Jason’s mind exploded with a loud buzz. He stared down at Isaac’s ashen gray face, his heart twisting painfully in his chest.

Just moments ago, Isaac had still been smiling at him.

How long had it been? How had things suddenly become like this?

"Doctor Riato, please, you have to save my uncle!" Jason’s voice cracked sharply, his eyes bloodshot.

Riato said nothing. He merely pulled several more silver needles from the medicine case and rapidly inserted them into Isaac’s arm, shoulder, and chest.

Each needle made Isaac’s body twitch faintly.

Standing beside the bed, Jason watched his uncle’s chest rise and fall faster and faster. He watched the sweat gathering heavily on Riato’s forehead.

Something inside him felt as though it were collapsing bit by bit.

"I can only stabilize his condition temporarily."

At last, Riato stopped moving. He lifted his head to look at Jason and sighed deeply.

Jason saw it clearly... The helplessness in his eyes.

"That arm...most likely can’t be saved." Riato’s voice was low and weary. "If the infection continues spreading...even his life..."

He did not finish the sentence. He had already done everything he could. After that acid rain disaster, far too many people had died from infection.

Isaac’s injury was already extremely severe. The fact that he had managed to find Riato in time and could potentially survive by sacrificing one arm was already considered fortunate.

Tears instantly surged into Jason’s eyes.

"Isn’t there any other way...?" he muttered hoarsely. "There has to be another way to save him, right? Does he really have to lose an arm?"

He stared at Isaac’s gray face, feeling as though his heart were being crushed over and over again.

Riato did not answer. He simply lowered his head and continued treating the wound.

The truth was too cruel. He did not want to crush Jason further. This was already the best solution he could think of.

Unless heaven itself performed a miracle.

But... How could something like that possibly happen?

The atmosphere inside the room grew unbearably heavy.

Then suddenly—

Bang!

The door burst open violently from outside.

Robert strode into the room at full speed, the buttons on his camouflage jacket barely fastened, his cap crooked to one side as though he had sprinted here without stopping.

His gaze swept over Riato, then Jason, before finally landing on the man lying motionless on the bed.

He froze completely.

"Dad..." Robert’s voice came out so hoarse it was almost inaudible.

A few minutes earlier, the guards outside had heard the commotion inside the room and immediately rushed to notify him.

Robert had come as fast as he could, but he had never imagined he would walk into a scene like this.

On the bed, Isaac remained unconscious, eyes shut tight, breathing shallow and strained.

Robert walked to the bedside and slowly crouched down, gripping his father’s uninjured hand tightly.

"Doctor Riato...my father..." Robert looked toward Riato.

Riato sighed heavily. "The infection spread. I’ve stabilized him for the moment, but the arm cannot be saved. If it continues spreading, even his life..."

Again, he did not finish the sentence. He did not need to. Everyone in the room understood.

Robert fell silent for a very long time.

No one understood the terror of that bizarre acid rain better than he did.

Back then, many of his own brothers-in-arms had died because of it.

They had gone through countless hardships to reach A City and find Riato, all for the sake of saving Isaac.

...Forget it. As long as his father could survive, that alone would already be enough.

Robert accepted it.

"There isn’t much time left. Make your decision quickly," Riato urged quietly.

Robert nodded. After a long silence, he finally said in a low voice, "Doctor Riato, do it your way."

Jason’s eyes were red. "Bro...are we really...really going to sacrifice Uncle’s arm?"

"There’s no other choice now."

Robert looked calm on the surface, but both fists hanging at his sides were clenched so tightly the veins stood out sharply beneath his skin.

Jason refused to accept it.

He stared at Isaac’s gray, lifeless face, his thoughts spinning wildly.

He did not believe this was the end. He did not believe his uncle had to lose an arm. He refused to believe there was no medicine in this world capable of saving him.

Then suddenly... Suzy came to mind again.

Suzy’s medicine!

If her medicine could heal him, then maybe...maybe it could heal his uncle too!

Jason felt as though he had grabbed hold of a final lifeline.

"Wait! Rob, wait!"

He practically shouted the words, his voice frantic and shaking.

"Let me go find Suzy! She’ll definitely have a way. She healed my injury. Maybe she can heal Uncle too! I’m going right now!"

To prove himself, he bent down and yanked up his pant leg, shoving the already-scarred wound directly in front of Robert.

Robert lowered his eyes to the injury. His brows furrowed faintly, but he said nothing.

"Rob, did you see that?" Jason’s voice trembled violently. "I was infected by the acid rain too, but after Suzy put medicine on it, it healed. It’s already healing!"

"Uncle’s injury is worse, but what if her medicine actually works? What if it does?!"

Robert looked at him silently, lips moving slightly as though he wanted to speak, but Jason cut him off before he could.

"Just wait for me a little longer! I’m going to get Suzy right now! I’ll be back soon. If her medicine doesn’t work, I swear I won’t stop you anymore!"

Jason rushed toward the door in a panic, nearly tripping over himself as he stumbled forward.

"Just wait for me! I’ll be right back!"

He yanked the door open and sprinted out.

Once Jason disappeared, only Robert and Riato remained in the room.

Robert stood there in silence for a moment before glancing at the unconscious Isaac on the bed. Then he slowly turned toward Riato.

"...What exactly did Jason mean by that?"

He knew Suzy had helped Jason before, but he had no idea Jason had also been infected.

Thinking back now, Jason’s strange reaction moments earlier suddenly seemed far too unusual.

"Jason said he was infected by the acid rain too. His wound was still rotting this morning, but by the afternoon it had already healed over."

Riato spoke slowly, his tone measured.

"He said a senior from his school applied some ointment to it. In just over an hour, the wound had scabbed over into what you saw earlier."

Robert frowned as he recalled Jason’s injury. He had not looked closely, but...there had indeed been a layer of fresh scabbing over it.

"In a little over an hour?" His voice carried obvious disbelief. "An acid rain infection healing in just over an hour?"

He had seen countless infected wounds himself. Recovery like that simply did not exist.

If healing were truly that fast, so many people would not have died.

"Maybe he was only lightly exposed," Robert said.

That was the most reasonable explanation.

Riato nodded in agreement. "That’s very possible."

He had treated many infected patients already. Those who recovered faster were usually people who had only come into contact with the acid rain without severe exposure through open wounds.

Riato stepped forward, preparing to continue the surgical treatment for Isaac. But Robert suddenly stopped him with a hand against his arm.

"Not yet."

Riato frowned immediately, displeasure flashing across his face.

"Robert, neither of us has met this so-called senior. We have no idea whether her medicine works or not. Commander Hunter’s injury cannot afford delays. Every minute wasted allows the infection to spread further. If we keep waiting, forget his arm—even his life may be lost."

"Wait a little longer." Robert’s voice was quiet but firm.

Riato lifted his eyes and stared directly into Robert’s.

The two men held each other’s gaze for several seconds before Riato finally looked away. He stepped back and folded his arms across his chest.

"How long?" he asked coldly.

Robert glanced toward the doorway, then at Isaac lying unconscious on the bed.

His complexion remained grayish blue. His breathing was still ragged and rapid.

But at least he was alive.

Robert gritted his teeth.

"Ten minutes. We wait ten minutes."

He chose to believe Jason.

If Suzy truly possessed the ability Jason claimed she did, then Isaac would not have to lose an arm.

Riato said nothing more. He merely walked over to the window and stood there with his back to Robert, staring silently at the dim gray sky outside.

Robert knew he was unhappy about the decision, but he had no other choice.

Time passed second by second.