"What? These people have been in contact with zombies? How can you just let them stay in the base?" A man’s voice rang out, as if he intentionally wanted everyone to hear him.
"Yeah! Aren’t you the ones in charge of the base? Hurry up and arrest them! This is dangerous for us! What if they suddenly turn into zombies and bite us?" The next speaker was a woman. Not only was her voice loud, but it also carried an infectious tremor, letting everyone know she was terrified.
"Hey, that leader from just now was great. He sent his own daughter to quarantine after she was bitten by a suspected patient. You should be setting an example for us!"
"That’s right! I support sending them to quarantine! It’s only for twenty-four hours—just one day. The quarantine room isn’t some kind of torture chamber. They’ll be out soon enough!"
"Arrest them! Look at this woman, her clothes are covered in blood and some black liquid. Isn’t that the virus? Why don’t we lock her up for a few extra days? She’s pregnant, too! Remember that zombie baby incident in the base? It was all because of those infected pregnant women!"
After giving them a wide berth, the crowd started chiming in one after another. In reality, all these words were meant for the four Family Heads present.
Flora Bloom shot a sideways glance at Hector Grant. ’That old bastard is rotten to the core. He’s probably planted actors in the crowd to stir things up.’
Flora Bloom had no desire to argue with these ignorant people. She looked at the other three, who were in a difficult position. "Uncle Simon, there’s no time to lose. Take me to Cynthia’s location right away. I’m afraid she’ll be in danger if we delay!"
Simon sensed the urgency in Flora Bloom’s words. He quickly summoned his superpower users. "Go inside and escort the Young Master and the Grant family’s old master out. Take them directly to the quarantine area at the base entrance."
"Yes, sir."
Simon, meanwhile, personally led Flora Bloom toward the quarantine area where Cynthia Grant and the others were being held.
"Can you tell me what’s going on?"
The Crown Prince and Racoon Cat followed behind Flora Bloom. The three of them ran after Simon toward the base entrance. Along the way, onlookers quickly backed away to create a large clearing, terrified of getting close and catching the virus.
The four of them soon arrived at the Argent Public Security Bureau, which was being used as the quarantine facility. Simon immediately led the trio to a containment cell used for prisoners.
Two containment cells stood side-by-side, each no more than five or six square meters. The front was floor-to-ceiling glass, with metal bars visible inside. They looked just like cells used to hold hardened criminals.
When Flora Bloom arrived, she saw two superpower users in one of the cells. Their faces had turned black, leaving only the whites of their eyes visible. Their limbs were twisted at bizarre angles, and their bodies were trembling violently.
In the other cell, two other superpower users no longer looked human. Their bodies were charred black, and even from outside the door, Flora Bloom could smell the stench of rot and decay.
And in front of these two new, mutated zombies was a green sphere. The sphere was formed by several vines wrapped tightly together, leaving no gaps.
Flora Bloom recognized the vines at a glance. They were the mutated vines that had appeared after Cynthia Grant reached the Middle Level of her superpower and established a mental link with her little piranha plant.
The dark green vines had a silvery sheen, and their barbs were the same bright red as the piranha plant’s buds. They were exceptionally sharp and impervious to both fire and water.
The sphere of vines was seamless, but a heavy scent of blood—normal human blood—still seeped out. Flora Bloom concluded that Cynthia Grant was injured.
The two cells had two separate doors. The corridor lights had switched on the moment they entered.
"Are they... mutating?" Simon asked, his jaw trembling.
Flora Bloom’s face was grim. "Open the door!"
"Huh?" Simon wasn’t sure if Flora Bloom really meant to open the door at a time like this. If the things inside got out, this place would become extremely dangerous!
"Open it now! It’ll be trouble if they finish mutating!"
Seeing that Simon still hadn’t moved, Flora Bloom impatiently drew her axe and swung it at the electronic lock on the outside of the door. The lock blared with an alarm.
Flora Bloom went inside. With a swift swing of her axe to each of their heads, the two mutating figures fell silent, all signs of life gone.
Zombies weren’t actually that scary. Especially not these, who were still in mid-mutation and struggling. They hadn’t even had time to react when Flora Bloom entered.
After Flora Bloom walked out of the cell, Simon instinctively moved to open the door to Cynthia Grant’s cell but was stopped by Flora Bloom.
Flora Bloom looked up at the ceiling of the corridor where she stood, then pushed Simon back a little.
"Crown Prince, Racoon Cat, you two back up as well."
The Crown Prince and Racoon Cat silently moved away.
Flora Bloom saw there was enough space, then looked at Simon. "Remember to keep this a secret."
The moment Flora Bloom finished speaking, a gorilla covered in long, black fur appeared beside her.
Simon stared at the black-furred gorilla standing right next to him, his legs weak as he swallowed hard. ’This Flora Bloom really is full of secrets. How did such a huge, long-haired gorilla just appear? I was completely unprepared.’
’It’s a good thing this girl doesn’t have a grudge against me, or I’d be dead before I even knew what hit me.’
Two beams of incandescent white light shot in from outside the glass, piercing directly through the skulls of the two charred monsters. As the white light passed through, their heads exploded as if hit by dynamite, shattering into pieces.
Flora Bloom smashed the electronic lock with her axe and pulled open the cell door.
She knelt beside the sphere of green vines and patted it gently.
"Cynthia, it’s me, Flora Bloom. I’m here to save you."
"Cynthia?"
The green sphere trembled. The vines retracted one by one and quickly vanished, revealing Cynthia Grant huddled inside, clutching her knees. A large patch of flesh was missing from her arm, and the residual energy of a Fire Element superpower still clung to her tattered clothes.
Flora Bloom took out some spiritual water to give her, but Cynthia’s eyes were closed and she was trembling all over. In her unconscious state, she couldn’t even open her mouth. Flora touched her forehead; it was as scorching hot as a flame.
The little piranha plant, nestled against Cynthia Grant’s chest, also looked listless. Its newly grown petals were half-charred again.
She recalled what Vert had told her.
The injured superpower user was a Fire Ability User, and he had originally been going after Hector Grant. But what did Hector Grant do? Instead of having his own superpower users intervene, he grabbed his own daughter, Cynthia Grant, and used her as a shield.
If the little piranha plant hadn’t blocked the full-force attack from that Second Level Fire Ability User, the completely defenseless Cynthia Grant would have already met her maker.
Not giving up, the superpower user lunged forward and bit Cynthia Grant on the arm.
Seeing that Cynthia Grant had been bitten, the four leaders finally conferred and decided to send her to quarantine along with the others.
"Cynthia Grant! If you want to live, open your mouth for me!" Flora Bloom pried open Cynthia Grant’s mouth and forced mouthful after mouthful of spiritual water inside.
Then, she treated the wound on her arm.
Thankfully, as a Middle Level superpower user, Cynthia Grant’s constitution was stronger than that of an ordinary user. Even after being bitten by a superpower user who hadn’t fully turned, she showed no signs of changing.
After drinking a good amount of spiritual water, Cynthia Grant gradually regained consciousness, but her body temperature was still frighteningly high.
She opened her eyes, and as soon as she recognized Flora Bloom’s face, her vision blurred with tears. Sobbing uncontrollably, she collapsed into Flora Bloom’s arms, her body still trembling violently.
"He’s my own father... and he doesn’t love me at all!"