Investing in My Harem in the Apocalypse Makes Me Stronger
Chapter 13: Doctor Owen – S-rank Healer

Chapter 13: Doctor Owen – S-rank Healer

Cain stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.

His expression returned to its usual indifference, as if nothing unusual had occurred inside.

He closed the door behind him and looked toward the corridor.

Maya had already gathered the remaining survivors on the fifth floor. Eight people stood near the barricade, all of them patients who had managed to remain alive after the hospital fell into chaos.

Some wore thin hospital gowns beneath borrowed jackets. One elderly man sat in a wheelchair, while another patient leaned against the wall with his arm wrapped in thick bandages.

Maya was speaking to them calmly, explaining that the zombies on the lower floors had already been cleared.

The moment Maya’s eyes met Cain’s, her entire body stiffened.

Her face flushed slightly, and she immediately looked away.

She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, then adjusted the grip on her fencing sword despite having no reason to do so.

Cain raised an eyebrow.

’Why is she acting like she did something wrong?’

He thought about asking but quickly lost interest.

Whatever was happening inside Maya’s head had nothing to do with him.

The door behind Cain opened again.

Evelyn stepped outside, her movements slightly hurried.

She had put her clothes back on, though her blouse remained slightly wrinkled and one button had been attached incorrectly.

Her hair was still disheveled, and faint redness lingered around her eyes.

She refused to look at Cain directly.

Cain glanced at her briefly, then turned his attention toward the corridor.

His gaze stopped on an infusion stand beside one of the hospital beds.

The stand consisted of a long metal pole attached to a wheeled base. Two hooks curved from the top, while a small handle allowed nurses to adjust its height.

Cain stared at it for several seconds, then an idea appeared inside his mind.

He walked toward the stand and lifted it with one hand.

The pole was made of stainless steel. It was not particularly thick, but it was straight and durable.

More importantly, the hospital should have hundreds of them.

Cain unsheathed his sword.

Clang!

He cut off the hooked section at the top. Then, another slash separated the pole from the wheeled base.

A smooth metal rod around one and a half meters long remained in his hand.

Cain weighed it carefully.

It was slightly shorter than the javelins he normally used, but its balance was still acceptable.

With Piercing Momentum and Ruin Dragon Force, the metal rod could become far deadlier than any ordinary weapon.

Cain smiled in satisfaction.

"Everyone, listen."

The survivors turned toward him.

"Search every room on this floor and bring me every infusion stand you can find."

One of the patients looked confused.

"Infusion stands?"

"Yes."

Cain raised the metal rod.

"I can use them as throwing weapons."

The patient looked at the severed metal stand.

"But what about the zombies?"

"There aren’t any left in this building."

Cain had already cleared the main building with Maya.

Elara and Jack were searching the other wings. Even if a few infected remained locked inside rooms, they would be unable to reach the survivors without making enough noise to warn them.

"You’ll be safe as long as you don’t leave the hospital," Cain continued. "Search quickly."

The survivors immediately moved. Some entered the nearby rooms, while the patients who had difficulty walking remained near the barricade.

Evelyne crossed her arms.

"You expect me to carry those things too?"

Cain looked at her.

"No."

Evelyne’s expression improved.

"You can carry two at a time."

Her face darkened.

"You bastard."

"Stop wasting time."

Cain pointed toward an open patient room.

"Go."

Evelyne wanted to argue, but the sight of the blood covering Cain’s sword caused her to reconsider.

She clicked her tongue and walked into the room.

Maya remained near Cain.

"What should I do?"

"Go find Elara and Jack."

Cain handed her the severed rod.

"Tell them to gather every infusion stand in their buildings. Cut each pole until it’s around one and a half meters long."

Maya inspected the rod.

"You want to collect all of them?"

"As much as we can get within the shortest time."

Cain chuckled lightly, "I’m tired of throwing away our proper weapons."

Ron had already complained enough after losing his javelin.

Cain also understood that weapons would become increasingly valuable. Throwing swords or javelins through walls every time he encountered an enemy was somewhat wasteful.

These rods could solve the problem.

They were easy to find inside the hospital, and Cain would not care if he lost them.

"I’ll tell them." Maya nodded.

She hurried toward the covered walkway connecting the main building to the two wings.

The survivors soon began returning.

One patient carried an infusion stand beneath each arm.

Another pushed five of them together, causing their wheels to rattle across the tiled floor.

Cain cut them apart one after another.

Clang!

Clang!

The hooks and wheeled bases piled up near the wall.

The straight metal rods were placed on the other side.

The gathering continued.

By the time they finished searching the fifth floor, Cain had obtained 36 metal rods.

They were all around one and a half meters long, with a diameter of approximately three centimeters.

Cain stood in front of the pile.

His Inventory currently contained the Cyan Scroll and Blue Orb he intended to give Elara. The remaining space held some food and medicine he had collected from the first floor.

A one-cubic-meter space would not be enough for everything.

"System, expand the inventory." Cain ordered.

A notification appeared.

[Expanding the Inventory from 1 cubic meter to 2 cubic meters requires 1,000 System Points.]

[Confirm?]

"Confirm."

[Ding! 1,000 System Points have been deducted.]

[Ding! Inventory Space has expanded to 2 cubic meters.]

Cain focused on the metal rods, then the entire pile disappeared.

Inside his Inventory, the rods occupied a small section of the expanded space.

Cain nodded in satisfaction.

"Let’s continue downstairs."

The survivors followed him and they repeated the process on every floor.

Cain had already cleared the corridors, so searching the rooms did not take long.

Infusion stands were gathered from patient rooms and treatment areas.

Cain cut away the unnecessary parts before storing the remaining rods.

On the third floor, they found several unopened boxes of medical masks and surgical gloves.

Cain stored them.

The second floor contained sealed containers of disinfectant and bandages.

He placed those inside his Inventory as well.

By the time they reached the first-floor lobby, Maya had returned.

She brought several survivors with her, each carrying bundles of metal rods.

Jack followed from the right wing.

The Impact Gloves remained on his hands, while dark zombie blood covered his shirt and arms.

Elara came from the left wing with the other javelin user.

Her injury was gone. The torn section of her fencing jacket remained, but the skin beneath it had completely recovered.

Cain immediately noticed the difference.

"Your wound healed?"

Elara nodded and said, "We found a doctor with an S-rank Healer Talent."

A middle-aged man wearing a bloodstained white coat stepped forward.

His face appeared exhausted, but his hands were clean.

"My name is Doctor Owen Carter."

He looked toward Cain.

"Elara told me that you organized the rescue group."

Cain nodded.

"What does your talent do?"

"It greatly strengthens every healing skill I use."

Doctor Carter raised his right hand, soft green Mana gathered around his palm.

"I also awakened a high-level healing skill. As long as the injury isn’t immediately fatal, I should be able to treat it."

A powerful healer was one of the most valuable people they could have found.

Weapons could be replaced.

Food could be gathered.

But, a healer capable of treating severe wounds was much harder to find.

"You’re coming with us," Cain said.

Doctor Carter nodded, "I already planned to."

He looked toward the patients behind him.

"I can’t leave them alone."

Jack and Elara’s groups had rescued around twenty-five people from the hospital wings.

Most were medical workers and patients.

Some could fight after gaining a few Levels, but the majority would need protection on the way back to the auditorium.

Evelyne stood a short distance away.

Her fingers twisted the edge of her clothes while she looked at Doctor Carter.

The difference between their Talents was obvious.

Cain could see a trace of frustration in her eyes.

Evelyne had always been praised for almost everything she did.

Her appearance attracted attention wherever she went. Her family was wealthy, and her university grades were excellent.

However, the apocalypse did not care about those things.

A D-rank Healing Talent placed her far below Doctor Carter in the role she should have been suited for.

Cain walked past her.

"Stop looking like someone stole your lunch."

Evelyne looked at him.

"I don’t."

"You do."

Cain placed another bundle of metal rods into the Inventory.

"A weak talent doesn’t mean you’ll remain weak forever."

Evelyne’s eyes moved toward him.

Cain had already turned away as he counted the rods gathered by the other teams.

Combined with the ones from the main building, there were close to three hundred.

Each rod was straight enough to throw and durable enough to withstand a small amount of Ruin Dragon Force.

The entire collection occupied roughly 0.4 cubic meters of his Inventory.

It had delayed them by around twenty minutes.

Cain considered the delay worthwhile, since three hundred disposable weapons would allow him to use Piercing Momentum freely without sacrificing proper equipment.

He also stored several boxes of medicine and bottled water.

The rest of the supplies were divided among the survivors.

Cain looked at the enlarged group.

"We’ll leave soon."

He then turned toward Elara.

"Follow me for a moment."

Elara looked confused but walked behind him.

Cain led her into a quiet corridor away from the others.