Chapter 953: Everything as Usual

Lu Mian looked back at Old Wang and Old Ding, who were wrapped in white bandages from head to toe, carefully examining their state and the details around them.

"Don't disturb the patients." The nurse who led Lu Mian and the others into the ward gave a few instructions and walked out, returning to the nurse station.

At this time, the patient who should be Old Ding was influenced by the conversation between the family members and Xu Xinyang and woke up, slowly opening his eyes.

Against the backdrop of those circles of white bandages, Old Ding's dark brown pupils were much darker than normal, and it took a long time for him to find his focus.

Lu Mian didn't find any anomalies worth noting.

Xu Xinyang walked to the hospital bed and greeted Old Ding. Old Ding didn't have much spirit and was mumbling words.

Lu Mian listened for twenty or thirty seconds, looked at Old Wang who was still sleeping, and retreated step by step, coming to the ward door without a trace and without attracting attention.

He then looked at the doctor and nurse information posted outside the ward:

"Attending Physician: Huang Puda.

"Head Nurse: Qi Fang."

From the photo, it could be seen that Qi Fang was the nurse who had just led Lu Mian and the others to the ward.

A name not mentioned in the data... The naming style is a "local" of the dream city, doesn't look like an "outsider"... Feels like there's no problem... Lu Mian returned to the ward and followed Captain Xu Xinyang to greet Old Ding and the two family members for a while.

They didn't stay long, so as not to affect the patients' rest.

Walking through the corridor, passing the nurse station, and walking toward the ward area door, Lu Mian looked at the bulletin board on the walls on both sides casually.

One side was an introduction to technological achievements and some diseases and injuries, and the other side was a brief introduction to all doctors and nurses in this ward, which was divided into several rows.

Lu Mian's gaze fell on the photo at the very top.

That was a female doctor with a wealthy appearance, decent features, and eyes that were a bit brownish, looking only forty-something years old.

The introduction to her was:

"Roland, Vice President..."

Lu Mian's first reaction was "Isn't this Franca's surname," and then he suddenly felt a chill down his spine, almost shivering.

He remembered another Roland.

That was a prominent name he had heard of when investigating the Sea-Praying Ritual in Santa Harbor, Kingdom of Feysac:

"Mother Earth Goddess" Church's Matriarch Roland!

This was equivalent to the Pope or Pontiff of other orthodox churches!

The "Planter" pathway has the "Physician" sequence. Matriarch Roland of the "Mother Earth Goddess" Church is highly likely an angel of this pathway, which is equivalent to one of the strongest doctors in the real world. Serving as the Vice President and Chief Surgeon of a hospital in the dream city is absolutely qualified and conforms to Mr. Fool's subconscious cognition... But the problem is, this is Dawn Hospital... Lu Mian withdrew his gaze naturally and followed Xu Xinyang toward the ward area door with his expression as usual.

He remembered that the Major Arcana card holders' data hadn't mentioned that Roland had a corresponding dream image.

Did they not know, or did they think it wasn't important and she was just a simple NPC? Was Matriarch Roland becoming the Vice President of Dawn Hospital woven by Mr. Fool's dream subconscious, representing some of his cognition, or was Roland's dream image used by the "Great Mother" due to her own pathway problem? Or, was this one of the "achievements" of Dawn Hospital? Matriarch Roland is the Vice President, then who is the President? Lu Mian felt that this matter had to be reported to the Major Arcana card holders.

This didn't contradict his idea of "testing" it himself first and harvesting results belonging to himself. He was worried that if the dream image had a problem, it would cause the real-world Matriarch Roland to be affected as well, so he wanted to remind the Major Arcana card holders.

Out of the ward area, Lu Mian asked curiously:

"Captain Xu, what is the name of the President of Dawn Hospital? I haven't seen his news."

Xu Xinyang turned into the elevator area, recalled for a few seconds, and said:

"Strange, strange, I haven't heard of it either.

"I only know that Director Huang had a very good relationship with this hospital before, donated a lot of money to them, and helped them establish it."

Money... a lot of money... donation... Lu Mian felt that this matter should have been done when Emperor Roselle still had the "Great Mother's" pollution.

This also made Dawn Hospital become wealthy and imposing, seemingly not worried about the "money" problem, unlike the "Fantasy Association's" Colored Painting Hotel, which still had to squeeze the blessed and believers to renovate.

While waiting for the slow elevator, Old Xia suddenly asked Xu Xinyang:

"Captain Xu, do you think Old Wang and Old Ding can recover to their original state? They were so good at fighting before."

"Are you eyeing the positions they left behind?" Xu Xinyang asked with a smile.

In the Intis Group, the Security Department doesn't just have security guards, but real security personnel responsible for protecting Director Huang's family and important distinguished guests, providing security services for jewelry exhibitions, antique exhibitions, arms trading, etc., held by the group's various companies, and protecting important mines through cooperation with local armed forces.

Old Wang and Old Ding belonged to security personnel, and their salaries were much higher than ordinary security guards. If they were sent abroad, there were subsidies.

"Forget it. I can't afford that risk, and I don't have that ability." Old Xia waved his hands repeatedly, with a look of fright.

Xu Xinyang looked at Lu Mian and smiled:

"Originally, this time I wanted an old man in his fifties or sixties. Who knew that the Personnel Department stuffed me with the youngest one? Fortunately, Director Green is satisfied."

"Why look for an old man in his fifties or sixties?" The one who replaced Lu Mian in asking was Old Xia, who was in his thirties or forties.

Xu Xinyang laughed "hehe":

"Security is a service position. You are still too young, not smooth enough, and can't let go of your face to act shamelessly.

"Think about it, if you have a conflict with employees in the building, which one of you would lie on the ground without any burden, clutching your chest and shouting pain, shouting that you can't breathe? Old men in their fifties or sixties don't have this kind of scruple. They dare to lie down, dare to shout, dare to extort. In that case, do the employees on the opposite side dare to be serious, dare to continue making trouble? Having an old person at home is like having a treasure!"

Lu Mian finally heard it. Xu Xinyang was beating him, thinking that his making trouble with people on the first day of work was a manifestation of lack of experience.

Little Zhao didn't hear the subtext of Xu Xinyang and asked stupidly:

"Then why not look for someone over seventy directly?"

"Then what if they have a seizure on the post?" Xu Xinyang scolded Little Zhao angrily, "Are you saying you don't feel sorry for Director Huang's money?"

Little Zhao laughed "hee hee" and didn't refute Xu Xinyang.

At this time, an elevator finally stopped on this floor, and it was already crowded with people.

Entering the elevator and following it as it descended slowly, Lu Mian suddenly had the feeling that he and the others were sinking into the gloomy seabed.

That was a hallucination brought about by his spirituality.

The hallucination disappeared quickly because the elevator stopped on the next floor.

Just like this, as the elevator stopped constantly, Old Xia muttered:

"A bit cold. Is the air conditioning turned on too high..."

You didn't say that when you took the elevator upstairs just now... Is it because we are currently descending, approaching the underground floors? Lu Mian observed the others in the elevator thoughtfully, finding that they were all made pale by the gloomy cold and cold wind brought by the air conditioning.

Aside from that, there was no other situation.

When the elevator stopped on the first floor, Lu Mian suddenly felt that it would fall like free fall, and instinctively walked out quickly.

The feeling of the air conditioning being too effective disappeared instantly.

Lu Mian raised his hand to pinch his nose and followed Xu Xinyang and the others toward the main entrance of Dawn Hospital.

Just now, he smelled a bit of blood.

Out of the hospital building, the sunlight, which was only a bit weaker than before, instantly brought a feeling of golden brilliance and clarity.

"That's why I hate hospitals." Old Xia muttered.

Lu Mian turned his body halfway, looking at the lobby with people coming and going and the floors high above, summarizing in his heart:

"There are indeed some details that are abnormal, but most of the doctors, nurses, and patients here seem to have no problems...

"If they all had problems, this city would have been polluted to an unknown degree long ago, and Mr. Fool's subconscious would inevitably react..."

As thoughts raced through his mind, Lu Mian suddenly saw a face stuck on a glass window on the 12th floor.

That face was wrapped in strips of white bandages, with only the eyes, nostrils, and mouth not covered.

He seemed to have seen Lu Mian as well, and the whole person struggled crazily, and then it was as if he was dragged away from the window area forcibly by one person after another behind him.

Lu Mian hadn't had time to react before he disappeared.

But Lu Mian recognized him.

He was Old Wang, who had been sleeping all the time when they were visiting the patients.

Lu Mian turned his body back, pretending he hadn't seen anything.

If it weren't for the fact that he had to go find Anderson tomorrow night, he would have wanted to break into the 12th-floor ward area right now to save Old Wang and see what accidents and changes would occur.

For Lu Mian, this matter wasn't that it couldn't be done, but it had to be placed after completing most of the experiments.

…………

Inside a beef offal hot pot restaurant.

Occupying a large private room and setting up two tables, Xu Xinyang held white liquor and beer, smiling at Lu Mian:

"Can you drink?"

"Can drink a little." Lu Mian answered with some fear.

"As long as you can drink, drinking style is work style, and drinking quality is character quality. Those who don't drink can't integrate into our Second Security Team." Xu Xinyang pointed to the subordinates around him, "Except for those on duty, those sent abroad, those hospitalized, and those on vacation, everyone has come. Perform well."

Lu Mian had heard Franca mention that many company gatherings to welcome newcomers were mainly to test obedience and suppress newcomers, letting them learn to be obedient, and drinking was the most common means.

"I, I'll try my best." Lu Mian squeezed out a few smiles with a heavy expression.

Two hours later, in the pile of various wine bottles filling the table and corners, Lu Mian held a bottle of strong liquor, smiling at Xu Xinyang:

"Captain Xu, drink, why aren't you drinking?

"Come, let's blow the rest."

Xu Xinyang's face was deathly pale, and he said with uncoordinated movements:

"No, don't drink anymore. Wait, wait until I get home, I still have to pay, pay public grain."

Around him, Old Xia, Little Zhao, and others were either lying on the table or huddled in the corner, already asleep, some had just vomited from the restroom and were swaying, some were gathered together, muttering, talking endlessly, some were sitting silently, not moving at all...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 954 =====