"Our great river will watch you"
"as you dream until dawn"
"Sleep, My Love, close your eyes"
"and when you awaken"
"The new day will bring to you"
"a bright new world"
...
"Ever so gently, hear my voice"
"Ever so softly, feel my touch"
"Always so tenderly I watch you"
"So go to sleep, my love…"
A series of pleasant songs slowly drifted over.
Seeing her mother, Hilda, in her dying moments, Manuela didn't excitedly run over. Instead, she held back the tears that welled in her eyes and began to hum, intermittently, the lullaby her mother had taught her.
This was the final farewell.
Mother and daughter slowly drew closer.
Manuela took Hilda's tentacle, which was now soft and pliable, as if truly held by a warm mother's hand. Manuela's grayish-blue eyes watched with profound heartache.
At that moment, Hilda shed clear tears, her eyes completely regaining their clarity. She was now a "person," a "mother," reluctantly bidding farewell to her daughter, Manuela.
Finally,
Hilda collapsed helplessly into a pool of blood, peacefully falling into an eternal slumber…
Chapter 25: Old Shadows
The massive body lay in a pool of blood.
The girl in the pure white dress quietly leaned beside it, a scene filled with fantastical colors, like a giant dragon and a maiden.
Aside from Krauser, who was screaming in pain on the ground, Javier and the other two quietly watched this scene unfold. They weren't fools. Perhaps they hadn't understood at first, but all of Manuela's actions just now proved that this terrifying dragonfly larva monster was her mother, Hilda, transformed by infection!
Their closest person turning into a bio-organic weapon.
This was a tragedy they had witnessed countless times, and in such situations, they were usually powerless. But they hadn't expected Manuela to be even stronger than they had imagined—
...
"Bang—!!!"
"Sizzle sizzle…!!!"
Another crisp sound.
The computer screen in the Laboratory was completely smashed. As if that wasn't enough, drug lord Idalgo, holding his golden cane, furiously smashed various instruments and equipment inside the Laboratory. His wife, Hilda, was completely dead, and his daughter, Manuela, had also left his side. He had no reason to continue living.
This damned bio-virus!
Not only did it fail to bring a turning point to his life, but it also took away everything he once had. It was… both infuriating and hateful—
"..."
"Damn it… Damn it, damn it… Damn it…!!!"
"Damn the Umbrella Corporation, damn the bio-virus, damn the South American natives, damn the endemic diseases, damn the Americans, damn the white monkeys!!!"
Almost hysterically,
drug lord Idalgo, wielding his cane, smashed all the equipment in the Laboratory to pieces, continuously cursing everything that had tormented him over the years. Wires were torn, screens shattered, sparks flew. These things no longer held any meaning. If he was all alone, what was the point of ruling the entire Colombia government?
"Since that's the case…"
"Then let it all be destroyed…"
After smashing equipment for an unknown amount of time, the panting drug lord Idalgo sat on a chair, looking up at the lights above. He let out a deep sigh. His deep-set eyes behind his sunglasses were filled with gloom, as if nothing mattered anymore.
Just like that,
after making his final decision,
drug lord Idalgo sat slumped in the chair. He was waiting for one last person. He wanted to see his daughter, Manuela, one last time. If he still couldn't convince Manuela to obediently accept treatment and return to his side, then nothing would truly matter anymore!
At this moment,
the vast Laboratory was left with only drug lord Idalgo, a lonely man, quietly slumped inside. His original hundred-plus drug lord subordinates had been locked by him in a safe house within the dam stronghold. The two drug dealers guarding him had also been shot dead by Idalgo due to his unpredictable temper.
Because he saw Javier and the others repeatedly breaking through his checkpoints, and his daughters, Manuela and Rebecca, escaping from the infirmary, the furious drug lord Idalgo took out his anger on these two drug dealer subordinates, killing them.
Now he was
truly alone… Of course, this was partly his own doing…!
...
On the other side—
"How is it?"
"Does the wound hurt? Bear with it a little, I need to saw off both ends of the poison needle and leave a part stuck in your arm. For now, I can only do a simple treatment. To completely remove the remaining poison needle and stitch it up, you'll need a professional medical facility."
After Manuela bid farewell to her mother, Hilda, Rebecca, as a medic, realized they still had an injured person. She quickly grabbed her medical kit and ran to Krauser's side to examine his wound.
But the severity of the wound was even worse than Rebecca had imagined…
Krauser's entire arm, especially the biceps muscle, was pierced by a white bone needle resembling a long spear, and it also contained toxins. The bone needle was very large and stuck in Krauser's arm muscle, making it difficult to pull out easily.
Because once pulled out carelessly,
it would create a large blood hole.
Such a large blood hole is very difficult to stitch, and the wound heals slowly. Therefore, the best first aid method is to leave the bone needle, saw off the excess bone on both sides, and let the remaining bone needle serve as a filler in Krauser's arm muscle to reduce blood loss and also speed up healing.
After returning to the United States,
a second surgery would be performed using advanced medical technology and equipment. That treatment method would be much safer and more conservative.
Currently, the only thing Rebecca could do was help Krauser reduce pain and stop the bleeding… After all, Rebecca wasn't brave enough to perform surgical stitching in this environment.
"No…"
"I don't know. It was very painful just now, almost unbearable, but I don't know why, it suddenly doesn't hurt as much now, and… and… I seem to be unable to control my arm movement."
Shaking his head,
Krauser, covered in sweat, looked at his arm pierced by the poison needle. He was actually very grateful to Rebecca, the medic girl. Not only did she help saw off the excess poison needle, but she also helped him prepare various painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, which greatly relieved Krauser.
However,
gradually,
Krauser felt a slight sense of unease, because he found that he suddenly couldn't control the muscles in his arm. It was very difficult to even move a finger. At first, Krauser thought it was because the poison needle had severed a tendon or that the painkiller had a numbing effect, preventing muscle movement.
But now…
About ten minutes had passed.
Logically, the slight numbing effect of the painkiller should have worn off, and the poison needle's penetration point hadn't torn any tendons, but… why couldn't he move it?
This answer,
undoubtedly made Rebecca, who was busy with the treatment, freeze.
Her heart immediately sank. She seemed to have overlooked something, and that was the toxin in this poison needle. It was very likely to contain neurotoxic properties.
Once hit, the nerves in some limbs could immediately necrotize, leading to paralysis and inability to move. After all, the brain's ability to control the body isn't just about muscle and joint connections; the most crucial aspect is the control of nerve pathways.
"Clang, clang, clang…!!!"
With a very serious expression,
Rebecca immediately rummaged through the various bottles and jars of medicine in the medical kit, finally finding a nerve-stimulating medicine and giving it to Krauser. At the same time, she took out a white cloth bag and, upon unfolding it,
inside were slender silver needles. Without any hesitation, she roughly felt Krauser's arm for nerve acupoints, and then Rebecca took the silver needle and pricked it in.
Don't worry,
Rebecca's script wasn't some Thirteen Needles of Ghost Gate, nor was it "Urban: I Am a Peerless Medical Immortal," but simply acupuncture. This was a medical technique Rebecca had learned from a distant Eastern country.
Medically, acupuncture has been proven to have very significant effects on stimulating nerves and is often used to treat paralyzed patients. Therefore, Rebecca wanted to help Krauser stop the spread of the neurotoxin and preserve Krauser's arm as much as possible.
However…
Rebecca didn't dare to tell Krauser the news that his arm might be crippled, because no matter what, this would be an unacceptable blow to a soldier who had served in the Red Berets. The loss of his arm meant he could no longer continue his career as a soldier. Even as a mercenary, no one would be willing to hire a guy with a crippled arm.
What could he do?
Press an AKM with one hand—?
Therefore,
Rebecca couldn't tell Krauser this cruel truth. And as the acupuncture needles slowly penetrated, the arm nerves, which had been completely numb, suddenly began to subtly move, which made Krauser breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed the situation wasn't too bad.
"..."
"Well then, we should continue. Manuela, let's go! Go see your father one last time."
Seeing that the team had finished resting,
Javier clapped his hands and spoke to everyone around him, then walked to Manuela, who was still squatting in front of Hilda's body, and spoke softly. Since the deceased was gone, there was no way to undo what had happened. They could only move forward.
To this,
Manuela also nodded.
Gently wiping the tears from her eyes, she gritted her teeth and stood up stubbornly. Her slender back appeared exceptionally resolute. Yes… she should indeed go see her father, to truly question him for the answers she sought.
This time,
Manuela did not hide behind the others. Instead, she walked at the very front of the group. Her bandaged arm was tightly clenched into a fist, as if Manuela would instantly incinerate any bio-organic weapon that appeared with the T-Veronica Virus's blood bio-flames.
Seeing this,
Javier also did not stop her.
He just shook his head helplessly. This girl was much more stubborn and resolute than he had imagined. Once she decided on something, she would do it without any hesitation. However… when confronting her father, Manuela indeed needed to stand at the very front. This would show how firm and serious her choice was!
"Thump, thump, thump…"
And so,
led by Manuela, the group headed towards the final Laboratory. They were finally going to meet the target. Leon and Krauser both lowered their brows slightly. They were both thinking about how to capture drug lord Idalgo later, or… should they use the satellite communication system now and request support from the United States Government, sending several helicopters for assistance?
Compared to Leon and Krauser's fantasies, Javier sighed deeply. The most difficult choice had arrived: the V-Complex. How were they going to deal with something comparable to an Ultraman battling a monster? Did they really have to use the power of the T-Veronica Virus within Manuela?
The blood bio-flames indeed had a miraculous effect on the V-Complex, but… what about Manuela—?
Javier did not know how it would end,
he could only take it one step at a time.
...
After an unknown amount of time,
passing through numerous corridors and passages, Manuela led Javier and the others to drug lord Idalgo's Laboratory. The floor was covered with white light walls, and the walls were carved with the symbol of the Sacred Serpent organization. All around were various instruments, equipment, and nutrient tank samples, containing things like mutated piranhas and Anubis monsters, etc., which must have been produced within the Laboratory.
But to Javier and the others' surprise,
when they arrived at the Laboratory,
the equipment here had all been smashed. Sparks were flying everywhere, and in the very center sat a middle-aged man with slicked-back black hair and sunglasses, an unshaven beard, a large gold chain around his neck, holding a snake-patterned pistol, slumped dejectedly in a chair.
That was drug lord Idalgo—
He seemed to be waiting for someone, waiting for his daughter, Manuela. At this moment… Idalgo only wanted his daughter to change her mind; nothing else mattered. And if even his daughter, Manuela, chose to abandon him and leave,
then everything might as well be destroyed…
After all, this world would no longer have any meaning.
"..."
"You've arrived…"