Lucas's expression turned grim.
Beneath the layers of a thick, damp quilt, something was very wrong with Nathan's belly. Something unnatural shifted beneath the fabric—a silent, ominous movement that made Lucas's skin crawl.
There was no clear way to explain it.
There was no immediate evidence.
But an overwhelming sense of unease began to rise in Lucas's heart like a tide, drowning all logic.
"So… is Nathan dead or not?" someone whispered in confusion.
"Didn't Lucas say he was dead?"
"Didn't Natalie say this is the real Nathan?"
"Maybe Lucas made a mistake."
The chat log of the observers lit up in confusion and disbelief.
"Wow… first time I've seen Lucas mess up like this."
"Give him a break, he's still a rookie."
"Still… that's a huge mistake to make in this kind of situation."
Natalie moved closer to examine Nathan. She pressed her hand to his forehead, checked his pulse, and listened for his breath.
"Aside from severe exhaustion and weakness, I don't see anything too critical."
Just as she said that, Nathan stirred.
His eyes flew open with a jolt, wild and unfocused.
He rolled over on the bed—and violently vomited black liquid across the floor.
The bystanders jumped back in shock, barely avoiding the dark splash.
But some were still sprayed by the foul fluid.
Natalie covered her mouth and nose.
"It smells… awful. It's like something's rotting inside him."
The captain turned away, gagging. "What the hell is that stuff?"
Natalie pulled out a glowing test tube from her kit—an artifact.
> [Item Name: Dr. Poison's Test Tube]
[Type: Plot-Related]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Attack Power: Unknown]
[Attribute: None]
[Note: Capable of identifying all substances inserted into it. Created by Dr. Poison. May also explode.]
She collected a small amount of the black liquid into the tube.
Nathan groaned and collapsed back onto the bed, his face pale as bone.
The black fluid oozed across the floor, staining it with a deathly sheen. The smell continued to grow worse, forcing people to retreat.
Natalie held the test tube up and watched as it turned red.
"...It's blood," she said quietly.
Everyone froze.
"That's… blood? But it's black!"
"How can human blood look like that?"
"Everyone, do NOT touch it!" the captain shouted, moving people back.
He turned to Nathan and frowned.
"His body couldn't have held that much blood… There's no way."
And sure enough, Nathan's face was turning ghost-white. Signs of extreme blood loss were now obvious. His lips were pale, his eyes fluttering.
Before they could process the shock, Nathan convulsed—and vomited again.
This time, as his body twisted violently, the quilt fell away—
Everyone in the room gasped.
Nathan's belly was bloated. Swollen. Huge. At least the size of a grown man's head.
"What the hell is that?!"
"Why doesn't the system censor this?!"
"Lucas wasn't wrong after all… Nathan's not fine at all."
"Did this happen because he came back from the dead?"
"What did Nathan go through?! This is not normal!"
Suddenly, an alert from the system popped up:
> [Risk Assessment in Progress…]
[Player Nathan: No Danger]
[Player Nathan's Blood: No Danger]
[Player Nathan's Belly: Advanced Danger]
[Player Nathan's Belly: Escalating Beyond Advanced Danger]
Lucas stood up slowly and looked around the room.
"They're not going to throw Nathan out... but we can't stay here either." He sighed.
"If we just sit and wait, things are only going to get worse..."
Natalie stepped back, shaking her head.
"...Is Nathan… pregnant?"
The room went dead silent.
The captain reached out, hesitantly pressing his palm to Nathan's belly.
After a few seconds, he recoiled in horror.
"I felt… fetal movement."
The realization hit like a thunderbolt.
Nathan was pregnant.
Moments later, Nathan vomited again—another pool of thick, black blood spreading beneath him. Then he collapsed, breathing shallowly.
Suddenly—click—the door creaked open.
Everyone turned.
Lucas was standing in the hallway.
The captain moved to call him, but Lucas simply gave a polite nod, smiled faintly, and shut the door behind him.
Boom.
Silence returned.
"...Shouldn't we have called him back?" someone asked nervously.
The captain's voice was firm.
"I never interfere with anyone's choices."
He turned his attention back to Nathan.
"You can leave if you want. Nathan's condition is… beyond strange. I'll stay."
Natalie nodded.
"Then I'll stay too."
The rest of the group hesitated—but no one moved.
They all stayed.
If danger came again, at least there'd be someone taller to block it first.
Meanwhile, outside, Lucas leaned against the wall. He glanced around and activated his system interface:
> [Second Floor Corridor: No Danger]
He exhaled in relief.
Then looked further—
> [Third Floor: Intermediate Danger]
[First Floor: Advanced Danger]
The third floor... the children's room.
Lucas made his way toward the stairs.
Just as he took the first step, a figure turned the corner ahead.
A woman in a black dress and veil. Crimson lipstick. High heels clicking on the wooden floor.
> [Director of Angel Orphanage: Low-Level Danger]
Lucas paused.
She smiled sweetly. "It's so late, where are you going, dear?"
> [Director of Angel Orphanage: Danger Level Rising...]
[Low → Medium → High → Advanced...]
Her shadow stretched unnaturally across the corridor wall, growing longer with every step she took.
It was just like earlier—just like with Nathan.
The risk level continued to climb.
Lucas raised his hand calmly.
"Wait a moment..."
The Director froze mid-step.
> [Director of Angel Orphanage: Danger—Paused]
A moment's pause in the rising threat.
A drop of sweat slid down Lucas's temple.
The hallway was silent. Tense.
He could feel it—one wrong move, and the entire orphanage might descend into chaos.
----------------------------
Visit our Patreon for more:
Get membership in patreon to read more chapters
Extra chapters available in patreon
patreon.com/Dragonscribe31
-----------------------------------------------------