Although the acid rain was dangerous, it also acted as a natural shield.

In such extreme conditions, few would dare venture outside. Most people would stay put, hiding safely in their own homes.

The room they had chosen was relatively secure as well.

It was on a higher floor. Even if enemies appeared, they wouldn’t reach them anytime soon. On top of that, the entrance doors had already been locked in advance.

Three layers of doors—any sign of danger would be detected long before it got close.

So that night, no one stood watch.

In a place this safe, rest mattered more than anything.

Leonard and Thomas both fell asleep early.

Suzy lay on the bed in the bedroom, locking the door behind her before slipping into her space. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Inside, she made a round of inspection. The farm, the pasture—everything was being managed perfectly by the spirit.

She drank a mouthful of spring water, then ran through her usual physical training and firearms practice. Once she was done, she left the space.

The two training sessions left her body pleasantly exhausted. The moment she returned, sleep claimed her almost instantly.

Sometime past midnight, Suzy stirred awake.

A strange noise reached her ears.

It was coming from next door.

Frowning slightly, she got up. Worried something might be wrong, she decided to check.

She quietly opened the bedroom door.

The outside was silent.

Leonard lay stretched across the sofa, breathing evenly, fast asleep.

Thomas sat leaning against the wall in the corner, his posture far from comfortable, but he too had fallen asleep.

Both of them looked utterly worn out.

Now that Suzy had the ability to protect herself, she didn’t have the heart to wake them. Since it was just next door, there shouldn’t be much danger.

She moved carefully, stepping around the scattered debris, heading toward the door.

The strange sound came from outside—faint and intermittent, like something being dragged across the floor.

She eased the door open and slipped out.

The corridor was dim, lit only by a faint glow from a distant window.

Tightening her grip on the dagger she carried, she moved forward cautiously.

The sound was coming from the stairwell.

As she approached, she paused and listened.

Someone was breathing.

Fast. Uneven. As if they were enduring pain.

She leaned over to look—and froze.

It was Liam.

At the corner of the stairwell, he sat slumped against the wall, his body trembling slightly.

In the dim light, Suzy could make out that his upper body was bare, a roll of bandages clutched in his hand.

"Who’s there?!"

In an instant, Liam turned sharply, his voice filled with alertness.

Liam sensed her approach. His body tensed slightly, and he instinctively shifted back, putting distance between them.

Suzy caught the subtle movement at once. She frowned. "Don’t move."

Her tone came out sharper than intended. Liam pressed his lips together, then gave a stiff nod.

They drew a little closer. Liam tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling.

Suzy raised her flashlight and aimed it at his wound.

The moment she saw it clearly, her eyes widened in shock.

"What happened to your arm...?"

The injury itself was just a thin, straight cut, as if something sharp had grazed him. It hadn’t gone deep—barely more than a break in the skin.

Under normal circumstances, it should have been minor. Something like that would usually heal quickly.

But what she was seeing now... The edges of the wound were already inflamed, red and swollen, even beginning to fester.

"How did this happen?" she asked.

Liam exhaled slowly. "Scraped it by accident."

It had happened earlier that day while he and Wendy were out searching for supplies.

On the way out, he had brushed against a strand of steel wire, slicing his arm.

He had checked the injury immediately afterward.

At the time, it seemed insignificant—just a superficial cut. It would probably heal by nightfall.

He had never paid much attention to injuries like that.

All day, it had felt normal.

But by night, the pain had worsened, sharp enough that he finally came to examine it.

"A scratch shouldn’t get this bad," Suzy said, frowning.

"Yeah." Liam’s expression darkened, his fingers curling slowly into a fist. "It was fine during the day."

He could clearly see how the wound had deteriorated. A thread of unease crept into his chest.

In a world like this, even the smallest injury could be fatal.

This tiny cut... might become the very thing that killed him.

"Did it come into contact with anything unusual?" Suzy asked.

He shook his head. "No."

"That’s strange..."

Could it be the wire itself?

If so... that was a much bigger problem.

Suddenly, Liam’s expression shifted.

Suzy caught it immediately. "Did you think of something?"

He nodded with difficulty. "...The acid rain. Maybe."

They had entered the building around the same time as Suzy’s group, just through different entrances.

They had been caught in the sudden downpour too.

If the rain had seeped into the wound... That could explain the rapid deterioration.

"...Forget it. That’s not the important part right now," Suzy said, focusing. "Do you have any medicine? Or disinfectant? I’ll treat it for you first."

Liam had brought his backpack with him. He gestured toward it. "Inside. Second compartment."

Suzy unzipped the second compartment of his backpack.

Inside, she found a bottle of iodine solution, along with some fever reducers and cold medicine. There was no ointment or anything more suitable for treating wounds.

"Is this all you have?" she asked.

Liam gave a quiet "Mm."

She took out the iodine.

Thankfully, there were still several packs of disposable cotton swabs.

She handed him her phone. "Hold this. Shine the light here."

He took it and followed her instructions, angling the beam toward his wound.

Suzy picked up a cotton swab and began cleaning away the pus.

As she pressed lightly, a mixture of pus and blood seeped out.

She heard him suck in a sharp breath, the veins at his temple twitching faintly.

She blew gently over the wound, her voice softening. "Sorry... just bear with it."

A strained "Mm" slipped from his throat.

She eased her movements, glancing at his expression. "Do you... not handle pain well?"

He didn’t answer, but his uneven breathing said enough.

Once the wound was cleaned, she took a fresh swab, dipped it in iodine, and carefully applied it.

The disinfection itself didn’t take long.

The real problem was what came next.

Cleaning alone wouldn’t be enough. At this rate, it might be worse by tomorrow.

"That should do. Thank you," Liam said quietly. "Just wrap it for me."

Suzy picked up the gauze, hesitating. "...Will that really be enough? No... I have better medicine. Wait here, I’ll go get it."

She was just about to stand, when his hand shot out and grabbed her.