Mako carefully and gently punctured the very top layer of Leon's charred skin and inserted his knife through with great precision making sure to reach just the right depth and not to cut too deep.
With steady hands, Mako made a careful incision into Leon's chest, just below his ribcage. He carefully peeled back the layers of skin and muscle as he was instructed by officer Eric until he had reached the end of the burnt tissue that was surrounding Leon's lungs.
Blood had started squirting everywhere and Mako had to summon all his willpower just to make sure that he didn't faint or gag.
After taking a deep breath, Mako began to carefully remove the damaged tissue, working quickly to ensure that he didn't cause any further harm. He felt Leon's chest rise and fall as he worked, and he knew that he was making progress.
Officer Eric was an excellent guide who narrated the entire procedure and kept encouraging Mako while he operated.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Mako managed to remove enough of the damaged tissue so that Leon's lungs could be reinflated again. As soon as he had removed that last piece of burnt tissue, it was as if a balloon suddenly filled with air; Leon's chest puffed up as he took in a deep breath for the first time since being hit by that lightning.
Once again by following officer Eric's instruction to the tee, he carefully closed the incision with stitches and applied a clean bandage to Leon's chest which was included in the first aid kit that was provided to them.
Leon was still in critical condition but at least he was out of immediate danger. Mako collapsed onto the ground after he had successfully saved Leon's life. Even though the entire procedure only took a couple of minutes, Mako was extremely exhausted.
Officer Eric was beyond impressed with Mako's skill and coordination in performing a dangerous medical procedure without any prior practice. It was almost shocking to see him execute the instructions that he provided him with such accuracy and precision.
However, there was no time for celebration as Bill was still barely breathing and needed emergency surgery as well.
Officer Eric instructed Mako to quickly sanitize the area once again as well as wipe away any blood on himself and his blade before tackling Bill. There needed to be no blood or any filth near the operator and his tools as it can be a source of contamination which will worsen the situation.
Mako used Dash to quickly run back to the now-destroyed Barrier hut and brought out the loot crate which they used to store water. It had been refilled by Bill when he was looking after the boys after their duel and still had plenty of water left in it.
Using the water, Mako quickly washed his blade as well as his arms and face to make sure there was no source of contamination left that could harm Bill. After that, Mako reheated his blade once again before attempting to perform the same procedure on Bill.
This time, officer Eric didn't even have to say much as Mako performed the incision flawlessly, and carefully began to slice through and expose the burnt tissue. He carefully started to remove the burnt skin once again and similar to before, as soon as Mako removed enough of the burnt tissue that Bill's lungs could freely reinflate; they inflated up like a balloon and Bill took a real deep breath.
Once Bill was also bandaged up and out of immediate danger, Mako could finally take a breather and relax as this was the most stressful thing he had ever done. His blood pressure was through the roof and he could feel his heart trying to break free from the ribcage inside.
Officer Eric was at a loss for words after what he had just witnessed. The cadet in front of him had just executed a medical procedure flawlessly after only hearing the instructions on how to do so ONCE! This was something that only medical professionals would be capable of doing as they had done it hundreds of times.
What Eric and even Mako didn't know was that this wasn't his own skill and talent. Mako subconsciously activated the instant learning skill while he was learning how to perform the surgery by officer Eric.
Once he had completely learned how the procedure worked, the next time that Mako attempted the surgery, it was second nature to him as the movements came naturally to him. Mako himself didn't even realize what he had just done but the officer and the officials observing from the military headquarters had completely lost it as they couldn't believe what was happening in front of their eyes.
'The resonance of the two toughest abilities to create a rare ability is already crazy enough, but this cadet seems to have a lot more in store as he has a great memory, good precision, and fighting skill, as well as a deep loyalty towards his friends.' Officer Eric deduced as he watched Mako carry both Leon and Bill over to one of the corners of the cave and lay them against the wall so that their weak bodies could have some support.
Once both of his friends had been taken care of, Mako turned back towards the officer and awaited whatever else he had to say.
Officer Eric first gave Mako a solid handshake which showed that he had gained his respect, which was followed by praise. Mako was delighted to see that the officer was impressed, but he knew that he had something important to say as well otherwise he would have stuck around once Bill and Leon were out of danger.
Right on cue, officer Eric's expression changed a bit as he took on a more serious and professional expression. Officer Eric began by telling Mako that Bill and Leon were not out of the woods just yet. They were still in a critical state and any sudden movements or stretching could cause their stitches to rip and make them bleed out and die.
After addressing his first concern, officer Eric moved on by pointing toward the big hole through which the Terra beetles had attacked them.
"I am not sure exactly when, but I am sure that once their king is healed up, they will strike back once again and this time they will bring an even bigger force. So you should gather all of your things and leave this cave as soon as possible." Officer Eric said.
Mako wasn't completely oblivious to the fact that the Terra beetles would attack again but he thought that considering the damage he and the boys had done to it would take it at least a couple of days to fully heal, but officer Eric completely blew that assumption away.
He explained to Mako that the Terra beetles were one of the classes of beasts that evolve by consuming the crystals of their own kind. However, they can also eat those crystals to regain health and quickly heal injuries.
Right now, the Terra Beetle King would have made it back to its nest and started a feeding frenzy to regain all the health it lost. It would only take it a couple of hours to completely recover and launch another assault.
Officer Eric also instructed Mako that giving Bill and Leon two high-tier healing pills each should be enough for them to heal all of their damage and slowly start to recover the tissue they had lost.
With that, officer Eric wished Mako good luck and quickly disappeared from the cave leaving Mako alone with his friends. There was still a lot to do as Mako couldn't afford to rest as for all he knew, the beetle king could launch an attack within the next hour.
Mako quickly gathered all of their things and put all the items in their backpacks. Mako already had a bad time when he had to carry two bags and Bill on his back when he was poisoned, but now he had to carry three bags and two people and this time the people were in critical condition so much that they couldn't survive any sudden movements.
Mako stood over Bill and Leon's resting bodies as he could think of a way to move them both at the same time. He would have to move them one at a time which would be tedious and exhausting as while he is moving one, the other will be left unprotected and it would take twice the number of trips, plus he didn't even know where they would go.
Mako's original plan wasn't feasible now as it was impossible to make that one-day journey while his friends were injured.
"We just can't catch a break ever since we landed on this island, huh?" Mako ridiculed the fact that ever since they had landed on this island, one of them has been injured or knocked out. It seemed that nature was really against the three boys actually being together for some time without a threat looming over their heads.
*Beep!*
Mako was still trying to think of a way to get out of the cave safely when he heard a beep in his pocket.
Someone or something had just triggered the laser trap at the entrance of the cave and the sounds of footsteps could be heard as whatever it was, it was coming inside.
Mako quickly took a stance as he didn't know whether this was a cadet or a beast, but whatever it was, it couldn't have any good intentions so Mako activated his fire ability ready to face anything and defend his injured friends.
