While Shawn was observing the panel, a man walked in.
He was wearing a white coat, so it was easy to tell his main profession was a doctor.
He didn't seem to have any intention of chatting with Shawn and walked directly to Shawn's bedside, speaking immediately.
"I am Doctor Steven. You fainted on the street. Fortunately, you weren't directly gnawed to the bone by passing Walkers and were rescued by the officers."
"I found three fractures in your body, but thankfully no internal bruising or bleeding."
"Can you see how many fingers this is now?"
Saying that, Doctor Steven held up four fingers, and Shawn cooperatively stated the number.
Hospital: Dawn, Steven
Doctor Steven breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this and took another look at Shawn.
"It seems your condition is better than I thought. This level of impact injury will allow you to wake up in a few hours. Your body is very strong."
"No wonder they brought you back."
Shawn ignored him, slowly propped himself up, and adjusted to his repaired body.
At this moment, he was wearing the Hospital's standard patient gown; his original 'stalker suit' was nowhere to be seen.
Looking out the window covered by barbed wire, the sky outside still hadn't brightened; the world was still engulfed in darkness.
The soft tap of a closing door sounded, and Doctor Steven retreated.
But not long after, another door opened, and a figure in a black uniform walked in.
Dawn slowly approached Shawn's bed, her hands resting on her waist as she looked up at him.
"I am Officer Dawn Lerner. My people found you on the street, and you were unconscious at the time. Do you remember your name?"
Shawn looked at her suspiciously but wasn't in a hurry to answer because he noticed Dawn getting closer and closer to him.
'Exposed?'
Shawn's heart tightened, ready to pull out his Crescent Blade from his system backpack and cause a scene at any moment.
But the next second, Dawn's actions made Shawn realize he had overthought things.
Dawn subtly moved closer to the bedside, her fingers, which had been resting on her waist, subtly dropped at some point, then casually brushed against Shawn's hand.
Dawn's behavior made Shawn find it amusing.
'This woman is actually interested in me.'
In the US, such simple physical contact already speaks volumes.
If it were before the apocalypse, just based on the police uniform Dawn was wearing and her gender, Shawn would have the right to sue her. After all, female-on-male harassment is also considered harassment, and the US defines citizens' rights very clearly, almost excessively so...
Shawn watched her actions with interest and replied.
"Shawn, Chinese-American."
Seeing that Shawn didn't resist, Dawn pressed her advantage, covering Shawn's hand with hers and leaning in closer.
"Your body is very strong, Shawn. I've seen it."
"But don't worry, I'm in charge here. You can stay here peacefully until your injuries heal."
Dawn's fingers began to trace circles on Shawn's hand.
Not only through physical hints, but Dawn's words also overtly expressed her intentions towards Shawn.
It was then that Shawn realized that the Dawn before him, although she hadn't yet experienced the harsh realities of the apocalypse or power struggles, already showed signs of 'violent control' and the bureaucratic mannerisms of the system.
She could ignore the brutality of her subordinates, and she herself could also become an abuser.
And clearly, Shawn was her chosen target.
Shawn didn't know if this was the first time such a thing had happened, but feeling the touch on his hand, Shawn genuinely wanted to slap Dawn across the face.
Click--
Just as Shawn was about to act, the ward door opened again.
A man with a neatly slicked-back hairstyle poked his head through the door crack and gestured to Dawn with his chin.
"Maybe you should come over for a moment."
Hearing the man's tone, Dawn, with her back to him, showed a fleeting look of displeasure on her face, but quickly hid it.
"Coming, Officer Gorman."
Before leaving, Dawn subtly patted Shawn's hand again, then closed the door.
Shawn frowned, looking at the spot Dawn had just touched, and pushed himself up from the bed.
Pushing open the ward door, a long corridor came into view.
Shawn held his side, walking slowly down the corridor.
Passing two wards, he looked through the vertical glass at the door and saw that almost every ward inside had people, either elderly or young women...
Although they were receiving treatment, there was no joy on their faces; they looked up at the ceiling, their eyes mostly filled with numbness.
Suddenly!
A hoarse scream erupted from the ward ahead.
Shawn leaned closer and saw Dawn and Gorman, who had just called her away, inside.
They, along with their subordinate officers, were pinning a man to the bed; that scream had come from the man's mouth.
They hadn't noticed Shawn at the ward door, as they struggled to hold the screaming man down on the bed.
It wasn't until the officer holding his head inadvertently looked up that he belatedly informed Dawn.
Dawn followed the officer's gaze, hurried out, and closed the door.
"He's an addict. You'll get used to this kind of thing once you've been here longer."
"Is that so?"
Shawn quietly retorted, but his mind kept replaying the look in the eyes of the officer who had first noticed him.
That look was very strange, even more unsettling than the feeling Dawn gave Shawn, making Shawn's scalp tingle.
As Shawn's words fell, that same officer also emerged from the ward.
Through the gap in the ward door, the man's screams continued to echo.
The officer stood at the doorway, not looking at Dawn, but rather at Shawn, with a greasy look in his eyes.
"Officer, you don't seem to have introduced me to this patient's situation."
As he spoke, the officer's gaze never left Shawn.
"Officer Donald, this is the injured person Apa and his team brought back."
Dawn frowned, but still stated the truth.
"Which ward number?"
Donald asked directly.
This question wasn't directed at Dawn; Donald stared intently at Shawn, licking his tongue.
Before Dawn could interject, Shawn smiled at him.
"Ward 4. There's plenty of space in there, enough to stretch out."
Upon hearing this, even Dawn couldn't help but look, her surprised gaze sweeping over Shawn again and again.
Donald didn't reply, just gave Shawn another look, then turned and walked towards the other end of the corridor, leaving Dawn and Shawn standing there.
After Donald had gone far away, Dawn, barely suppressing her anger, leaned close to Shawn and spoke.
"You think he can save you?"
"You've pushed yourself into the abyss, don't blame me for not warning you!"
Hospital: Dawn
-------------------------------
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