Intense Nigh

Kowalsk was sleeping deeply, with no apparent worries. His bed was the floor, and his blanket was rags found around the lab. Despite the intense agitation of the day, he seemed comfortable.

It didn't seem like just a few meters away from him was a massive dragon, the same one that wanted to devour him hours earlier.

Meanwhile, the experimental soldier known as Gareno seemed unable to sleep and kept watch over everyone. He sat at a distance, observing those strange visitors who had suddenly made him feel useful and, strangely enough, he was beginning to consider them all his family.

For a brief moment, he felt like laughing. He barely knew Kowalsk and didn't even like him; in fact, he abhorred his rude behavior. Many times, he felt tempted to punch him right in the face.

Kowalsk was a funny guy, trying to impress by acting tough, but to Gareno, he was just a buffoon. As for the girl, Gareno didn't know what to think of her. It was strange that she knew so much yet knew nothing at all—like her name, origin, or how she ended up there.

The most bizarre thing to Gareno was her attraction to the dragon, something akin to devotion. Strangely, this didn't seem to bother Kowalsk.

In the end, she was a lunatic who loved a dragon, protected a madman, and remained apathetic towards Gareno. The funniest part was the name Kowalsk gave her... Thilláila.

As for the dragon, what could be said about him? He was as strange as the rest of the visitors and the most surprising of them all. Gareno had never seen a creature like that before, so he had no reference point. But considering it was just a wild beast, it behaved remarkably well, almost humanly, especially after Thilláila appeared.

Tired of hearing so much snoring, Gareno felt like he was in a competition. And the dragon wasn't even competing; it was impossible to tell if it was sleeping or just resting since it did so silently.

Amazingly, none of them worried about a possible dragon attack during the night. Their main concern was finding a functioning bathroom because that snake meat would have an unpleasant return.

The clock read 2:50 AM when suddenly the dragon started coughing, or at least that's what it seemed. Thilláila was the first to wake up, trying to help somehow. Kowalsk, bothered by the noise, also got up.

Everyone was puzzled to see that the dragon was much smaller than before. Despite being swollen, it was easy to notice the size difference. Previously, it was the size of an Indian elephant, which is smaller than an African elephant but still notable. Now, it was the size of a large, fat horse.

"Can't you do something, Gareno?" Thilláila asked, showing great concern.

"And what do you think he's going to do, Thilláila? Pat this monster on the back?" Kowalsk retorted harshly.

The young woman seemed offended by Kowalsk's rude question. Meanwhile, the dragon coughed, emitting a light vapor of smoke from its mouth. The dry cough turned into a tragic choke, putting the massive animal in a delicate situation that seemed like it might lead to death.

As the dragon was nearly out of breath, Thilláila pleaded with Gareno to help.

"What do you want me to do, Thillá? I'm not a vet!"

"Please, do what Kowalsk suggested earlier—pat the dragon on the back... Please."

Gareno stood up, looking at Kowalsk as if to say, "See what you got me into?" He put on a special glove and warned, "This might hurt a bit."

Thah!! He gave such a solid slap that the dragon, sitting like a cat, lurched forward and began vomiting all the snake meat it had eaten.

"Ew, gross! Did you really need to hit that hard?" Kowalsk complained.

Thilláila glared at Gareno, and he knew that when she got the chance, she would return the favor in kind... and he would be waiting.