Chapter 60: Crack

The Erosion rate is a standard index for measuring the degree of mutation in the human body.

Being attacked and infected by an Erosion Organism, inhaling air mutated by Erosion Organisms during a disaster, or leaving the city to go to the Fallen Zones outside the Boundary Monuments, being exposed to the White Hole Erosion—all these reasons can lead to an increase in the Erosion rate.

And once the Erosion rate rises, it will never fall.

Except for Agents.

Agents possess the power to resist the Erosion.

Even if they are infected in battle, as long as they haven’t completely degenerated into “Remnants,” given enough time to recuperate, the Erosion rate within their bodies will gradually decrease to a safe range.

If Yukina were an ordinary person, an Erosion rate in the teens would indeed be a cause for alarm.

But for an Agent, even if this value were higher, reaching twenty or even thirty percent, it would be considered commonplace.

Shiina Rin was one such case.

She had been exhausted in battle, lost her sync, and was simultaneously attacked by an Erosion Organism, resulting in an Erosion rate of over sixty percent.

She was currently still recuperating in this hospital, her room just upstairs.

In comparison, Yukina’s Erosion rate of over ten percent would only take a week or two to return to a normal level.

Nishizaki Yuuki had seen many cases like Yukina’s and knew that Agents were not afraid of this level of infection.

This was also why Nishizaki Yuuki did not appear overly concerned.

“Could it be because she was attacked by an Erosion Organism before she synced…”

Ephnel’s brow was tightly furrowed as she held Yukina’s hand firmly.

Yukina had told her that she saw a strangely shaped Erosion Organism when she went to the lounge looking for her “Onii-chan.”

Yukina had no memory of what happened after that.

When she regained consciousness, the big creature had completely disappeared.

Confusion always occurs during the first sync.

Perhaps Yukina was attacked by the Erosion Organism before that and accidentally triggered a synced state.

It was reasonable that she had no related memories.

“My guess is similar to yours, so you don’t need to worry too much. Her condition will recover quickly with proper rest.”

“Mm… no matter what, I will protect her.”

She gave a noncommittal response to Nishizaki Yuuki’s reassurance.

Perhaps from Nishizaki Yuuki’s perspective, having frequently dealt with highly eroded Agents, she would naturally not be worried about an Erosion rate in the teens.

But to Ephnel, Yukina was her only sister.

An Erosion rate in the teens had already exceeded twenty percent of the safety line.

The closer it got to fifty, the more danger Yukina would be in.

Ephnel would not be complacent about this.

Good luck couldn’t last forever.

Pinning hopes on luck was a very unreliable thing.

If Yukina were harmed due to her own negligence, Ephnel would never be able to forgive herself.

…

Nishizaki Yuuki seemed to have read Ephnel’s thoughts from her eyes and shook her head with a sigh.

She had known Ephnel for over a year.

She was a logistics and medical staff member, while Ephnel was a frontline combatant.

Although they had never fought side by side on the battlefield, they were still comrades.

Through their repeated interactions, they had developed absolute trust in each other.

Without a doubt, they were important friends to one another.

But it was only today, after seeing the confession letter Ephnel had published on her account, that she suddenly realized she didn’t know Ephnel as well as she thought.

Perhaps, Ephnel didn’t really know her either.

An inexplicable emotion churned in her chest.

For her, this feeling was hard to describe, yet it was undeniably there.

“Are there any other methods?”

Ephnel’s voice interrupted Nishizaki Yuuki’s thoughts.

She paused for a moment, then replied:

“There are some, but as you know, Ephnel, these methods all carry considerable risks. I think it’s better not to take any chances given Yukina’s situation… If you’re looking for a foolproof, conservative treatment plan, that would probably be very difficult. As far as I know, not even those guys in the central province can do it.”

Humanity’s research on the Erosion had never stopped, but even so, there was no way to lower a person’s Erosion rate.

This was an unsolvable crisis that all of humanity had been facing.

Only Agents were special, but accelerating the speed of their self-purging of the Erosion rate would certainly come at a great cost.

Apart from extreme cases like Shiina Rin’s, few people would choose to do so.

Ephnel was naturally aware of this.

She lowered her gaze, fell silent for a moment, and sighed.

“It seems we can only wait…”

Ephnel was not good at waiting, because waiting meant the passage of time, it meant the sudden arrival of accidents, placing hope in a passive state, like entrusting one’s fate to others.

This was undoubtedly a feeling of powerlessness and helplessness.

But at this point, she had no other choice.

Nishizaki Yuuki was a very authoritative physician and one of the top researchers here.

She was well-versed in the latest developments of various studies in the academic world.

Ephnel did not doubt her words.

“Onee-chan.”

Yukina spoke softly at that moment.

Ephnel turned her head and met a pair of clear eyes.

Yukina was looking at her, her lips pursed, and she gave a small smile.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”

A soft touch came from the back of her hand as Yukina’s fingertips carefully climbed onto Ephnel’s.

She took a gentle breath, recalling the words she had prepared.

“It’s just that my Erosion rate has risen a little. I’ll recover quickly. Didn’t you ask me to consider whether to accept ‘Fifina’ and become an Agent? In that case…”

“It’s okay to think about that matter a bit more carefully.”

Ephnel interrupted Yukina, squeezing her hand back.

“You’ve synced once, and there’s a surplus of the Power of Order left in your body. Although you can’t mobilize it without a Beacon, it’s more than enough to just use it to clear the Erosion in your body. You don’t need to make a decision on that matter right away.”

Yukina was taken aback and wanted to say something, but seeing that Ephnel seemed unwilling to discuss it further, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

Nishizaki Yuuki took in the expressions of both Ephnel and Yukina.

Having known Ephnel for so long, she was well aware of her friend’s personality.

For Ephnel, any choice Yukina made would sadden her.

Unable to let Yukina take that step with a clear conscience, Ephnel chose to take a step back herself.

Of course, Ephnel was not a weak person accustomed to retreating.

On the contrary, among the Agents of Seikyo City, Ephnel was the undisputed Chief.

When facing an Erosion disaster, she was always the one at the forefront.

In the past, Nishizaki Yuuki had wondered why Ephnel was different from other Agents.

In fact, Agents more or less all suffered from severe psychological trauma, no different from soldiers withdrawn from the battlefield.

To fill or heal this “hidden illness,” Nishizaki Yuuki and other psychologists would do their best to provide them with psychological counseling and treatment.

But… the fighting would not stop.

This trauma would only continue to corrode the Agents’ hearts, evolving into “cracks,” becoming the last straw that broke them in high-intensity battles.

Those who couldn’t bear it mostly died in the line of duty due to mistakes in battle caused by fluctuations in their mental state before their heartstrings completely snapped.

The few who survived with serious injuries also lost the strength to fight again and retired from their positions as Agents.

As for the others who remained, their “cracks” still existed, but their minds would gradually develop a kind of “self-protection” or “desensitization” sign.

This was unconsciously reinforced by them as a defense against the “cracks.”

To outsiders, they appeared no different from ordinary people, but as the physician for these young girls, Nishizaki Yuuki would never miss the details that others overlooked.

The most direct and obvious example was Fuurin Shion (Fifina), who displayed a deep infatuation and admiration for Ephnel.

To outsiders, it was a feeling akin to adoration and obsession.

This feeling could not be simply summarized by the word “love,” but it definitely existed.

Similarly, there were Uzuki Saori (Lily) and Shiina Rin (Furan).

They were both orphans from the same welfare institution and had been inseparable since they met.

Nishizaki Yuuki could clearly see the obsession for each other in their eyes.

That was why after Shiina Rin was infected, the organization had intentionally or unintentionally transferred Uzuki Saori’s sortie missions to other Agents.

This was also the advice given by Nishizaki Yuuki and other physicians.

For these Agents, people close to them were likely to become the objects of their attachment.

But Ephnel was different.

Nishizaki Yuuki had never found Ephnel’s “crack.”

She was brave and optimistic, powerful and rational.

It seemed that nothing could become her obstacle or bond.

So, during her time off, Nishizaki Yuuki would often find Ephnel, chat with her, and quietly listen to her talk about her younger sister.

As a physician, Nishizaki Yuuki needed to pay close attention to the mental state of this most powerful Agent, and they had become friends because of it.

But today, Ephnel was very abnormal, like a completely different person, especially when it came to Shiomi Yukina.

The invincible Ephnel was gone.

Nishizaki Yuuki keenly sensed that subtle abnormality.

She finally realized it.

This was where Ephnel’s “crack” lay—her younger sister, Shiomi Yukina.

It was both an intuition and not an intuition.

Just like all the times she had quietly accompanied Ephnel, watching her smile and boast about her younger sister.

Perhaps for Ephnel, her concern for Yukina had slowly changed at some point, becoming something Ephnel was unwilling to face.

It was just that Ephnel herself was still deceiving herself and running away from it.

…