Lynch found himself back where everything had begun.
It was the very grove of trees where the four of them had entered the memories. It wasn't far from where they had materialized—when they first arrived, they might have even seen this ancient tree from afar, without realizing what it was.
Staring at the familiar woods, Lynch felt a moment of realization. Perhaps there was a reason the four of them had entered the memories at this exact spot.
A vivid theory formed in his mind. Perhaps in true history, Ms. Stephen Sven had brought her kin to stop her father's madness, resulting in her own purification alongside it. After the ghouls left the city, Old Sven had escaped through this very tunnel, standing at the edge of the woods to gaze from afar at the city where his daughter had died. And this memory had perhaps begun from that exact time and place.
It was a strange theory, one that could never be proven, but Lynch believed it was likely true. Thank goodness for today's journey; otherwise, even if the four of them came here every day to check on their heads, they never would have guessed that a tunnel leading straight to a monster's lair was hidden right beside them...
???
Holy crap! The human-faced fruit.
With a startled yelp, Lynch bolted, sprinting straight toward the spot where the human-faced fruit was planted.
Please let them be okay! If they were blown up by his own attack just a short distance away, it would be the dumbest joke of the Fifth Age.
After running fifty or sixty meters, he found the cultivation site. It really wasn't far. Fortunately, the sparse trees had blocked the blast, leaving these fragile mystery plants untouched by the explosion. The heads of the four of them were still hanging safely on the branches, swaying gently in the wind.
“Nonsense.”
Officer Natalie, who had caught up beside him, expertly stomped on the tip of Lynch's shoe and ground her heel down. They hadn't even borne fruit yet; how could they be swaying on the branches?
Still, they were growing very well and should ripen smoothly by tomorrow. It remained to be seen whether these final flowers of hope could produce the fruits of life.
The two took the opportunity to inspect all five plants before feeling reassured enough to return to the previous battlefield.
Lynch gave an all-clear gesture to Diana and Judy, who were standing guard by the doctor. Hearing footsteps, Dr. Sven raised her head.
“The injuries are too severe; he can't be saved,” Dr. Sven sighed with regret. “Several of his main blood vessels were severed by bites. Although you treated him in time, your methods were amateurish, failing to properly align the severed vessels beforehand. His brain has already slipped into a state of paralysis, leaving him just one step away from death.”
Hiss... If he dies, all the risks I took will have been for nothing.
Lynch's face darkened, but remembering certain procedures from hospitals in his previous life, he asked nervously, “It doesn't matter if he can't be fully healed—can you ensure he doesn't die? It doesn't need to be forever, just until tomorrow.”
“Hmm?”
Lynch quickly explained his theory: “I believe the mastermind behind this must have a way to control the timing of the outbreak. As long as we keep him alive before tonight's plague deadline, they likely won't dare to trigger the outbreak immediately. That will give us enough time to get the medicine to everyone.”
And once we get the human-faced fruit tomorrow, everything will be easy to handle. Of course, this was just Lynch's internal thought; he didn't say it out loud.
Only then did the four women understand Lynch's plan. Thinking it over carefully, it truly made a lot of sense.
“You need to have faith in the capabilities of a professional healer.” Dr. Sven clapped her hands and stood up, giving a confident smile. “I can't bring him back to full health, but keeping him alive for three to five days is no problem at all. Stalling through tonight will be child's play. Come on, let's bring Uncle Jackson back to the fortress.”
Swoosh. Four pairs of eyes fixed onto Lynch's face at the same time.
Tsk. Do you really have to be so coordinated? Especially you two—aren't you supposed to be sworn enemies? Why are you acting so united all of a sudden?
Lynch pursed his lips, resigned to his fate as he hoisted the near-brain-dead Jackson onto his shoulder. The group then made their grand return to the city.
The city gates were locked, and full martial law was in effect throughout the city. Citizens were required to stay inside, while surviving travelers were rounded up and held in an empty barn in the city center under unified supervision, with daily necessities supplied by the authorities.
Aside from soldiers on duty, everyone was strictly forbidden from stepping outside. Regardless of the reason, soldiers had full authority to execute anyone caught outside on the spot.
Only fully armed soldiers remained on the city streets, along with a few corpses of those who had tried to force their way out. Realizing that the guards were showing zero leniency this time, the citizens dutifully stayed indoors, leaving the entire city completely deserted.
This strict enforcement was precisely what Lynch had relied upon to escape danger earlier. However, no matter the era, privileged individuals always existed.
For instance, Lynch and his group.
Dr. Sven was currently the savior of the city. When she wanted to go out, not only did no one dare block her way, but dedicated guards even escorted them to the East Gate, unlocked it, and waited respectfully—only to receive a massive fright when they returned.
How had they gone out looking fine and come back covered head to toe in dirt? What was that loud explosion earlier? And why had two extra people joined them on the way back? Still, with Knight Terry's orders in place, the soldiers didn't dare pry. They merely cast puzzled glances at the person hoisted on Lynch's shoulder. Fortunately, Lynch had covered the city lord's face with his cloak, keeping the guards from seeing who it was; otherwise, explaining things would have been even more troublesome. Now, it was simple: the soldiers opened the gate to let the group inside and escorted them back to the military camp.
The entrance to the fortress had been partitioned with ropes and wooden posts into a maze-like layout. Narrow pathways twisted and turned in every direction. Even though the fortress was visible in plain sight, navigating the maze took at least seven or eight minutes, reminding Lynch of the waiting queues at Universal Studios back in his former world.
This was a clever trick he had adapted from some rather unpleasant experiences in his previous life and successfully replicated in this world. At present, citizens waiting to receive medicine queued through the winding "maze," filling the compact space with hundreds of people. Under the watchful eyes of the soldiers, the queue remained perfectly orderly.
However, disgruntled murmurs had begun to ripple through the crowd. Word was that no new batch of citizens had been allowed inside to collect medicine for a while now. A massive crowd had been standing in place for over half an hour, everyone burning with anxiety for fear of missing out. People at the front and back whispered amongst themselves, wondering if something had gone wrong inside—otherwise, why had everything suddenly ground to a halt?
Indeed, how strange. Why had the medicine distribution suddenly stopped?
The group stared expressionlessly at the person responsible for brewing the medicine.
Dr. Sven stuck out her tongue, pulled her hood down over her face, and slunk back into the fortress through a side entrance. Upon seeing Dr. Sven finally return, Knight Terry, relieved of his chief anxiety, nearly burst into tears—until he caught sight of the body on Lynch's shoulder, at which point he couldn't even manage a cry. Ignoring any questions and forgetting about the queued citizens, he immediately rushed to find a clean barrack for the city lord so Dr. Sven could perform preservation measures first.
The rest of the group was promptly shoofed out, leaving only Dr. Sven and Miss Diana inside. Ten minutes later, the two emerged.
A strange crystal floated over the city lord's heart, bobbing up and down in sync with his heartbeat. On his face crouched an uncanny bug whose breathing pores contracted rhythmically on its back, causing his chest to rise and fall continuously in tandem.
Truly worthy of the Dark Age—even ventilators and pacemakers are this bizarre.
In any case, the city lord's condition had stabilized. Afterward, Dr. Sven pulled Miss Diana straight to the compounding room to resume working tirelessly without food or sleep, while Lynch and the others remained behind to guard the city lord's sickroom.
Whether the plan would succeed and whether the mastermind would abort the plague outbreak would be revealed tonight.
Lynch turned his gaze toward the direction of Dr. Sven's home, his expression calm.
With the key piece in hand: now, checkmate.
Rate on N.U.
