Flora Bloom arrived at the operating room door. At her summons, the sound of shattering glass came from the side, and Vert’s enormous, emerald-green body squeezed inside.
The temporary hospital was cramped, unsuitable for a flying creature like Vert to fight in. However, the operating room’s door was so thick that it would take some effort to break through.
But with Vert here, it was simple. At Flora Bloom’s command, its huge, sharp scythes flashed across the door in a rapid crisscross pattern. More than half of the metal door was sliced away. A large section crashed to the floor, and the blare of alarms immediately filled the entire temporary hospital.
Flora Bloom stepped inside and saw Cynthia Grant lying weakly under the operating table, her face covered in bruises. On the table was still Gavin Todd, but he was now flushed bright red. From his scorching, crimson cheeks, it was obvious he had a fever.
Of the other seven people, two men were huddled in another corner, shivering in fear. One of them wore a blood-soaked patient gown, and his arm was bent at an unnatural angle.
’It seems these five were willing to hurt others just to save their own skins. If I hadn’t come, once they mutated, everyone in this room would have ended up as zombies!’
The remaining five men were all injured. One had a wound on his abdomen; the bandage there was soaked through with blood. Not only that, but the flesh around his waist was already starting to turn black. A putrid stench had filled the room from the moment Flora Bloom entered.
It wasn’t just him; the four men with him all carried a faint trace of the same putrid odor. It seemed the black scorpion’s complex poison was already taking effect on them.
Flora Bloom analyzed the situation. Cynthia Grant was likely just exhausted and not in any danger. The other two injured men were probably original patients of the hospital. These five, however, must be her targets for this trip—five of the seven people who had been wounded by the black scorpion.
"You! How did you get in!" No one had expected the operating room door to be broken open just like that. They were shocked, but not yet afraid.
What they feared now was whether they would turn into the same kind of monster as their two companions. But when they saw the enormous head of a giant, all-green mantis poke into the operating room, their legs trembled so hard they all collapsed onto the floor.
"Mon-monster! D-don’t kill me!" With that, one of them took the lead and scrambled out through the gap in the broken door. The other four followed close behind.
If Titan Adler was smart, the outside would already be swarming with his people. Those five who rushed out would definitely be brought under control.
Flora Bloom walked over to Cynthia Grant and pressed two Crystal Cores into her hand. "I’ll have Vert stand guard here while I go check on Mr. Wallace and your grandfather. Once you’ve recovered, take Gavin Todd and follow Vert outside to wait for me."
Seeing Cynthia Grant nod, Flora Bloom placed the small piranha plant next to her, then strode out and headed quickly for the second floor.
The emergency stairwell was right next to the operating room. There was no scent of blood in the stairwell, and Flora Bloom, remaining vigilant, quickly reached the second floor. The moment she opened the stairwell door, the overpowering stench of blood hit her, making her gag.
Swallowing some spiritual water to suppress the nausea, Flora Bloom headed toward the location where she had heard Mr. Wallace’s voice earlier.
The second floor felt slightly stuffy. Flora Bloom wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but the air was thick not only with the heavy scent of blood but also with the foul smell of something burnt, along with a hint of carbon monoxide, like a gas leak.
A WHOOSHING sound came from somewhere, suddenly giving Flora Bloom goosebumps. She quickly backed up a few steps, raised the axe in her hand, and swung it in front of her.
"SCREECH!" A strange roar erupted from in front of her.
Flora Bloom instinctively dodged into her pocket dimension, looking out at the spot where she had just been standing.
A person completely charred black—no, that wasn’t right. It was a person, or rather, what a person had mutated into. But this thing was scorched black, with red eyes and inverted limbs propped up like an insect’s legs. Its four limbs supported its body, which hung close to the ground, and from its tailbone, something resembling a scorpion’s stinger had actually grown.
Flora Bloom was shocked. ’So this is the kind of zombie you become after being wounded by a black scorpion and mutating?’
’This isn’t just a zombie. Why is its form so similar to an insect-like creature such as the black scorpion!’
Not only that, but right next to this charred, scorpion-like humanoid, another identical creature suddenly darted out.