Once Elaine hurled her glowing ball of death inside, Isaac slammed the door shut. Within seconds, a wave of heat washed over him, not burning him but somehow still getting past the closed entrance. The pained hiss that followed was just as telling.

He shot his teammate a look, to which she shrugged. "If that's Patient Zero, it's better that I hit it hard, right?"

Isaac couldn't argue with that, so he just sighed and slowly pulled the door open again. What awaited them inside the morgue wasn't what either of them expected.

"Dear god…" Elaine muttered.

Ignoring the scorched walls and floor, Isaac's gaze locked onto the mortuary cabinets lining the far side of the room. Almost all of them remained sealed—except for the one in the middle that was blasted wide open. And it wasn't a corpse that lay inside.

Instead, a mass of wriggling, yellow-red flesh spilled from the ruined compartment, twitching and pulsing. Worse still, dozens of long, slimy tentacles extended from its ugly form. All of those limbs tried to slither toward them, but their movement was slow and sluggish.

Elaine's grenade maybe didn't kill them, but it sure as hell did a lot of damage.

"Patient zero," Isaac whispered, quickly cutting off a tentacle that got too close for his liking. "Fitting, I guess…"

"Moderate threat for me," Elaine noted, slicing through another of the grotesque creature's writhing limbs.

Isaac shook his head. "Not any longer. In this state, it isn't much stronger than a random Wretched on the street. Just how much Viron did you put into that skill?"

The woman grimaced. "I don't know. A lot? It's still hard to tell."

A lot is right, he thought as they went around the entire room and hacked off every remaining tentacle. Once done, only the weak, wriggling mass of flesh remained. He activated his own Analyze just in case.

Potential Threat: Low

No surprises there.

"I will radio in the others," he announced, stepping away from the creature. "Then you can kill it."

Elaine froze, her head snapping toward him. "Me?"

Isaac shrugged as he unclipped the small radio from his belt. "Yeah. The chances I will get anything from it are slim to none. You, on the other hand, will most likely level up once we finish clearing this site. Besides, you were the one who heard it first."

This time, she hesitated only for a moment before nodding. "Fine."

He took it as a sign and activated the radio. "Guys, can you hear me?"

At first, only the static answered him. Then Tyler's voice crackled through. "The signal could be better, but aye, we're here. Found anything, lad?"

Isaac's eyes drifted to the flesh monster inside the mortuary cabinet. "You could say that. It may be Patient Zero."

"Huh, that was quick, good job, you two. Where are you?"

"The morgue, somewhere in the basement. Don't ask where exactly because I have no idea."

A snort of laughter came through from the other side. "The morgue. Of course, why didn't I think of it… Sounds pretty obvious now."

"That it does," he agreed, then switched the subject. "Once we're done here, we should regroup. No point staying split when we got what we wanted."

"Aye, good point, lad. We're in the pediatric department. Heard some gunshots close, most likely in the emergency section if the map we found isn't lying to us. I would rather avoid another confrontation, so we will head out in the opposite direction."

Isaac hummed. They hadn't heard anything in a while, so either the other group was far away, or the basement's walls were thick enough to muffle the noise.

"Once we get out of the basement, I will contact you again," he said. "Then we can decide where to meet."

"Aye, aye. We will be waiting."

Isaac nodded to himself and returned the radio to his belt. Once done with that, he looked at Elaine. "You heard the plan. Your move now. Just please don't waste all your remaining Viron on this."

She scowled. "I'm not stupid… Just cover me in case."

"Way ahead of you," he muttered as five small Blood Daggers manifested at his side. The Root also thrummed, but he mentally shushed it for now. This wasn't their kill to take.

Meanwhile, Elaine summoned a long lance of light into her hands and approached the open cabinet. Without hesitation, she plunged it right into the mass of writhing flesh. A sharp hiss filled the morgue as even the severed tentacles began to convulse across the floor.

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Isaac narrowed his eyes, ready to step in. But before he could, the movement stopped, and a notification appeared before his eyes.

Patient Zero has been slain. Eliminate at least 50% of the infected to finish the destruction of this Quarantine Site.

Current progress: 26%

"Looks like it worked. Got a level-up, too," Elaine announced as she stepped away from the corpse.

Isaac's eyebrows raised a bit. Considering she had reached level six just before stepping into the hospital, this was very good progress. Then again, the Interface had classified Patient Zero as a moderate threat for her. Maybe he shouldn't be surprised.

"Let's wait for the body to disappear and move out," he stated, already walking toward the morgue's exit to stand watch. "The other group seemed friendly enough, but we have no idea how they will react if we sweep the rewards from under their noses."

Elaine nodded, a small dagger of light appearing in her hand. "Shouldn't be long now."

"Good to be back together, boss, princess," James said as they regrouped near a corridor leading to the massive parking garage. "So what's the plan now? I don't think our new gun-loving friends will be happy with us if we run into them again."

As if to prove his point, a series of muffled gunshots echoed through the corridor. They all shared a look.

"The smart move would be to get out of here," Tyler said, gesturing to the door next to them. "But… if they're searching for us, they sure make avoiding them easy. I say we just head in the opposite direction of the noise and make a run for it once the rewards show up."

"A little game of cat and mouse?" James grinned. "I'm in."

Isaac's lips also curled up. "Why not?"

"Excellent." Tyler clapped his hands. "To work then, team! We have a heist to pull off!"

That earned him a chuckle from all of them, even Elaine. It was obvious she was still processing what she had found in her aunt's apartment, but at least she wasn't letting it drag her down. Not that her new goal would allow her to give up.

Moving as one, they dashed deeper into the medical center. At times, the thinning corridors made it a tight fit, but that didn't stop them from slaughtering every single beast in their way. In the end, the Wretched here were still only a bit stronger than those outside.

The only true threat had been Patient Zero—and that was already handled.

And so, for over half an hour, they ran around in circles, the distant gunshots, among other noises, following their every step. The other group was clearly searching for them, but since Isaac's team wasn't making nearly as much noise, staying hidden wasn't difficult.

It made the whole cat-and-mouse game rather one-sided. That said, none of them cared about fairness. Not when the following notification flashed in front of their eyes after Tyler killed the final Wretched in the area.

Well done, Hosts. You have managed to neutralize this Quarantine Site. Purging in progress. Your rewards shall arrive soon. Level progression will be distributed between all contributors.

At the same time, a flash of light erupted in the middle of the hallway, leaving quite a large chest behind. Tyler and James shared a high-five and ran toward it like a pair of overexcited children. Really, if someone saw them now, they would never suspect that one of them was over ten years older than the other.

Isaac snorted and approached the duo with Elaine at his side. "What did we get?"

Tyler turned, tossing him a long object. A sword. More specifically, a rapier.

It had all the essential characteristics. An elaborate guard for the hand and a long, narrow blade with an even thinner and sharper end. The only unusual thing about it was its very light green color.

Analyze.

[Lifebloom Stinger | Grade: Superior] A well-made rapier enhanced with a minor leeching effect. After drawing blood from an enemy, Lifebloom will slightly enhance the Host's regeneration.

If I didn't have Root of Blood, I would say it isn't too bad for me, Isaac mused before looking up from the weapon. "So, who wants it?"

James instantly raised his hands. "I will pass. My skill is more than enough for me." To demonstrate, one of his arms turned into its usual metallic blade.

"And while I don't have a preferred weapon, a rapier definitely ain't for me," Tyler added. "I would rather have something with a bit more… power, or range."

Isaac arched an eyebrow. "You sure? It would probably work well with your Origin."

Tyler snorted. "With my Origin? Maybe. With me? Not at all. Just look at me, lad, and tell me a rapier fits me." He shook his head. "Nay, I'm good. Let the lass have it."

Elaine frowned. "I wouldn't even know how to use it. With my constructs, I just swing, and that does the job. But a rapier? I don't think it's that simple…"

"Eh. Just stick 'em with the pointy end," Tyler said, a broad grin on his face. "That's what I would do."

"Right," Elaine muttered even as she accepted the blade. She gave it a few test swings, but the frown on her face only deepened. "I guess I will learn."

"That's the spirit, lass," Tyler beamed. "Now for the other stuff. We really gotta move soon."

The next thing the British man pulled out was a box containing half a dozen vials filled with three different potions. Isaac instantly recognized two of them. Blue and brown. Viron Restoration and Energy.

The third type—the red ones—however, he quickly Analyzed.

[Restoration Potion (H) | Grade: Inferior] A weak health potion. It will enhance the Host's regeneration for a short period of time. Instantly restores 1% of Virus Integrity.

That's… useful. But really? One percent? It could probably save someone's life in a pinch, but the final part of the description almost felt like a bad joke.

"I will hold onto those if you don't mind," Tyler said, slipping the box into his backpack. "Then we have those."

Just like Isaac expected, the older man showed them two Virus Blueprints. One taught Viron: Potency, and the other Viron: Regeneration. Tyler, trying to be noble, handed the former to Elaine and the latter to James.

That left one final item, a bag full of Inferior Virality Gems.

"Let's split those later," Isaac said as the sounds of fighting grew closer and closer. "We have to move."

They all nodded and ran for the nearest exit. The other group could have the remaining Wretched here. The four of them had a much bigger fish to fry.

The Double-layered Quarantine Site.

His Symphony of Blood, which remained mostly dormant throughout the day, activated at the lone thought of that place. His teammates might have had their fill of excitement, but Isaac?

He was just getting started.

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