Efficiency at Its Best

"I'll take care of this, and I'll take him with me as well," Serena Walsh said with some difficulty as she picked up her crimson-bladed sword from the ground. She glanced at the werewolf. "When it's time to deal with the Bull-Headed Aberration, I'll notify you."

She knew she had to dangle a carrot in front of the werewolf, or the cooperation might fall apart.

"You should really go to the hospital first. You're barely hanging on, and you're still thinking about work?" From a human perspective, the werewolf, Logan, admired Serena. She was undeniably dedicated to her job as an exorcist.

Serena was taken aback by the concern from a creature like Logan, unsure how to respond. She opened her mouth but couldn't think of anything to say.

"Before you head to the hospital, could you do me a favor and take care of that creature?" Logan gestured toward the twisted aberration still struggling, pinned against the wall. "Consider it my payment for the night."

"Simple enough." Serena, relieved by the change of subject, walked over to the creature.

The grotesque aberration, upon seeing her approach, cowered in fear, pathetically raising its deformed limbs to shield its head.

Without hesitation or mercy, Serena swung her blade, slicing the creature cleanly in half. Its twitching limbs spasmed before slowly going still.

Logan approached, dragging the half-conscious Jack Chase in one hand, while his other paw reached out toward the aberration's remains. With a powerful inhale, the creature's body disintegrated into dark vapor, which then surged into Logan's body.

"The power of decay," Logan muttered to himself. The aberration's energy granted him control over a corrosive virus.

Now, he could secrete this virus at will—perhaps in his saliva or on his claws. Any creature struck by the virus would face rapid decay, its body eaten away by the infection. It was a potent new weapon.

His recent gains didn't stop there. After coming out of his berserk state, Logan had noticed a new ability—he could now emit a slow-motion beam from his eyes, much like the mysterious flashlight he had encountered earlier. It could significantly slow down any creature caught in its beam. The downside, though, was that the target had to stay in his line of sight for the effect to continue.

As Logan mused over his new abilities, he caught sight of Serena out of the corner of his eye. She was struggling to remain standing, using her sword as a crutch. Clearly, her injuries were more severe than she'd let on.

"You need a hospital, now," Logan said bluntly. Without waiting for a response, he wrapped one muscular arm around her waist, pulling her close. With his other hand, he effortlessly lifted the half-dead Jack like a ragdoll. With a powerful leap, he bounded across the rooftops, making his way toward the nearest hospital.

"So warm..." Serena mumbled, her voice faint and muddled. In her semi-conscious state, she clung to Logan's fur, finding a strange comfort in its warmth she'd never known before. — Serena awoke to a sharp pain in her abdomen, snapping her out of the fog of unconsciousness.

She found herself lying in a hospital bed, her midsection wrapped tightly in bandages. An IV was attached to her hand, dripping steadily.

"Who brought me here? Was it the werewolf?" Serena thought back to the last thing she could remember—the moment she had slain the twisted aberration. After that, her memory was blank.

A nurse entered the room, clipboard in hand. She was about to make her rounds when she noticed Serena was awake. She quickly approached, concern on her face. "How are you feeling? Besides the wound in your abdomen, do you feel any other discomfort?"

"I'm fine," Serena replied coolly, her expression unreadable as usual. Her icy demeanor rarely shifted, and she hardly ever smiled.

"Good. I'll let your colleagues know you're awake," the nurse said before leaving the room.

Moments later, Jackson Maddox, the head of the exorcist division, strode in with a concerned look on his face. As the supervisor of the city, he clearly felt responsible for the injuries Serena had sustained under his watch. "Serena, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Director Maddox. But tell me, who brought me to the hospital?"

"I was busy handling the situation with the infected, so I couldn't come immediately. But according to what I heard, you just showed up at the hospital entrance. The staff rushed you straight to the OR."

"The werewolf..." Serena muttered to herself, piecing together the events. She didn't press the matter further, instead turning her focus to Jackson. "We found a solution. Have the infected fast, induce vomiting, and use laxatives. It will help expel the aberration fragments."

"Don't worry, we found that out last night!" Jackson said, his expression a mixture of relief and excitement. "Strangely enough, last night, Jack Chase—covered in blood with both arms severed—showed up at the front of our exorcist HQ, screaming out the solution you just mentioned over and over."

"The werewolf again..." Serena murmured, surprised by how efficiently Logan had acted.

"We tested it, and it worked! After fasting and administering emetics and laxatives, the infected started returning to normal within a few hours. Their cravings disappeared, and they're no longer a threat!" Jackson beamed, clearly thrilled by the success.