Chapter 21: The Frail Crimson Cloud

Chapter 21 Chapter 20. The Frail Red Cloud

Hua Falin jogged along, biting a hair tie between her teeth as she hurriedly tied up her hair. At the entrance to the third operating room, she saw the patient scheduled for emergency surgery today—a Walper girl, drenched in blood, with orange hair and drooping pointed ears. Her small face bore several scrapes, which, compared to another wound, were merely superficial abrasions.

A metal shard was deeply embedded in her abdomen, and the bleeding was relentless—a fatal injury.

The gruesome wound caused the seasoned doctor to furrow her brows tightly. Without asking further, she quickly entered the adjacent sterilization room, where the lead surgeon Kelsey was changing clothes.

“What’s going on? Wasn’t the problem already resolved?” Hua Falin asked.

Kelsey pressed her thin lips together, frost evident on her face. “It’s a serious problem.”

The operating room lights were still on, and a few people waited outside.

Amia sat slumped in a chair in the corridor, her eyes downcast and her spirit drained.

Zhou Jinru’s left hand was meticulously disinfected and bandaged like a mummy’s. He squatted by the wall, silent.

“Doctor, we were too careless,” Furong said, bowing her head.

“That’s enough. With Dr. Kelsey here, I trust her,” Zhou Jinru stood up, slipping his right hand into his pocket as he stepped outside. The moment of the explosion was still vivid in his mind: the Walper girl kicked the suitcase carrying the explosives, then threw herself in front of him, shielding him with her body before the blast occurred.

The mine was successfully destroyed, but the final slip-up was unacceptable. No one expected another mutated high-energy stone worm to be hiding underground, which dealt them a harsh blow in the end.

Standing at the edge of the corridor, Zhou Jinru’s face darkened. Watching his remaining twelve points of sanity, he activated his talent. Invisible tendrils penetrated the door of the operating room, reaching toward the surgeon and patient inside.

Kelsey’s emotions… she showed no fluctuations. Hua Falin neither. They were both accustomed to this; these two had personally seen countless operators pass away and had come to accept life and death as routine.

The others… there was sorrow, anger.

Closing his eyes, Zhou Jinru pondered deeply, then began sensing Red Cloud’s emotions.

No sadness—she did not fear death. No anger—she was not upset. There was a hint of joy, the happiness of saving a life, and a trace of surprise. Why surprise?

Born in the wilderness, the Walper were naturally adept at survival. Due to a lack of knowledge and insufficient understanding of Oripathy, they paid little heed to infection. Oripathy could enhance the power of Originium arts; similarly, infected individuals often wielded greater strength than the uninfected.

Zhou Jinru’s expression grew somewhat dazed as he understood why Red Cloud felt surprised. Though unconscious, she subconsciously sensed his presence. Were snipers’ perceptions always this keen?

Hua Falin stared at the medical monitor, astonished to see Red Cloud’s heart rate steadily rising—an unexpected reversal without any external intervention.

Kelsey’s gaze fell upon her, and the “Blood Demon” immediately ceased her wandering thoughts, focusing intently on cleaning the wound.

It worked.

Zhou Jinru noticed a flicker of surprise in Hua Falin’s emotions and instantly realized something had changed inside the operating room. Feeling reassured, he stopped sensing further. Leaning against the wall, waves of dizziness crashed over his mind. He glanced down at his sanity—6 points.

Side effects had arrived. Low sanity brought dizziness, which was still bearable. What would happen if sanity hit zero? He had no time to find out, stumbling away from the surgical area.

He could never understand why he could perceive others’ four basic emotions and had never tested the limits of this ability. Others who crossed worlds had systems to support them; he had none. He possessed only one tool, unnamed, without instructions—completely reliant on self-discovery. A complete mess.

Dragging his heavy steps back to the central control room’s temporary resting area, he buried his head in a pillow and drifted off to a light sleep. He only awoke at night—actually, hunger had roused him.

After searching fruitlessly for food, his hunger gnawed fiercely. With no other options, he went to the infirmary to seek Alcel’s help.

The infirmary lights were on. Without knocking, he turned the handle and slipped inside, startling Alcel, who was eating.

“Do-Doctor?!” Alcel exclaimed.

Alcel was about to take a bite of a black rice sandwich but quickly put it down upon seeing Zhou Jinru enter.

“No problem. I just wanted to ask—how’s Red Cloud, who was brought into surgery at dawn?”

“The surgery was very successful. She was in intensive care this morning and transferred to a ward in the afternoon. I have the ward number,” Alcel replied.

After stating the ward number, she saw Zhou Jinru hesitate to leave and immediately understood. She took a piece of bread from a drawer and handed it to him.

Another midnight snack secured.

Satisfied, the doctor left the infirmary. One piece of bread wasn’t enough—if needed, he would get more.

He proceeded to the lower-level inpatient area, following the ward number Alcel had given. Reaching the door, he heard voices inside.

“Where are you going?” Kelsey’s voice asked sharply. Zhou Jinru frowned. Was she making rounds this late?

“I’m going back to the wilderness settlement,” came Red Cloud’s weak reply. She had been unconscious this morning during surgery but was now able to get out of bed and move around. The people of Terra truly had remarkable constitutions. In his original world, it would take two or three months before one could walk properly after such trauma.

Kelsey was blunt: “Your body can’t handle much distance. I know the night wilderness better than you. If you didn’t want to live, I shouldn’t have saved you this morning.”

Red Cloud stubbornly said, “I want to go back. I have a temporary contract. You can’t detain me.”

Kelsey sneered, “That little money of yours isn’t even enough to buy your life.”

She added, “You need money badly—saving others or paying debts?”

Red Cloud was silent for a moment. “Both saving others and paying debts.”

“The loan hole in the infected community—you couldn’t pay it off even if you sold yourself. Take care of yourself first; you’re almost dead, yet you still try to save others?”

Red Cloud lowered her head. “Please give me my money. I’ll owe the medical fees for now, but I will repay them.”

“Not now. The finance department is off duty. Settlement must wait until tomorrow morning. Take the slip to find the doctor. Once he signs, you’ll get the money.”

Kelsey moved to the door and glanced at Red Cloud, who still stood motionless by the bedside.

“If you leave now, I won’t stop you. But go back penniless, forced by creditors to sell yourself to repay debts—think about that.”

Kelsey left. The hallway outside the ward was empty. She didn’t linger and walked away.

Hiding in the bathroom, Zhou Jinru sighed deeply. Kelsey’s words were ruthless—couldn’t some things be said face to face?

He stuffed the last bite of bread into his mouth, thinking to himself: he never imagined he’d one day resort to eavesdropping…

(End of chapter)