Lynch lay quietly on the bed, hands crossed over his chest, eyes closed, staring face-up toward the ceiling. He remained so still he seemed fast asleep.
The unconscious City Lord Jackson lay on another bed nearby. The bug acting as his ventilator and the crystal functioning as his pacemaker were still dutifully working, though an additional object now rested upon him.
An apple-sized human-faced fruit hovered directly above the center of the city lord's forehead, rotating slowly. Its wide-open eyes seemed to look around the room.
Dr. Sven had already left; the work of compounding the medicine could not stop, as the lives of over eight thousand people depended on her protection. They couldn't put all their eggs in one basket and needed several contingency plans operating at once.
The three ladies stayed by the bedside—the city lord's bedside, of course. Miss Diana periodically checked his vital signs, ready to have someone fetch Dr. Sven the instant his life force showed signs of rapid decline.
As for Lynch? Occasionally, someone would steal a glance at him out of concern, but only occasionally.
In truth, he was completely fine and merely in a state of deep meditation. He had assumed this posture solely because he thought it looked very cooool~~
On a mental level, however, he was currently having a rough time.
The corruption of the city lord's soul had already begun. The influence of the filth bypassed spatial boundaries, acting directly upon Lynch's mind.
His uniquely resilient willpower fiercely resisted the filth's erosion, keeping his soul like a ship anchored in a safe harbor during a storm—seemingly precarious, but in reality rock-solid.
Still, the small amount of filth that seeped into his willpower had its effects, causing all manner of bizarre hallucinations to flicker across his vision.
One moment, he was traveling the world with a blue, pocket-wielding robotic cat; the next, soaring through space with a group of shape-shifting vehicles; then flying through the air on a broomstick; and soon after, listening to a handsome guy with curly hair chatter endlessly as he analyzed a crime scene.
The hallucinations kept switching between these familiar scenes, but most often, he found himself quietly bathed in crimson moonlight, floating amidst the boundless red fog of the Dreamlands.
This was a sign that his mind was being disturbed by mysterious filth. Lynch was no stranger to it, but the hallucinations were coming so frequently—like experiencing endless nightmares in a single night—that his mind grew thoroughly exhausted. Even retreating into deep meditation offered little relief.
Yet having chosen his own path, he had no choice but to see it through, tears and all. Lynch could only lie there pitifully, watching time tick away second by second.
Midnight drew closer and closer.
Suddenly, Miss Diana's expression turned grave at the city lord's bedside.
“It's started.”
As she spoke, the others turned to look at Lynch on the other side. Sure enough, his previously relaxed body had grown tense. An invisible, mysterious force surged around him, gradually filling the entire room with an unseen pressure.
It had begun.
After waiting for over an hour without these outsiders coming to throw their lives away, Old Sven finally abandoned his delusions. He activated the final step of the Blood Link. Through the invisible yet tight connection of blood, City Lord Jackson's life force and soul began a slow but continuous transfer to the other side.
It could not be stopped or suppressed. Once begun, neither side had any room to turn back. There was only driving it to the end—to witness success or accept defeat.
“I'll go inform Dr. Sven.”
Knowing she couldn't help as the only Stubborn Stone Body, Officer Natalie gave Lynch a lingering look before turning and leaving, leaving the room to the two arcanists. Their task now was to guard Lynch and ensure that while he focused all his energy on resisting the filth's erosion, his soul wouldn't be casually devoured alongside the city lord's.
Indeed, the human-faced fruit representing Lynch had conceptually merged with the city lord's soul. When the evil god's vessel reached across the Blood Link to devour its blood relative's soul, it could easily sweep up the virtually defenseless Lynch as well. The two women were the final barrier protecting his life.
Flanking Lynch, the two women held his hands, relaxed their bodies, and focused their wills, slowly reaching into his sleeping mind through physical contact. At the moment of contact, both of their minds shuddered as countless fragments of strange images flooded their brains.
Soaring skyscrapers rising from the ground, steel eagles streaking across the sky, brilliant lights illuminating the night sky, and colorful neon signs glowing amid bustling nightlife.
Every sight was unheard-of, as though none of it belonged in this world, leaving both women deeply shocked. Yet what stunned them even more was that boundless red fog and the dark shadow bathed in crimson moonlight—expanding, contracting, rolling, twisting, formless, and substanceless.
All the visions flashed past in an instant. In the next moment, their consciousness returned to clarity. Their mysterious power wrapped around Lynch's willpower, shielding him from the ever-mounting pressure outside.
For now.
Bang.
The ward door was pushed open forcefully. Dr. Sven and Officer Natalie rushed inside. Scanning the room, the female doctor immediately hurried to the city lord's side. After a deep look at him lasting a few seconds, she grabbed the bug attached to his face and ripped it away along with the flexible tube extending into his abdominal cavity. Next, she retrieved the crystal floating above his chest, leaving only the human-faced fruit hovering over the city lord's head.
“Keep protecting his consciousness.”
Dr. Sven gave Diana and Judy a hurried instruction before pointing toward the rotating human-faced fruit. Since the enemy had begun devouring, there was no need to keep the city lord hanging by a thread. His final mission was over; what remained was a silent, desperate struggle.
The corruption was artificially induced, so external force was required at all times to maintain the fused state between the fruit and the city lord's soul. That was Dr. Sven's task—to ensure his soul and life force were devoured by the enemy while corrupted. Until that devouring was complete, protecting the sleeping prince rested entirely on the other two women.
Officer Natalie's sidearm sword was already drawn as she stood guard at the door. This was Lynch's most vulnerable moment; if something went wrong, the others might survive, but Lynch would almost certainly be lost.
Her expression was so grim it bordered on ferocious, ready to deal a fatal blow to any potential intruder. Yet her attention remained fixed on the four people behind her, offering silent prayers to the Lord of Order in her heart.
“Stay sharp! The main devouring is about to begin. Success or failure hinges on these final few seconds.”
By the bedside, Dr. Sven threw all caution to the wind and reverted to her ghoul form, channeling every ounce of her power to control the fusion of the fruit and soul. Sweat drenched the foreheads of the other two women, their fingernails digging so deeply into Lynch's hands they nearly pierced his skin.
Silence fell over the ward, broken only by the sound of their heavy, ragged breathing.
Three seconds. Two seconds. One second.
Clatter.
The hovering human-faced fruit fell, rapidly withering midair into a cloud of fly ash. At the same time, City Lord Jackson's chest stopped rising and falling, completely drained of life.
In the next instant, Lynch bolted upright, meeting the gazes of the four women.
It succeeded—but had it really?
The enemy had indeed devoured the corrupted, twisted soul, but would it truly derail their plan, halt the next phase of the plague outbreak, and buy them enough time?
No one could predict it. They could only wait for midnight to arrive and let reality provide the answer.
Dong, dong, dong.
Midnight had arrived.
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