Chapter 12 Chapter Eleven

"We're almost there," Jiro encouraged. "Just a little more and we'll be able to sit down." Gillian and the others walked slowly along the path towards the central garden of Grism College, every step was painful.Jiro should have thought of it long ago.Gillian faltered among the branches and greenery.All kinds of flowers and leaves are too difficult for her. Her limited sense and processing ability can't handle so many things at once. So far, they have seen no one else on the road in the central garden, which is not surprising, most of the staff and students are in class.But the trail that takes them into the woods is a favorite of runners who use it to work out when they have time.He didn't want to be caught by off-duty Confederate soldiers running nearby while injecting Gillian, so he tried to rush her along the way, being careful not to touch her or make Gillian too anxious And feel annoyed.

"We can rest at the waterfall, Jillian, come on, it's not far away." The back garden is a forest of more than 30 places, carefully planned and built in the center of the space station, so that the faculty and staff can communicate closely with nature.The glass roof is fitted with adjustable mirrors that reflect and redirect Elitium's sunlight onto the trees below, simulating the alternation of day and night and seasons on the planet. The gardens feature mostly native flora, with some alien species imported from other human-colonized worlds, and these well-tended gardens are scattered throughout the park.The number of various insects, birds, and small mammals in Elisium is also closely monitored here. There are small fish swimming in the creek that meanders in the garden.

The creek is artificially built, and the continuous circulation of water is pumped continuously. It begins and ends with a large pool in the center of the park. The pool is surrounded by green grass and is on the top of a protruding hill in the center of the park.At the foot of the hill is a small clearing where the water from the pool pours down in a cascade - a favorite place for lunches and picnics.It was still early in the morning, so Jiro figured that this place was empty...and the place was safe, not visible from the side of the runway. "Very well, Gillian," Jiro said softly, and Gillian started walking slowly again.She turned her head slowly, and the surrounding scenery made her a little dazed.

"Okay, let's turn right here," Jiro said to Gillian when they came to a fork in the path.It was very warm under the artificial sun, and he was sweating from under his lab coat. When Jiro led Gillian down the path towards the waterfall, Gillian almost tripped.Unlike a well-tended runway, the ground here is rough and rooted.Jiro reached out and grabbed her arm to keep her from falling.Luckily, Gillian's attention was focused on a chipmunk on a branch above their heads, who was watching them and muttering something, so Gillian seemed to appreciate his physical contact no response.

Still holding her arm, Jiro pushed her quickly along the path until they finally reached their destination.There are six chairs on the edge of the clearing, and at the position of each chair, you can see the water flowing and spraying from the rock wall four or five meters high and falling into the pool below.Jiro was relieved to see that the chairs were all empty. There was still an hour until lunchtime, and no one seemed to be coming until then.But he didn't want to take any unnecessary risks.Still grabbing Gillian's arm, Jiro sat on a shaded chair, helped her sit down, and let go of her arms.

Jiro then waited a little while to give Gillian time to adjust to her new surroundings.He hoped the gentle splash of the waterfall would put her at ease. After a few minutes, she murmured, "What did you bring me here for?" He realized that Jillian had developed a sense of urgency.He considered carefully what he had to say.He didn't want to scare her, or upset her, especially after Gillian had shown that she was easily scared. "I need to check your readings, Gillian," he said as professionally as possible. Gillian frowned, her heart beating a little faster. "Miss Saunders checked yesterday."

"I know you don't like it, but I need to check again," he explained, "because of what happened yesterday." Gillian pouted and nodded, her head tilted forward, showing the back of her neck. He reached into the pocket of his lab coat and pulled out the bottle of medicine Grayson had given him.Another long syringe was drawn from another pocket. "This might hurt," he said as he sucked the medicine into a syringe. Jiro pulled down the back of Gillian's T-shirt a little, put the long needle between Gillian's shoulders, and carefully pushed the syringe needle into the cervical vertebrae.

On Cerberus' instructions, he'd given her the last dose of the drug, which he'd given her in a glass of water in Gillian's ward.However, as part of the experiments they conducted, each dose was reconstituted by direct injection into the spinal cord. Gillian whimpered softly as Jiro's thumb pressed down on the top of the syringe. Jiro didn't know what drug Gillian was taking each time, but he could guess that it must be some kind of neurostimulant.The previous medicine was filtered and diluted by the digestive system before it could be absorbed into the blood circulation system and then penetrate the blood-brain barrier.In contrast, an injection directly into the cerebrospinal fluid should have more of an immediate strong effect.

"It's over," Jiro said as he withdrew the needle. Gillian looked up, her eyes still on the waterfall, and absently felt with one hand where the injection had been given on the back of her neck. Strange, she's never been like this before. "Does it hurt?" he asked. Gillian didn't answer, but her hand slipped from her neck and fell limply at her side. "Gillian? What's wrong?" She tilted her head to one side and rolled her eyes.Jillian's body began to tremble, then tremble, and she hunched over and rolled off the chair.Jillian fell forward, and Jiro caught her before her head hit the ground.

Jiro put Gillian down on her side, but her arms and legs began to convulse, and her whole body jerked uncontrollably. "Oh my god!" Jiro yelled, and Gillian started foaming at the mouth. Handel's footsteps stomped heavily on the dormitory floor as he rushed towards the central garden, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the hallway of the dormitory building.Even as he ran he began to think about the situation in his mind. Jiro might not be the guy we first imagined. That wouldn't necessarily make Jiro an enemy, but until he figured out what was going on, Handel would prepare for the worst.Handel drew his pistol while running, and pulled the pistol out of the holster in a snap, without affecting his pace at all.

Calling for backup, he argued in his head, but quickly dismissed the idea.Jiro didn't know that he had been exposed, and Handel didn't want anyone to raise the alarm to report to him. Why did he take Gillian to Central Gardens? He doesn't know how Jiro got close to Gillian, or if he's responsible for what happened in the restaurant.But he needs to figure it out... If it doesn't work one way, use another. Handel ran around a corner, braced himself against the wall, and absorbed the impact with his shoulders and butt so he barely slowed down. There are too many people in the isolation ward.He needs a private place.But why? Handel ran to another corner, jumped onto a short walkway, and turned left to the path leading to the central garden woods.If Jiro needed to find a place where no one was around, he would definitely take Gillian off the path.But he couldn't just drag her into the woods: if a branch caught her, there was no telling how Gillian would go mad. It must be the clearing next to the waterfall. With Gillian in his hands, Jiro must have had to stay on the road and follow the long winding path to the clearing.Handel need not worry about this.Trusting his sense of direction, he sprinted down the path, over the bushes, and took the shortcut. Branches scraped across his face and tore at his clothes.Handel pushed away the branch of the Elisium fir that was lying in front of him, and the branch bounced back suddenly, stinging Handel's cheek, leaving many bright red marks. Handel ignored the pain and rushed straight to the edge of the clearing.Jiro knelt on the ground, with Gillian's body beside him. "Get away from her!" Handel yelled, drawing his pistol and aiming at Jiro. Jiro looked up, his face full of fear and bewilderment. "Stand up and step back!" Jiro did as he was told, slowly raising his hand. "I don't know what happened, she just had a fit." Handel glanced at Gillian on the ground, who was still lying on the ground twitching. "Go there," said Handel, motioning with his pistol. "Squat down, face down, and don't move." Jiro ran away obediently.After Jiro squatted, Handel stepped forward and knelt on one knee beside Gillian, his attention completely focused on Gillian. Jiro bravely turned his head slightly, and saw that Handel was still beside Gillian.He slowly lowered his hand, touched the shock device on his belt, and pulled it out.Handel put the pistol on the lawn beside Gillian to check Gillian's condition, Jiro aimed at Handel and fired.The blow struck between Handel's shoulder blades, and Handel arched his back, screamed, and fell to Gillian's body in front of him. Jiro half climbed and half squatted, ran a few steps forward, squatted down to touch Handel's pistol with his left hand, and still tightly grasped the shock device with his right hand.Just as his fingers touched the handle of the gun, the head of security's hand snapped out and grabbed Jiro's wrist. Jiro was taken aback and wanted to pull his hand back.Handel was hit directly by a high-voltage current of 100,000 volts, and his world was spinning, but he did not completely lose consciousness.He stiffened, grabbing Jiro's wrist and twisting it up and in, forcing Jiro to drop the pistol. Jiro kicked at the prone Handel, the first solid kick to the ribs, and the huge man grunted in pain, rolled away, and let go of Jiro's wrist.The second kick landed in the stomach, but Handel threw his arms around Jiro's leg and threw Jiro off balance.Handel rode Jiro, hand to hand, hand to hand, and rolled away from where Jillian lay.Security chiefs are bigger, stronger, and better trained.But Jiro still has the jar. Jiro aimed the shock at Handel's ribs and fired again, and Handel elbowed Jiro hard on the temple. Jiro recovered first, stood up dazedly, staggering for balance, and saw in disbelief that Handel was also struggling to get up.Still holding the jar in his hand, Jiro fired a third time, this time with the jar's battery drained as well.Handel lay on his back, motionless. Jiro, unwilling to risk his opponent not completely fainting, turned and ran towards the surrounding woods.He tossed the completely useless shocker away and limped through the woods, the force of that elbow still in his head, and Jiro needed to regain his sanity. Carly's lungs were on fire as she ran to the central garden entrance.From the office, she wanted to keep up with Handel's pace, but Handel's steps were fast and big, and she was thrown farther and farther.In an instant he was gone, and after a while not even his footsteps could be heard. Carly was still running, through the aisles and stairs, to the central garden... and now she didn't know where to go.So she simply stopped and waited, trying to catch her breath and think about what to do next. She can call for backup, there is an emergency box at the central garden gate.But Handel was the head of security, and if he wanted backup, he should have called. You may be overreacting, she told herself.All you know is that Jiro lied to you.This might make you extremely upset, but that doesn't mean you should call security over. She paced around anxiously, frustrated at her incompetence.But still no viable plans.She could go and find them, but there were several paths and paths and only one entrance, so if she waited here they would come to her eventually. And as long as they come, I will know the answer! Handel was completely unconscious.He didn't know if he was asleep or awake, alive or dead.His mind was like a boiling cauldron of disjointed thoughts and feelings.Then a clear image rose to the surface like a bubble. Jillian. He took a deep breath, held it for three seconds, and then exhaled slowly.This action is purely instinctive, and years of training in biological abilities have made this action of keeping one's mind calm and focused without thinking.He took another deep breath, and the world around him stopped spinning and became still.The fragments of consciousness fit together into a whole. He was lying face down, every muscle in his body filled with lactic acid, exhausted. He hits you with a shocker.This son of a bitch hit you with a shocker! He is so tired.He needs to sleep, to rest.He can't do anything else. Do you dare to sleep again?You useless piece of shit! The words were his own, but the voice belonged to the sergeant instructor in his basic training.At any point in his Union Army career—a 20,000-meter run that pushed his endurance to the limit, or after hours of biotic training—he would hear this whenever he flinched. The voice urged him on relentlessly.But those days are over.He has retired.He was no longer a fighter. Don't give me this set!A soldier for a day, a soldier for life!You lazy coward, get up from the ground and rush to me! He finally gathered his strength and propped himself up on his hands and knees.He saw that Gillian was still lying on the ground, no longer twitching.She didn't move at all.Not even breathing. Handel pressed the emergency siren button on his belt. Security and medical teams set off as soon as they see the signal.The reaction time to reach the waterfall is seven minutes. too slow.Gillian couldn't last that long. He began to crawl toward Gillian, his muscles writhing in agony, and he was too weak to try to get up. Jiro cursed in his mother tongue, cursing that the needle-ridden branches scratched his clothes, and he hurried through the trees in the central garden.But he didn't stop, he didn't know how long Handel would be immobilized, he needed to find a way out of the space station before the security chief woke up. The landing port has an emergency ship that can descend to the surface of Elysium.If he could come up with a good reason, with some sweet words or a bribe, the pilot might be able to take him off.If that fails, he'll need to hijack or steal the ship.It was a crazy and desperate plan, but he was a desperate man now.From the moment Handel spotted him in the clearing, he knew his only option was to leave the academy.He returned from the bushes to the path, which was only about ten meters away from the exit of the central garden.He didn't notice Carly standing there until Carly called out to him. "Jiro, what's the matter with you?" she asked, walking along the path where he was. She looked warily at Jiro's torn shirt, the scratches on his face and hands, and the bruise from Handel's elbow on one side of his face, feeling very strange. "Jiro," she asked again, very sternly. "I need an answer. Where is Handel?" "How do I know?" He tried to smile easily. "He's your friend, remember?" If she gets any closer, she can be caught, and she can be finished before she can run away and call for help.But Carly stopped just out of his reach. "You took Gillian out of the ward. Where is she now?" Jiro heard the questioning in her tone, and realized that it was impossible for him to get away with smooth words. "Go away," he tore off the disguise, and said coldly, "otherwise I will be impolite, and you will suffer." "You don't want to run anywhere," she said with shoulders slumped and a fighting stance. "Unless I know what's going on." Jiro made a quick calculation of the situation—the pain from fighting Handel had subsided, he was younger and more vigorous, and he weighed forty or fifty pounds more than Carly.He knew Carly had been trained to fight in the army, but he felt the odds were on his side.He smiled, shrugged, and pretended to give in.Then he rushed towards her. He tried to catch her off guard, but Carly missed his trick.Carly spun sideways and kicked Jiro hard on the knee.Jiro immediately lost his balance and punched Carly, but Carly saw through his move and the punch missed.Jiro turned to face Carly, ready to pounce again. He never got another chance.Callie lunged forward, punching him in the face with her left fist.Jiro squatted to the side, but just caught the uppercut of her right hand.The blow hit him on the side of the chin, and he grunted in pain and took a few steps back. His opponent would not let him get away so easily.She followed up with an angry fist and kick, and Jiro's clumsy parry and counterattack were completely avoided by Carly.He took a solid blow to the throat, and Jiro gasped for breath, when Carly swept his leg and Jiro fell to the ground.He tried to get to his feet, but Carly put her knee on his groin and the brutal one-sided fight was over. Jiro fell to the ground motionless, and Carly took a step forward, staring him so hard that he dared not look at each other.Jiro curled up into a ball, and Carly pinched his precious ball.Jiro wanted to beg for mercy, but when he opened his mouth, an indescribable pain hit him, and he let out a long scream. She knelt beside him, stretched out two fingers, hooked his nostrils, and pulled gently.The severe pain could not be contained, and Jiro screamed again. "Now, darling," Carrie smirked, her fingers still hooked inside Jiro's nostrils. "I'm going to ask a few questions, and you're going to tell me the answers." Pain is a good thing, you maggot!Let you know that you are alive!Handel reached Gillian's body, tilted her head, forced two breaths into her throat, and then pressed her chest ten times in rapid succession, pressing the heel of his palm firmly on her sternum.He took two more breaths, then repeated. He knew that emergency CPR couldn't restart her heart or get her to breathe on her own—miracles that only happen on TV.All he is doing now is to maintain blood circulation, oxygen can reach her brain, and persist until the real rescue comes. keep her alive.Let her stay in the world. Chest compressions are exhausting, and if you're doing less than a hundred compressions per minute, they're not going to do anything to save her.Even under normal circumstances, this rhythm would soon wear him down, and he couldn't hold on for a few minutes, not to mention the current situation was even more desperate. How dare you retreat in front of me!No one in my army is a coward! His breathing became chaotic and his tears flowed.Sweat ran from his forehead to the arch of his brow and into his eyes.The muscles in the arm were still trembling and trembling, and each pressure brought a stronger cramping pain.As he massaged Gillian's heart, the world around him turned into a cloud of pain and exhaustion. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, ninety—breath—breath. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, ninety—breath—breath. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, ninety—breath—breath. Then a pair of hands put on his shoulders and pulled him away.He struggled feebly with the hands before realizing they were there to help him.When he came to his senses, two emergency medical specialists were by Jillian's side.The first person holds a multimeter to examine her vital organs. "Code Twelve," said Handel, the order succinct and to the point. His words sent the two experts into immediate action. Their cooperation and hard work have been flawless after hundreds of hours of training.The first person popped open the first-aid kit, removed the syringe, and gave Gillian a shot of high-concentration oxygen and a mixed injection to replenish the oxygen supply in her blood. Another doctor pulled a palm-sized device from his belt—Handel recognized it as a portable defibrillator even in his dazed state—and pointed it at Gillian's. Chest compressions.The EMT hesitated, waiting until his partner pulled out the needle before it was his turn to shock Gillian's heart with a series of intense electrical pulses in an effort to restart it. "I see a pulsation," his partner said after a moment, calling out the reading on the instrument. "Blood oxygen level is good, I think she can hold on!" When the doctor pulled Handel away from Gillian's body, he remained in a half-sitting, half-lying position, not knowing whether to laugh or to be sad.Instead, he fell to the side again, passing out.

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