Free Web NovelChapter 54: Desperate Measures
Rico stumbled backwards, his hand clutching his chest as he collapsed to the ground. Kira gasped in horror, tears streaming down her face as she ran towards Rico, trying to shake him awake.
"Rico! Wake up, please!" Kira cried out, her voice breaking with emotion.
But Rico remained motionless, his eyes closed as blood seeped through his fingers. Kira sobbed, her heart breaking at the thought of losing him.
Shinon had been watching the scene unfold but couldn’t process it. Not until he saw the bear move from the corner of his eyes. Without a second thought, Shinon swung his blade in a massive arc, cleanly separating the beast’s head from the rest of its body.
The bear let out a final roar before going limp, its body falling to the ground. Shinon rushed towards Kira and Rico, his heart pounding with fear. He knelt beside Rico and carefully lifted his hand, inspecting the wound.
’It’s not looking good,’ Shinon thought, staring at the gaping wound. ’He’s losing too much blood, but more importantly, we need to close the hole first.’
Kira let out a sob, clinging to Rico’s unconscious body. Shinon placed a hand on Kira’s shoulder, trying to comfort her. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
"I won’t let him die, believe me," Shinon mumbled, placing a hand over the open wound. freeweɓnøvel.com
Killing the bare gave him around 100 points of Domination. While it wasn’t enough to heal a deadly wound, it should be enough to halt the blood, preventing the situation from worsening.
Shadows arose from their surroundings, enveloping Rico. Shinon could feel his strength slipping away as [Domination] stat returned to zero.
Moments later, the shadows disappeared, revealing that the wound in Rico’s chest had closed significantly and was now the size of a small pinball.
However, if they wanted Rico to survive, they needed medical help. As much as Kira was well-versed in medical knowledge, they did not have the facilities or equipment to save Rico’s life.
"We have to get him to a doctor, quickly," Shinon said, his voice urgent.
"Where are we going to find a doctor here!?" Kira said as she put pressure on Rico’s wound to stop the bleeding.
"I... know a place," Shinon mumbled, "Come on, we don’t have time!"
Kira nodded, tears still streaming down her face. Shinon scooped up Rico in his arms, his muscles bulging as he carried the weight of the wounded man.
Kira followed behind him, her eyes never leaving Rico’s face. They ran through the streets, dozens of zombies behind them. Shinon used his shadow abilities to keep the zombies away, while Kira used her guns to do the same.
Thankfully, Kira was agile and could follow Shinon’s strides, as he kept covering great distances with ease.
Shinon gritted his teeth as he approached the outskirts of the Phoenixes’ settlement. He had never wanted to set foot in this place, his sworn enemies, but he had no choice. Rico’s life was on the line, and he needed their help.
Shinon was making his way towards the settlement when he suddenly heard a loud gunshot, followed by a bullet that landed dangerously close to his feet, kicking up dust and dirt.
Startled, Shinon immediately stopped in his tracks, placed Rico next to a tree and raised his hands in the air to show that he was not a threat. He looked around to see where the shot had come from and saw a group of settlement security personnel standing a few yards away, their guns aimed at him.
"Stop right there!" one of them shouted. "What’s your business here?"
Shinon took a deep breath and tried to remain calm, despite the chaos and panic raging inside him.
"I need help," he said, his voice shaking slightly.
"We can’t just let anyone in here," the guard said, his finger tightening on the trigger. "Nor are we a charitable organisation."
Just then, Selena appeared from the settlement, her blonde hair blowing in the wind. She looked surprised to see Shinon and two strangers but didn’t seem to show any emotion towards Shinon’s presence.
"What’s going on here?" Selena asked, her tone commanding.
"These two want to enter the settlement, claiming that the man is injured," the guard replied.
Selena’s eyes softened as she looked at Rico, who was barely conscious in Shinon’s arms.
"Lower your weapons," she ordered the guards. "Let them in."
The guards grudgingly complied, and Shinon and Rico were allowed to enter the settlement.
As Shinon carried Rico towards the infirmary, Selena walked alongside him, her gaze flickering between the injured man and Kira, who was walking a few steps behind them.
Shinon was focused on getting Rico to the infirmary, but he could feel Selena’s eyes on him. He knew she was probably wondering about his relationship with Kira. But that was none of her business.
However, now that he had been indebted to them, he didn’t think he could maintain his indifference towards Selena or the Phoenixes anymore.
’What’s done is done,’ Shinon thought to himself. ’I know it wasn’t a wise decision to take help from them, but it was the only choice I could make there.’
Finally, they reached the infirmary, and Shinon laid Rico on one of the beds. A nurse immediately rushed over to attend to him, followed by the same doctor who tended to Shinon’s wounds a while back.
"Is he going to be okay?" Shinon asked, looking at the nurse with concern.
"It’s hard to say right now," the nurse replied. "He’s lost a lot of blood, and his injuries are severe. But we’ll do everything we can to save him."
Shinon nodded, his worry evident on his face. Selena stepped forward, her voice soft.
"I’m sorry this happened to your friend. If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know. But for now, let’s visit the Phoenixes first..."
Shinon nodded, not knowing the price he would have to pay for Rico’s survival would be unimaginably high. But even if he were, he wouldn’t have made a different choice: to let Rico die.
