Upon hearing those words,
Merlin's heart sank instantly. He exploded into action, driving his left knee furiously into the soldier's groin.
The unprepared soldier took the hit instantly, a shrill, strangled scream—"Oooaaah!!"—squeezing out of his throat.
Simultaneously, black flames erupted from Merlin's left hand as he clamped it around the soldier's neck, releasing the calamity he had absorbed from the doctor.
His crimson left index finger returned to its normal color. The soldier was enveloped in a layer of black fire. Three gunshot wounds appeared on his chest, piercing him through. He collapsed to the ground, groaning in agony.
Merlin bent down and decisively drove his dagger into the soldier's neck, ending his life.
He took the single grenade from the soldier's waist, bringing his total to seven.
But he needed to see them—alive or dead.
Merlin continued upstairs. A minute and a half later, he arrived at a medical room on the third floor with its door open. The once cozy room was a wreck.
The hospital bed had been set on fire, and raging flames were consuming the room.
The pungent smell of disinfectant mixed with burning materials rushed into Merlin's nose.
Merlin's nose twitched, picking up several distinct scents lingering in the air. His gaze sharpened, locking onto a closed wardrobe to the side.
He strode over to the wardrobe and pulled it open. Inside, a seven-year-old girl lay unconscious, her chest rising and falling faintly.
Most of her face was covered in pale white patches. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her delicate features, inherited from her mother, looked sickly. She was clearly struggling to breathe.
Lami, Dr. Trafalgar's little daughter.
Seeing her, Merlin breathed a sigh of relief. Although she was in the late stages of Amber Lead Syndrome, she was still alive. She wouldn't die immediately.
Black flames rose in his left hand as he pressed it against her face. The black fire ignited on her body. Upon contact, the calamity was absorbed. Instantly, the pale white patches on her face and body, hidden beneath her pajamas, began to fade rapidly.
Merlin monitored his mental and physical energy consumption and relaxed. Absorbing a "common" toxic calamity didn't cost too much.
Soon, little Lami's breathing steadied. Her furrowed brows relaxed, and she fell into a peaceful sleep.
Since the Amber Lead Syndrome calamity he absorbed was of the same origin as the one before, it could be stored and merged into his left middle finger.
In the blink of an eye.
Looking at the even paler color of his middle finger, Merlin's eyes flickered as he sensed the effect of this calamity "bullet":
"Potent Amber Lead Syndrome Calamity. Upon release, it causes the target to instantly enter the late stages of Amber Lead Syndrome.
"Symptoms include heart palpitations, total body weakness, severe pain, and difficulty breathing."
Merlin looked calmly at the cured Lami. He reached out to help her up. Spotting an oversized coat in the wardrobe, he put it on her and tucked her under his left arm.
She weighed about forty pounds.
In the past, carrying her for a long time would have been a significant burden, but now, it was effortless.
The fire in the room was spreading. Merlin carried Lami and left quickly.
He rushed down the stairs to the first floor. Passing the ward where the doctor and his wife lay dead, Merlin paused briefly, but then left the hospital without hesitation.
Firelight was everywhere on the streets. Merlin avoided the soldiers, weaving through alleys, and soon arrived at the church entrance.
The church was engulfed in flames. Merlin's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly relaxed.
There were no bodies of the children or Yol nearby.
The air was filled with the pungent smell of burning and various other scents.
Merlin carefully distinguished Yol's scent trail, then turned his gaze toward the direction leading to the mountains.
Without hesitation, he ran quickly in that direction. Screams and gunshots echoed sporadically from the surrounding streets.
It was like purgatory.
Carrying a burden, he had to avoid the soldiers carefully. Following the lingering scent in the air, twenty minutes later, Merlin stopped at a street corner surrounded by fire.
"Yol's scent is in there."
He glanced at the trembling little girl under his arm and spoke softly:
"You're awake, aren't you? Lami."
Feeling her body shudder, Merlin said, "It's me, Laplace."
Hearing the familiar voice, Lami looked up sharply. Her tear-filled eyes widened as she sobbed:
"What happened here? Laplace-niichan, where are my mom and dad and my brother?"
Merlin didn't answer. He carried her to a half-collapsed building damaged by artillery fire and set her down. He patted her head:
"Wait for me here. Hide well. Don't pay attention to anyone but me. And don't make a sound."
Saying this, he bent down and tucked her into a gap beneath the sturdy, half-collapsed structure.
As he stood up, he felt a tug on his pant leg. Merlin looked down and said softly:
"Be good, listen to me. Your father entrusted you to me. Unless it's absolutely necessary, I won't leave you behind."
He habitually added a slight threat to his tone.
Lami's eyes filled with fear, and her body trembled, but she obediently let go.
He didn't have time to comfort her right now.
Merlin rubbed her head.
The girl had always been well-behaved.
He used to see her often, and she called him brother.
Next, he stuffed his backpack and grenades into the gap in front of her. Looking at the burning buildings in the distance, he spotted a collapsed fountain nearby.
Merlin ran over, jumped into the knee-deep water, soaked himself completely, and then rushed into the fire.
Being wet effectively shielded him from the surrounding flames. After running past this block, Merlin's eyes narrowed. He spotted Yol.
At the intersection not far ahead, where the fire was spreading.
She was currently straddling a soldier, her voice hoarse as she pounded her bloodied fists into the face of the motionless man. Thud! Thud!
Around her lay the bodies of two other soldiers and ten children.
Merlin rushed to her side and grabbed her shoulder. But immediately, Merlin reflexively jumped back as a right arm swung backward with a whistling sound.
Having just dodged her attack, Merlin saw Yol turn and stomp the ground, pouncing at him like a wild beast, screaming. Merlin quickly shouted:
"Yol! It's me!"
Her bloodied left hand grabbed Merlin's collar, her right fist stopping just in front of his face, wind whipping from the force. Yol's eyes trembled, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Her shaking right hand lifted Merlin's mask. When she saw it was really Merlin, she broke down instantly:
"Sob! The children... they're all..."
Clinging to Merlin's shoulders, her knees gave way, and she sank to the ground, weeping in anguish.
Merlin's face was solemn. He placed a hand on her head. A few seconds later, gunshots rang out nearby again. He was startled.
"Come with me, it's not safe here."
Saying this, he grabbed Yol's arms to pull her up.
But just then, Yol gripped Merlin's arms in return. A tragic, beautiful smile appeared on her face as she looked at him, slowly shaking her head:
"I'm so glad to see you're okay at the end. I've been shot. I can't go far. I'll cover you. You have to survive.
"This place is hell. Even if you're the only one left, you must live."
Saying this, she wiped her tears with the back of her hand and turned toward the direction of the gunshots.
Seeing her about to leave, Merlin stepped forward and delivered a swift chop to the side of her neck. Yol's mind went blank instantly.
Her body stumbled and fell backward. Merlin caught her, pulled her arm over his shoulder, and hoisted her up. He glanced at the commotion in the distance, checked the three soldiers' waists but found no grenades, and then quickly carried her into the burning street nearby.
Minutes later, five soldiers arrived at the scene and found their men dead.
The leader spoke coldly, "Search the area. We can't let any infected escape."
"Yes, sir!"
"Yes, sir!"
"..."
Crossing the block, Merlin looked around vigilantly. Before long, carrying Yol, he vaulted over a wall into a courtyard that was still intact.
He laid Yol on the ground. Looking at the two bloodstains on the abdomen of her nun's habit.
Merlin pinched the fabric pierced by the bullets with both hands and rip!—tore open the clothes around her stomach.
Instantly, two gunshot wounds with everted flesh were revealed. Merlin pressed around the wounds with his fingers. As he suspected, the bullets were still inside her body.
Merlin knew her body density was different from ordinary people. Thanks to that, the bullets had only caused penetrating wounds.
Rather than massive tearing.
Pain from the wounds jolted Yol's muddled consciousness awake.
She realized she was in a strange small courtyard. Propping up her upper body with her arms, she looked at Merlin, who was half-kneeling beside her, and spoke weakly:
"It's hopeless. The bullets pierced my intestines and are stuck inside. Without a proper medical environment, I won't survive."