Chapter 27: 172

"...Huh?"

There were limbs and guts scattered everywhere; hanging on the ceiling and littered on the floor. There were probably more than 40 corpses there, and yet seeing Rhys was probably the thing that shocked Lina the most.

How could it not, when he just suddenly and casually appeared out of nowhere… dragging a lifeless body a few meters behind her.

"...She's dead," as for Rhys, he just calmly and carefully lay the body on the floor.

"I tried to resuscitate her, but…" Rhys then turned to look at the corpse.

"Rhys…" Lina could really only sigh as she heard Rhys's words. She was, however, not surprised that he tried to perform CPR on the corpse—after all, out of all the lifeless and mangled bodies here, she stood out the most from how immaculate her death was,

"Fuck, Rhys. Did… did… you know her?"

"Chloe," Rhys whispered as he shook his head, "And no, I… only know her name. I think she was—!!!"

It was sudden. Rhys doesn't know whether his mind was just too tired, or if his reflexes and senses reverted back to what it once was… but he didn't even flinch or try to dodge as Lina leaped toward him.

Or perhaps, he truly just allowed and let Lina freely wrap her arms around him.

"Rhys…I thought…" Lina's voice was muffled as she buried her face in Rhys's chest; her words, however, couldn't be any clearer as they seem to pierce through the deepest parts of Rhys,

"Shit, man. I… thought you were dead. Thank… thank the gods that you're not."

"I'm…" Rhys started blinking as he didn't really know what to do. Aside from Katarina, this was probably the first time that he truly ever felt welcomed. It…

…wasn't that bad at all.

But…

Rhys turned to look at Chloe. One of her hearts was filled, and yet she literally pushed him away to his death. These hearts represent affection, Rhys knew that much—it was called [Affection Meter], after all. But what is affection?

Love? Lust? Whatever it was, it definitely wasn't trust.

But for now, all it mattered was that it felt nice.

"Thank… you, Lina." And finally, another smile appeared on his face; his arms, returning Lina's embrace.

"I… I wouldn't know what I would have done if I lost you, Rhys…"

Rhys could feel his chest slowly getting wet as Lina's tears continued to flow. He wanted her to stop, but felt like anything he would do would just make it worse.

"I know, I know that we've only just met. But shit… you…you and I…

…I think we have something, Rhys."

"!!!"

And all of a sudden, the only remaining empty heart floating above Lina's head instantly filled up; turning red as the 5 Hearts merged into one large empty Heart.

And this time, the change Rhys felt wasn't subtle at all. He felt his body somewhat become lighter, but not in a way that seemed like his strength or speed increased, not at all. It felt like his entire body was surrounded by a weak breeze, a tiny… gust of wind.

"..." And while still tightly embracing Lina, Rhys lightly and carefully removed one of his hands, and as he opened it, a cute little tornado started to form and dance on the top of his palm.

"Yo… What the fuck happened here!?"

The dance did not last long, however, as he had to make it disappear when Lina's team soon, and other explorers and soldiers arrived in the canteen.

172 students.

By night, it was reported that 172 students of Old York High School died, while hundreds more were injured by this devastating mishap.

A mishap—as no one was calling it an accident anymore. With that many deaths, the news was not only reported in the country of Amerka, but also to the rest of the world.

172. This number of deaths was actually quite common whenever a Hole opened up, the world wouldn't even bat an eye at this news—but as it happened right in the middle of the city, the local government was quickly scrutinized.

The day wasn't even over yet, and the speech that was being given to the masses was already being spoken by a new mayor. And although the speech was heartfelt and sincere, the question that people wanted to ask still remained unanswered.

Why did the Hole open up again, and why was there a Hole inside the city in the first place?

As for Rhys and all the other survivors, they were sent to different hospitals; making sure that the reporters wouldn't know where they were while they recovered from all the injuries and mental trauma they suffered.

"Say 'Aah'..."

"I'm… not a child, Lina."

"Doesn't matter."

"...And I'm not injured."

The next day, most of the students were still settled in each of their own hospital rooms—being observed for any delayed reaction to the incident. Rhys wasn't allowed to leave his room. But he wasn't alone, no—throughout the entire time, Lina was beside his bed.

And right now, she was trying to feed him a hospital classic; chicken pot pie with a side of sliced apples… although Rhys could actually fully feed himself on his own.

"Shouldn't you be… out there handling some stuff?" Rhys sighed as he continued to try and grab the fork from Lina, but to no avail.

"Nope," Lina just smiled, "The team can handle whatever shit comes up. And also, that's why we have the Clean Up Unit, I rarely stay after work—and also, the only reason I stayed last time was…

…because I saw you."

"..."

"..."

"S…say something," Lina could really only force a chuckle as she placed the tray of food to the side, "You… should usually say something back or it'll just be cringe."

"I… don't think it is cringe at all?" Rhys didn't really know what to say. But what he said was true, in a way, as Rhys was hearing something else—Lina's desire.

And it says, 'I want you to feel better.'

"It's not cringe at all, Lina."

"Right… please sound more convincing," Lina then sighed. But after a few shakes of her head, she started looking around the room—specifically toward the door.

"Well…" She then said as she stood up, "...since you're not injured, then maybe some light exercise will do you good?"

"Wh—"

And before Rhys could even utter a word, Lina suddenly jumped on top of him.

'I want you to feel better.'

"..." Rhys could really only blink a couple of times as Lina's desires once again whispered into his mind. So… this is what she meant by that?

"You… don't have to move, Rhys. I'll do everything this ti—"

"Rhys!"

And as soon as Lina's fingers started crawling between Rhys's thighs, someone suddenly entered the room.

"I'm sorry it took so long, I was visiting everyone since I was handing out---Rhys...

…Who is that?"

And of course…

…it just had to be Katarina Lopez.