On the steps of the hospital entrance, a sudden cry for help made Louis's heart skip a beat.
He looked closely and saw that the newcomer was the black-haired woman he had rescued before, and the two people beside her appeared to be her husband and child.
Before Louis could react, Dr. Gale, who had just returned to the hospital, had already heard the commotion.
She turned around immediately, saw the child on Morgan's back who had already fallen unconscious, and realized the severity of the situation.
"Quick! Bring him in!"
Under Dr. Gale's guidance, Morgan anxiously rushed into the hospital carrying his son, Duane, on his back, with Jenny following closely behind.
In a temporarily converted ward, Dr. Gale quickly examined the child.
"He has a scratch on his arm. The wound isn't deep, but it looks like it's already inflamed."
"You can call me Morgan, and this is my son, Duane."
Morgan explained anxiously from the side, "He suddenly started running a high fever this morning and has been talking nonsense. He can't even keep medicine down. We really didn't know what to do."
While cleaning the red and swollen wound on Duane's arm with an alcohol cotton ball, Dr. Gale said in a low voice, "It should be a fever and inflammation caused by a wound infection. The situation isn't good, but it's not the worst."
"I'll give him an injection of antibiotics first and then start an IV drip. Hopefully, we can bring the fever down."
While Dr. Gale was busy talking, Louis, standing to the side, felt a surge of shock in his heart.
Morgan... Jenny... Duane... Isn't this the black family Rick encountered in the early stages of the original plot?!
Louis's pupils constricted suddenly as he watched the scene before him in disbelief.
He never expected that his unintentional act on the street that day would save Jenny, who was supposed to have turned into a Walker early in the story!
According to the original plot, after Jenny died, Morgan couldn't bring himself to kill his wife who had turned into a Walker, which eventually led to his son Duane's tragic death at her hands—a complete family tragedy.
But now, all three of them were standing here, safe and sound.
Looking at the anxious Mr. and Mrs. Morgan, Louis's heart pounded uncontrollably as a highly feasible idea surfaced in his mind.
In the original plot, Morgan had a mental breakdown due to the death of his wife and son, eventually choosing to stay in the small town alone and missing the chance to join the protagonist's group.
But Louis knew very well how powerful this man's combat prowess would become in the later stages!
What if he could get this family to join Rick's group early along with him?
Although this would change the original plot to some extent, Louis was not afraid.
His greatest reliance had never been just the information advantage of foresight, but the unique power he was gradually mastering in this world—magic!
If he was going to be held back by a so-called "plot advantage," wouldn't it have been easier to just wait for death after transmigrating?
In an instant, Louis made up his mind.
The first step he had to take was to establish a certain level of trust within this family!
He looked at Jenny's face, haggard with worry, and then at the two boxes of untouched antibiotics in the side pocket of his backpack; a plan quietly took shape.
So, as Dr. Gale turned to prepare the medicine and the IV stand, a look of guilt and unease slowly appeared on Louis's face.
He hesitated for a moment before finally gathering his courage. Lowering his head, he walked up to Jenny and said softly, in a voice filled with self-reproach and sadness:
"I'm sorry, ma'am... it's all me... it's my fault he ended up like this."
This sudden apology left all three adults present stunned.
"Child, what are you talking about?" Morgan frowned, his face full of confusion.
They knew very well that Duane had been accidentally scratched by broken glass while scavenging for supplies outside. What did that have to do with the little boy in front of them?
But Louis seemed not to see their confused expressions, continuing to speak to himself, his voice even carrying a hint of a sob:
"It must be me... it must be because I took his medicine that he got so sick..."
As he spoke, he actually took out the two unopened boxes of antibiotics from his backpack.
Of course, this performance was purely fabricated.
The reason Louis said this was just to make the people in front of him, especially Jenny, understand two things.
And Jenny did not disappoint his expectations.
When she saw the two familiar boxes of medicine, she was stunned for a moment. Then, as if remembering something, her eyes widened suddenly, and she pointed at Louis in disbelief:
"These... these two boxes of medicine... Oh my god! You're the kind person from that day... You're the one who helped me drive away the Walkers!"
"You saved my life! Child, why would you think that?" Jenny crouched down excitedly and pulled Louis into her arms. "It's not your fault at all!"
"Listen to me, Duane was injured after that; it has nothing to do with you!"
"Really?"
Louis looked up, his blue eyes shimmering with "just the right amount" of tears, looking skeptical.
"It's true! Child, you saved my wife. You are our family's benefactor!"
Morgan also realized what was happening. He stepped forward and, along with Jenny, explained the whole story to Louis in a flurry of words.
As Louis listened to their explanation, the guilt and doubt on his face slowly faded, eventually turning into an embarrassed shyness. He wiped away his "tears" and thanked them.
After this series of maneuvers, he successfully left an image of a kind, guilty, and even somewhat "saint-like" child in the hearts of Mr. and Mrs. Morgan.
And this was exactly what Louis wanted.
He not only wanted Jenny to know he was her savior, but he also wanted to establish a harmless and trustworthy initial impression in the couple's minds, laying the groundwork for his next plan.
Soon, Dr. Gale finished treating Duane's wound and started the IV drip.
Looking at their son still fast asleep on the hospital bed, exhaustion and worry were written all over Mr. and Mrs. Morgan's faces.
"You're already very tired. Go to the room next door and rest for a bit."
Louis spoke up at the right time, "I'll keep watch here. If Duane wakes up or if anything happens, I'll call you immediately."
"How can we do that? You're just a child..." Morgan instinctively wanted to refuse.
"It's fine, Mr. Morgan." Louis smiled and pointed to his eyes. "I just woke up, so I'm not sleepy at all."
"Besides, Dr. Gale needs rest too, and I'm the most energetic one right now. Go on, get some rest so you can take better care of Duane when he wakes up, right?"
These reasonable and thoughtful words left Mr. and Mrs. Morgan with no way to refuse.
The two looked at each other, their eyes filled with even more gratitude. After repeatedly giving instructions, they went to the next room to rest, full of emotion.
The reason Louis wanted to send them away, besides wanting to gain some favor, was more importantly to verify his latest "research results."
After practicing for some time, he had basically mastered the "Healing Charm" spell.
At least, the small cuts he had made on himself earlier, as well as the wounds on rats he had caught around the hospital, could be easily healed with this spell.
Now, it was time for the first "clinical trial"!
Only after confirming that Mr. and Mrs. Morgan were asleep and that Dr. Gale was also resting in her office did Louis quietly close the door to the ward.
He walked to Duane's bedside, looked at the wound on the boy's arm—which, although bandaged, still showed signs of swelling—and took a deep breath.
Then he raised his wand and pointed it at the wound.
"Episkey."