Chapter 147 - 135: Everyone, Line Up to Wash Your Hands

But Flora Bloom was pregnant herself, wasn’t she? Chasing, running, jumping, going through hell and high water—none of it made her feel the slightest bit unwell.

Besides, Kyle Warren was a Fire Element, and the Water Element was its natural counter. As they were both level-one superpower users, their superpower-enhanced physical constitutions should be about the same. There was no way Kyle Warren could have hurt her.

That left only one possibility: this Lucia was faking it. Faking weakness, helplessness, and misery. Before they arrived, that pitiful, helpless, weak, and innocent act was a tool she used to make Kyle Warren her protector.

After they arrived, that same frail, pitiful act became a ploy to manipulate them into saving her.

’It seems Dad really does have a talent for spotting fakes. Even before the apocalypse, he thought this woman was bad news.’ But Flora Bloom always had a question. Her father was an honest, upright retired soldier, a simple man from the countryside. If he was such an accurate judge of character, why did he have Belle Bloom—that walking disaster—with someone else after he already had her mother and her?

’Was it just a man’s nature, unable to escape worldly temptations?’

But she knew her mother. Her mother was simple, but she had a fierce, unyielding spirit—the kind who would rather shatter like jade than remain whole as a common tile. If her father had truly betrayed her, she would have never adopted Belle Bloom, let alone treat her as her own flesh and blood.

’In some ways, her mother treated Belle Bloom even better than her father did! That was what she truly couldn’t understand.’

But now wasn’t the time to be thinking about all that.

She watched coldly as the woman, unable to break free, was dragged about by Kyle Warren, and a wicked smile touched her lips. "Fine, go ahead and kill her if you’ve got the guts. My brother is tall and handsome; he’ll have no trouble finding someone better. Shelly!"

Called out by Flora Bloom again, Shelly looked up from her plate. "Here!"

"Once my brother gets better, how about you become his girlfriend?"

Shelly sprayed a mouthful of egg drop soup all over the face of the person sitting across from her. Apologizing profusely, her face turned beet red, unsure how to respond.

Flora Bloom’s words made Shelly blush and Lucia turn pale.

Kyle Warren grabbed Lucia’s hair, yanking her up to his eye level. He stared into her eyes and said sarcastically, "See that, Lucia? They don’t want second-hand goods. You bitch!" With that, he dragged her by the hair and threw her at Flora Bloom’s feet.

Like a discarded ragdoll, Lucia’s pale cheeks were streaked with tears. She looked up at Flora Bloom with a pitiful expression.

"Sister, please, let me come with you! I know I was wrong. For the sake of the child I’m carrying—Joel’s child—please, spare me!"

Listening to Lucia, Flora Bloom had to stop herself from cursing out loud. She had disliked this woman from the very first glance, but the child was innocent.

She knew her brother. If she did something to Lucia now, it would likely create a rift between them later on.

She crouched beside Lucia, placed a palm on her stomach, and released her spiritual power, letting it spread into the woman’s belly.

A life, even younger than Polly’s in gestational age, was resting quietly in Lucia’s lower abdomen. It was like a little ball of flesh, not yet having hands, feet, mouth, or nose, but there was undeniably a tiny life present.

She pulled Lucia up from the floor. Seeing the color return to her face, Flora said, "Even if the child in your belly is from the Bloom family, whether or not you’re forgiven is still up to my brother."

Lucia nodded quickly, looking at Flora Bloom with gratitude. "Thank you, Sister! As long as you’re willing to help me, Joel is sure to forgive me!"

Flora Bloom scoffed internally and made her position clear. "Heh, don’t get your hopes up. I’m not helping you, and don’t expect my parents to, either." As she spoke, she didn’t miss the flash of venomous hatred in Lucia’s eyes. "You should pray my brother awakens a superpower. When a user advances to the Middle Level, they develop a special sense for those connected to them by blood. Perhaps with that blood connection, my brother might take you back."

The speaker may have been careless, but the listener’s ears were sharp. The moment Flora Bloom finished speaking, Lucia’s expression suddenly became one of extreme panic.

Flora Bloom stared at her, her gaze sharp, and came to a conclusion. ’Her foolish little brother was the type who wouldn’t give up until all hope was lost. In the future, letting him suffer a bit would be a good way to temper his character.’

You had to hand it to Lucia; her acting was top-notch. She suddenly let out a long breath as if she’d found a solution. "That’s wonderful! I hope Joel gets better soon and awakens a superpower too. I don’t want our baby to be born without a father."

"Is that so? You’d better hope it is."

Just then, a little girl came over and tugged on Flora Bloom’s hand. "Sister, don’t believe this bad woman! Brother Joel was so badly hurt, but she was laughing in the arms of that horrible Kyle Warren. Imagine how heartbroken Brother Joel must have been!"

Flora Bloom gave a cold, internal laugh. Of course, she knew Lucia was bad news. But the woman insisted the baby in her belly was a Bloom, and even though Flora knew something was off, she was temporarily powerless. After all, the child was innocent. Everything would have to wait until her brother recovered.

"Little one, you don’t need to worry about this," she told the girl. "After you finish eating, just have this ’auntie’ here release some water for you to wash your hands. You have to practice good hygiene at your age."

She turned to Lucia. "From now on, you’ll be responsible for providing the water for washing vegetables and hands for the group. Any objections?"

Flora Bloom stared at Lucia, her expression so cold it made the other woman tremble. Lucia stammered repeatedly, "N-No problem."

By now, everyone who had been eating had heard everything clearly. Cynthia Grant, who had just finished her meal, pulled Caleb over to stand behind the little girl. Mimicking Flora Bloom’s earnest tone, Cynthia said, "Did you hear that, Caleb? Your big sister Flora is very particular about cleanliness. Children need to wash their hands often and practice good hygiene, got it?"

Caleb’s eyes crinkled into a smile. "Got it, big sister Cynthia."

At that, everyone else who had finished eating came and lined up behind Cynthia Grant, a sight that made Flora Bloom want to laugh.

The output of a superpower was closely related to one’s spiritual power. The stronger the spiritual power, the more water one could produce. Someone like her, who had a vortex in her sea of consciousness even as an Initial-stage user, could produce a volume of water comparable to a Middle or even High-level user. Conversely, the weaker the spiritual power, the less water one could produce.

A typical level-one, Initial Stage Water Element user would be considered to have good spiritual power if they could produce a basinful of water. Forcing Lucia to provide water for so many people to wash their hands would be more than she could handle.

The last person to finish, the young nurse Shelly, also hurried to the back of the line. Even Sherman Lynch, an old man well past his prime, got in line and called out in a cantankerous voice, "Hurry it up at the front! You young people are so inefficient!"

Flora Bloom almost choked on her own spit watching the scene unfold. But she didn’t intervene. It would be good for everyone to wear down Lucia’s spirit a little. If her superpower was completely drained, she wouldn’t be able to pull any more tricks.

She instructed Vert to continue guarding the group of people huddled in the corner, too afraid to move, then went upstairs to the second floor herself.

Upstairs, Neal Wallace, Cynthia Grant, and Maeve Preston had already changed into surgical gowns, and the surgical tools had been sterilized with alcohol. The moment Flora Bloom reached the second floor, she was hit by the strong smell of disinfectant. Joel Bloom was already on the operating table.

"Flora, you’re here! I was just about to call you!" Cynthia Grant said, breathing a sigh of relief. "About the water we’ll need for cleaning during Joel’s surgery, you...?"

Flora Bloom smiled. "Don’t worry, leave it to me. Just call me when you need it."

"Dad, please watch the top of the stairs. Don’t let anyone come up and disturb us." Flora then looked to her mother, who was holding her brother’s hand. "Mom, why don’t you go get some rest? I’ll call you when we’re done."

"Flora, I want to stay and watch until Joel’s surgery is over."

Flora Bloom hadn’t wanted her mother to witness this, but seeing the determination in her eyes, she didn’t object.

"Mr. Wallace, Cynthia, the key is speed, understand?"

Standing to the side, Maeve Preston was completely bewildered by this exchange. She wanted to object to Flora Bloom’s layman-coaching-the-doctors behavior, but then she remembered the person on the operating table was Flora’s own brother; she surely wouldn’t do anything to harm him. So, Maeve held her tongue and simply stood by, holding the tray of tools.