Three hours had passed since Jelian and Nandi left Corredith. Luckily, they didn't encounter any wild animals along the way. Nandi fell asleep on the back sofa, followed by Jelian from the front.
Wyden was somewhat impressed. He had a nightmare, but he was fast asleep, as if he hadn't slept in months, like when a husband comes home after a long, exhausting day.
From his face, you could tell that Jelian was just a teenage boy with a face full of kindness and innocence. Was this the same boy who killed Andre, one of the leaders of Calvin's gang? Was this the same boy who appeared with a hideous and frightening appearance, as if he had emerged from the demon world? Was this the same boy who always wore a look of arrogance, coldness, and indifference, as if he were a military man in his late teens, having killed many people?
All these questions were running through Aiden's mind as he drove his truck in the middle of the dark road, with nothing visible except the truck's headlights.
But that didn't last long. Moments later, Aiden smiled after seeing multiple, dim lights arranged in a row, some red and some yellow. As he drew closer, the features of what he was seeing in the distance became clear.
He had reached his destination, Osiroh.
Osiroh is a small city surrounded by a huge iron wall. The top of the walls is covered with barbed wire. There are guards stationed along the wall. In the middle is a huge iron gate, with watchtowers on each side, each guarded by two armed men, who are monitored 24/7.
Aiden reached out to wake Jelian, and when she opened her eyes and woke up slightly, he noticed the building, the wall, and the lights. He knew immediately that they had reached their destination.
He turned around to wake his sister, and Nandi quickly woke up, perhaps because she had been asleep for a long time.
"Huh?, ...Are we there yet?" Nandi groaned and rubbed her eyes.
Jelian smiled back. "Yes, we're here!"
Aiden gestured to the watchtower guards. The guard received the signal, recognized it, and ordered the door to be opened.
The doors opened by sliding sideways in two opposite directions. A moment later, each gate moved apart, revealing the city.
The city's interior became visible. The lighting was so intense that Jelian and Nandi's eyes couldn't bear it, and they covered their eyes.
Aiden then entered the truck. As he entered, a guard greeted him by the gate, calling from afar: "Welcome back, Captain Aiden!"
Nandi raised her eyes after getting used to the light and saw a sight she'd never dreamed of in Corredith.
It was a city, a real city, with people, cars, and shop lights! There were some people walking on the street who looked completely normal, of all ages and genders. Some even drove their cars in the same lane as the truck she was riding in.
The shop lights were bright, and people could be seen inside, smiling, laughing, and rejoicing. Of course, the sounds of the streets were familiar.
"It's life! We're back to life!" That sentence was imprinted on her mind, and tears trickled down her cheeks. Her cheeks reddened, and she smiled a wide smile she'd never smiled before. Her facial muscles began sending out pain signals, but her brain, of course, wouldn't receive that signal.
"Welcome to Osiroh," Aiden opened with this sentence after seeing how happy Nandi was to see the city.
"Yes..." Nandi replied, trying to wipe her eyes, which were pouring a fountain of tears. She ends, unable to stop herself from smiling intensely.
Even Jelian was amazed as she looked at the city with the face of a child seeing a video game for the first time. He had lived in a city for more than a year.
But not just any city; a dead city, inhabited by monsters.
He inspected every part of the city, fighting and savaging anyone who entered it.
But now the situation was completely different. It was as if the torment had gone away after seeing Nandi's wide smile and her tears of joy at the sight. Surely everything he had done had earned her.
But all the joy and happiness quickly turned to fear and tension, which filled Jelian's face.
Because Nandi, who was staring ahead with tears streaming down her cheeks, was bleeding from her nose, even dripping without her noticing.
"...Nandi... your nose is bleeding," Jelian said in a slightly soft but audible voice.
"Huh?" Nandi turned to him first, then tilted her head down and noticed the drips beneath her. She wiped her hand over her mouth and nose, covering all her fingers in red.
Aiden noticed this and asked, "Are you okay?"
But Nandi, shocked, didn't respond.
"...Oh, Jelian, my stomach feels..." Nandi began clutching her stomach tightly. Suddenly, Nandi spat out a large amount of blood onto the side of the road, which startled both Jelian and Aiden.
"Naats ... Jelian screamed and jumped into the back seat.
Aiden turned forward and pressed down hard on the accelerator, saying, "Hold on tight!" The truck moved quickly, avoiding some vehicles on the road.
Ten minutes later, Aiden arrived at the city's medical center at the emergency entrance. He signaled to the guards standing at the entrance and asked for a patient transport vehicle.
The men brought the vehicle, and Aiden and the medical team successfully carried Nandi and placed her inside. She was still coughing up blood, rubbing her stomach, and flapping her legs, feeling severe pain.
In a quick moment, the medical team moved in carrying the vehicle, followed by Jelian and Nandi.
The medical team entered the emergency room and transferred her to one of the beds. Two nurses arrived. One was short, with black hair tied back, and the other was slightly taller, with medium-length blonde hair.
The nurses began to insert a heart monitor.
Moments later, the doctor arrived quickly. She was middle-aged, but still as beautiful as her youth, with her silky black hair protruding.
The doctor placed her stethoscope against Nandi's chest while simultaneously watching the screen to read the data.
The data showed the percentage of it was unimaginable, between 215 and 234 beats per minute. This is an astronomical number that no human body can tolerate, to the point that the doctor's face, which had been frozen for two years, turned completely pale.
At the same time, the blonde nurse cut open the sweater Nandi was wearing, revealing red and sometimes purple areas scattered across the lower right side of her abdomen.
The other nurse tried to insert the anesthesia mask over her mouth, but it quickly filled with blood, preventing her from inserting the tube.
This meant that her airway might be bloody or blocked. In either case, she wouldn't be able to receive the anesthetic.
The doctor was forced to inject an anesthetic needle into Nandi's forearm, and the doctor called for the patient to be rushed into the operating room for urgent surgery.
"Nandeeee!!" Jelian shouted loudly, his face filled with worry.
"You have to stay. Don't worry. We'll take care of your sister." The doctor stopped him.
"No, no! No! No!..." Jelian didn't respond and tried to stop the medical staff from moving.
The medical staff tried to grab him and push him away, but Jelian was stronger. He grabbed Aiden and dragged him away, yelling, "Get your act together!"
Jelian looked at Aiden with a worried and confused expression, then looked down the corridor as the trolley sped away.
For the first time in over a year, Jelian didn't know what to do or how to react. He stood helplessly watching his injured sister, but he couldn't do anything.
"Come on... let's sit over there," Aiden said in a low voice, holding Jelian's hand. They both sat down.
All Jelian could think about was his sister, but he didn't feel the helplessness that prevented him from doing anything.
Minutes later, Aiden's phone rang as he sat next to him. He took out his phone and saw the name, then stood up and walked outside.
"I'll be back soon." Aiden waved and left the center.
Jelian watched Aiden leave with a tired expression, as if he had lost his purpose in life.
Jelian sat there, confused and frozen in place for a while. Ever since Nandi entered the operating room, he had done nothing.
Those few minutes felt like years, and what bothered him most was his inability to do anything to help her. This was the first time in months that he hadn't done anything.
Moments later, the doctor who had been helping Nandi in the emergency room suddenly appeared before him, standing in front of him. "Is that girl who just came in your sister?!"
"...Huh?...Oh!...Yes...Yes, she's my sister." Jelian was initially surprised, but then understood her question.
"Okay, this is Dr. Clark. Can you tell me your name?" She sat down next to Jelian.
"Uh...My name is Farouk Jelian, and my sister is Farouk Nandi."
"You have a beautiful name," she said with a smile.
"Is my sister going to be okay?"
"Your sister is bleeding heavily, and some of the blood has reached her esophagus." Her expression became slightly formal.
"...Isn't that serious?"
"She's currently undergoing surgery under Dr. Harris. It's going to be okay, and when the surgery is over, you can visit her."
Jelian calmed down a little, but still worried.
"Here, she's saying, 'You're supposed to say thank you.'"
"Ah... yes, thank you! Thank you."
"But tell me, what caused this terrible bleeding? Do you know how she sustained that injury? I've never seen anyone with that many pulses in my life?" She frowned, remembering the data she'd seen before.
"... no! There was nothing wrong with her! From the moment we left Coredith and came in here, she was completely normal. Nothing was wrong."
"... well, has anything like this happened before?"
"Yes, a lot! Especially since that day, she was coughing up a lot of blood, and it was difficult to move around. That was in the beginning. But in the past few months, she's gotten healthier since we found our home. She no longer coughs so much, and she's healthier."
"Well, most of the patients here are from the disaster 15 months ago. There are a lot of people whose bodies can't tolerate the radiation, so we keep them in constant care until their bodies get used to it."
"...So the reason Nandi's coughing up blood is because her body can't handle the radiation?"
"It's a good possibility, but we'll know after she gets out of surgery."
"...Okay." Jelian's mind calmed down completely, as if she'd found an answer to her question.
"...I saw you were standing with Aiden."
"Huh?"
"Everyone in town knows him and calls him Captain Aiden. Did he tell you how advanced the city is?"
"...Yes! He even bragged about it," he said bitterly to his face.
"Ahahaha, he'd definitely be bragging. Did he tell you about the system here and how it works?"
"Huh? What system?"
"Didn't he tell you about the Social Points system?"
"...No, I didn't hear him say anything."
After that, Dr. Clarke turned and leaned her body toward Jelian, and began lecturing Jelian about the system.
"Well, care, treatment, and any service here isn't free! We don't have the capacity to provide for everyone's needs for free."
"So, the highest payment is money?"
"No, not money. Its points. The Mayor and Captain Aiden have come up with an excellent plan. Simply put, if you want a service, you have to do it for the city in return, even if you don't have money. This includes anything: education, repairs, and any job that helps. Instead of earning wages, you'll earn points, which you can use to access services. Your sister will receive full care, but you'll have to compensate with points!"
"...Okay, so what do I do?" Jelian listened carefully, seriously considering how to help her sister.
"You can..."
"No need! You'll come with me to earn your points." Aiden suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Hey! Don't tell me you're going to drag this boy with you on missions!!!" Clarke lashed out at Aiden.
"What's the problem? He managed to survive alone outside for over a year."
"Have you lost your mind?!! I can't believe you're saying that."
"Well, there's one thing you won't believe: you don't know what the boy is capable of." He and Jelian both left the hospital, leaving Dr. Clarke puzzled. But she gave up and went back to work.
In the truck he was driving, Jelian began to wonder what was going on. "What do you mean by 'getting points?'"
"You want points for healing your sister, right? You're coming with me on a mission. Special missions for the Task Force offer a lot of points."
"...and what mission?"
"I have volunteer service members who went on a mission to retrieve civilians from Pycos City, but they're stuck there because of ferocious monsters, and they've run out of ammo. Now they're asking for help. You're coming with the backup team."
The truck arrived at the assembly area near the city gate. Several volunteer soldiers, some of them experienced, were standing next to military and armored transport trucks.
Aiden and Jelian got out and were greeted by the volunteer soldiers.
"Is everyone ready?!" Aiden shouted.
"Yes!!" they responded loudly.
"Let's save our people!" Aiden said as he climbed into the truck.
Aiden and the volunteer soldiers got in, followed by Jelian. Two trucks drove out of Osiroh's city walls on this dark road.
Inside the military transport truck, six soldiers sat on the bench by the back door. Behind them were three higher-ranking officers from the special unit called the Special Radiator Forces (SRF), who possessed superhuman abilities. In the middle, closest to the driver's seat, sat Aiden, the captain of this operation, with Jelian beside him.
One of the squad officers noticed Jelian's presence and began to wonder about his presence: "Hey, Captain Aiden, do you allow children to accept outside missions? What were you thinking?"
"Oh, right, I didn't know you yet..." Aiden paused to light his cigarette.
"This boy is Jelian, and he'll be our new B-member with the force," Aiden said, introducing Jelian to his squad.
"Jelian, let me introduce you to some of the people you'll be working with from now on. First, former Army Major Marco Bianchi and his close friend Luciano Rossi."
"Hello, boy," Bianchi replied with a slight smile.
"Hello," Rossi nodded.
Luciano Rossi was a man with fair skin, a square jaw, a thick, dark mustache, but a light beard. His wavy, black hair was medium-length, framing his forehead and curling back at the sides. He had dark eyes with a focused, somewhat serious expression.
Marco Bianchi had a friendly, energetic appearance. He had a muscular, athletic build, particularly his prominent arms and broad chest. He had a square face with prominent cheekbones, a light beard, dark eyes, and short, black hair.
Rossi and Bianchi had been close friends for years. They had joined the army at the same time, and quickly became friends. They were together throughout their careers, even when they parted ways and became first lieutenants.
On the day of the Great Disaster, each of the Rossi Bianchi and Ariello was on a special mission, each in a different region. By chance, the two regions were close together. After several encounters and events, they met Eden and became his subordinates.
"And here we have a super-radiator, Omar Al-Fahd," Eden continued, introducing his squad.
Omar is a friendly-looking young man with a slightly elongated face, prominent cheekbones, and a thin chin. He has large, round eyes, thick, wide eyebrows, and short, dark hair that is slightly disheveled and slightly messy.
Omar traveled extensively from one city to another in search of work. He didn't want to complete his studies and focused on getting married early. After the Great Disaster, his experience allowed him to easily adapt to new and different environments and situations, even joining an inexperienced armed group to survive. However, he did not survive, and Omar remained alone until he encountered Eden at Osiro.
"Hey, are you really going to join our squad?" Omar asked Jelian curiously.
"That's what he said," Jelian replied coldly, not even turning to him as he pointed at Aiden.
"Can Jelian really fight with us?" Omar frowned slightly and directed his question at Aiden.
"You guys won't believe it, but he beat Andre from Calvin's gang all by himself."
"What??!" The truck exploded with their voices, their faces filled with shock after hearing what Aiden had said.
"Are you kidding us?" Bianchi asked.
"Seriously, Aiden, how can a small body take down that giant arm?" Rossi was confused and asked Aiden.
"I didn't actually see the whole fight. I came in too late, and he had already taken him down."
"So that means he has an ability. What's your ability, Jelian?" After some thought, Omar turned to Jelian.
"...Ah... my ability..." Jelian hesitated in his answer. It's impossible to say my ability is to regenerate my organs so easily.
"His ability is that he can harden his body. Despite his small size, it's solid and won't be affected even if a tank were dropped on it." Aiden answered quickly, concealing Jelian's true ability.
Everyone was shocked, including Jelian himself. Aiden came up with a better idea to avoid causing problems for himself in the future.
The others wanted to know what had happened to them in Coredith, and then Aiden began explaining what had happened to him since his arrival in Coredith and his encounters with Jelian and Andrei along the way, from his perspective.