Chapter 180: Chapter 180: Dominic Crawford Turned Around and Stabbed Him in the Chest
"Nathan Thorne, you focus on healing him. Leave the rest to us!"
Sierra Sullivan spoke as she used sand to build a sturdy wall, enclosing Nathan Thorne and the others inside.
Seeing this, Dominic Crawford immediately grew anxious.
"Sierra Sullivan, let me out!"
He wasn’t injured. He couldn’t just hide in here and accept their protection with a clear conscience.
He had to get out there and fight those damn two-mouthed birds to the death.
Sierra Sullivan heard Dominic Crawford, but she ignored him.
"This is no time for tantrums!" Jayce’s voice rose to a roar.
The two-mouthed birds were growing in number, and they were incredibly fast.
If they dropped the sand wall, Nathan Thorne—who was concentrating fully on the healing—would be pecked full of holes like a sieve by the two-mouthed birds before Dominic Crawford could even get out.
Jayce’s roar stunned Dominic Crawford for a moment, but he quickly understood the situation.
He opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing, simply falling silent.
’He was right.’
’This isn’t the time to be stubborn, and it’s definitely not the time for solo heroics.’
’What they had to do now was work together, deal with these two-mouthed birds as fast as possible, and then find their vehicle.’
Dominic Crawford glanced from the man in his arms to Nathan Thorne’s increasingly pale face, all while straining his ears to catch the sounds from outside.
Even though he was just sitting there, motionless, the strain was exhausting.
Ten minutes later, Nathan Thorne collapsed onto the ground.
Nathan Thorne’s face was now paper-white, he was drenched in sweat, and his body trembled faintly.
He could barely control his hands, but he still struggled to pull the backpack off his shoulders.
Dominic Crawford saw this and instantly understood what he was trying to do, rushing forward to help.
He opened the backpack. It was stuffed to the brim with food.
Nathan Thorne wasn’t picky. He grabbed whatever he could, tore open the wrapper, and stuffed it into his mouth.
His mouth was crammed so full his cheeks bulged, but he paid it no mind.
At first, he devoured the food ravenously, but soon his chewing became mechanical, the act of eating reduced to pure instinct.
Watching Nathan Thorne, Dominic Crawford felt a heavy weight settle in his chest.
It was an indescribable feeling that pressed down on his heart, making it hard to breathe.
Nathan Thorne, exhausted from the simple act of eating but with his energy slightly restored, was about to update Dominic Crawford on the injured man’s condition when he noticed the way Crawford was looking at him.
The look made Nathan Thorne pause.
"Seriously, why are you looking at me like that?" Nathan Thorne was baffled. "Mr. Crawford, with that look, you’re making me feel like some pitiful wretch!"
Dominic Crawford’s gaze grew more intense, his eyes rimmed with red. "You’ve worked so hard."
Nathan Thorne, "..."
Nathan Thorne instinctively scooted backward, his expression turning even more horrified than before as he looked at Dominic Crawford.
"Seriously... Mr. Crawford, what’s gotten into you? Why are you talking like that?"
Before Dominic Crawford could answer, a guess had already formed in Nathan Thorne’s mind.
"You think I look pathetic, don’t you? Overdrawing my Superpower and then having to replenish my energy with food like that. You think it looks rough, right?"
Dominic Crawford nodded. "Yes—"
Nathan Thorne’s lips curled into a grin. "Then tell me, in this apocalypse, who isn’t suffering? Who isn’t living a wretched life? Look at the guy on the ground. If it weren’t for me, he’d be dead. Isn’t he suffering? Isn’t his life a mess? And think about the people who’ve turned into zombies. What about them? If they had a choice, do you think they’d rather be like me, or be a zombie?
’We’re lucky to be alive! Who are we to be picky? Yeah, I looked like a wreck just now. But if looking like a wreck means I have the power to protect myself, protect the people around me, and help those in need, then I’m willing to look like a wreck.
’Mr. Crawford, don’t overthink it. Just staying alive is hard enough. We can’t have it all, right?’"
It wasn’t that Dominic Crawford didn’t understand Nathan Thorne’s words.
On the contrary, he’d understood these principles long ago.
But understanding was one thing. Seeing it with his own eyes, however... emotions inevitably took over.
Now, after hearing what Nathan Thorne had to say, reason gradually returned to Dominic Crawford’s mind.
Dominic Crawford chuckled, a little embarrassed. "I... I made a fool of myself. And I even made you talk me down! I’m really... Still, you’ve surprised me. I can’t believe you understood all that. I thought—"
At that, Dominic Crawford’s brain finally caught up with his mouth. He quickly clamped his jaw shut, stopping himself from saying more.
If Nathan Thorne weren’t still so exhausted and drained, he would have jumped right up and charged over to fight Dominic Crawford to the death.
He had just been so earnest and heartfelt, trying to console Dominic Crawford.
’And what did he get for it?’
’Dominic Crawford had just turned around and stabbed him in the heart!’
’What do you call this?’
’Was this him just shooting himself in the foot?’
Seeing Nathan Thorne’s expression, Dominic Crawford quickly offered an appeasing smile. "Hey... that’s not what I meant, don’t get me wrong. I just... Forget it. How is he doing?"
Nathan Thorne snorted. "I can’t be bothered to argue with you."
With that, Nathan Thorne turned his attention to the injured man.
"A silver lining in a dark cloud, I suppose. It went in through his glasses, but the angle was off, so it didn’t hit the eyeball directly. His eye was injured, but I’ve already healed it. It shouldn’t affect his vision in the long run. As for the other wounds, they’re pretty deep. I can’t heal them all at once; it’ll take a few more sessions. But he’s out of danger. No need to worry."
Nathan Thorne sighed.
"My Healing Ability’s level is just too low. Forget Fourth Level—even if I were at the Third Level, I probably could have healed him completely in one go instead of needing multiple sessions."
Dominic Crawford, already relieved, quickly comforted him when he heard this. "Don’t beat yourself up! You’re already incredible! Without you, he might not have survived at all. You should be proud of that!"
As they were talking, the injured man finally stirred and slowly regained consciousness.
He still hadn’t quite processed what had happened.
Feeling the pain on his face, he instinctively raised a hand to touch it, but Dominic Crawford’s quick reflexes stopped him.
"The wound on your face isn’t fully healed yet. It’s best not to touch it right now."
He froze for a moment as his consciousness slowly returned, and then he finally remembered what had happened.
He remembered being ambushed by a two-mouthed bird. He’d felt a sharp pain in his eye, and then... nothing.
"My eye..."
"’Your eye is fine,’ Nathan Thorne said. ’After two or three more sessions, your other wounds will be healed as well.’"
"’As long as it’s okay! That’s all that matters!’" He let out a huge sigh of relief, then his head snapped up and he thanked Nathan Thorne earnestly. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"
