Free Web NovelChapter 106: Chapter 106 My head hurts.
The moment Darren stepped inside the bunker, he could not stop the shock that flashed across his face.
His eyes slowly wandered around the massive underground shelter in disbelief.
The place was far beyond anything he had imagined.
The bunker was brightly lit, clean, and heavily fortified. A cool breeze from the air conditioner filled the space, instantly washing away the exhausting heat from outside. There was even a television mounted against one side of the wall, something Darren had not seen functioning properly in a very long time since the apocalypse began.
Not far away stood a massive vault door built with thick steel strong enough to withstand an explosion. Surveillance monitors flickered nearby while a backup generator hummed softly in the distance, supplying electricity to the entire place.
There were organized storage shelves filled with supplies, a visible defense control panel, and even what looked like a communication tower system connected to the bunker network.
The entire place looked less like an ordinary shelter and more like a secure survival fortress.
"How is this even possible..." Darren muttered inwardly in disbelief.
Most apocalypse survivors struggled to find ordinary food and water, yet this woman had somehow built an underground paradise complete with defense systems and modern facilities.
Just then, his wandering gaze suddenly landed on three adorable little faces staring directly at him.
Aria, Lila, and Pearl stood not too far away with nervous expressions on their faces.
The three girls stared at Darren cautiously, slight fear visible in their innocent eyes.
Meanwhile, Hope remained asleep peacefully inside her little cot in another room, completely unaware of the tension inside the bunker.
After all, Ivy had only gone outside briefly earlier and now suddenly returned with a strange man who looked dangerous and intimidating.
Remembering Ivy’s earlier warning outside the bunker, Darren quickly forced a warm smile onto his face despite how awkward he currently felt.
Unfortunately, his smile did little to ease the fear in the children’s hearts.
"Are you okay, Mommy?" Aria asked softly, her tiny voice barely above a whisper.
She quickly moved behind Ivy while clutching her clothes tightly.
Lila and Pearl immediately followed behind her as well, hiding behind Ivy like frightened little chicks seeking protection from their mother.
"Is he a bad guy?" Aria asked cautiously while peeking at Darren nervously.
Darren instantly felt awkward.
"I’m fine, sweetheart," Ivy replied gently.
Her expression softened immediately as she bent down to the girls’ height before planting soft kisses against their foreheads lovingly.
"Can you girls go back to your room and play for now?" Ivy continued warmly. "Mommy has some important business to take care of first."
The girls hesitated for a moment before slowly nodding their heads.
Since Ivy looked calm and unafraid, they eventually chose to trust her.
"Okay, Mommy..." Pearl replied softly.
The three girls then quietly returned to their room before carefully locking the door behind them.
Only after the children disappeared did Ivy finally turn her attention back toward Darren and the unconscious Erik.
"Lay him down on the couch," Ivy instructed calmly.
Without hesitation, Darren immediately carried Erik over and gently placed him on the large couch.
Ivy then sat down beside the unconscious captain and began examining his injuries carefully.
The moment she pulled back the bloodied cloth wrapped around his abdomen, her expression darkened slightly.
"A gunshot wound..." she muttered quietly.
From the shape and depth of the injury, it was obvious the damage had not been caused by monsters.
In addition to the bullet wound, Erik’s body was covered in multiple abrasions, scratches, and deep cuts that were undoubtedly caused during combat against mutant creatures.
The combination of injuries had left his condition critical.
Darren stood nearby silently while watching her every movement nervously.
Soon, Ivy reached into her inventory through the system interface before secretly pulling out the emergency healing pill alongside the Activator Pill rewarded by the system earlier.
Naturally, Darren could not see where the medicine had appeared from. To him, it looked as though she had simply produced them out of nowhere.
"Don’t worry," Ivy said softly while preparing the treatment. "I can save him, so try to relax a little."
A faint warm smile appeared on her face, though her attention remained focused on Erik while speaking to Darren.
Darren swallowed hard before nodding quietly.
Then he watched in complete silence as Ivy skillfully cleaned Erik’s wounds using cotton wool and antiseptic.
Her movements were calm, precise, and experienced.
Not even once did she panic despite the horrifying condition of the wounds.
Soon, Ivy carefully located the bullet lodged inside Erik’s abdomen.
Then without hesitation—
She removed it.
The moment the bullet came out, fresh blood immediately gushed from the wound.
Darren’s expression changed instantly.
However, Ivy remained completely calm.
She quickly cleaned the wound again before expertly bandaging the injured areas one after another.
After finishing the treatment, Ivy finally opened Erik’s mouth slightly before placing the two pills inside carefully.
She made sure he swallowed both medicines properly before finally leaning back against the couch with a heavy sigh escaping her lips.
The room gradually became quiet again.
Darren remained standing nearby with tense shoulders and anxious eyes fixed entirely on Ivy.
The more he watched her, the more shocked he became.
Her medical skills were surprisingly good, especially for someone living alone during the apocalypse with children.
And those mysterious pills she had taken out earlier...
Darren had absolutely no idea where they came from.
But deep inside, he could not deny one thing.
For the first time since Captain Erik collapsed, he finally felt a small sense of hope.
Darren could not stop himself from becoming increasingly curious about Ivy.
Who exactly was she? freēwebnovel.com
Where had she gotten all these supplies, facilities, and medicines from during the apocalypse?
And more importantly... how had she managed to build such an unbelievable bunker all by herself while protecting several children at the same time?
None of it made sense.
Still, despite the countless questions filling his mind, Darren pushed those thoughts aside for now.
At the moment, there was only one thing he truly cared about.
He desperately hoped the pills Ivy had fed Captain Erik would actually work.
He truly hoped they would.
The bunker soon became quiet.
Darren remained seated beside Erik the entire time, his hands tightly clasped together while anxiety filled his heart. His eyes stayed glued to Erik’s unconscious figure, carefully watching for even the slightest movement.
Meanwhile, Ivy sat nearby calmly while scrolling through her system interface silently.
Then suddenly—
"Oh my goodness... my head hurts."
A weak groan suddenly echoed through the room.
Darren instantly snapped his head toward the couch in shock.
His eyes widened the moment he saw Captain Erik slowly opening his eyes before sitting upright as though he had never even been seriously injured moments ago.
"What the—?!" Darren gasped.
