Lin Ye and Shining's conversation is interrupted by the knocking on the door.
It is already nighttime, and Lin Ye has no idea who the visitor might be. After all, Chernobog's military police should still be looking for Shining. They may be here for her. Shining nods at Lin Ye. Then, she takes her stuff and hides in the bathroom. After a few seconds, Lin Ye opens the door while pretending to grumble about the trouble of having a guest at this hour.
When he opens the door, he sees not the military police, but a brown-haired boy.
He knows the kid. They are neighbours, and the kid's name is Aesop. He has a twin sister named Elan. The twins belong to the race of Vulpo. They have cute furry ears and are always together.
However, Lin Ye doesn't see Elan, only panicking Aesop.
"What's wrong?" Lin Ye asks, "Is your "Toot Toot" depressed again?"
"Toot Toot" is Elan and Aesop's dog by the way, whose physical health is great all around, but the same can't be said for its mental health. The dog is always depressed, so much so that it doesn't eat, which makes the twins worry. And when they are worried, they come to Lin Ye for help. Only when Lin Ye is next to Toot Toot will it eat. Because of that, Lin Ye's relationship with the twins is pretty good.
"Not Toot Toot." Aesop shakes his head, and he seems to be on the verge of crying, "Not Toot Toot. It's big sis!"
"Ah?" Lin Ye asks, "Your sister? She is depressed too?"
"Big sis is gone..."
"You should have asked the police for help." Lin Ye is a bit speechless. Why do the twins ask him for everything? He's just a vet, "What can I do?"
"Sis is infected!" Aesop is crying now, "Stones are growing on her body, and people saw that."
Lin Ye freezes up after hearing that.
"Elan is infected? But how?" Lin Yin holds Aesop's shoulders, trying to calm the kid down, "Where are both of your parents?"
"Mom and dad already left for Sis. They... they wanted me to stay at home, and don't go anywhere else." Aesop sniffles, "Sis hurt people, so many people. And people are looking for her now."
Lin Ye has a good grasp of the situation now, albeit not the full picture, but enough. He pats Aesop's shoulder and asks the kid to wait outside for a second, after promising to help him find Elan. When Aesop is somewhat calmed down, Lin Ye closes the door and goes back inside.
Shining walks out of the bathroom and looks at Lin Ye next to his bed.
"Did you hear us?"
Shining nods, "Your voices weren't that quiet."
Lin Ye smiles bitterly, "I guess we have to push back my induction ceremony for another time."
Shining shakes her head, "There is no induction ceremony, so are you going to find that girl?"
"We are neighbours. I can't just leave her to die." Lin Ye rushes to his bedside table and searches through the mess inside, "That kid is already here... Damn it. How did she get infected?"
"Many Infected don't know how they got infected either. They only find out about their infection when they see the stones on their bodies." Shining asks, "Do you need help? I can go with you."
Lin Ye turns her offer down, "It is fine. Chernobog's military police are still looking for you. If you go now, you are just surrendering yourself."
"But I am not infected. I only killed a few Infected."
Lin Ye is surprised after what he heard that. He looks at Shining questionably "Just killed a few Infected? Isn't Rhodes Island on the side of the Infected?"
"I have never said that." Shining shakes her head, "Birds of a feather flock together. Likewise, we are willing to ally with the peaceful Infected but we stand on the opposite side of the violent mobs and Infected who have lost control. That's Rhodes Island's stance."
Lin Ye chuckles, "Not bad. You still have the mood to lecture me. Anyway, you should stay here. Chernobog's military police are not as friendly as the ones on my side."
"Your side?" Shining asks, " Are you from Chernobog?"
"U-Um..*Cough* I didn't say that." Lin Ye tries to ignore that. He goes to a drawer and goes digging in it.
"Where was it again? Nope...Nope...Ha. Found it you little reptile."
Shining looks at what Lin Ye found from the bedside table. Her eyebrow raises slightly, "You even have a gun?"
"A gift. Just a gift." Lin Ye says, "Some rich customer gave it to me for treating their husky's constipation. Unfortunately, there are only three bullets."
A silver python. Lin Ye loads the bullets before hiding the gun in his pocket.
Shining watches Lin Ye prepare himself, but she is actually paying attention to something else instead, "... how did you do it?"
"Hmm? Help the dog? If you mean that with my hand, of course" Lin Ye carelessly answers, but before he leaves, he turns around and asks, "Are you staying here tonight?"
"I can't?"
"Of course, you can. I really hope you can stay." Lin Ye chuckles, "When I am back, you can bring me to Rhodes Island."
Shining stays silent for a moment before saying, "You really want to join Rhodes Island."
"It is alright. I don't know much about Rhodes Island, besides that donk... I mean Amiya person. But I still want to change my life. I am getting tired of my job." With that said, Lin Ye leaves his apartment.
Shining walks to a window and watches the silhouettes of Lin Ye and Aesop disappear into the night. She tilts her head and whispers to herself, "What a weird person."
{Rhodes Island's Psychologist}
When he is outside, Lin Ye feels something is off.
There are too many military police. Even if they were here for an infected girl, there are still way too many of them. It is almost like an organized move to suppress some Infected's riot.
Lin Ye asks Aesop, "How did Elan get infected?"
"I'm not sure. If it helps, a few days before when Sis and I went for a walk on the street. Then we met a group of people distributing some candies." Aesop says to him.
"Candies?"
"They said the candy flavours were new and we could try them out for free," Aesop whispers.
Lin Ye puts on his thinking hat, "Did you both eat them?"
"I tried one, but it was too sour for me so I spat it out." Aesop says, "I gave to Sis my candy so she ate two of it that time..."
"Shit!" Lin Ye scolds him, "Did your parents ever teach you to never take candy from a stranger?"
Lin Ye already guesses what is going here.
Those policies are not here for Elan. Based on what Aesop said, Elan most likely got infected because of those so-called "candies," but Aesop was spared because he spat it out.
If those candies carried the pathogen, then it is obvious someone tried to spread oripathy in Chernobog, which explains what the military police are doing. There are more victims like Elan.
But how many got infected now... He can already guess based on the number of military police present. A lot.
When he was running through the street, he could see several shops that were destroyed. Perhaps, all of this happens when he and Shining were talking at home.
The Infected are rioting.
Riots are almost commonplace in Chernobog. In the past, he would just hide inside his apartment, lock the door and windows, and wait until things quiet down, but this time it different t. He is forced into the scene because of the twins.
"That's why kids should never take candies from a stranger!" Lin Ye yells at Aesop, "Did your parents not tell you that?"
Aesop panics and stutters, "N... No."
"Ugh~ Of course, they didn't."
Lin Ye shakes his head helplessly. He is not sure if it is the fault of the education system in this world has problems, or the twins' parents.
In his old life, when he was a kid, every adult would remind him "not to eat stranger's things." This world is much more chaotic than the one he came from. When Lin Ye thinks about a minor getting mixed up with a bunch of violent rioters, this whole thing gives him a huge headache. He doesn't even want to delve into that subject.
"Where did your parents go?" Lin Ye holds Aesop's arm and asks, "Where would Elan be now if you have to guess?"
"I... I don't know." Aesop's face has gone pale, "Mom and dad went to the school to find sis. They want me to stay at home, because of Sis..."
"Because of Sis?"
Not liking where this is going here, to be honest
Aesop looks visibly shaken, "Sis is no longer the Sis I know."
... So she lost control because of oripathy? Indeed, the Infected that lose control don't look person anymore, more like beasts. Lin Ye has seen enough Infected like that.
He still pats Aesop's head to reassure the kid, "What are you even thinking? Your sister will always be your sister. She might be an infected but she still her. We just have to find her and bring her back, right."
When Lin Ye's hand pats Aesop with his head, Aesop can feel his heart calming down. He doesn't know why, but Lin Ye's words make him feel better about the situation.
Perhaps even more effective than what his parents said. He wipes his tears off and nods, "We are going to find big sis!"
This kid seems unstoppable when he recovers his passion. Family, I tell ya
But other than some reassuring words, Lin Ye has no single clue about where he should go to find her.
The government already took control of this region and every block is lined with riot police with shields. Whenever they go past the police, they are stopped to check for infection. Because of this, time will go to waste and the lesser the chance to find Elan.
"We already searched all the places we can think of." Lin Ye looks at Aesop, "Anywhere else? Can you think of another place your sister might be?"
Aesop just shakes his head.
Lin Ye is already fretful. More and more military police have come to order them to go back but he doesn't want to hand Elan over to the military police.
He has lived in this place for two years. He knows how the military police treat the Infected and they definitely won't be nicer just because Elan is a girl. She won't survive.
Think. Think again.
Lin Ye tries to calm down and think.
A teenage girl, after learning about her infection, would go where.
Where.
{Rhodes Island's Psychologist}
Shining looks at the dog crackers on the table and contemplates.
I have never tried them before. What do they taste like? That vet said they taste good. How about giving them a try? I already read the ingredients, and they are perfectly fine for human consumption.
But wouldn't that be weird? her conscience tries to point out.
Hmm, as long as no one knows. Just one. Just one. No one would know anyway. but one little demon at the back of her head tries to persuade her.
Shining picks up a cracker.
"A bite wouldn't hurt anyone, right?" she tries to defend herself.
But before she can bite it, the door suddenly burst open. She turns around and looks at what caused it. Needless to say, she is quite surprised when she sees who came in.
"Nearl? Why are you here?"
"I located your phone." Nearl walks inside and looks down at Shining, her golden ears shakes slightly. She sees Shining holding on to something.
"What are you doing?"
Shining looks at the cracker in her hand, "I was going to feed a dog."
Nearl frowns, "Where is that dog?"
"I do not know."
"... Whatever." Nearl sighs, "Honestly, bring another battery with you when you leave next time, okay. Alright, let's go back home."
Shining is a bit surprised, "You are here to escort me?"
"What else would I be here for?" Nearl says.
"We have to be quick. The Infected seem to be rioting and military police are everywhere. They almost found me. We need to hurry. Before they finish locking down the city, we have to go back to Rhodes Island."
Shining shakes her head, "I have to wait for Lin Ye."
"Lin Ye? That's the man you mentioned in your report?"
"Indeed."
Nearl's expression darkens, "That's enough, Shining."
"?"
"Look at you." Nearls yells at her, "You are in some man's home."
"He's not some man." Shining corrects her "He's a doctor."
"Huh?"
"There is no gender in the eyes of a doctor."
"Are you saying you are his patient?"
"If he goes to Rhodes Island, we will all be his patients."
Nearl has enough. She slams her shield on the ground, breaking the wood floor.
"Shining!" Nearl yells, "That's enough!"
Shining doesn't answer her. She just looks at Nearl's shield and says softly, "Nearl, your infection has gotten worse. In the past, you wouldn't get this angry so easily. Calm down. "
Nearls freezes up for a moment. Then, she takes a few deep breaths to calm herself down before speaking.
"I am sorry. I shouldn't have gotten angry at you but you are actually wrong this time, Shining."
"I can understand your worry, Nearl." Shining says, "I know your past. I know how much you hate those types of treatments..."
"That's why I know very clearly that there is no medication that can cure oripathy," Nearl says coldly, "Not even originium or sedatives."
Shining stands up and looks at Nearl in her eyes and says "I never said he can cure oripathy, but I feel that he can save you and you know if you continue down the road..."
"I know my own body, Shining." Nearl says, "I also know no hope for me. Even if there is one, it wouldn't come from a vet of all people."
Shining calmly responds, "Why not give it a try? If he can really help you, it doesn't really matter if he is a vet or not. Besides, Rhodes Island has never cared about what you are in the first place."
{Rhodes Island's Psychologist}
Draft by Demosama
Edit by Jaqqy10