Inside the surgery prep room, everyone present fell into a long silence.

"This must be a movie shoot, right? How could something like this exist?" One resident, trying to bolster his courage, sneered, "Must be naked-eye 3D, pretty well done."

"But... what if it's real? It's been years since the appearance of the Aberrants... Even though the impact hasn't been huge each time, still..."

Dr. Thompson's face was pale, hugging his own arms, shaking his head repeatedly.

……

Adam Carter didn't say a word. Despite the "言" (speech) in his name, he was unexpectedly taciturn.

He was putting on his acrylic gloves when the prep room door was pushed open again.

the director entered, bringing three strangers with him.

With just a glance, Adam Carter realized one thing: these people were definitely soldiers.

They carried a heavy aura, stood ramrod straight, and every movement was as if cast from the same mold.

the director always wore a cheerful face, like a laughing Buddha, but now his expression was grim and frightening.

He looked around and barked, "There aren't enough surgical gowns—put on level-three protective suits as well!"

The young resident was stunned. "Is it that serious? Is it AIDS or something?"

Standing beside the director, a young man stepped forward: "Sorry to interrupt. I'm David Harris. The patient this time is one of my team members. He contracted a contamination disease while dealing with a contaminant in H City. We hope to surgically remove the affected area. Before that, we need you all to sign a confidentiality agreement. This is entirely voluntary."

A young nurse timidly asked, "...Is it nuclear contamination?"

David Harris turned and gave him a deep look. "No. If possible, I wish it were nuclear contamination."

Many present began to hesitate.

Saving patients is a doctor's duty, but if it might cost their own lives, anyone would think twice.

Adam Carter asked, "Where do I sign?"

the director wiped the sweat from his forehead and produced the confidentiality documents he had prepared in advance.

Adam Carter skimmed through them; they simply required the doctors not to disclose the surgery's details, not to take photos or videos, and not to publicize anything.

He signed his name without hesitation.

In the end, only three doctors remained for this surgery: the director, Adam Carter, and Dr. Thompson. Two nurses. No anesthesiologist.

In addition, there was a special assistant: David Harris.

Normally, outsiders weren't allowed in the operating room. But given the circumstances, no one questioned it.

The young nurse joked bitterly, "If we can't save the patient, is this guy going to pull out a gun and shoot us...?"

David Harris wasn't in uniform, but his pocket bulged with the unmistakable outline of a gun.

The lights in the operating room were on, but the operating table was empty.

A minute later, two officers wheeled in a round metal pod on a stretcher.

Adam Carter couldn't help but look at the director.

the director had saved countless lives, his name already in the textbooks, but at this moment, his hands were trembling.

The pod door opened, and a wave of cold air rushed out.

The patient was lifted onto the operating table.

At the first sight of him, Dr. Thompson couldn't help but turn away and vomit.

The young nurse's expression changed drastically, her voice trembling: "This is... what is this?"

The patient's abdomen was covered in translucent eggs. Under the shadowless lamp, the creatures inside could be seen wriggling, like fish.

Black fry swam happily inside the egg sacs, full of vitality.

These sacs seemed to have grown from the patient's own body. On the surface of the eggs, you could even see stretched skin tissue and the shriveled fat beneath, all packed tightly together.

Like a spoonful of caviar.

Adam Carter thought to himself.

The officers swiftly strapped the patient to the bed, their movements practiced.

David Harris stood at a distance. "He has been parasitized by a Class C contaminant. He's already reached the second stage of aberration. The doctor said that perhaps surgical removal of the lesions, combined with supportive treatment, might offer a chance of recovery. The situation is urgent, and there was no time to return to the central lab, so we have to rely on you. Rest assured, these fish eggs are just ordinary parasites and won't cause secondary contamination to normal people."

Adam Carter had a valuable trait: calmness. This calmness had allowed him to excel the first time he held a scalpel.

It was the same now. After a brief shock, Adam Carter was the first doctor to get to work.

This made David Harris glance at him a couple more times.

The patient's breathing was weak. Clearly, he could still feel pain.

Every time an egg was cut off, the patient would convulse and struggle, his face flushed red, the blood vessels on the sacs clearly visible.

The removed eggs quickly shriveled, like sea cucumbers dried of all moisture, shrinking into tiny lumps.

All the eggs were thrown into a special disposal box filled with boiling water. The high temperature couldn't kill the eggs, but it could effectively reduce their activity.

"Why no anesthesia?" Adam Carter couldn't help but look up and ask. "Even though he's restrained, muscle spasms will still interfere with the surgical field."