"The life we wanted...?"
Twiggy froze for a moment, realizing the other party was right. However, she quickly recalled her sisters who were still in comas, and shook her head to toss those thoughts away.
"...You, why did you save us?"
Sitting on the chair, Twiggy stared dead at this strange Ethereal. She had absolutely no idea what kind of objective he could possibly have.
"Hmm... just consider it my own wishful thinking. I just can't stand seeing people get hurt or die. Just think of me as a bleeding heart do-gooder."
With a slightly bashful tone, Geno confessed his thoughts to Twiggy without reservation.
"A bleeding heart? That description is really..."
Twiggy was rendered speechless; she just felt that Geno was truly a strange guy.
"By the way, how long has it been since the day you saved us? Also, how much food and water is left in this hospital?"
Twiggy stopped dwelling on Geno's mindset. She could see that this guy was indeed different from other Ethereals.
Rather than agonizing over those things, it was better to think about what to do next.
"About that... although I found some canned food, just like the medicine, treat the expiration dates as a joke. As for water sources, I still have a few bottles of drinking water here. It's enough for your consumption for the time being."
Of course, that was on the premise that no one else woke up.
The consumption rate between a comatose state and an active state was not on the same magnitude.
Even for cyborgs, going without food or water for a few days would not only result in a loss of combat ability, but under these conditions of injury and Ether Corruption, death wouldn't be far off either.
"There's no other way. We can only go outside and search. If it really comes down to it..."
If it really came down to it, they could only gamble on whether the Silver forces were still willing to recycle this group of 'waste'.
"At least you can survive today. You just woke up and your physical strength hasn't recovered, so rest for a bit first."
Geno persuaded her not to be anxious. After all, as an Ethereal, he didn't need to eat, which saved her quite a bit of rations. As for what came next, they could discuss it later.
Just like that, the rescuer and the rescued reached a consensus.
Night fell. Twiggy, unable to stop worrying about her still-comatose sisters, stayed by their side to care for them.
She sat on the chair, falling into deep thought as she looked at her sisters, whose bodies were covered in colorful fissures.
Then she lowered her head and gently unwrapped her own bandages, revealing colorful fissures identical to those on the Silver Squad members lying on the beds. They flickered on and off, seemingly telling Twiggy that her days were numbered.
Ether Corruption. Ether naturally harbored malice toward things that were 'Non-Ether'. Unlucky souls attached to and corroded by Ether would turn into Corrupted, or even Ethereal anomalies.
Just like Geno—a monster with a body attached to black crystals and growing black singularities.
The symptoms Twiggy and the others displayed were, without a doubt, the phenomenon of Ether Corruption.
If they couldn't receive timely treatment, they would likely soon be able to form a lifelong Ethereal partnership with Geno.
"What an idiot."
She gently sighed with emotion. Even though he was an Ethereal, he had saved them. If not for Geno, she wouldn't even have the opportunity to be here worrying about these things.
Thinking of this, she recalled that nightmare from before.
It was too real. It constantly made her doubt which one was reality—the present or that dream.
Lost in these wandering thoughts, as time passed, the not-yet-fully-healed Twiggy finally entered dreamland.
As for Geno, being an Ethereal, he didn't require sleep or certain human physiological activities.
He was a bit unaccustomed to it at first, but after getting used to it, it was actually quite nice.
No need to eat, no need to sleep. As long as he obtained a plentiful supply of Ether, he could keep moving forever.
If he could get out of the Hollow, he could stay up all night gaming and cultivating every single day.
Be! Cause! He! Would! To! tal! ly! Not! Get! Tired!
He was simply high to the max!
Of course, the premise of everything was that 'it' could get out of the Hollow.
Geno, having no need for rest, patrolled back and forth inside the hospital. After all, they were still inside a Hollow; it would be bad if monsters like other Ethereals launched a sneak attack.
After patrolling another round and still finding nothing abnormal, Geno prepared to head back to check if anything had happened on Twiggy's end, such as someone else waking up.
Patient wake-up times didn't care if it was day or night.
He fumbled through the darkness, walking up the stairs leading to the second floor. Power and water to the old, abandoned hospital had been cut off long ago. Geno's feet made crisp clack-clack sounds against the steps, becoming the only noise in this night.
But just as he stepped onto the second floor, something suddenly flashed before his eyes, attracting his attention.
"Twiggy? Is that you? Or did one of the others wake up?"
Receiving no response, Geno tensed his nerves. He walked toward the direction of the black shadow with great caution, his sharp claws retracting and extending, itching for action. Once he discovered the other party was an intruder, he'd give them a couple of swipes to the face.
He followed the wall to the end of the corridor. This was the location of the restrooms—one on the left, one on the right. Men on the left, women on the right.
And that shadow had gone toward the right.
"Ahem, surely not."
Hesitating for a moment, his good moral character prevented him from acting rashly.
"Excuse me, is anyone inside?"
...
No response.
"Excuse me! Is anyone inside!"
...
Still receiving no response, Geno finally couldn't hold back. He chose to step into a domain he had never entered in his entire life.
The! Women's! Restroom!
Taking a tentative step forward, seeming to cross the line named 'morality', his subsequent steps became faster and faster.
Friends who frequently enter women's restrooms know that, aside from certain things on the walls, the overall structure isn't much different from a men's restroom.
Seeing no anomalies, Geno was just preparing to leave when he suddenly heard a strange sound.
Wuwuwu~
The sound sounded like weeping. It made Geno's footsteps pause, and he circled back around.
He tensed his nerves and searched his line of sight carefully, finally finding a trace of Ether fluctuation in the very last stall.
"Excuse me, are you alright?"
Harboring the possibility that it might be inconvenient for the other party to speak, Geno didn't act recklessly.
If the person really was one of the girls, he would either be treated as a pervert or a monster. Either way, he wouldn't be able to explain it clearly.
But Geno, still receiving no answer, finally couldn't bear it. What if something had happened to the person?
Ultimately, he took action. He walked up to the stall, knocked on the door, and upon still receiving no response, he yanked the door open.
"This!?"
There was actually nothing there!
"Impossible! I clearly heard a sound!"
Wuwuwu~
The familiar sound came again, only this time, the direction was... behind his own back!
Saa~ Don't hold back your pity! Smash the tickets in your hands right over here!
____
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