Chapter 53: Forty Degrees

"What? Your clothes are contaminated. Any body fluid that touches the air will oxidize and turn toxic airborne."

"In some people, especially children or those with weak immune systems, it can cause a terrible cough and nausea. In the worst cases, pneumonia and death." Delilah spoke in the same steady tone.

"It is safer to remove every surface that came into contact with the Devourer’s fluids."

Gideon’s eyes widened and he immediately began removing his robe. Now he understood why she had stepped back from him earlier, and embarrassment crept up his neck when he remembered what he had briefly assumed.

How could he even think like that?

He shook his head and pulled off his ruined shirt. Before he could continue, Delilah stopped him.

"Wait. Let’s move somewhere more secluded first."

He nodded without argument and followed her. She led him toward the partially destroyed building, putting distance between them and the Devourer’s corpse. They stopped beneath a damaged overhang that offered shade and privacy from the open battlefield.

"Now you can continue."

Her eyes stayed fixed on him with sharp focus. It unsettled him more than if she had shown any fluster.

He leaned down to remove his pants, leaving only his underwear.

"Are you sure you need to see this?" he asked awkwardly.

His upper body was already exposed when the acid had melted most of his robe and shirt. She had seen enough of his torso already. His trousers were no better, and his underwear was stained with dried blue blood. He knew it had to come off.

Delilah’s face flushed for a few seconds before she cleared her throat. "Unfortunately, yes. I need to make sure you are fine. Step closer when you are done. I have to examine you properly."

"Alright."

He removed the last piece of clothing and stepped forward.

He let out a quiet sigh. If this were any other situation, this would have been something else entirely, like something steamy hot. Instead, he was being looked at like a specimen under observation.

He did not know much about Delilah, but he was certain she was once a scientist. The way she explained toxins, the way she remained calm during chaos, and now the way she observed him without distraction.

It reminded him too much of hospital rooms. Of doctors pressing his limbs and asking about symptoms while writing notes. Of being studied like a complicated case rather than treated like a person.

It had the same look.

"Stay still," Delilah said. "Don’t move unless I tell you."

He nodded.

She took his hand and pressed firmly into his palm, checking circulation and muscle response. Then she moved to his wrist, feeling his pulse. Her thumb pressed into his forearm, then along his upper arm. She stepped closer and placed her hand against his chest, observing his breathing pattern and put her head on it, listening to his steady breath.

Her eyebrows slowly drew together. That was enough to make him uneasy.

"Is something wrong with my body?" he asked quietly.

"Do you feel hot?" she asked, finally meeting his eyes.

He tilted his head slightly. "We are standing in the desert."

"That is not what I mean." She exhaled softly. "Your body temperature is elevated. You are running a fever. Your skin feels unusually warm. Do you feel dizzy? Lightheaded? Confused?"

He shook his head. "No. I feel completely normal."

That was the strange part. He had not noticed anything wrong. When he placed his own hand against his chest, he could feel warmth, but it did not feel overwhelming. Not like the fevers he used to endure back in his old world.

Freya hadn’t noticed either, though she had been too overwhelmed to pay attention. Delilah moved her hand to his neck and then his forehead, confirming her observation.

"You are burning," she said quietly.

"Your body temperature is about forty degrees Celsius, Gideon.If you were an infant, you would already be convulsing. Even a healthy adult would likely collapse at that temperature." Delilah’s voice was steady, but her eyes were sharp.

"Yes, our baseline temperatures are slightly higher than the old world’s standards because of solar radiation and environmental adaptation. But you are not normal. Your muscles feel... dense. Like reinforced fibers. When I hold your hand, I can feel a vibration under your skin. It isn’t your pulse. It isn’t blood flow."

Her fingers pressed lightly against his wrist again, as if confirming what she felt.

"You feel like something was made. Like..." She trailed off, her voice too low for him to catch the rest.

She straightened and rubbed her temple. "Anyway, you should rest. And I hope you’ll be more honest with me about yourself. I know you don’t have amnesia."

Gideon frowned. Honest?

He looked down at his own body. It was his. It felt like his. But hearing her describe it that way unsettled him.

He hadn’t noticed the fever. He hadn’t noticed the regeneration speeding up. He hadn’t noticed anything strange because to him, it all felt normal. He isn’t weird, a freak, or something manmade.

Delilah was wrong.

"I don’t agree with you," he said at last, crossing his arms.

"Honesty? What does honesty even bring in a world like this? And I’m not lying about amnesia. I don’t know anything about this world. I didn’t even know people could have superpowers, let alone cults that sacrifice humans to aberrants."

His jaw tightened. "So don’t press me. I saved all of you. At least say thank you before interrogating me."

There it was. The irritation he’d been holding back.

Could someone like him even exist here? A guy with a system from another world, leveling up like it was a game?

He was alone in that truth.

Delilah’s irises trembled slightly. The firmness in her posture cracked.

"I’m sorry," she said quickly. "I didn’t mean it like that."

She inhaled slowly, steadying herself.

"I was terrified. When that Devourer swallowed you, my heart stopped. I know what happens inside those things. Even if someone manages to kill one from the inside, the acid, the pressure... survival is almost impossible. I was already preparing myself for your death."

Her voice softened. "So if I sounded like I was accusing you, I wasn’t. I was scared and now I was angry that I didn’t know your power at all, that you could survive all of this."

"But now, the only thing that matters to me is that you’re alive."

She looked straight at him now. "I should’ve communicated better instead of sounding like I was scolding you for surviving. I’m sorry."

Gideon stared at her for a moment. He’d been wrong again. He thought she was suspicious of him, angry that she couldn’t control or take advantage of his power sooner and would always look at him like he was different. Instead, she’d just been afraid.

A small laugh escaped him.

"It’s alright," he said. "But if we’re talking about honesty, then you need to tell me about the lab in your bunker. And what your real profession is, Delilah. It feels like we barely know each other."

Delilah’s shoulders relaxed, and a faint smile appeared.

"You’re right. We don’t know anything about each other." Her eyes held him a little longer than necessary. "So why don’t we start changing that?"

It was like a green light for Gideon to be closer to her. His heart was beating in excitement, but before he could even answer it, the voice of the car getting closer could be heard continuing with:

"Damn. You two couldn’t even wait to get a room??" It was Jade.