My Strange Savior - Chapter 134

Chapter 134

– The experiment was conducted on those who had become enhanced humans, but no effects could be obtained. 

His eyes, stained with belated regret and guilt, reddened with tears.

– The quantity for the experiment is not sufficient. Shelters have mostly been destroyed by the rampaging attacks of enhanced humans. The place I currently reside in is no exception. 

It was almost impossible to breathe at times, struggling to survive.

– The environmental conditions are outrageously poor to cultivate serum for the experiment. Despite the destruction in the laboratory, completing this experiment to the best of my ability is my primary goal. 

He gazed intently at the screen.

– Today marks the first experiment. His pupils held a myriad of emotions. 

The screen briefly turned off and immediately played from the beginning. Gia stared blankly at the screen. 

Please let it be successful. Gia bit her lip.

Then, Kalion’s gentle fingertips brushed against her lips. Even though they had heard the explanation together, Kalion’s posture holding Gia did not change, seemingly unafraid of her.

  “Kalion…”

  “Gia, it’s okay. Everything’s okay.”

  What is okay? Nothing was okay. Did they not hear the story about her going berserk and killing Kalion and those around him?

  “Not okay. It’s not okay…”

  “I am okay. So, please.”

  Kalion’s compassionate gaze comforted Gia.

  “Don’t give up.”

  Kalion embraced Gia more firmly.

  “Please.”

  Gia’s face contorted at the breaking voice. Leaning into the large hands wiping away the flowing tears, she sighed.

  “I’m so scared, Kalion.”

  Gia, filled with fear, spoke her honest feelings.

  “What if I change and kill you? What if I end up killing everyone around me? What then?”

  “That won’t happen. I won’t let that happen.”

  Gia wanted to believe Kalion’s words more desperately than anyone. Resting her face on Kalion’s shoulder, she swallowed her tears.

  “So, don’t give up.”

  “Ugh…”

  “Gia, promise me.”

  Would Gia end her own life before that day arrived?

  Kalion placed his arms around Gia’s waist.

  “Please.”

  While embracing Gia, Kalion’s voice, demanding once more, trembled with fear.

  “Okay.”

Their responses and thoughts were running in opposite directions. Although she uttered words reassuring Kalion not to worry, Gia had already made up her mind to die alone.

Capturing Morrison was secondary; soon, she might go berserk and bring about the destruction of this world. Ironically, the real threat to this world might not be Morrison but Gia herself. 

Taking a deep breath, she nestled further into Kalion’s embrace. It seemed like that was the only way to find some semblance of reason amidst the shocking revelation that she harbored the berserk factor.

The fact that Morrison had to be eliminated was crucial. Morrison, like her, had become an enhanced human, and he possessed the ability to control monsters. If he went berserk, an even greater disaster might unfold. 

Despite her body being overwhelmed by intense emotions, her mind became clearer.

There was no point in losing oneself here; Gia knew that better than anyone. 

Gia opened her eyes.

‘Why didn’t Morrison infect others?’

Her busy mind kept building and shattering hypotheses.

‘Could it be?’

Gia slowly organized her complex thoughts.

‘If so… Kalion and the remaining people won’t be infected by the zombie virus.’

The fortunate fact brought relief to Gia’s legs. The heart that was pounding with each beat found gradual stability with the assurance that the zombie virus wouldn’t spread in this world.

Gia consciously took deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling, striving to calm down. 

Kalion, wanting to assist Gia, held her in an upright position.

Tap, tap, tap.

Entrusting everything to the hands that rhythmically tapped her back, Gia began to feel like leaning on Kalion, his warmth and comfort becoming more enticing with each tap.

“Now… it’s okay. I think I need to watch more footage.”

Gia’s eyes welled up with red tears. In the space where many tears had passed in a short time, Kalion’s sympathetic gaze followed.

As Gia struggled to stand, Kalion rose with her. Mentally shaken, Gia swayed, and Kalion’s firm hand wrapped around her waist.

“If it’s tough, lean on me.”

“Yeah… thank you.”

Kalion’s eyes reddened at Gia’s weak voice. His heart was tearing into a thousand pieces at the thought of not being able to do anything for his beloved partner.

A sense of helplessness overwhelmed Kalion, but he had to hide it for Gia. Even though he probably wanted to sit down more than anyone else, he stood up again for her sake.

With her hand raised over the screen next to the skeletal remains, Gia sighed. The screen was filled with experiment footage. Gia pressed the last video.

– 20XX. XX. XX. SLS Shelter Chief Researcher David Brian begins the final experiment.

He looked disheveled, revealing despair in his eyes as he stared at the screen.

– The last… subject of the experiment is my wife, and fellow researcher, Helene Auster. It’s been exactly six years since she became an enhanced human. The first symptom, continuous bleeding, manifested just five minutes ago, and it persists.

Sadness stained David’s distorted face. The screen changed, revealing a room beyond the control room. In the white laboratory, there was a single chair where a woman could be bound. Blood continuously gushed from her tied mouth.

Beep beep.

A woman, tying strings for vital checks, lifted the blood-stained corners of her mouth, faintly smiling.

– Don’t worry, Dave. Kughfh. It’ll be fine. I know you’ll succeed.

Despite the pouring of blood, her eyes were hopeful. Her green eyes, trusting her spouse, sparkled brightly. David’s trembling hand holding the syringe shook as he tried to control his emotions.

– Helene…

– I’m okay.

Trying to comfort David, Helene twisted her body. But with her entire body bound, her hands couldn’t reach David.

David, swallowing his tears, placed the syringe on Helene’s bound forearm. It was evident from the screen how much he was trembling.

– Ugh, huh. Ugh.

– Helene… It’ll be okay soon.

David held Helene’s head desperately, expressing his earnest hope.

Struggling in her restraints, Helene moaned in agony.

– Dave… Dave. Please. Hnngh.

Helene, resisting fiercely enough to almost pull the chair out, struggled as if she could break the iron chains binding her limbs.

Surprised by her intense resistance, David took a step back.

– Helene… Helene… Ah, ah…

Dry moans echoed, and Helene’s condition worsened.

Blood spurted from the lips that had whispered love, and the green eyes that had gazed at David gradually clouded.

– Oh, no.

The experiment had failed. Gia’s trembling eyes watched Helene collapsing on the screen.

– Dave…

– Helene…

– Kill me, Dave. Please?

– Helene. Helene…

– I can feel myself changing…

Crack, crack.

Helene’s voice transformed, sounding like the scraping of metal.

– I can’t remember where you proposed to me.

Her eyes, recalling the past, began to fill with tears. David denied, shaking his head, as he held onto his head, denying the grotesque sight of her smiling with blood on her lips and then collapsing to the floor.

– Oh, no. No… Please.

– Dave, I can’t kill you. So, please… Kill me before I change.

In response to Helene’s words, David stood up from his seat. In David’s hand, outside the flickering screen, was an object that Gia knew well—a compact revolver. The blue-stained barrel was soon aimed at Helene’s forehead.

– I’m okay, Dave. I was happy to meet you. It’s not your fault.

Her incoherent words were filled with trust and affection, given to her beloved.

– Sorry, Helene.

– I love you, Dave.

Bang.

Gunshots echoed in the laboratory, and soon the screen went dark. 

An eerie silence settled in. 

Gia blankly leaned against Kalion, staring at the screen.

‘Is this the end?’

Gia’s hope shattered into nothingness.

She had anticipated it, known it. Yet, the hope she had forcibly clung to shattered, and disappointment rushed in like a tidal wave.

If he had succeeded, someone might have survived. The world wouldn’t have ended like this. 

Gia, who knew the predictable outcome but couldn’t let go of a glimmer of hope, covered her mouth with her hands. Otherwise, a loud wail seemed poised to fill the space.

Kalion’s gaze, watching Gia swallow her tears with her head bowed deeply, softened. All he could do was support her, ensuring she didn’t collapse.

Click.

The screen lit up again. Gia raised her head, tears filling her swollen eyes as David’s face appeared. 

Since the last experiment, David’s short hair, once neatly cut, now flowed down to his shoulders, and his beard was unkempt.

– The final experiment failed.

There was no vitality in his collapsed face. He continued speaking mechanically, with a painful expression as if he had lost the world.

– There are no more test subjects or serums left for further experiments.

David’s vacant eyes stared into space.

– All that remains are three treatments. Even those are not perfect… and we cannot be sure of their effectiveness. It would be appropriate to test them on experimental mice before using them on humans, but the enhanced human virus completely changes human DNA over time. Therefore, we couldn’t forcibly induce a state of rampage using an accelerator. Doing so would lead to a pattern identical to the conventional zombie virus.

His lips, now pale, moved without a hint of moisture or life.