Chapter 1375: A Moment of Weakness

Things had certainly quieted down considerably compared to earlier, when everyone was still struggling to get their bearings or frantically pulling people out from beneath fallen objects and other cadets who’d toppled over.

And yet, despite the rustling aboard the overcrowded vessel, which was currently home to cadets in varying states of distress, all a certain Chief of Staff seemed capable of hearing were the mutterings about him.

About them.

Seriously, the youth of today! Couldn’t they at least focus on their own survival for the time being?

How could they still find the time to gossip about something so unrelated when they should be far more concerned about the fact that no one could even contact home?!

"..."

And yet, despite his grievances, Killian himself wasn’t exactly in any position to criticize them.

After all, there he was, walking through the halls like a confused zombie, desperately wanting to reach his destination as quickly as possible, yet somehow dragging his feet as he struggled to figure out just how the hell he was going to explain himself after doing something that could have a lasting impact on a certain someone’s life and career.

Even now, he was certain that what he’d witnessed earlier was one of the worst things he could’ve possibly seen. And that was saying something for someone who’d truly seen more than his fair share.

The sight of that towering figure, whose robust body he’d somehow always assumed was unnecessarily sturdy, suddenly falling forward, about to hit the dirt floor that had absolutely no damn business catching that guy’s fall?

Now, that was terrifying.

"...!"

He’d raced forward, barely managing to catch Jax before he hit the ground, all while holding tightly onto their daughter, who’d felt just as terrifyingly fragile as the man collapsing in his arms.

"Jax! Jax!"

Killian remembered calling out to him repeatedly, only to receive no response from the listless redhead.

He’d felt as though his own throat was closing up in distress, something that rarely happened when he could usually keep a level head even during the worst emergencies.

But right then, he’d felt like barfing, despite knowing he couldn’t afford to break down.

Not now!

So the official had forced himself to steady his trembling hands, instinctively falling back on the emergency protocols he’d learned through years of service.

He carefully positioned the person lying before him.

Not Jax.

He’d desperately tried to distance himself from that thought, forcing himself to treat the body in front of him as just another casualty because the sheer stress was suffocating.

He checked his breathing, finding it terrifyingly weak, before quickly examining him for physical injuries.

There was no discernible smell of blood, and he couldn’t identify any obvious wounds, so he attempted to elevate the redhead’s legs to help maintain circulation.

"Help! Over here! NOW!" Killian roared, his voice tearing through the otherwise silent drop zone.

The sealed hatch of the Imperial transport burst open, and the Elders rushed out upon hearing his desperate outburst.

Their eyes widened as they took in the sight of Jax lying on the hard ground, with Killian kneeling over him, his face deathly pale.

Knowing they were still out in the open and that the location was entirely unsuitable for a proper medical evaluation, Killian barked, "We need to get him back inside! We need to check on him in the medical bay!"

"Stop!" Elder Wei commanded sharply, raising a palm before Killian could lift him. "No, we can’t. Do not bring him anywhere near the vessel we just exited!"

"...!"

Right. The contamination they had yet to properly assess.

Although the section housing the rescued captives had already been isolated using spiritual energy barriers, there was no telling what Jax might be exposed to if they brought him aboard, especially when they couldn’t detect the corruption in its unactivated state.

Even an otherwise unremarkable speck of dirt or piece of debris could pose a danger.

"We still don’t know how it might react to someone like Jax, who’s currently depleted of spiritual energy and happens to be such a highly compatible vessel," Elder Wei explained solemnly. "If what happened to the staff back at that Central Outpost is any indication of what this seemingly engineered corruption can do, then we absolutely cannot take that risk."

"..."

Definitely not.

Killian instinctively licked his dry lips before gritting his teeth. Under normal circumstances, he would’ve considered such a risk himself, but look at him now, almost making a potentially deadly mistake!

"So this... is this like last time? Has he completely depleted his spiritual energy again?!"

"Yes," the Elder confirmed without hesitation. "He’s in the same state as before."

Elder Wei stepped closer, pointing directly toward Jax’s chest.

"Stabilize him first using a little of your own processed spiritual energy. Ideally, that should also help nourish little Isabelle over here. It seems the connection between these two is really quite strong. That’s a good thing on most occasions, but at times like this, it proves challenging since it’s almost like having to recover for two."

The Elder paused briefly before continuing.

"However, unlike last time, I believe that once his internal pathways resume circulating energy on their own, we can supplement his recovery with a Spiritual Power Recovery Pill. That should help him return to normal without having to endure too much pain, while ensuring that you don’t end up too drained yourself."

"...!"

Because this was something they’d already weathered together before!

All he had to do was provide the redhead with enough refined spiritual energy, and those eyes would eventually open again.

Izzie would be fine, too!

Without wasting another moment, Killian enveloped Jax in a dense, glowing barrier of his own spiritual energy before scooping the massive redhead into his arms, carefully securing little Isabelle against himself, and sprinting straight toward the entry ramp of Battalion 10’s battleship.

"Open the airlock! Open it now!" Killian demanded at the top of his lungs.

He needed to get both of them out of those heavy filter masks.

He needed to make sure Jax could breathe properly.

And more than anything, he needed to get Jax somewhere safe so he could transfer some of his own spiritual energy to the redhead!

The heavy steel hatch finally hissed open, its pressurized seal releasing with what almost felt like a sweet wave of salvation.

Or at least, that was what Killian thought.

Because the moment he charged through the threshold, he practically ran headfirst into a wall of startled medical practitioners!

"...!"

Right.

That.

The entire reason this situation had turned into such a chaotic disaster in the first place was that, to these traditionally trained military doctors, the Elders’ spiritual methods looked like absolute quackery!