Clang!
With a loud noise, the platform carrying the returning Wasteland Hunters finally came to a halt.
In unison, the Hunters stepped off the platform, their footsteps echoing as a team of medics in protective gear rushed forward.
Raising his hands, Mark waved at the approaching group amid the beeping of instruments.
"Mark, welcome back."
rakashunan strode over to Mark, who was flexing his wrists, and gave him a once-over before sighing in relief.
"Glad you're okay. Where's the medicine for the Lord?"
"Over there," Mark said, pointing behind him.
"We got lucky this time and encountered humans surviving on the surface. They happened to have the medicine needed for Lord Morgan, which is why we returned so quickly."
"Humans surviving on the surface?"
A woman in a lab coat standing nearby looked intrigued. Glancing at Mark, she smirked. "I didn't expect Captain Mark to bring back such an interesting find."
"Shut up, Carrie!" Victor barked, placing his mechanical left arm on the overexcited scientist's shoulder to hold her back. He pointed at the box in Hifumi's hands.
"The medicine for the Lord came from them. Any decisions about them will be made after the Lord recovers."
Victor walked up to Hifumi and Gabriel, scrutinizing them. After the machines confirmed they were uninfected humans, he extended his hand to Hifumi.
"Thank you both for bringing the medicine for the Lord. Your situation will be addressed after the Lord awakens. For now, please hand over the medicine."
"Oh, sure," Hifumi said, sneaking a glance at Victor's mechanical arm before quickly placing the medicine in his hand.
"Please use it quickly. Saving lives is most important."
"Understood," Victor replied. Looking at the shy Hifumi, he hesitated before adding, "Thank you. I owe you a great debt."
"Gabby," Hifumi whispered, tugging on Gabriel's arm as Victor walked away. "The people here seem pretty kind."
"Eh?"
Gabriel gave Hifumi a surprised look before studying her carefully.
"Oh, I see. You still can't see the light of their souls, can you? No wonder."
"If that's the case, I can't play games right now."
Saving her progress, Gabriel sighed as she noticed Hifumi's puzzled expression.
"Hifumi, don't be so naive. Your name is Takimoto, not Naïve."
"This is an apocalypse—a true apocalypse. Good people don't last long here."
In the Lighthouse's medical sector, Mark was leading the group toward the Lord's ward when a commotion erupted behind them.
"What's going on?" Hifumi asked, turning her head in surprise.
She saw an elderly man in tattered clothes accompanied by a black man holding a little girl and two young boys.
"Let go! Let go, you cockroaches!"
Guards holding rifles were being tackled by a group of ragged men. The lead guard shouted angrily as he smashed the butt of his rifle into the head of a man below him without mercy, as though killing an insect.
"0609, run! Save her at all costs!" the elderly man cried, tears streaming as he ushered the others toward the medical area.
"Stop!" Mark's voice rang out simultaneously with Hifumi's.
Mark strode toward the guards assaulting the civilians, while Hifumi rushed to the frail girl in the black man's arms. The girl's life force was fading fast in Hifumi's perception.
"What happened to her? Is she okay?"
"Doctor! Doctor, help! This girl is sick!"
Hifumi cradled the girl's pale face, shouting toward the medical staff at a nearby counter.
"What? Civilians in the Upper Medical Area?"
The staff member recording data looked up and frowned, his face filled with disgust as he noticed the ragged group. Covering his nose, he muttered, "I don't care how you got here, but this area is for the Upper Class, not useless civilians."
"Leave now, or I'll have the guards detain you!"
"Doctor, please save her!" the elderly man pleaded.
Suddenly, the doors to the ward opened, and armed soldiers emerged. Unlocking the safety on his weapon, the lead soldier approached the terrified group of civilians.
"Cuff them," he ordered disdainfully, motioning to his subordinates.
The black man clutching the girl shrank back, glancing at the child barely breathing in his arms. Swallowing his fear, he mustered his courage.
"We… we just want to save this child. She's just a little girl. Please help her. She's smart and could contribute greatly to the Lighthouse in the future."
"Nonsense!" the soldier barked, glaring at the man and the girl.
"You're civilians. You have no right to use our medical resources!"
Voices of agreement and disdain echoed around them.
"Exactly. Inferior genes should just die off. They're wasting our resources."
"Civilians are trash. They don't deserve anything from us."
Hifumi stood frozen, her fists clenched tightly as the scornful voices grew louder.
"Why?!"
She shouted, her voice trembling with anger. Turning to the onlookers, she pointed at the dying girl.
"Why?! She's just a child! She's human too! How can you just stand by and let her die?!"
"What's this nonsense about Upper Class and civilians? Aren't we all human?!"
The nurse nearby, startled at first, burst into laughter.
"Haha!"
Her laughter spread, and soon the corridor was filled with mocking laughter.
"Captain Mark, look! It's this little one!"
The elderly man, known as 0609, dragged Mark to the scene. Kneeling before him, 0609 begged.
"Please, Captain Mark, help this child. You know 9033. She's a smart and kind girl. She could contribute so much to the Lighthouse."
Tears streaming down her face, Hifumi stood trembling. Gabriel sighed and took her hand.
"I told you. This is the apocalypse."
Straightening her small frame, Gabriel's usually lazy eyes glimmered with a sharp intensity. She scanned the laughing crowd.
"Have you laughed enough?!"