Chapter 144 - 132: Back to the Hospital

Flora Bloom was a little dazed. She had poured an entire bottle of spiritual water down his throat, and the bruises on her brother’s face and the small cuts on his arms had healed. So why was he still semiconscious, crying out in pain from time to time?

Cynthia Grant was a military doctor. Despite her youth, she was well-versed in treating injuries from falls and blows, as well as open and closed fractures.

"A displaced fibula fracture and ruptured tendons. The wound is too old. The blood vessels and fascia have stiffened and sealed off. Setting it by hand is impossible. He needs surgery to reset the bone."

Neal Wallace was a cardiologist. Using a stethoscope he’d just swiped from the obstetrics and gynecology department, he listened to Joel Bloom’s chest. Then, he carefully cut open Joel’s shirt with a dagger and began to press gently with his fingers.

He continued until he pressed a certain spot on Joel Bloom’s chest, drawing a pained grunt from the young man.

Neal Wallace’s brow furrowed. "Broken ribs. We need an X-ray to determine how many, but my initial assessment is no fewer than two."

Suppressing the fire in her chest, Flora Bloom saw that her brother was responding. She poured another bottle of spiritual water down his throat, and this time, Joel Bloom began to regain some consciousness.

"Sis, Mom, Dad, you came for me!" After a month of mental and physical torment, the sight of his family suddenly appearing beside him made Joel Bloom break down and cry like a child. Each sob, however, pulled at the injuries in his chest, sending waves of intense pain through him. In moments, his face grew even paler, drained of all color.

Kyle Warren and the others inside hadn’t seen what was happening at the door. When they saw the gate break open without any zombies pouring in, they were ecstatic. They paid no mind to the people who had rushed in to surround Joel Bloom.

’Looks like this group has cleared out the zombies outside! This is the perfect opportunity!’

And so, the group led by Kyle Warren decided to take advantage of the fact that Flora Bloom’s people were too preoccupied to notice them. They began to sneak toward the door, waiting for a chance to escape.

"Vert, watch them. If anyone tries to run, chop off their legs!"

Flora Bloom’s voice was ice-cold and laced with killing intent. She had no doubt that they were responsible for the horrific state Joel was in.

At first, the men didn’t understand what the girl meant. Not until a portly woman continued to edge toward the door, and a sickening SLASH echoed through the room.

Blood splattered onto the walls of the first floor and across the faces and clothes of the onlookers.

The portly woman, who had been walking just a moment ago, suddenly collapsed, in too much pain to even scream properly. All she could manage were low, guttural groans.

Vert’s scythe had cleanly severed her thick legs, which now lay on the ground by the door. Within seconds, the woman herself had fainted from the overwhelming pain.

The blood on the floor was still warm, but the hearts of Kyle Warren and his men had turned to ice. They never imagined this giant mantis monster would actually obey the girl’s commands.

Seeing that escape was hopeless, Kyle Warren was driven by a vicious desperation. He hurled a Fireball straight at the back of Flora Bloom’s head.

Before Flora Bloom could even react, Neal Wallace unleashed a much fiercer flame that enveloped the small, pitiful Fireball, absorbing it completely.

Flora Bloom, completely unfazed by the sneak attack, simply smiled sweetly at her brother. "Once you’ve recovered, I’ll let you take your revenge with your own two hands."

Jade and Caleb Bloom stood beside Joel, holding back their tears. Any parent would be heartbroken to see their child so grievously injured.

Flora Bloom turned to Vert. "Cut off his legs."

"Wait, Sis!" Joel Bloom stopped her, forcing her to call Vert off.

"Leave his legs for me. When I’m recovered, I want to do it myself!" Joel Bloom’s face, contorted with hatred as he gritted his teeth, was an expression she had never seen on him before.

Flora Bloom had already scanned the group. Only the man who had just ambushed her had awakened a Fire Element superpower. ’His injuries... chances are, that man is the mastermind.’ "Fine," she said. "We’ll leave his legs. When you’re better, you can take your own revenge."

Joel Bloom looked at Flora. He found it impossible to reconcile the woman before him with the sister he knew. This Flora was decisive and ruthless, capable of commanding a giant mantis monster. Her power was beyond his wildest imagination.

He looked over at Shauna Wallace in the other group, then at a young girl grimacing in pain with tears in her eyes. "Sister, please save them," he said to Flora. Flora followed his gaze to an injured girl of about fifteen or sixteen, and to a stunningly beautiful woman in an office worker’s attire who lay unconscious among the other group.

As her gaze swept over the beautiful woman, she detected a pleasant superpower aura. ’A Healing System, if I’m not mistaken,’ she thought. ’Considering how badly injured Joel is, for him to have clung to life this long... this woman must have played a crucial role.’

"Old Monroe, go carry that beautiful woman over here," Flora Bloom ordered, pointing to the unconscious woman. She then went and picked up the little girl, who was on the ground trying to stifle her tears of pain.

"Open your mouth, little one. Drink this."

Lisa had heard everything that happened, but she had been in too much pain to move. As Flora Bloom lifted her, her face contorted with every slight movement.

She opened her mouth and drank the water Flora gave her. Within seconds, the pain began to subside. A moment later, she stood up by herself and moved her arms and legs, feeling no pain at all. Even all the cuts and bruises she’d accumulated over the past few days were gone. She felt much more energetic!

She ran to Joel Bloom’s side and looked at his still-pale face. "Brother Joel, you have to get better soon! Lisa doesn’t want anything to happen to you!"

Flora Bloom walked over to the beautiful woman and poured a bottle of spiritual water down her throat.

Shauna Wallace gradually regained consciousness, her eyes opening to see an angelic-looking girl smiling kindly at her.

"You’re awake? Quick, absorb these two Crystal Cores. Overexerting your superpower will affect your ability to level up later."

Shauna Wallace, somewhat confused, took the two unusually beautiful, transparent stones. As she held the so-called Crystal Cores in her palm, her long-depleted superpower enveloped the Crystal Stones and streamed toward her brain, helping her to slowly recover.

’She’s self-taught! So she’s a naturally gifted Healing System user.’ Watching Shauna, Flora’s mind began to spin with ideas.

’At a High-level, a single healing spell from a Healing System user could save countless lives. In my past life, they were assets that every base and major organization fought over!’

’Now that she had found one, how could she not have ideas?’

She let Shauna Wallace recover on her own and entrusted Joel Bloom to her parents’ care. Then, she pulled Neal Wallace and Cynthia Grant aside to discuss her brother’s condition.

"Mr. Wallace, be honest with me. How can my brother recover?"

"Multiple rib fractures and an open, displaced fracture of the fibula. Surgery is the only option!"

"Flora," Cynthia began, "Joel’s leg... even with surgery, it might... *cough*... not heal well. You and your parents need to be prepared."

Cynthia Grant and Neal Wallace’s words made Flora Bloom’s heart sink. She had spiritual water that could heal ordinary wounds, but when it came to her brother’s injuries, she was filled with a deep sense of unease.

"For the surgery, we’d need a proper operating room with a full suite of medical equipment. A surgeon, an anesthesiologist, an assistant—we can’t do without any of them." Neal Wallace looked at Flora. "Right now, your brother must not move. His ribs might have already pierced his internal organs. The slightest movement could kill him."