"Stop right there, you in front." A security guard at the Mad Hatter Party stronghold blocked Vill-V's path, staring at her nervously.
He was broad-shouldered, muscles taut, his gaze sharp as a hawk's—clearly an experienced fighter.
After all, he was security personnel at a Mad Hatter Party stronghold.
The location Vill-V had come to was not some hidden cabin, but a private hospital.
And the path she had taken was the hospital's back entrance.
At this moment, the hospital's front entrance was packed with a sea of people standing in line.
They were all patients afflicted with Honkai Sickness from this Honkai Eruption. Their faces were pale, their bodies covered in creeping patterns of Honkai corrosion.
The disaster caused by the Fourth Herrscher—the Herrscher of Wind, Wendy—was hardly smaller in scale than the Third Honkai Eruption.
Because the wind had dispersed the previously concentrated Honkai energy, tens of millions had been infected with Honkai Sickness.
The infected turned ghastly pale, purple veins coiling around their limbs like serpents. Their organs deteriorated, and eventually they died.
Even surgically removing the corrupted flesh was useless. The moment the operation began, the purple patterns would suddenly intensify their spread and immediately devour the heart.
In other words, amputation only accelerated the patient's death.
That meant once infected with Honkai Sickness, no matter how mild the symptoms, survival was impossible.
That was why the mortality rate everywhere still stood at one hundred percent. Modern medicine had no solution whatsoever.
Of course, that was all hindsight. If the patients outside the hospital knew this, they would have already stormed the doors.
For now, they still believed this was some ordinary infectious disease, so they remained relatively restrained.
Relatively, that was. Many patients were already shouting for the hospital to open its doors and let them in for treatment, refusing to obediently wait their turn.
The guard stood firmly in front of the small door, his expression stern. He was aware of the truth about Honkai Sickness, so there was no way he would casually allow infected patients into the organization's stronghold—let alone an unidentified young girl.
She was probably here because her parents were bedridden with Honkai Sickness and she had come seeking a doctor.
"I'm sorry. Due to the spread of the infection, the hospital is currently closed to the public. However, you can make a reservation through the mobile app." As he spoke, the guard pointed to the QR code posted beside the door.
Vill-V nodded in understanding. She did not grow angry at being stopped. Only trash would put someone on a death list for simply doing their job properly.
"Oh, right. I'm one of these." Vill-V pulled out a badge from the small pouch at her waist—the Mad Hatter Party's insignia, a spiral gear emblem.
The guard's eyes widened instantly. Every member of the Mad Hatter Party was effectively a high-ranking cadre within the organization, possessing considerable authority.
He had never imagined that the little girl he had stopped would be one of the organization's upper echelon. Clearly, he had never seen the other members before—aside from two men, all members of the Mad Hatter Party were young girls.
"My apologies! Please, go right in!" The guard immediately pressed the buzzer and opened the back door, allowing Vill-V to pass.
"It's fine... don't worry about it." Vill-V smiled faintly, indicating she did not mind.
In her original world, Vill-V had once been a working employee herself. She understood the hardships of ordinary workers.
Not to mention, this worker dreamed of helping her save the world. Naturally, Vill-V would not make things difficult for him.
Working people save the world!
Though come to think of it, why am I overthinking such a trivial matter? Is it because that certain Tang's double standard of 'seeking death' left too deep an impression?
At that moment, something unexpected happened. A young boy suddenly darted out from nowhere, trying to slip inside behind Vill-V.
The guard reacted instantly, blocking him with a riot control fork and scolding sternly, "Stop! You again, kid? Quit causing trouble."
The boy bit his lip nervously, his eyes filled with pleading hope, as if expecting Vill-V to help him.
However, Vill-V had no intention of showing him special favor. Seeing that he said nothing, she simply turned and prepared to head inside.
Vill-V was no great saint. Calling her a villain would be more accurate.
"Wait! Why can she go in but I can't?" the boy protested.
Clever for his age, he had observed that Vill-V could enter through the back door and that the guard treated her with deference. It was obvious she was someone important at the hospital. If she gave the nod, the guard would certainly let him in.
"Sigh." Vill-V turned back to face him. "Do you know what you're doing?"
"I do! I want to save my dad. He has a fever."
"But you're trying to cut in line—cutting in front of people who urgently need medical resources just like you. They've all made reservations long ago. Why should you receive treatment first?"
"I don't care, I don't care! I just want to save my dad!" the boy cried stubbornly. He hadn't thought about anything else. He only wanted Vill-V to fulfill his demand.
As the commotion continued, some patients near the back entrance noticed and gathered around.
"My mother sprained her ankle. Please, let us go in first."
"My throat hurts so much. Am I going to die? Please let me through."
"What kind of hospital is this? It's so big, and you can't even fit this many people inside?"
"If you don't open the doors, I'll report you to city hall! I'll expose you online! Every life is equal—why do we have to make reservations and wait in line?"
The guard's pressure skyrocketed. The hospital was short-staffed, and he was the only one at the back entrance, responsible for receiving organization members like Vill-V.
Now he had to guard against Honkai infection while dealing with this noisy crowd alone. How could he possibly handle it?
Vill-V watched the scene unfold and sighed inwardly. This Honkai Eruption had thrown the entire world into chaos. Everyone was fighting to survive. No one held greater priority than anyone else.
Id, you really are too kind.
Vill-V stepped forward, took a deep breath, and addressed the patients in a gentle voice.
"Ahem, everyone, please calm down. The hospital has no spare beds or medical staff right now. It's impossible to treat everyone immediately."
Just as the agitated crowd was about to erupt, Vill-V added.
"However, if you are willing to serve as volunteers, you can treat yourselves or your family members."
"No doctors? We can treat ourselves?" someone voiced the crowd's confusion.
Although modern medical technology was highly advanced, professional medical knowledge was still indispensable. Ordinary artificial intelligence simply could not meet medical demands.
But that only applied to ordinary AI.
Project Bunny was not among them.