"The ambush group from downstairs probably uses this level."
He looked down at Dia.
"Keep your eyes peeled."
Dia immediately covered her eyes with both hands.
Adrian stared.
"...Dia."
"What?"
"You’re supposed to keep your eyes open."
"Oh."
She lowered her hands.
"Like this?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
They moved stealthily through the concourse, slipping past shattered mannequins wearing tattered designer clothing.
Dia suddenly stopped.
She tapped Adrian’s shoulder twice.
Tap. Tap.
Adrian froze instantly.
"What is it?"
Dia pointed.
"Bathroom."
Adrian looked toward the frosted glass doors.
"Yes?"
"I hear someone."
Adrian’s expression sharpened.
"Zombie?"
Dia tilted her head.
"No."
"Human?"
"Mhm."
"How many?"
Dia held up one finger.
"One."
Adrian narrowed his eyes.
"Where?"
Dia pointed toward the men’s restroom.
"Third potty."
Adrian blinked.
"...Third potty?"
"Third potty."
Dia nodded firmly.
"He’s making weird breathing noises."
Adrian’s expression became serious.
"An ambush?"
Dia shook her head.
"No."
She listened carefully.
Then frowned.
"It feels like he’s really sick."
Adrian looked toward the restroom.
"How sick?"
Dia’s little face became unusually solemn.
"Very."
She looked up at Adrian.
"He’s dying."
[SYSTEM EMERGENCY KLAXON! 🚨🚨🚨]
The holographic screen exploded in front of Dia’s face.
[GASP! HOST! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?!]
Dia blinked.
It means someone is dying in the bathroom.
[NO! IT MEANS JACKPOT!]
Dia’s eyebrows rose.
[The System’s ultra-rare ’Destiny Radar’ has activated!]
[THAT IS NOT AN ORDINARY DYING HUMAN!]
[THAT IS GUARDIAN CANDIDATE NUMBER TWO!]
Dia stared at the screen. Her tiny mouth formed a small "o."
Another guardian? So soon?
Hmm... isn’t this suspicious?
She looked at Adrian.
Then back at the screen.
Is one Uncle not enough?
[YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY UNCLES!]
Dia thought about that.
Then the System displayed another line.
[Especially this one!]
[He’s a genius!]
[He’s a healer!]
[He’s a man of science!]
Dia’s eyes widened.
"A doctor?"
[YES!]
Dia immediately became serious.
"Then we have to save him."
[THAT’S MY HOST!]
Dia grabbed Adrian’s sleeve.
"Uncle Adrian."
"Hm?"
"Bathroom."
Adrian looked confused.
"The bathroom?"
Dia nodded urgently.
"Someone’s dying."
Adrian’s expression changed instantly.
"An ambush?"
"No."
"Zombie?"
"No."
"Then what?"
Dia pointed toward the restroom.
"A dying man."
Adrian blinked.
"?"
"Mhm."
She grabbed his hand.
"Come on!"
Adrian didn’t understand her phrasing half the time, but he understood urgency.
He tightened his grip on the wrench and moved tactically down the corridor, then kicked open the men’s restroom door.
The bathroom was a wreck.
Sinks were shattered.
Mirrors were cracked.
The stench of decay hung heavily in the air.
Adrian moved toward the third cubicle.
The door was closed.
Locked from the inside.
He didn’t bother knocking, but raised his combat boot and kicked.
BANG!
The lock snapped.
The metal door tore off its hinges and crashed against the tiled wall.
Adrian raised his wrench.
Ready to strike.
But there was no threat.
Slumped against the toilet bowl, sitting in a pool of blood and strange glowing green fluid, was a man.
At first glance, Adrian thought he was looking at a woman.
Long, silky, stark-white hair fell over the man’s face.
His features were incredibly fine and delicate, possessing a sharp aristocratic beauty that looked completely ridiculous in a ruined mall bathroom.
But then Adrian noticed the broad shoulders beneath the blood-stained white lab coat.
Definitely a man.
A very beautiful...
...Very dying man.
The man clutched a shattered glass vial in one hand.
Green liquid leaked from it, mixing with the deep wound across his abdomen.
His eyes were closed.
His breathing was wet and ragged.
"Clear," Adrian announced.
He lowered his wrench.
He looked down at Dia.
"Well, kiddo. Seems like you found someone."
He frowned.
"But he looks like he’s about two minutes away from meeting his maker."
Dia stared at the man.
Her little face became worried.
"He’s really hurt."
She took one tiny step forward.
"Can we fix him?"
Adrian looked at the wound.
"Maybe."
Dia immediately turned toward the System.
"System."
[YES, HOST?!]
"Fix him."
[QUEST INITIATED: SECOND ADOPTION— THE CYNICAL DOCTOR!]
[TARGET: SILAS THORNE, GENIUS MEDICAL RESEARCHER AND SOON-TO-BE UNCLE TWO!]
[OBJECTIVE: SAVE HIM!]
[REWARD: 1x ENDLESS SUPPLY OF PREMIUM CHICKEN NUGGETS!]
Dia’s eyes became enormous.
[1x BOX OF STRAWBERRY MILK — CHOCOLATE FLAVOR UNLOCKED!]
Dia gasped.
"Chocolate?"
[YES!]
Dia’s little fists clenched.
"We are saving him."
[THAT’S THE SPIRIT!]
[BONUS REWARD: A DEDICATED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL TO MAKE SURE HOST NEVER GETS A TUMMY ACHE!]
Dia nodded firmly.
"Good."
She looked at the dying man.
"You are not allowed to die."
The unconscious man obviously didn’t answer.
Dia frowned.
"Did you hear me?"
Nothing.
She looked at Adrian.
"He’s being rude."
Adrian snorted.
"I don’t think he’s conscious, Dia."
"Oh."
She considered that.
"Still rude."
Adrian laughed.
Dia squirmed in his grip until he gently set her down on the cleanest section of the tiled floor.
She toddled toward the dying man.
She wasn’t afraid of the blood or the strange green liquid.
She was mostly concerned about getting her new Uncle to wake up, so that she can secure that new flavor of juice.
She reached into her spatial Ring Pop.
"I need medicine."
[ITEM DISPENSED: ’OUCHIE-BE-GONE’ MAGICAL HEALING SPRAY!]
A tiny, brightly colored plastic spray bottle appeared in Dia’s hand. It looked exactly like a bottle of detangling spray for toddlers.
Dia looked at it.
Then at the man’s wound.
Then back at the bottle.
"That’s medicine?"
[YES!]
Dia nodded.
"Okay."
She walked right up to the beautiful, dying man.
She leaned over his bleeding abdomen.
Then she pointed the nozzle at the wound.
Pfft.
Pfft.
Pfft.
Three little sprays.
A cloud of sparkling lavender mist settled over the man’s body.
Dia waited.
Nothing happened.
She frowned.
"System?"
[WAIT FOR IT!]
Suddenly—
BOOM!
Legendary Wood and Healing elemental energy erupted inside the man’s body as it glowed green. Vines of brilliant emerald energy burst briefly from the wound.
The abdominal laceration started to seal itself.
The torn flesh knitted together.
The blood disappeared as the vines receded slowly, until nothing but the perfect, unblemished skin remained.