Chapter 8: The Midnight Snack Miracle in the Infirmary

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Chapter 8: The Midnight Snack Miracle in the Medical Office

In Kelsey’s office, a lunchbox prepared by Hibiscus sat on the desk. Opposite her stood Miss Blood Demon, her face full of confusion.

“It might really be that simple. The Doctor ate the lunch Hibiscus made and then passed out. Before that, he was on rounds in the lower-level infirmary with the nightingale operative, and the surveillance footage showed no abnormalities.”

Kelsey crossed her arms, her gaze drifting away from Wafarin’s eternally youthful face before finally settling on the spoon resting on the lunchbox. “There’s nothing wrong with the ingredients in the lunch. No signs of poisoning or anything like that.”

Wafarin slightly turned her head. She had been involved in the previous incident as well. Although she thought she had executed everything flawlessly, Dr. Kelsey had seen through it and gave her a good look at the rising sun the next morning.

Kelsey continued, “It’s not a physical ailment. The lethargy seems more like an emotional dam breaking, a flood of pent-up feelings. Amiya found him collapsed on the floor—it was a mental breakdown, not unconsciousness.”

Wafarin shrugged. “Maybe Hibiscus’s cooking was just terrifying enough.”

“Is that so?”

Kelsey pinched the spoon, scooping up a bite and putting it in her mouth. Wafarin, startled, took a step forward to stop her.

“The taste is indeed not great. Hibiscus really doesn’t have much talent in cooking. Next time we go to Lungmen, I’ll try to sign her up for a cooking class.”

“I believe there’s definitely more to this. Hibiscus’s lunch was only the trigger.”

After slowly chewing and swallowing, Kelsey’s expression remained unchanged, seemingly unaffected by the poor taste.

“You really are brave. I certainly don’t have the courage.”

Wafarin pouted and suddenly leaned in closer, whispering, “Hey, Doctor Kelsey, would you say that counts as an indirect kiss?”

“Are you, still wearing children’s underwear, trying to experience the adult world now?” Kelsey immediately shot back.

“Ch-children’s underwear?!”

Wafarin looked down at her modest chest, irritatedly pounding the desk. “My species develops late. I will definitely grow up eventually. Don’t underestimate me!”

“Yes, that’s in the future. I believe everything you say. I remember when I dug you out of Kazdale, the first thing you asked me was what year it was. At that moment, I thought maybe I should package you up and send you to the Victoria Terra Museum. They might give me a hefty reward…”

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Wafarin puffed out her cheeks, glaring at Kelsey. The two locked eyes for almost a minute before the Blood Demon’s stern demeanor collapsed, letting out a soft laugh. She circled the desk and nudged Kelsey with her shoulder. “You’re always so serious; that’ll only make you age faster. The Doctor is back now. Aren’t you going to see him? I mean while he’s conscious.”

Kelsey, annoyed by Wafarin, tried to dodge her reaching claws. “Is he really the same Doctor we knew before?”

“He definitely is. I recognize him; Red does too by his scent. Too bad I’ve never tasted his blood… Hey, I’m just joking, not really planning to taste it. You see, I’m too scared to even meet him now.”

Under Kelsey’s sharp gaze, Wafarin hurriedly explained, then suddenly pulled out a spray bottle and sprayed it at Kelsey’s face.

“Doctor Kelsey, you haven’t rested properly for two days. Go get some good sleep!”

Wafarin shouted, but her finger weakened and released the spray button. The bottle clattered to the floor and rolled aside. She looked down at the syringe stuck in her thigh and muttered, “You’re cheating again…”

Plop.

The Blood Demon collapsed into Kelsey’s arms, falling into a deep sleep and soon began to snore softly.

“It’s only been two days, and you haven’t slept either.”

Kelsey lifted Wafarin and laid her on the office sofa, covering her with her coat.

…

Zhou Jinru had been awake for some time, staring blankly at the ceiling. He felt much better, the myriad negative emotions pent up inside him finally released. He felt alive again.

Everything began when his sanity started to decline in the lower levels. From start to finish, he lost 39 sanity points and gained a highlighted talent description.

“You have unlocked a new talent: Emotional Guidance.”

“Description: You can sense the emotions of nearby humanoid beings and influence them. Everyone has their own emotions—joy, anger, sadness, surprise. You can toggle this talent on or off at will. Activating it consumes sanity. When sanity reaches zero, the talent automatically deactivates.”

“A sane person can effectively control their emotions. Only machines have no emotions.”

“This talent will update after Elite Phase 1.”

Waking up to find himself an operative with a new talent—what should he do? What class does the Doctor belong to?

Moreover, this Emotional Guidance talent felt quite useless. For example, today in the lower levels, filled with all kinds of negative emotions, he almost broke down before completely losing his sanity.

“Click! Click! Click! Click!”

Rustling sounds came from outside. Zhou Jinru guessed it was Ansell eating. He activated his talent and saw his sanity visibly drop by one point.

“That’s… joy? Ansell is really happy. He’s enjoying a midnight snack.”

He got dressed and quietly slipped out from behind the curtain. Ansell was facing away, head buried on the table. The aroma was strong and familiar—he’d smelled it before in the dormitory: tear open the packet, pour hot water, and the spicy scent would fill the room.

Zhou Jinru suddenly had a bad feeling.

“Ah?! Doctor, why are you suddenly standing behind me? That’s rude!”

As Ansell turned, he caught sight of the Doctor sniffing around. Startled, Ansell jumped up, knocking his chair backward. The fallen backrest landed squarely on Zhou Jinru’s foot, causing him to nearly jump in pain.

Ignoring the pain, Zhou Jinru’s eyes scanned past Ansell’s shoulder and landed on the food on the table.

“Braised Sandworm Meat Instant Noodles!”

Tears finally streamed down Zhou Jinru’s face. In the world of Arknights, there really was such a miracle as instant noodles for a midnight snack. Who would have thought? Even web novels wouldn’t dare be this down-to-earth.

“Are there more?”

The Doctor looked at Ansell eagerly. Ansell jolted and opened a drawer in the desk filled with various snacks, including several cups of instant noodles.

“Doctor, you can only get these in Lungmen, you…”

“No problem. Bring me a cup now. I’ll write a purchase order for the logistics department next time…”

“Doctor, why are you still crying? Is your foot hurting? Do you need treatment?”

“No, it’s just the wind in my eyes. The wind has sand, and the sandstorm is strong.”

(End of chapter)
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