6. Who are these people?

"I feel nauseous," Suzune muttered, gripping her metal cane, trying to steady herself. Her hand trembled as she leaned her weight against it, trying not to collapse.

Elena stepped closer, her voice soft with concern. "Looks like it's getting worse, ma'am… Don't you think you should've told Shin about this?"

Suzune groaned, a sharp tightness in her chest making it hard to breathe. She took in a slow, heavy breath, her eyes glassy with pain. After a moment, she shook her head.

"No. It's okay," she whispered. "I don't want to worry him."

Elena's heart tightened at those words. She glanced at Suzune—really looked at her. The change in just one week was undeniable. Suzune was now thinner, her clothes hanging looser on her frame. She always made sure to wrap herself in blankets when Shin was around, hiding the signs. Her skin, once smooth and radiant, had grown dry and pale.

Without her insulin injections, her condition had spiraled. The lack of proper food only made things worse. There were moments Suzune would start trembling, her whole body shaking—but she never let Shin see. Whenever he was gone, Elena would try to use her healing skill on her.

But as a mere level 1 healer, her healing power was barely enough.

Elena placed a hand gently over Suzune's back, using the last of her strength to ease Suzune's pain with her healing. A faint glow surrounded them, and Suzune's breathing steadied for a moment.

Then Elena sighed, her shoulders slumping.

"I won't be able to heal you anymore," she said quietly. "My system just notified me… I've completely drained all my MP."

"It's okay, child," Suzune replied. "Don't stress yourself about me. Besides, I'm 59 years old. If I don't die now, I'll die sooner than later, like my husband."

"Ma'am, please. Don't talk like that. You're scaring me. No one is dying here. We'll survive together, till the very end," Elena said, trying to reassure her.

Suzune looked at her, then smiled. "You're such a kind girl. My grandson would be lucky to have someone like you in his life. But I know my body better than anyone. I don't think I'll last much longer."

Elena didn't understand why, but Suzune's words made tears well up in her eyes. Growing up without a mother, Elena had never known what a mother's love felt like. But in the time she had spent with Suzune, she had begun to experience what it meant to have a woman who truly cared for her. Suzune had become a mother figure to her.

"I'll do whatever I can to help you, ma'am," she said as they passed the ruins of Okutama Police Station, which had been destroyed and stripped of anything valuable especially weapons.

The elementary school they were headed to came into view, with a few figures lingering around the building in the distance.

Suzune stopped and looked at Elena, taking her hands in her wrinkled ones, rubbing them slowly.

"You need to focus on your quest too," Suzune said. "I'll manage mine, but it's really dangerous out there. If I don't make it back... tell Shin I love him. And I love you too, Elena. So please, survive."

Elena's heart ached as she gripped Suzune's hands, which had lost their warmth and were now trembling.

Suzune gently pulled away, flashing an assuring smile before heading slowly toward the school.

"Keep your skill active, ma'am!" Elena called after her, but Suzune only raised a hand in acknowledgment.

Sighing, Elena took her own path, knowing she was just a low-level healer with no fighting skills. She had to be careful. But now, completing her quest had become secondary. The first priority was finding insulin for Suzune.

She was the only one who knew about Suzune's condition and didn't want to lose her. She had made it her mission to help.

Changing direction, Elena headed toward the central hospital, but on her way there, she was intercepted by a group of men. They surrounded her, each holding a weapon.

"A woman walking alone, huh?" one of them said, grinning.

"She looks fresh and hot, too!" another man added, a rascal with a mohawk and piercings all over his face.

The other men grinned as they closed in on her.

"I'll have my fun with her first, boys! Then you can do as you please when I'm done!" the leader, a man in an orange overall, muttered as his men lunged at Elena, pinning her to the floor.

Elena struggled, kicking and cursing, "Let go of me, you bastards!" But the men only laughed, as though they had caught a wild pig which was about to become their dinner.

The leader began to remove his overalls, dropped them down, and was left with a boxer. His men held Elena tight to the ground as now the leader removed his already hard cock from his pants and began stroking it gently in front of Elena.

"Don't fight, little girl. I promise, I'll make you enjoy it too." The man giggled, but before he could do what he intended to do, an arrow came flying and hit him straight on his dick, piercing through it.

He glanced down, the adrenaline taking a few seconds before pain exploded on his length as he screamed in agony, veins from his dick pumping out streams of blood, staining the floor, some pouring on Elena's legs and dress.

The other men froze, eyes wide, as more arrows rained down, taking out some of them.

Then, out of nowhere, two men emerged from behind some broken cars, one of them holding an arrow tightly in his gloved hand. He rushed in, stabbing the remaining men with it, and they died in front of Elena.

Her heart pounded as she watched the two men who had just saved her.

"Hey! I'm Tony," one of the men said, extending a gloved hand toward her with a friendly grin.

"And I'm Gerald," the other added in a calm, composed tone. He wore a black suit over a crisp white shirt, his hands neatly clasped behind his back.

Who were these people?

Elena's heart raced.

TBC