In front of the live broadcast screen, the comment feed scrolled faster than anyone could read.
> : So the system really collected Lucas' childhood memories and formed Young Lucas from them? That explains why he knew about the diary compartment!
: Wait, wait. What if what Young Lucas wrote... were actually Lucas' own thoughts all along?
: No way. Lucas has been strange since he was a kid, hasn't he?
: Then someone PLEASE explain the candy he gave to the ghost girl!
: Kids like sweets. Lucas has always been great with children.
: Right. Because giving candy is the same as handing over a set of Hannibal's utensils?
While players debated Lucas' motives, the real danger inside the dungeon hadn't stopped. If anything, it was escalating.
---
"Does the dean's ability come from these so-called 'angels'?" Lucas muttered under his breath, still piecing the clues together. "All signs point back to her."
He stood still for a moment, the back of his kitchen knife gently tapping his chin — a habit when he was deep in thought.
"I succeeded last time because I caught her off guard. This time? Not a chance. I'll need to be absolutely prepared."
---
Meanwhile, in the halls below, the headmistress flexed her new body.
After failing to locate Lucas on the first floor, she ascended toward the third, footsteps deliberate and echoing.
Her gown was stained in blood. The flesh around her neck hadn't fully healed. Her entire figure looked unholy.
She walked slowly, the smile on her lips ever-present and eerily calm.
"There's no use hiding," she whispered to the air, her voice silk-soft but venom-laced.
"In my orphanage… you can run, but I'll always find you."
---
Back in the infirmary-turned-holding room...
The captain lay sprawled across a cot, his bloated belly rising like a balloon beneath his shirt.
"This is the most messed-up 'pregnancy' I've ever seen…" he groaned. "Who the hell coded this nonsense?!"
He gritted his teeth as another wave of discomfort hit.
They had watched Chloe die. But no system elimination notice ever popped up.
The captain's voice cracked with rage.
"Chloe and Ellie should've been dead! But this damn game didn't eliminate them. It wanted to kill us too!"
Sister Natalie pressed a hand against her own stomach, which had begun to bulge unnaturally.
She glanced at the captain and whispered, "Do you regret it?"
He sighed deeply.
"I do... but if I'd run, I wouldn't be worthy of being called Captain."
Unlike the others who were already half-conscious from exhaustion and vomiting, Natalie and the captain still managed to speak — barely.
But no one dared eat healing items. They remembered too clearly what had emerged from Chloe.
The image of the headmistress crawling from her body was seared into their memories.
The captain shuddered.
"The whole squad's wiped... No, Jason made the right call by leaving."
Natalie gave a bitter laugh.
"And we? We're just waiting for our stomachs to explode like fireworks."
The captain's face turned green at the thought.
The other three players lay sprawled nearby, barely moving after hours of vomiting and dry heaving. They had fallen into a kind of fevered sleep.
Then...
Click.
The sound of a turning doorknob snapped Natalie and the captain to alertness.
They turned toward the door — and gasped.
"Jason?"
"Jason!?"
The door creaked open.
Standing there — Lucas.
A soft smile spread across his face. "You guys okay?"
> : That heartless traitor Lucas is back?!
: He just remembered his teammates exist?!
: Bro, what's the point? They've all got mini-deans in their bellies! What can you even do now?
Lucas stepped inside, his gaze sweeping the room.
> [Player: Captain — Danger Level: High]
[Captain's Belly — Danger Level: Moderate]
[Player: Natalie — Approaching High-Level Danger]
[Natalie's Belly — Approaching Critical State]
[Player: Mark — Low-Level Danger]
[Mark's Belly — High-Level Danger]
[...]
"Everyone's weakened," Lucas observed silently. "And the belly danger levels are inconsistent..."
He walked in further, doing his best to ignore the stench of vomit and blood in the air.
"Jason… You're really back!" the captain choked out, sitting up in disbelief. In his excitement, he accidentally tugged at his stomach and grimaced in pain — but his eyes were bright.
"I knew it. I knew you weren't a cold-blooded bastard!"
Even Natalie cracked a tired smile.
"There's no point in you coming back now... But I'm still happy you did."
Lucas rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish look.
The captain waved him off. "Go! Don't let the dean find you. She's... she's not human anymore. You're our last hope."
But Lucas shook his head.
"Don't worry. I'm not leaving again."
He opened his system interface and dumped all his remaining points into medical items.
Everyone watched, stunned.
"I'm going to perform a C-section."
Captain: ??
Natalie: ??
Lucas looked at their shocked faces and added,
"Don't panic. It's to prevent the dean from spawning again. I can stop it before it reaches full term."
Seeing their hesitation, Lucas spoke calmly.
"The fetal stage is the least dangerous. Once it matures, you're done for."
He pulled out a surgical mask, his eyes narrowing.
"You'll need to accept the risk of hemorrhaging and infection... But it's better than dying while waiting."
The captain's face went pale. His excitement from moments earlier shattered.
Was this... all an illusion?
Was Lucas simply here to cut them open?
Natalie, after a long pause, finally nodded.
"It's better to try than sit here waiting to burst. I accept the risk."
Lucas' eyes — barely visible over the mask — crinkled.
"Good. Voluntary consent makes this much easier."
He prepared the tools with deft hands. Clean scalpel. Suture thread. Disinfection spray.
The live stream exploded again.
> : OH MY GOD HE'S ACTUALLY GOING TO OPERATE
: THIS MAN BOUGHT A C-SECTION KIT??
: JASON ISN'T COLD-BLOODED, HE'S ICE-BLOODED
: Mad respect. He might just save them.
The captain looked down, his hands trembling.
Natalie looked at the ceiling, face pale but resolute.
"Let's do it, Doc."
Lucas nodded once and lowered the scalpel.
Behind his calm eyes, a glint of unease flashed.
There was no room for mistakes.
And time was running out.
----------------------------
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