A few hours had passed. The surgery went by without a hitch. Solomon insisted on using anesthesia on Liam before reattaching his arm, but Liam insisted against it. Regardless, Solomon quickly reattached the nerves and the entire arm.
And so everyone hung out in Solomon's surgery room.
Solomon swiped through his contacts while biting his fingernails. Talking to a multitude of women, he hid his frustration, trying to stay calm and not show his lust.
Osprey remained unconscious on one of the beds.
Liam stared at him, eyes tracing his face, then his body, over and over like something was trying to click into place.
Where have I seen this guy before…?
His brow tightened.
The thought wouldn't settle. It scratched at the back of his mind, just out of reach, like a memory refusing to surface no matter how hard he forced it.
He clenched his jaw slightly.
He knew him.
He was sure of it.
But no matter how hard he searched, the answer stayed buried."I know I've felt that presence before…"
Whatever.
As everyone got situated and relaxed, Mr. N started eating.
Liam, on the other hand, informed Mr. N on everything. Siegfreed sat with Aspera as they took turns playing on her handheld console.
Mr. N quickly noted that Siegfreed and Aspera, two people with such bad attitudes, surprisingly got along rather well.
Liam opened and closed his palm, testing out his arm. "It feels like it's at 80%."
Mr. N mumbled, "That's normal. Usually it works at 30%, but Solomon is just that good. We'll get it to 110% in no time."
Liam whispered, "You sure you're not trying to nerf me?"
Mr. N cackled. "I don't know if I'd do that. From what you told me, you got your ass handed to you already."
A vein popped in Liam's head as he kept his cool."Really now?"
Maybe the real monster I should have found was you.
Mr. N looked at Siegfreed with predatory eyes.
Siegfreed waved their hand. "Liam is plenty stronger than me, even with one arm."
"Honestly, I was only useful because he distracted everyone."
Siegfreed thought back to that moment.
Elite Guard Rank 2.
The second spear.
The instant they would have died.
And Liam, with one arm, still blocking it. Saving them.
Aspera looked at Siegfreed, confused. "Wait, girl, you fight?"
"I thought you were just some big guy's girlfriend or something?" she noted.
"See, that's why I like you, and I am." They nodded while pinching their fingers.
"But yeah, I fight… a little bit… sometimes…" Siegfreed whispered as they played Wario Kart.
Solomon sat on the bed beside Liam, stating, "Regardless, surviving the President's Elite Guard Rank 2 is something I never knew was possible."
Aspera suddenly got a headache.
Information flooded her brain. Fast. Overwhelming.
She remembered something Mori's teammate said:
"However, I was spying on them earlier, alongside the 'Gift.'"
"There was a misgendered—"
"Male. I suppose it's the serial killer, Siegfreed."
"It perfectly matches the description."
Aspera looked at Siegfreed.
Misgendered? Did he mean transgender?
Girlie here…? That's who Siegfreed is?
She kept her cool, thinking,
We might have struck gold with these two.
According to my estimations, Elite Guard Ranks 1, 2, and 3 alone from the President's Elite Guard were stronger than our entire Elite Guard force, including our Rank 0.
Then it clicked.
Osprey's distress.
That's why Osprey was so against a presidency battle.
But with these two…
Our odds go from 0.001%… to 5.8%.
This might actually be possible now.
Aspera scoffed. "I don't know why Osprey never tried to tell me about his worries. Men and their egos, I guess…"
As Aspera glanced at Osprey, she saw him slowly breathing,
and she couldn't help but crack a small smile.
Solomon threw his phone out of the window.
Mr. N opened his eyes suprised. "You good mud?"
Solomon scoffed. "Shut up. It's whatever."
Solomon grabbed his bandage wraps with electro myofibrils.
Solomon scoffed. "Shut up. It's whatever."
Solomon grabbed his bandage wraps with electro myofibrils.
"These will get your arm to 110%. If not, your muscles will die and won't recover in roughly a month."
He adjusted the wraps slightly, tightening them with precision.
Liam looks suspisious as he stares at Solomon.
Solomon rolls his eyes.
"I made them from scratch myself, its made Mr. N over 15billion dollars. Mr. N spits out his food "DONT SAY THAT OUT LOUD" He nervously scratches his chin, that money goes back into the organization anyway.
Solomon explains "Electro myofibrils are artificial muscle fibers. They sync with your nervous system and stimulate your real muscle tissue using controlled electrical signals. Think of them like a bridge. They force your arm to move, contract, and respond while your actual nerves are still reconnecting."
His tone stayed casual, but his hands were exact.
"If I don't use these, your muscles won't get proper signals. No signals means no activity. No activity means the tissue starts dying."
He glanced up briefly.
"And once that happens, you're not getting that arm back."
A short pause.
"I will have to put you to sleep for a few hours, however."
Liam sighs .