The Natives of This World Are Fierce
Chapter 50 - 49: Four Conscious Survivors
Just then, the phone of someone standing next to Norton suddenly rang.
It was the Los Angeles Chief of Police.
The old police officer took out his old-fashioned phone and answered.
"Yes, that’s right... What did you say?"
The old man’s voice suddenly shot up, causing Norton and the others to frown and look at him.
However, before Norton could speak, the old police officer quickly explained.
"The other four missing people have been found! They’re not fully conscious, but they aren’t in a coma!"
"Where are they!"
Norton stepped forward and snatched the phone, only to find the call had already ended.
"They’re in the isolation ward at the city hospital undergoing a full examination. They’re responsive. We can head over right now."
Upon hearing the old officer’s words, Norton and the others didn’t hesitate.
Aside from leaving a skeleton crew at the crime scene, everyone else got back in their vehicles and headed straight for the city hospital.
The officers on the perimeter only saw this group from the special department arrive in a rush and then leave just as quickly.
...
"When Jack, Joseph, Baru, and Otto were found, they were lying in a remote, undeveloped area."
The police officer outside the isolation ward was one of the patrolmen who had discovered the four survivors.
He was currently briefing the police chief and Norton’s team on the situation.
However, it was clear the chief was no longer the one calling the shots here.
Norton had taken direct command of the conversation.
"Where was the location?"
The officer could clearly read the room and was fully cooperative.
"About twenty meters north of the midpoint of Highway 5."
At that moment, one of the team members produced a map of the Los Angeles outskirts and spread it on the floor of the corridor outside the ward.
Norton took a red pen, tapped a location with it, and looked up at the officer.
"Is it here?"
The officer squatted down as well, carefully examining the map.
Without a word, he took the red pen from Norton’s hand and drew a red circle about a hand’s breadth away from the spot Norton had indicated.
"The precise location is here."
The officer’s action earned him a second look from both Norton and even the Los Angeles Chief of Police.
But the moment passed quickly as their thoughts were consumed by the puzzle at hand.
Norton drew another red circle at the location of Old Ode’s recycling yard, then drew a line connecting the two circles.
Based on the map’s scale, the straight-line distance was over five kilometers.
Norton’s brow furrowed.
’That far? Why were they there?’
This was the question on everyone else’s mind.
Could they have run there?
That was clearly impossible. The doctors had concluded that the only difference between these four and the six who were still comatose was their level of consciousness. Their physical conditions were just as abysmal—forget running, they couldn’t even stand steadily.
"What about the files on these four?"
A team member at his side immediately handed him a tablet displaying the four men’s detailed files.
He immediately skimmed past Jack’s and Joseph’s files, paused briefly on Otto’s, then focused his attention on Baru’s profile.
"Baru Gesenier, codename ’Eagle,’ former Navy SEAL. Veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Participated in Operation Sun Wheel, led the successful ’Jockman Garden Infiltration’... Proficient in jungle warfare, amphibious operations, and small-scale raids..."
The file was heavily redacted, information that would clearly be inaccessible to anyone without sufficient security clearance.
’Impressive!’
That was the first thought that crossed the mind of everyone who saw the file.
He was like the hero of an action movie.
This was a quintessential Iron-blooded Warrior, one of the core members of Hercules Security Company!
A man like him would be a person of interest no matter the circumstances.
Norton was no exception.
Just then, the door to the isolation area’s decontamination chamber opened, and three doctors in full protective gear emerged.
The group immediately surrounded them, asking for an update.
The lead doctor took off his mask.
"Aside from some physical weakness, the patients are in good condition. We found no special infections or parasitic organisms, and they’re lucid enough to communicate. You can go in now."
...
Inside the hospital room, Baru lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
An IV drip was attached to his arm.
His three companions were likely in other rooms nearby. He figured it wouldn’t be long before someone came to question him.
Baru was well aware that his background was unique; they would undoubtedly come to him first.
Sure enough, the door to his room opened.
A group of people dressed head-to-toe in protective gear entered.
Baru scoffed inwardly. He knew his mission was about to begin.
’This will be my first mission for Dawn! Sooner or later, I’ll become a true Silent Knight!’
He glanced at his own clean right hand, his eyes glinting with determination.
’I will earn my Dawn Seal!’
...
As Norton looked at Baru, Baru was also looking back at him.
"I know what you want to ask."
Baru spoke first, before anyone could pose a question.
"But before that, before I recount that terrifying memory, I have a question that I’d like the person in charge here to answer."
Even as he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Norton; he had clearly identified the leader of the group at a glance.
Slightly surprised, Norton wasted no words.
He walked straight to the chair by Baru’s bed and sat down.
"Go ahead."
A flicker of appreciation showed in Baru’s eyes.
’Composed, no bureaucratic doublespeak, no nonsense, and not arrogant. A man of action.’
"Struggling" to sit up in bed, Baru took a deep breath.
"What I saw was definitely not something that can be explained by conventional science. That kind of terror..."
He trailed off, his gaze fixed on Norton.
"Sir, I want to ask... are we... ready? Is our country, the United States, ready to deal with this?"
The question sent a jolt through Norton.
His first thought was of the current state of his department and the nation’s preparedness for such matters.
’We’re not! Not at all! We can’t even get a handle on the situation!’
But he couldn’t say that out loud, especially not as the person in charge.
Then, something occurred to Norton.
’Why would Baru ask that?’
’Shouldn’t a normal person’s reaction be to assume they were involved in an isolated incident? Shouldn’t they be complaining or expressing fear after a narrow escape from death, or else making accusations and unburdening themselves?’
’But Baru’s question... it was as if he knew there would be more incidents like this, even enough to affect things on a national level.’
But no matter how many questions swirled in his mind, Norton chose to answer Baru’s question first.
"Mr. Baru, we are the department specifically responsible for these matters. The United States certainly has the power to handle any threat, but that will require your cooperation."
It was a very official-sounding answer, which was as good as saying nothing at all.
But it gave Baru a good idea of what the real answer was.
In any other context, Norton’s words would have been appropriate. But not this one.
The information implied in Baru’s earlier question was bait, deliberately cast to make a sharp person take it seriously in an instant.
With that as the premise, the weight of the answer to his question would naturally be different.
An official, non-committal answer was the same as no answer, which could also be interpreted as having nothing to say.
’To say that the United States has the power to handle any threat... it seems they likely have no idea what they’re about to face in the future...’
Baru closed his eyes for a moment, the worry in his heart deepening.
PS: Thank you to reader Blood Race Night Blade for the 1,000-coin donation, thank you to readers Dragon Witch and Laozi Bu Meng Da for the 500-coin donation, and thank you to reader Hong Bolin for the 100-coin donation~~
About updates: I usually update two Chapters a day, but due to various factors, the second Chapter is often posted very late. It’s probably better to read it the next day. It’s not that I’m only doing one update without saying so, haha~
Also, about the book’s new title, I don’t know if I can still change it...
On a side note, I just discovered that what I posted for Chapter 46 was actually the draft. The final version is gone, which means a couple of key plot points are missing...
I can’t remember what they were anymore. Even though I added a little back in, it doesn’t have the same feel as the original draft. Sigh. It’s so frustrating. Sometimes inspiration just strikes in an instant and then it’s gone.