Chapter 23. Chapter 22: On the Road

Zhou Jinru turned to Red Pine and smiled warmly, "Miss Red Pine, Rhodes Island is a conscientious pharmaceutical company. We will certainly pay you what you are owed, and we will look after the reasonable demands of every patient. Besides, since you were injured while saving me, I must show some appreciation."

Amiya looked up alertly, her long, slender ears twitching slightly. "The Doctor is right. I will arrange for operators to escort Miss Red Pine back."

"Yes, I will personally escort you back to the wilderness settlement," the Doctor said to Red Pine.

Amiya closed her eyes in frustration; she could not tell whether the Doctor was putting on an act, whether he was sincere, or if he had some ulterior motive regarding Miss Red Pine.

The Doctor shouldn't be that kind of person, right? He used to be foul-mouthed, short-tempered, greedy, and lecherous, often harassing female operators. But apart from that, he had never done anything truly wicked.

*Clap.*

Amiya slammed her right fist into her left palm, a new thought forming. "Miss Red Pine, I will go with the Doctor to take you back. Rest assured, I am quite capable."

Zhou Jinru quickly added, "Call Gavial. We need a doctor who can fight."

And so, it was decided. The Doctor and Amiya played off each other, and even Red Pine's protests were dismissed. Red Pine received her temporary contract settlement as desired, totaling 7,452 LMD. Zhou Jinru sighed as he watched; in the game, it took 30 sanity points to earn 7,500 LMD. In the blink of an eye, the harvest of an entire resource mission was given away. Rhodes Island was truly wealthy and generous.

Amiya saw through his thoughts and counted on her fingers, "We used to have business dealings with many countries and regions, especially Kjerag. Because of the Doctor, all trade related to Oripathy in Kjerag was handled exclusively by us. The share previously held by Rhine Lab was squeezed out entirely; after all, they are business enemies, and there is no room for mercy."

"That was a period of unprecedented financial health. Even during the time the Doctor was gone, there was enough leeway for Doctor Kal'tsit to find a way to keep us going. The hardest days are behind us now. With the Doctor here, there is new hope. I believe we will be able to reclaim our lost market share before long."

Zhou Jinru muttered silently to himself that Amiya believed in him far too much. Without the game system, he was like a toddler learning to walk, having to start everything from scratch. At best, he was just a mascot.

"I'm late."

At this moment, Gavial's voice came from behind. The Medic operator with dark green hair strode out from the base corridor, staff in hand and moving with purpose.

"Get in the vehicle. We're taking Red Pine back to the wilderness settlement."

In addition to the four of them, there were two other operators: the driver and the front passenger.

While checking Red Pine's wound, Gavial complained, "You want to go back in this condition? The bumpy road will easily tear your stitches. Do you even understand your own Oripathy? How can you refuse treatment?" As she spoke, she shouted to the front, "Doctor, I want overtime pay!"

"I'll pay you whatever you want!" Zhou Jinru didn't feel the pinch at all.

He wanted to continue the previous topic. "You said the trade share in Kjerag used to be ours, so that's no longer the case?"

Amiya nodded. "Ever since the Doctor went missing and we couldn't find you, Mr. Silverash took his sister back to Kjerag. We still maintain trade relations with Karlan Commercial, but Rhine Lab gained the approval of the Saintess of Kjerag and took over some of our orders for medicine and medical equipment."

Mr. Silverash referred to SilverAsh, and the one he took away must have been Pramanix.

Zhou Jinru rubbed his chin. SilverAsh was his favorite male operator and the most powerful one before the Summer Event. Having or not having SilverAsh were two completely different gaming experiences. Affectionately called "Boss Silver" by players, he was a strategic-level unit, ranked among the "Three Phantoms" alongside Eyjafjalla and Exusiai, with a strategic value even higher than the latter two.

He was the first operator Zhou Jinru had promoted to Elite 2 and the first to reach Mastery 3. He had poured vast resources into him; in the game, the resources required to master one skill were enough to Elite 2 at least two other operators. But SilverAsh's third skill, Truesilver Slash, was world-shattering once mastered; there wasn't an enemy he couldn't kill during the skill's duration.

Amiya bumped her head against Zhou Jinru. "When Sister Cliffheart comes for her follow-up check, she will be very surprised to see the Doctor. Perhaps Mr. Silverash will even accompany her."

"That's something to worry about when Boss Silver actually gets here." Zhou Jinru shook his head. He knew that most people on Rhodes Island were cautious and conservative regarding SilverAsh. First, after the Kjerag Incident, SilverAsh had gained actual control over Kjerag; while nominally the Chairman of Karlan Commercial, he was effectively the King of Kjerag. Second, before the incident, Dobermann, a core member of Rhodes Island, had opposed having too much contact with him during a meeting. In the end, Amiya had overruled everyone, insisting that the Doctor complete a one-on-one exchange with SilverAsh.

"My ally, what on earth are you thinking?"

Zhou Jinru remained skeptical about the Saintess of Kjerag taking orders away from Rhodes Island to give to Rhine Lab. If SilverAsh truly wanted to, not even a fly could escape the Mantchuria monastery. What could the Saintess, Snowsant, with her purely symbolic status, really do?

Zhou Jinru's current knowledge of SilverAsh was limited to the game text. Now that the game had become reality, he couldn't adapt for a moment. Fortunately, SilverAsh was not on Rhodes Island at the moment, giving him a temporary respite.

Who was Boss Silver? An ambitious mastermind. Zhou Jinru wouldn't be surprised in the least if he had slaughtered the council of elders at Mantchuria in the name of revenge.

Time slipped away quietly. The tires kicked up clouds of dust on the dirt road of the wilderness, and the driver and passenger switched places once.

Gavial leaned against the window, resting with her staff in her arms. Her breathing was slow and steady; she appeared to be asleep, yet she remained alert.

Red Pine sat beside her, fingers gripping her cloak in silence. Her satchel contained a stack of brand-new banknotes that smelled of printer's ink. Rhodes Island's generosity and friendliness left her unsure if they wanted something from her.

Zhou Jinru looked at the scenery outside the window—the unchanging barren hills and wilderness, with an occasional bird in flight. The sun in the Terra world never seemed warm enough; as it shone through the window, he felt little heat.

Amiya's ears brushed against his cheek. In the game, she always said things like, "Doctor, you cannot rest yet." Now, the fifteen-year-old girl was fast asleep on his shoulder, and even in her sleep, her mood seemed joyful.

In the distance, the tall perimeter walls and clusters of buildings were faintly visible. This settlement for the Infected was built among the mountains. They had no mobile city of their own and had to settle in one place, which had become the only refuge for the Infected.

The wilderness settlement was right before them.