"I feel like I came back from the dead."
"How could you not? You spent two days fighting on the edge of death. You almost kicked the bucket."
From his hospital bed, Jack offered his assessment of Carl's first words after waking up.
"So what happened?"
Carl looked at Oliver, who sat on the other side of the bed. He did not quite understand why he had woken up in a hospital bed with two dumb faces staring at him from either side.
"Carl, I think you can just call us dumbasses to our faces from now on. You don't need to pretend you accidentally let your true thoughts slip."
Oliver was wrapped in bandages and did not look lightly injured himself. After rolling his eyes at Carl, he explained the general situation.
The distance Carl had needed to escort the target had actually been farther than he imagined. While that ACPA had been chasing Carl down, the medical personnel stationed at Azure Tower found the target and placed her under protection. Since the target had safely arrived, the attackers on Jack's side received the news and began withdrawing one after another. Then—
Then, when Jack and the other uninjured mercenaries hurried over to check on Carl, they saw him being carried away beneath a white sheet.
"At the time, we all thought you were dead. Jack even howled a few times and rushed over to snatch your body back."
"Bullshit. You were the one howling. I just rushed over."
Jack irritably corrected Oliver, then continued explaining what had happened.
Arasaka's medical team told them Carl was not dead. Before the target underwent treatment, she had specifically instructed them to treat Carl as well. They had covered him with a white sheet because he looked too miserable, and they were