Chapter 172: Medical Bills Can

"So why are you so obsessed with health insurance?!" Yozakura Mako glared, unable to comprehend this man's line of thinking; Feng Xue, upon hearing this, rolled his eyes and said:

"The most important thing in our line of work is to know as little as possible about what you shouldn't know. So I avoid anything that might expose patient information—you don't tell me who you are, and try not to use your real-name accounts here. By the way, if you can't pay, I'm keeping the gear. Come back when you've raised the money to redeem it."

"That won't do!"

At the mention of her gear, Yozakura Mako instantly went on alert, yet felt the man had already shown her considerable courtesy by not just taking it outright; she shrank her head slightly, then shook it and said:

"I don't have cash on me right now, but I can't leave the gear with you. Could you lend me a phone so I can have someone bring the money? Or name an account—I'll have someone transfer the funds?"

"Not a chance! I don't know what you did, but right now those aliens are going insane looking for you—I won't risk it! And for heaven's sake, don't tell me who you are, don't tell me what you did, and don't lecture me with moral nonsense—I've met plenty like you! The moment you open your mouth, you try dragging others into your mess. Lucky for you, I'm a doctor with medical ethics, or I'd have handed you over long ago! Don't move!"

"What?" Before Yozakura could react, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her wrist—and saw Feng Xue had already inserted an IV needle into her arm.

"The veins on your backhand are torn apart; your other hand has a complex fracture, too awkward to stick a needle in. So I went with your wrist. If you can't promise not to thrash around, I'll wrap you in a cardboard box to immobilize you." Feng Xue adjusted the IV drip rate, then, amid Yozakura's stunned silence, pulled back the blanket and began examining her bandaged body.

"..." Yozakura wasn't some naive noblewoman; though still somewhat embarrassed, reason kept her from pushing the doctor away. But as he handled her body, she could only stare helplessly, feeling awkward—so she tried to distract herself with chatter—

"You keep talking about medical fees, medical fees—how much exactly?"

"Hmm, it's not cheap. Standard suture: five thousand per stitch. Internal organs, capillaries, special areas: twenty thousand per stitch. Not counting the several thousand stitches needed to preserve organ function, just closing that gash on your waist took over seventy stitches. Fixing your drug overdose took effort too. Medication, examinations, registration fees—I've waived the small change. Total: forty-seven million. Fair enough?"

Feng Xue stated the figure with solemn gravity while checking the wound's healing. Yozakura's head throbbed at the number, yet she felt no sense of overcharging.

Leaving aside that he saved her life—which effectively preserved that item—she'd never imagined surviving the way she'd abused forbidden drugs yesterday.

Given his skill, she even thought he was charging too little!

As she pondered how to relay a message to her organization, Feng Xue suddenly traced a line across her smooth abdomen—triggering a spasm and sharp pain.

"What are you doing?!" Yozakura jolted, nearly leaping off the bed; Feng Xue nodded and said:

"Looks like the nerves are reconnected. Rest well, don't move around these next few days—you'll be able to get up in at most seven days. By the way, you'll have trouble using the toilet; I'm not removing the catheter yet. Wait until you're nearly mobile to have it taken out!"

Without caring whether her face turned green or red, Feng Xue turned and walked toward the door, saying as he went:

"If you want to notify your comrades you're still alive, think of some signal that doesn't need electronic devices—like drawing a cat on the wall. I stayed up all night saving you; I'm going to rest now. If you need anything, ring the bell by the bed. You can't eat yet, so don't ring if you're hungry—I'll bring food when you're cleared to eat!"

"No news yet?" In a derelict air raid shelter, a group of men and women in varied attire held a meeting.

"No. According to our contact in the police, seventeen comrades from the Special Operations Unit are confirmed dead. But Yozakura is still alive—and from the aliens' movements, she hasn't been captured. That item is still in her possession."

A trendy young man spoke in a tone utterly unlike his frivolous appearance; the pink-haired girl leaning against the rubble beside him leaned forward, her voice strange:

"I've scanned every route from yesterday. All I know is she vanished while heading toward Target Six. That means she already judged survival impossible and intended to send the item out via Plan C."

"Which means—at least before vanishing—the item was still in her possession."

"But there's no viable hiding spot along the way. If she'd hidden it in a house or building, the aliens would've found it... It can't be..."

At this, the girl's expression grew increasingly peculiar. The impatient middle-aged man snapped:

"What can't it be? If you've figured it out, say it! Don't drag this out for drama!"

"She means Yozakura might have used the item—causing her disappearance, or escape." The mature white-haired woman in a long trench coat crossed her arms, her tone slightly heavy. The leather-clad girl stationed at the entrance, doubling as lookout, shook her head:

"Yozakura knows how vital that item is. Even if she died, she wouldn't..."

"I didn't say she did it on purpose!" the pink-haired girl interrupted. "That thing is a nascent deity! If a deity responds to wishes, isn't that normal?"

"That could make sense... but if a deity truly emerged from Yozakura's wish, what would it do? Transport her to a specific location? Heal her injuries?"

"At the very least, it didn't kill all the aliens!" The oldest white-haired man cut in, but just then, a phone alert chimed.

Instantly, every gaze turned wary. As the focus of all eyes, the pink-haired girl raised her hand and pointed to her phone:

"Don't panic—it's probably the code. You know how it works."

Without hesitation, she pulled out her phone, opened the notification, and showed everyone the message: "Your XX video received a large tip."

"The tip item was a heart—means it's about a member. There must be news on Yozakura!"

The blue-haired girl beside her translated casually; the pink-haired girl leapt up—but had taken only two steps before the leather-clad girl at the door pinned her down:

"The message came too fast. Given the scene's traces, Yozakura's injuries were severe. Something's off here. My reconnaissance skills are strongest—I'll handle this!"

(End of Chapter)