Without hesitation, Ren obeyed. At least he wasn’t being an idiot when real danger was right in front of them.
"What about him? Should we kill him?" Tian asked, already reaching for his weapon.
"No! Please, don’t kill him!" Finn shouted in desperation. "You said you’d do something if I told you everything I knew!"
Medeia clicked her tongue in frustration. Killing him wasn’t the issue, but at his size, the fight alone would wreck the hydroponics, whether he meant to or not. And getting him out of here? Not an option, not when he was this massive.
Well, this was her fault anyway.
His clothes ripped apart as his body got bigger. Lucian immediately stepped forward, ready to shield the other soldiers. But instead of turning on his own comrades like the Lost usually did, the creature locked eyes with Lucian, then lunged straight at him.
"How is that possible?" Lucian reacted swiftly, using his ability to pin the mutated soldier in place. The monster—or whatever he was—thrashed violently, struggling to break free, but Lucian’s hold was impossible to break. "The Lost usually attacks whoever is near them."
Medeia was shocked when she heard him talking. She immediately turned to Lucian, asking, "Since when can they talk?"
This wasn’t normal. The Lost didn’t just lose their minds, but they also lost their ability to form coherent sentences.
Even Sharon, when she started turning, could barely make a sound beyond guttural growls and inhuman screeches. But this? This was different.
Lucian’s gaze darkened. "Something’s wrong. I don’t think he’s turning into the Lost."
Ethan stiffened beside them. His fists clenched. "No ... it can’t be."
Medeia’s gaze snapped to him. "What? What do you know?"
Ethan hesitated. His lips parted as if to speak, but then he clamped them shut.
His expression flickered with conflict, but finally, he sighed and admitted, "I’m not sure. But ... there were rumors."
His voice dropped lower. "Some people claimed the general found a way to stop people from turning into the Lost. I thought it was bullshit, just another military fairy tale. But now ..."
Now, it was obvious that this wasn’t just some baseless rumor.
If that was the case, then killing him would’ve been a huge mistake.
Medeia clicked her tongue, frustrated as the situation spiraled further out of control. "Let’s just put them to sleep again."
Tian frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Just cover your ears."
Without waiting for a response, Medeia summoned Nightmare’s Whisper from her inventory and jumped onto a higher platform.
"That demon is about to blow that fucking flute again!"
"No, no, no! I am not letting my eardrums explode a second time!"
Panic spread like wildfire. The soldiers scrambled, desperate to escape, but Lucian had already sealed off every exit. They barely had time to react before Medeia pressed the flute to her lips and unleashed its dreadful melody.
A piercing, bad sound filled the air.
Lucian used his ability to shielded his ears, along with Ethan and Tian.
Agonized screams echoed through the room before, one by one, the soldiers collapsed. Even the one who had mutated into a hulking mass passing out instantly upon hearing the cursed melody.
"Amazing ..." Tian muttered. "Is her flute really that awful?"
Lucian shrugged, a small smile apprared on his lips. "It’s better not to know."
With everyone knocked out, Medeia gracefully landed back on the ground and approached the unconscious, shrinking soldier. His grotesquely large muscles slowly receded, his body returning to a normal human state.
"If there really is a serum that prevents people from turning into the Lost, wouldn’t it make more sense to give it to those who are already strong?" Medeia mused. "If you give it to people who are weak, both physically and mentally, then it’s just a waste."
Unless ... they were just test subjects.
A chilling thought came to her mind. Were these soldiers merely the first batch—the prototypes—to see if the serum worked before perfecting it for stronger, more capable fighters?
"I don’t want twenty-eight people suddenly changed into super soldiers running wild inside the base," Medeia sighed. "Let’s put them somewhere comfortable, so they don’t freak out again."
"But still," Tian muttered, scratching his head. "Can someone’s mental state really deteriorate that fast? I get it if they watched their friends die or were tortured, but ... all we did was tie them up."
He glanced at Medeia before adding, "Or maybe you’re just that terrifying? Did they seriously think they were in hell instead of paradise?"
Medeia huffed, crossing her arms. "That’s rude! I smiled at them! If that alone made them break down, how the hell would they survive the real hell?"
Lucian chuckled and stepped in to diffuse the moment. "Let’s just move them. It’s getting colder in here."
They ended up moving the soldiers to the meeting room, letting them sleep on soft mattresses.
Medeia found it absurd. These people were getting a luxurious life before doing any real work at the base.
While they slept, she gathered a few people to discuss the bizarre situation. Since they couldn’t use the meeting room, they settled in the cafeteria instead.
Ethan and Max looked utterly bewildered as they stared at the trays of warm food in front of them. Nothing extravagant, just warm vegetable stew, stir-fried minced meat, and a few soft grain bread rolls.
"A-Am I in heaven?" Max muttered, still in disbelief that he was about to eat a hot meal instead of the cold, rock-hard military rations he was used to.
Sometimes, they were even forced to eat food that looked more like vomit than actual meals.
"If you’re still hungry, you can ask for more," Lucian said, smiling. "We have plenty of food here."
"Just don’t overeat," Medeia sighed. "With so many new mouths to feed, we have to ration our supplies until winter is over."
Ethan shook his head, his voice filled with sincerity. "T-This is already more than enough. I’m really grateful for your help."
Medeia narrowed her eyes. Hard to believe this was the same man who nearly lost his mind because of her seduction skill.
Even though she wasn’t using it anymore, it still took time for him to act normal around her. The fact that he’d regained this level of composure in such a short time meant his mental grade must’ve been exceptionally high.
Just as she was about to respond, Tian walked into the cafeteria with Harry and Naomi.
Medeia hadn’t called Naomi here, but since she had nearly destroyed the greenhouse, Medeia demanded an explanation.
"Why are you still carrying that baby?" Tian asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Brother!" Ren protested. "This baby has a name! And she looked so sad when I took her away from her mother!"
Tian sighed, rubbing his temples. "Fine. But what about that dog? Why the hell is he in the cafetaria?"