; the more she pulled, the more it parted to the sides, failing to conceal the swollen, reddened skin.

Theo was retrieving his knife when her sharp gasp made his movements pause mid-motion.

Turning around, his gaze landed on her hand clutching the hem, then trailed upward to her trembling inner thigh.

"You’re hurt?" Theo’s voice carried an unnerving calmness.

"N-No!" May clamped her legs tight together, her face flushing crimson. "Just a minor scratch, don’t worry about it!"

"Move your hand." Theo walked over, his footsteps echoing in the quiet room.

"It really isn’t necessary!" May backed up frantically until her spine hit the cold tiled wall. "Theo, you can’t look at this spot! It’s way too embarrassing!"

Halting his steps, Theo pulled a pair of sterile gloves from his pocket and snapped them on.

"I already saw everything during your bath anyway..."

The rubber glove snapped against his wrist with a crisp pop.

Adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses, the cold light reflected off the lenses as he looked down at her:

"To a doctor, there are only organs, no gender. If we don’t drain the infected blood and inflammation sets in, the virus will enter your circulatory system—at that point, even a miracle couldn’t save you."

"Stop trying to fool me with your medical jargon!" May kept her legs clamped shut, refusing to loosen her grip. "You just want to take advantage of me!"

Hmph! This old fox, if he wants to look, why can’t he just say so directly? It’s not like I wouldn’t... wait, what am I thinking...

BOOM! BANG—!

A deafening explosion erupted from the hallway outside, the shockwave rushing beneath the door frame and vibrating the metal cabinets inside the room.

"Ray! Over here!" Ace’s voice echoed through, carrying a trace of unhinged amusement.

"Fuck! Why won’t this damn thing die?!" Ray’s furious roar followed immediately, punctuated by the heavy chug of automatic gunfire.

The battle outside had reached a fever pitch; the Stitch-Splicer had evidently collided with the main squad.

Theo didn’t waste another word with her. Stepping forward in a single stride, he clamped a hand over May’s ankle.

May struggled, kicking her legs about frantically.

Ahhh, this is so embarrassing! Couldn’t there at least be a little foreplay first?!

"Hold still. I’m treating a patient."