Lori's Severe Injuries

Without a doubt, in the current state of the world, not many people could refuse a recruitment offer from Umbrella Corporation, let alone a weak programmer with two kids in tow.

Leon used a D-level Engineering Department position to recruit this professor from the Georgia Institute of Technology—a high-level intellectual that ordinary people could only dream of becoming. A weekly salary of 1,500 Contribution Points wasn't much, but it was still far more generous than what the average logistics staff received.

Bringing along this newly joined university professor, Leon and the Combat Team cleared three more villas, putting the combat power and courage of Umbrella Corporation's fighters on full display.

During the process, Amrin's expression didn't look good. Leon learned from casual conversation that many of the zombies here had been his neighbors when they were alive—mostly senior employees from nearby factories and companies.

From this university professor, Leon learned that Atlanta was one of the top ten financial hub cities in the United States, hailed as the "New Capital of the South." Its economy was diverse, with hundreds of major corporations headquartered here, including Coca-Cola, The Home Depot, Delta Air Lines, UPS, Holiday Inn, and BellSouth. Of the top 500 companies in America, 430 had set up branches in the city.

It was also a famous historical city in America, a cultural capital, a tourism hub, boasting numerous museums and large parks.

Clearly, this professor knew Atlanta inside and out. He had worked here for years, enjoyed a high social status, and possessed intelligence that Leon didn't know, along with his rare skills.

Leon felt a surge of relief in his heart—he had really struck gold. If he had come a few days later, he might have only found three pitiful zombies holed up in a basement.

After clearing twenty villas in one afternoon, the time reached 5 PM. Leon had no intention of taking risks in the dark, so he and his team, along with Professor Amrin's family and four vehicles packed full of scavenged supplies, returned to the base.

Once inside the base, Leon disbanded the team and told them to hand over the supplies.

The little secretary, Amy, appeared out of nowhere and quickly walked over to Leon, skillfully helping him remove his gear.

The girl's face bloomed with a smile, her voice sweet.

"Boss, you're back."

Leon nodded, pointed at Professor Amrin's family, and introduced them.

"This is Professor Amrin and his two children. New D-level Engineering Department employee. Senior electronic engineer, senior software programmer, university professor."

"And this is Ms. Amy, my personal assistant. She's currently managing most of the company's affairs."

Amy politely smiled and nodded at Professor Amrin, saying, "Welcome to Umbrella Corporation, Professor Amrin."

Amrin returned a weak smile and said, "Hello, Miss Amy. It's an honor to join a company fighting for all of humanity."

After the two exchanged pleasantries, Leon instructed Amy, "Take Professor Amrin's family to process their onboarding. Help them arrange accommodations. You can advance him two weeks' salary."

"I understand, Boss."

After giving Amy her orders, Leon turned back to Amrin and said, "Professor, there's hot water for showers here, plenty of food, and clean clothes to change into. Tonight, you and your children should get some good rest."

"Tomorrow, I'll set aside some time to have a proper talk with you and arrange your work here."

Amrin, holding his children close, bowed deeply to Leon and said, "Thank you, Mr. Castor. You saved me and my family. I will remember this kindness forever. May God watch over you."

At 2 AM, Leon was sleeping soundly with his arm wrapped around Amy's smooth, delicate body when the walkie-talkie on the nightstand suddenly crackled to life.

"Boss, Boss, are you there?"

"This is Glenn. This is Glenn."

"We're about ten minutes out from the base. There's an urgent matter that needs your help."

Amy's face still bore faint tear stains, as if the noise from the walkie-talkie had disturbed her sleep. Like a startled little animal, she curled up tighter against Leon's chest before groggily opening her sleepy eyes.

Leon gently kissed her forehead and pulled the high-quality velvet quilt up to cover her fair, jade-like skin.

"I have some business to take care of. You go back to sleep."

Amy shyly tugged the quilt up a little higher, as if recalling the wildness of the night before. She nodded meekly, a hint of exhaustion in her voice, which came out slightly hoarse. "Okay, Boss. Take care of yourself. Get some rest soon."

Leon threw on a robe, picked up the walkie-talkie from the nightstand, and walked out of the bedroom. He replied, "This is Leon Castor. Glenn, what's going on over there?"

Glenn's voice carried a mix of urgency and fatigue.

"Sorry, Boss, for waking you up so late. We have a Ms. Lori here. She's seriously injured and needs urgent treatment."

"I only know you as a doctor, so I drove through the night from the Quarry to bring Ms. Lori here."

Leon's voice fell silent for over ten seconds before he spoke again. "What kind of injury does this lady have?"

"Boss, Ms. Lori was collecting supplies in the city when she fell from a height of about ten meters and passed out. A corrosive liquid splashed onto her face, causing severe burns. She's still unconscious."

"Officer Shane is very worried. He brought me and Cal along—four of us total—to head to our base tonight."

"Daryl will bring the rest of the camp over tomorrow."

"We'll be there in about seven or eight minutes. Please be ready."

Leon was silent for a few seconds before replying flatly, "Understood."

"Come straight over from the underground parking lot. I'll be waiting for you at Clinic No. 1."

"Alright, Boss."

"Thank you, Mr. Castor." At the end of the conversation, Shane's hoarse voice came through the walkie-talkie.

Ten minutes later, in the operating room of Clinic No. 1, Leon saw Shane rushing in with Lori in his arms, and Cal crying on Glenn's lap.

Lori's eyes were tightly shut, her hair disheveled, with obvious burn marks on her face.

Shane's expression was very complicated—nervous, anxious, guilty, and pained all at once.

Leon had Shane lay Lori flat on the hospital bed, then took his stethoscope and examined her thoroughly.

Just as Glenn had described, there were large areas of chemical burns on her face, neck, and chest, a mild concussion in her brain, and fractures in her limbs and joints.

The worst was her eyes. The chemical liquid had destroyed most of the nerves; they were completely damaged, with no possibility of repair.

In other words, even if Lori's injuries were treated, she would be blind and disfigured.

Faced with this result, Leon felt a stir in his heart. The main reason this had happened was largely due to the butterfly effect he had caused.

It wasn't guilt or remorse, but rather a strange sense of immersion—everything he did changed the fate of this world, making it no longer a rigid replay of the past.

Upholding his duty as a doctor, Leon called Shane and Cal aside and truthfully informed them of Lori's current condition and the consequences after treatment.

Though Shane's face was twisted with pain, his expression full of regret and guilt, he still gritted his teeth and begged Leon to treat Lori.