Marcus' eyes stirred open, the fluffy sensation against his body was unmistakable, he realised he was on a bed.
He had already gotten his bearings but Marcus reasoned he was supposed to be lying on a loose earth in a construction site, how?
Marcus sat up immediately, his body was completely healed, no pain whatsoever, it was as if all his body parts and organs were made anew. He could hear the sound of advertisements on the TV.
'That gear is amazing' Marcus beamed.
He yawned. Marcus looked at his body and realized his clothes were different, like newly bought clothes: a black T-shirt and camo cargo trousers.
A look of disbelief was etched on Marcus's face.
He swept the brown blanket away from his body with his hand and glanced at the other side of the room.
It was Mei Ling, she was changing, on the verge of unhooking her bra, Marcus quickly moved his eyes away and glanced at the other side before he completed the whole view of her body.
His face reddened immediately, he had never experienced such a thing but he thought it was morally right to turn away immediately.
Marcus started thinking, these new clothes, obviously, he wasn't in the site anymore, he figured she traced him with her sensitive nose.
'She had already known my body scent?'
Marcus felt bewildered.
'How sensitive is her nose?'
The thought of Mei Ling changing his clothes almost made Marcus want to bore a hole in the bed and crawl inside.
His face reddened, except for his mum, nobody had ever changed clothes for him, he felt embarrassed.
"S-she saw it" Marcus eyes widened as the word tumbled from his lips not until he heard: "Saw what?"
He shuddered as his gaze fell on Mei Ling who had crawled her way to Marcus on the bed and was gazing at him, she had already dressed up.
"Nothing"
Marcus blinked blankly, but her expression was quite different from before.
She wore a gloomy and angry expression, it was as if she was sulking, her hazel eyes weren't bright, and her attitude seemed different, she then went back to sit on the edge of the bed.
It wasn't that Marcus couldn't read the atmosphere, he had already guessed what happened, someone she helped with one problem ended up in another.
"I'm sorry" he gazed back at her and managed to mutter, Marcus knew it was his fault, even if it was the damn system that caused it all.
But how could he explain, she would definitely think he was a loon and send him out, and as Marcus was now, he didn't have a single property to boast of, up to the clothes he wore.
She turned her gaze to Marcus and he was shocked.
'This is bad!' her eyes were already teary.
Marcus then felt a pang of guilt immediately, he had never done something to make someone cry on his behalf before.
"Why did you do it?" She rushed to him at once and clutched at the short sleeve of his black T-shirt and buried her face on Marcus' right arm, her nails were digging into his arm flesh as she clutched his right sleeve tightly.
Marcus knew she was venting, he could as well let her let all the anger out.
He could feel his sleeve soaked in her tears.
"I told them that day too. I said they shouldn't go out, but Mum and Dad didn't listen... until they both got killed in the incident."
Mei Ling was unable to control her emotions. The thought of losing another person was unbearable to her. Marcus recalled how she had hesitantly told him about her parents two days ago when she found him.
She had warned her parents not to go out, but they went anyway. It was the same incident he was caught up in—the day two SS-grade beasts fought, and the lane ran red with blood.
Marcus wondered how she saw him. Why was she afraid of losing him? In Marcus's eyes, she was still a stranger, but he thought he was the opposite to her.
'A friend?'
He mused. The thought of having a friend hadn't occurred to Marcus once; he felt it was a bit sudden.
Something came to Marcus's mind—that he should tell her he wasn't the type to be felt sorry for, but Marcus discarded it.
"I'm so sorry"
Then he used his hand to pat her head.
Marcus didn't even know what he was doing, all he knew was that he was mimicking what his mum used to do for him when he was down, perhaps she could recover with it.
She rubbed her face against Marcus' sleeve and looked up at him.
"Pet me more," she said gloatingly, and her gloomy expression changed to a mischievous one.
Marcus shifted back immediately at the realisation that he was doing something out of character.
She then smirked, at least Marcus was somehow thankful, her bright expression had returned.
She stood up from the bed and walked towards some white nylon package, then she picked it up and shoved it in Marcus' chest.
"Huh?"
He checked what was inside and realised it was some T-shirt, trousers and a package in a white rectangular carton, he had already guessed what was in there, Mei Ling actually shopped for clothes and a phone for him.
"You didn't need to—"
Marcus hadn't even finished what he was saying before she scowled him.
He shuddered immediately, that was quite a menacing gaze.
"Thanks, I will make sure to repay"
He said and was opening the white carton.
"Don't give me that"
Marcus looked up and met her burning gaze.
'Scary!!' his brain screamed.
[SSSSSS-grade Mei Ling!]
The system sounded in Marcus' head.
'Yo, parasite, how do you do, after what you made me pass through yesterday, you have the nerve to meddle in my situation when I didn't ask you?!'
Marcus rolled his eyes and made an intimidating thought at the system.
[....]
'Son of a bitch'
He had already brought out the phone, it was a new model released the same year.
He checked the receipt.
'¥14000?!'
Marcus was stunned, "isn't this too cost?"
She heard this and pouted at him.
"Thanks," he muttered hesitantly. It was the first time in three years that Marcus had thanked someone. Everything he owned, he had worked for and bought with his own money. But this situation was different.
"Don't mention" She rushed towards where Marcus sat.
"You are amazing!" Her eyes widened at once.
"How did you manage to kill an S-Grade beast cricket without any damage? I just saw you sprawled on the floor beside the dead beast while snoring"
Marcus immediately remembered what happened before he blacked out, it seemed the Almighty Surgical Hands did its work finish.
"The gem" the word tumbled from his lips immediately.
"It is there" Mei Ling pointed at the platform she placed the fish tanks on.
Marcus' gaze fell on the blue gem which was beside the last tank without fish, the tank of the Axolotl.
Then Mei Ling turned to him and wrinkled her brow in a questioning look.
"Where is my Axolotl?"
Suddenly, the TV program was interrupted by a news flash.
Mei Ling and Marcus immediately turned to the TV, curiosity piqued.
"A pet hamster swallowed a red gem, grew to the size of a cat, broke its cage, and went on a rampage! This inexplicable phenomenon occurred in Xin Yi's room just five minutes ago!" The news anchor's voice was filled with dread.
"KYAHH!!"
The camera feed of the incident was displayed, and the sudden scream of a preteen girl from the TV filled the room.