Chapter 18
Four days of treatment had slowed the corruption to a crawl. Carole's left arm was useless now—just a dead weight under the blanket—but at least she could lie in bed without feeling like she was being torn apart from the inside. The painkillers dulled the worst of it, letting her pretend she was having something close to a normal day.
Hua sat beside her, listening as Carole rambled about random nonsense, until the girl's grin turned sly.
"Hey, Hua—what's the deal with you and Adam?"
Hua stiffened, eyes going wide. "W-what? There's nothing going on."
"Uh-huh. Then why do you look like you just got caught doing something?" Carole leaned forward, smirking like a cat that had spotted a mouse.
Hua's gaze darted away. Her lips parted, but no words came out.
Carole sighed dramatically and flopped back against her pillow. "Seriously, Hua… the world's not exactly sunshine and rainbows anymore. And I…" She glanced at her dead arm, hesitation creeping into her voice. "…I don't have forever."
Her tone dropped lower. "The meds? They're just stalling. Sooner or later, my body's gonna get used to 'em and—" She snapped her fingers. "Boom. Game over."
Hua's fingers clenched around the blanket. She didn't lift her head.
Carole's expression softened. "You're blaming yourself. For me, for your dad… probably for stuff you couldn't even control."
Hua didn't move.
With her good arm, Carole reached over and poked Hua in the shoulder. "Promise me something. Don't shut yourself away when I'm gone."
Hua's lips pressed together, eyes wet.
"You've still got a future," Carole said, forcing a crooked smile. "Live it. Make friends. Be around people who matter. Like Adam. And don't even try to deny it—Himeko already told me you two hang out."
Still no reaction.
Carole groaned and pushed herself upright, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. "Alright, here's the deal. You don't at least try to be friends with him…" She locked eyes with Hua. "…I stop all treatment. Today."
Hua's head shot up. "You—"
"Dead serious," Carole cut in.
The room fell silent except for the steady beep of the heart monitor.
Finally, Hua let out a shaky breath. "…Fine. I promise."
Carole's grin returned—smaller, but genuine. "Good. That's more like it."
Hua leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes. The knot in her chest stayed heavy and tangled, but at least she'd kept Carole from doing something reckless—today.
---
After leaving the hospital, Hua found herself standing at the entrance, staring into nothing.
The plan had been simple: leave, head back to the branch, and train in the specialized room like always. But Carole's words echoed in her mind—the promise she'd made.
Breaking a promise, even for convenience, wasn't something Hua did. If she gave her word, she meant it.
The problem wasn't that she felt uncomfortable around Adam. In truth, she wanted to find him—wanted to spar, close the gap between them, maybe even learn that incredible footwork of his.
But ever since that night—after her impulsive outburst and shameless request—shame had kept her away.
In her family, even now in decline, their inherited martial arts were sacred. They were like treasured heirlooms, passed down only to blood relatives or handpicked disciples.
Adam's style was clearly rare and unique, the kind of art born from generations of refinement—just like her own family's Inch Heart Fist, a technique capable of letting an ordinary human shatter wood and dent metal with a single punch.
It might not sound impressive to outsiders, but she'd used it to fight Honkai zombies bare-handed—breaking limbs, caving in skulls hardened by mutation until their flesh was nearly as tough as stone.
For someone who was neither Adam's kin nor his disciple to ask for his martial art… it was like walking up to the Coca-Cola CEO and demanding the secret recipe.
Still, she'd promised Carole. That left her no excuse to avoid this any longer.
With a quiet sigh, Hua decided to pay Adam a visit—only to realize she didn't know where he lived now, nor did she have his contact information.
So she pulled out the specialized phone the Fire Moth logistics team had issued her and called Himeko.
---
Himeko not only gave her Adam's address—something normally kept classified from someone of Hua's clearance level—but also handed her a spare key. "Just in case you need it," she'd said with a smirk.
The memory of Himeko's teasing still had Hua blushing all the way to her ears as she arrived at the address.
The house was surrounded by tall fences and a solid gate that blocked any view of the courtyard. In her hands, Hua carried plastic bags filled with fresh fruit and ingredients—her "official" excuse being a housewarming visit to congratulate him on the new place.
She pressed the doorbell once and waited. No answer.
Half an hour later, still nothing. Deciding she must've come at the wrong time, she was about to call a taxi when a voice called out from across the street.
"Hello! Looking for the owner of that house?"
A woman—likely a housewife from her brief self-introduction—smiled at her from the opposite driveway.
"Ah, yes," Hua nodded politely.
"Are you his girlfriend?" the woman asked out of nowhere, grinning. "He's such a handsome guy. You'd make a cute couple."
Hua flushed but kept her composure—soldier's discipline winning out. "Actually… do you know where he is right now?"
The neighbor sighed. "I saw him when he first moved in, but since then? Never left the house. Lights come on at night, so I know he's inside, but I've never seen him step out."
That didn't sound like Adam at all. Back in Sapphire City, he'd practiced martial arts constantly. Locking himself in for days didn't fit—especially since he'd arrived empty-handed, which meant no food.
After politely seeing the neighbor off—who smirked knowingly when Hua pulled out the spare key—Hua stepped inside.
The courtyard was tidy and untouched, as if no one had used it. Inside, the ground floor was the same—dust on everything, no signs of recent activity.
Upstairs told a different story. The master bedroom was lived-in: an unmade bed, discarded clothes, a damp towel hanging on the bathroom door, an electric kettle on the dresser, and a trash bin full of instant noodle cups and cans.
Blushing faintly at the sight of his laundry, Hua decided to tidy up—purely as repayment, of course. Definitely not for any other reason.
Once she started, she didn't stop—cleaning the entire house until she stepped outside to throw away the trash, only to see the neighbor watching from her window and giving her a thumbs-up. Mortified, Hua darted back inside.
By then, she'd searched every inch of the house. No Adam.
"I'll wait," she decided. The lights came on at night—he'd have to show up eventually.
Wanting to cook him a proper meal as thanks, she checked the fridge. Empty. The pantry? Also empty.
The ingredients she'd brought wouldn't cut it without staples like rice or noodles, so she resolved to buy groceries.
To her, this wasn't strange. Adam had saved her life—twice. For someone with her upbringing, were it not for modern values, offering herself as his lifelong servant wouldn't even feel excessive.
Well, maybe it is. But you get what she is trying to express.
The gratitude she felt is too immense that she is willing to do basically anything.
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