Chapter 205 Not a Threat, but a Promise

Chapter 205 Not a Threat, but a Promise

Kirstie's situation had left many players wide awake.

Kurt stared at the ten vials of enhancement serum in the team's inventory, his mood shifting from joy to a heavy gloom.

David patted him on the shoulder. "There's no easy way to get stronger, man."

"Yeah, you're right." Kurt let out a long sigh, deciding to let it go.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, Beatrice whispered to Dorian, "How are you holding up?"

Dorian had used both of the new enhancement serums they had just acquired.

"For now... I'm okay." Dorian wasn't sure what would happen next. Maybe it was just psychological, but he suddenly felt a bit uneasy.

Alice, curled up in Murray's arms, asked him anxiously, "Will Kirstie come back to life? Like you did?"

Murray shook his head slowly. "I don't know. The chances are slim."

Alice's eyes reddened, and she began to sob softly. "You have to stay alive. I can't lose you, too."

Murray was taken aback, thinking his secret of pretending to be someone else had been discovered. But when he looked down at Alice's expression, he realized he was overthinking it.

"Auntie, did Kirstie leave us?" Roderick, who already understood the concept of death, gently touched Alberta's eyes, wiping away the tears at the corners. Alberta shook her head. "She's just sleeping."

Roderick looked puzzled, thought for a few seconds, then nodded. "I see."

Lawrence brought her a cup of warm water, saying nothing, just silently accompanying her, which was more comforting than a thousand words.

From the pool, a call came: "Alberta, Alberta."

F115 had climbed out of the water, lying by the pool's edge. Its legs—or perhaps tails would be more accurate—splashed in the water, creating a flurry of splashes.

Worried that Alberta couldn't hear, it rolled on the ground, stopping every few rolls to adjust its direction, then continued moving toward Alberta.

"What's up?" Alberta walked over and asked, looking down.

F115 looked up at her, its gaze sweeping over the sweat on Alberta's forehead, her slightly red eyes, and her bitten lips, letting out a confused "Hmm."

Alberta squatted down and asked again, "What's up?"

F115 finally remembered its purpose. "Hungry, hungry."

"You're hungry again?" Alberta was slightly surprised. "How long has it been?"

"Didn't eat enough." F115 held its stomach with both hands, looking aggrieved.

"How much do you eat in one meal? How often do you eat?" Alberta asked.

"A lot." F115 spread its arms wide, drawing a big circle. "How often? Sleep, then eat."

"Got it," Alberta told it to go back and then fetched the bag of nutrient powder from before. She also found the usage instructions, read them, and picked up three bags of nutrient powder, each weighing 10 pounds—not too heavy.

She held the nutrient powder in her left arm and carried two large buckets in her right hand. After a few steps, the smooth packaging of the nutrient powder started to slip, and she had to lift her leg to support it.

A pair of hands took the heavy load from her. Lawrence asked, "What else do you need?"

"Two more buckets of drinking water." Alberta appreciated his thoughtfulness, a smile spreading across her face.

"Got it. Leave it to me." Seeing her smile, Lawrence felt a sudden lightness in his heart.

F115 had already rolled back into the pool, and the other Merfolk were watching Alberta and Lawrence with eager, pitiful eyes.

"Can you count?" Alberta asked F115.

F115 thought for a moment, then pointed to itself. "1..." Then it pointed to the Merfolk beside it. "2, 3, 4..."

It counted each of its companions, not missing Alberta and Lawrence. "18."

"Very good, well done," Alberta praised. "This nutrient powder should last you all for a week, which is 7 days. You eat three times a day, so that's 21 meals. This is a measuring cup. When you're hungry, use this cup to scoop six cups of nutrient powder into the bucket, then fill the water to this mark."

Alberta made a mark inside both buckets and patiently taught F115 several times until it remembered.

F115 showed no impatience, and the other Merfolk were equally docile. They all stared at the nutrient powder, and swallowed hungrily. Alberta almost softened and stopped the lesson.

Fortunately, she was rational enough. She didn't have time to feed the fish three times a day and had to teach the Merfolk to be self-sufficient.

"If you run out, there's more over there. You can climb up and roll over to get it." Alberta asked F115, "Do you understand? Repeat it."

F115 obediently repeated the instructions, and Alberta let it mix the nutrient powder itself.

It turned out F115 wasn't stupid at all. It successfully made two large buckets of gray-blue mush that looked utterly unappetizing.

It looked up with its wet head, seeking Alberta's praise. Alberta complimented it, but F115 nudged its head toward her hand, wanting her to pat it.

The Merfolk happily started eating, while the other players watched from a distance, whispering that Alberta was cold-hearted. Their friend had just died, and she hadn't shed a tear. Instead, she was feeding the fish.

Even Lucy was dissatisfied, asking Parker, "Doesn't Alberta feel sad?"

Parker comforted her. "Of course, Alberta is sad. She's just not showing it. You're tired; get some rest."

Alberta sat by the pool, hugging her knees, staring blankly at the Merfolk.

Lawrence's long fingers combed through her hair, gently twirling the ends. "Your hair's gotten a bit longer."

Alberta leaned into his touch, her cheek brushing against his hand. "Kirstie was very weak, even worse than many ordinary people."

She rubbed her temples, thinking she should have gone to Oswald's lab sooner.

Lawrence held Alberta's hand. "As long as her will is strong enough, she'll wake up."

"You're right." Alberta felt a glimmer of hope. Suddenly, Lawrence asked her, "You're in better shape than Kirstie, right?"

Alberta rested her head on his shoulder, looking up into his eyes. "Are you afraid I'll end up like Kirstie?"

"Will you?" Lawrence asked stubbornly.

"As long as you keep loving me, I won't," Alberta replied.

Lawrence tightened his grip on her hand. "Is that a threat?"

"No." Alberta showed no guilt at being called out. "It's a promise."

Morning.

The lights in District Nine switched to daytime mode, the bright bulbs making it hard to look directly at them.

Kirstie groaned, struggling to open her eyes. "Water."

A giant ship braved the wind and waves, gradually approaching Paradise Island.

Crew member: "What's that? A wall?"

Captain: "Go around it."

The ship circled the high wall at sea for a day before realizing Paradise Island was surrounded.

Roderick's father, Octavian, and Lawrence's brother, Florian Marshall, stood at the bow, staring at the massive structure ahead, cigarettes in their mouths, the deck littered with butts.

Through the smoke, they looked forward. The high wall loomed, waves crashing. Octavian asked the rescue expert beside him, "How do we get in?"

"The ship has a helicopter. We can land it on the island first."

"Can't we just blow the wall open? I spent millions on those shells. Can't we use them?" Florian asked.

The rescue expert thought of the terrifying weapons on board and chuckled dryly. "Gentlemen, let's rescue the people first. Then you can blow it up however you like. You can even use the rocket launchers as fireworks if you want."

"Fireworks?" The towering Florian's eyes gleamed with menace. "Blow this island to smithereens!"