Aftermath and Reflection

[Cade's POV]

The steady hum of medical equipment filled the sterile room, a constant reminder of Clyde's current reality. A single lamp illuminated the pale blue walls, casting long shadows across the floor. Clyde lay motionless on the hospital bed, his once imposing figure now diminished by the crushing weight of his injuries. This was especially so from the torso below. The only sound besides the hum of the machines was the low murmur of the television playing in the corner.

The door creaked open, and Cade stepped in. He hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady himself before he knocked softly on the doorframe. The sound of his knock seemed to echo louder than usual in the quiet room.

Clyde's eyes flicked open at the sound, and he shifted slightly, his gaze locking onto Cade's with a mixture of surprise and resignation. 

"Hey," Cade said awkwardly, stepping inside while handholding a paper bag. His eyes took in Clyde's pale face and the stark white hospital gown that replaced the flashy attire he wore with such pride just a week prior. 

" Hey bud," Clyde responded, his voice barely a whisper. He tried to muster a smile, but it faltered, revealing the pain he was feeling. Cade closed the door behind him and took a seat on the chair beside the bed. 

An awkward silence settled between them. Cade shifted in his seat, trying to find the right words.

"I—uh—wanted to come by and see how you're doing," he finally said, his voice rough with emotion.

"It's been a week, and I've been... well, I'm sorry I couldn't visit you sooner. I brought you some chicken wings though."

Clyde chuckled and nodded slowly, his eyes not leaving Cade's. "No, don't be. I appreciate the visit. I guess I had the privilege to take time off for myself. And I'm still processing everything."

His voice cracked as he spoke, the weight of his words heavy in the air. "The attack on Hastings… it's all a blur. One moment I was fighting, and the next, everything went black."

Cade listened intently as Clyde continued, recounting the attack in fragmented memories. "The monster, Bloodhound Anubis, was it? It was overwhelming. I thought I could hold it off, and I fought as hard as I could, but..."

Clyde's voice trailed off, and he looked away, unable to meet Cade's eyes. Cade took a deep breath, feeling a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry―"

"No," Clyde interrupted softly, shaking his head. "None of us could have predicted this. We did what we could." He paused; his gaze turned towards the lower half of his body. "But it's hard. Losing that control, that strength... It's like losing a part of yourself."

Cade nodded, understanding the gravity of Clyde's words.

"But forget about me," the crippled man somewhat cheered up. "I'm glad you made it out on one piece. It was a suicide venture for you too; and you're the one who's a civilian."

"Yeah...I guess I was just lucky," Cade struggled to find the right words. 

"That's what I call divine intervention my guy," both guys laughed at the quick joke. "But really, how did you make it out alive? You were down a few floors under me, right?"

"...I was lucky enough to hide inside this human-sized chest in the comms room."

"No way...It really was divine intervention."

"Heh, tell me about it...It was miserable being cooped up inside for so long. It wasn't until the entire building collapsed around me—while somehow barely not crushing me—that I had a chance to escape. Even then, I was trapped in a tiny pocket amidst the rubble. I was only rescued when a few hunters finally found me in that hellish spot."

"Great find from the rescue team, shout out to them."

"That was all thanks to a certain man shouting with all his might for help until he got their attention."

Again, both men chuckled.

But that was bullshit. That wasn't the whole truth. Cade knew that.

Yet he knew better than to reveal what really happened on that day. So this was a compromise he had to come up with. 

Clyde's eyes softened as he looked at Cade. "Thank you. Really, I mean it. I hope I can make it up to you somehow."

Before Cade could utter a reply, their conversation was interrupted by a sudden burst of sound from the television. The news anchor's voice cut through the silence. "Breaking news: Multiple S-Rank Hunters Arrive in Quinton City."

Cade turned to look at the screen as the screen cut to the footage of imposing figures arriving in Quinton City. The broadcast showed several high-profile S-Rank hunters disembarking from a sleek aircraft, their presence commanding immediate attention. The news anchor explained that these hunters had come to secure the city in the wake of the recent attack, their arrival became a beacon of hope for the residents of the city.

Cade remained silent, processing the implications of the arrival of these elite hunters.

Since the attack on that Hastings facility, many high-profile people have arrived in the city for the past couple of days. That increasing number doesn't seem to die down either. From politicians, activists, influential conspiracy theorists and most importantly, hunters. 

A whopping total of 26 S-Rank hunters were identified over the past week, including the ones on the screen. This was big news. 

S-Rank hunters were known to be quite rare in the known world. They were juggernauts that typically moved on their own or moved in small groups with other powerful hunters. Not many countries have S-Rank hunters in the double digits, and the United States was one of the few countries that enjoyed the luxury of boasting S-Rank hunters in the triple digits. 

Even still, to see around two dozen or more S-Rank hunters in one place was almost unheard of. If other countries were to gather this much high-ranking hunters, especially anywhere near their neighbor's national borders, then it would be considered as a declaration of war. 

"That's a lot of bigshots coming to town lately," even Clyde who was a hunter affiliated with the USHA muttered in surprise.

"Is this normal?" Cade probed.

"Not in the slightest." 

"...I see."

As the news segment ended, Cade turned back to Clyde, his face set in determination. 

For the past couple of days, Cade had been deliberately contemplating regarding many issues. One of them being the hunter named Clyde. 

As far as he knew, the name Clyde did not register to his memory regarding the original web novel and how things panned out. He even confirmed it to his personal notes he made that detailed the events that would come in the future. 

So in a sense, Cade was already on his way in diverging from the original plot. 

This was a good and a bad thing for him. But it was something he couldn't avoid entirely either. With more uncertainties cropping up, one of the things that Cade must do in order to get through far into the future was gaining allies. 

Clyde could be that possible ally. Granted, he might not have the combat capabilities he had prior to the incident, but a combatant wasn't particularly what Cade needed either. 

What Cade needed was someone with a good head on his shoulders as a basic requirement, while also having a courageous and loyal side to him. Clyde fits that mold perfectly.

Then there was also the fact that Clyde was currently not affiliated with the USHA anymore. This was a matter of course the moment the hunter sustained such a career-ending injury. 

The harsh reality was that lives became cheap in this world the moment monsters and hunters became a pivotal issue. People die on a routine basis and the USHA, nor the government could not keep up with the expense of taking care of the piling wounded and crippled. 

Their budget was torn between taking care of these wounded veterans or keep funding expensive innovations that would further bolster the other hunters' capabilities. This was so especially towards hunters who had large potential and were still healthy. In the end, the nation had come to favor the latter option.

The most they could do towards Clyde was to provide a large sum of money to support his medical bills for a certain period of time. But that too would come to an end someday. 

Because of this, it wasn't common for crippled hunters to decidedly unalive themselves one day due to them being unable to accept their depressing situation. 

But Cade thought of another solution to this issue involving Clyde. So he took a deep breath and laid out his idea to the former hunter. 

"Hey Clyde, listen. I have a proposal here..."