Chapter 187: Post-Battle

"Is this… death?"

Jing Shang's consciousness slowly returned, a strange sense of void beginning to take root—he could not feel his body, could not open his mouth, could not make a sound, and before his eyes was utter darkness; though faint sounds reached his ears, he could not identify them at all.

"Is this what death feels like—complete void? What comes next? Will there be the Underworld? Or reincarnation? I can't stay like this forever, can I? That would drive anyone mad!"

Such thoughts arose in Jing Shang's mind, but immediately, a sweet voice spoke up:

"Oh, looks like you're awake?"

"Goddess? Oh, right—legend says devout believers enter the divine realm of their deity after death! So the Goddess has come to guide me?" Just as this thought formed in Jing Shang's mind, the Goddess's displeased voice echoed in his mind:

"Dream on! How devout are you, a believer who constantly defies the divine guidance?"

"Ah? So I'm going to hell?" Jing Shang recalled the battle's events and felt helpless; Xiao Lingdang, upon hearing this, grew even angrier:

"Die die die! All you think about is dying? Do you have any idea how hard I worked to pull you out? Never heard of a deity using Divine Descent just to deliver a believer to the hospital! Still thinking of dying? First, make up your incense offerings!"

"Ah? Hospital?" Jing Shang was baffled, then sighed helplessly, "So I overused my ability? Now I'm blind, deaf, and paralyzed?"

"Sigh…" Xiao Lingdang was thoroughly worn out by this pessimist; she simply projected an image into his mind. Jing Shang saw the "mummy" that appeared in his thoughts, and heard Xiao Lingdang complain:

"You feel nothing because you just had surgery—the anesthesia hasn't worn off yet. You can't see because your entire face is wrapped up—only left a hole for breathing. Don't worry, you'll be hopping around again soon. Just remember to burn me some incense!"

"I will!" Jing Shang wanted to nod vigorously, but had no sensation at all; yet as he thought it, he nervously asked:

"What about Sato? How is Sato?"

"He's got it easy—he only got injured from you carrying him and jumping off the building." Xiao Lingdang rolled her eyes; Jing Shang felt a pang of shame, but then heard her say:

"You've just walked the line between life and death. Don't keep thinking about dying—you're only forty! Believe me, you've got another sixty or seventy years ahead. So your wife dumped you? I'll find you a better one! So what if the kid isn't yours? Just have more of your own!"

"Huh? Goddess, do you handle matchmaking too?" Jing Shang was completely stunned—was this goddess a bit…

"Didn't I say? I'm the Guiding Goddess—guiding believers toward a happy life is part of my duty! Hey, don't get the wrong idea! I'm not a wish-granting deity or a creator god—I can't mold you a wife to order. At most, I can help you check compatibility! You still have to go find her yourself!"

…

Xiao Lingdang was giving her believer post-battle psychological counseling; Feng Xue, meanwhile, was not idle—he had just stepped out of the operating room and, facing Lena, peeled off his surgical gown as he grumbled:

"This is the last one, right? Feels like you're treating my place like a staff hospital. Twenty critical cases in one day? Any one of them would fill an ICU. Don't even talk about my clinic—no major hospital could handle this kind of load! Lucky I've got a basement, or I wouldn't know where to put these people!"

"Huh…" Lena didn't care for Feng Xue's sarcasm; she simply exhaled deeply—everyone's lives were saved, at least. As an expert in disguise operations, she was skilled at reading micro-expressions, and beneath his mocking grin, she saw his unmistakable exhaustion; her gratitude deepened, yet she'd already said thanks too many times—saying it again would sound hollow, so she simply said:

"Settle the bill. No discounts. Just give me the total."

"Straight to the point. Five hundred million upfront. The rest depends on future surgeries." Feng Xue pulled out a notebook from nowhere and scribbled a note—

"Same as always: no insurance, no receipts."

"Wait, aren't all the surgeries done? Why more later?"

Lena wasn't surprised by the medical costs—joint replacement surgery in Japan cost tens of millions; what concerned her was the surgery schedule.

"So far, we've only stabilized them. Except for the one who cracked his cerebral vessels from a broken leg, everyone else needs at least two or three more surgeries. We'll proceed by urgency—three surgeries a day would keep me busy for a whole month. So no more patients this month—I can't save them all!"

"Sato didn't break his leg—that's not why he—" Lena wanted to correct her, but considering it involved a companion's ability, she stayed silent; yet she still asked:

"To what extent can they recover?"

This was a crucial question—if they could regain mobility, even just enough for self-care, the Anti-Hera Front would mobilize members to protect their identities; but if they couldn't return to normal life, the Front could only arrange "accidents" to make their public identities die, protecting their families from suspicion.

"What do you take me for? In the domain of the Healing Goddess, you ask me about degree of recovery? As long as they don't kill themselves, within two months, they'll all be hopping around!" Feng Xue's proud expression eased Lena's worries; she glanced at the Jade Rabbit statue moved outside the operating room and silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as she considered whether to send Tina on a risky trip, Feng Xue changed the subject:

"By the way, since you can find me, send me a few nurses who can actually work. I'm short-staffed—have your people handle patient care. Oh, and didn't you say you also venerate the Jade Rabbit? Nurses would be the most suitable."

"Understood…" Lena had planned to buy several nearby houses through the organization to house the wounded; now that Feng Xue only needed nurses, she nodded immediately.

After all, those in this line of work might lack everything else—but medical support must be guaranteed; otherwise, comrades who fought to the death on the frontlines couldn't even count on care after battle—what morale or loyalty would remain?

"We'll send people and money as soon as possible. But do you have a source for incense and offerings? We're already searching, but delivery will take time…"

"I get it now—you're coming here to stock up?" Feng Xue rolled her eyes, but pulled out her notebook and wrote another note—

"I run a pharmacy, not a temple or shrine. I only have medicine. Understood?"

"Ah…" Lena had been disappointed, but as she looked down at the note, her eyes lit up—pharmacy? So it meant selling medicinal herbs?

Expensive? What's expensive about strategic materials?

(End of Chapter)