"The job content complies with... Wait, did I ever ask the Purification Bureau about the job content?"
It was as if someone had wiped away the fog from the glass, or like a curtain that covered the stage had been lifted. The previously forgotten "job content" bizarrely broke through the red-haired woman's smiling blockade and emerged from the depths of Leon's mind.
A dimension demon attempting to plunder souls, a mad Evil God wanting to descend its will, a radical deity preparing to control the world, special anomalies born from human obsessions, an Undying Specter that escaped the normal temporal sequence... Hiss...
His face was instantly covered with a dense layer of sweat, and every time he recalled a part of the job description given by the red-haired woman, more sweat would accumulate on his face.
Some kind of near-instinctual intuition was constantly warning Leon that the beautiful yet dangerous red-haired woman might not just be pulling his leg...
As Leon desperately tried to remember the job content of the Purification Bureau, trying to figure out how dangerous this "Uncontrollable Afflicted" could be, Anna, who was also filled with unease, was wheeled over by two nurses.
Seeing Leon in the intensive care unit, the pale-faced girl seemed to find her backbone. Her tense expression relaxed a little, then she urgently said,
"Cough... They might have the wrong person! Cough cough... Our family can't afford the special care fees, but no matter how I explain, they won't... Cough cough cough... Brother! Please help me talk to them! We... Cough cough cough..."
"Don't worry, they didn't make a mistake!"
Hearing Anna's heart-wrenching coughs, Leon, who was breaking out in cold sweat, quickly stood up, rushing over in a few strides to help the nurses settle his struggling sister back onto the bed. He gently reassured her,
"I got a job yesterday. Now I'm an accident handler under the Department of Road Administration, and there's an annual reimbursement quota from the Medical Bureau. We won't have to spend our family's money!"
Got a job? And it sounds like a government position in the Kingdom?
Anna couldn't help but show a happy expression upon hearing that. A flush of excitement appeared on her pale cheeks as she seemed eager to say something.
But the next second, she realized it wasn't very likely for her brother to find a good job given his current situation. However, the hospital's attitude couldn't be faked, so...
"Brother... Tell me the truth!"
Gathering some unknown strength, the pale-faced girl grabbed the bed's handrail, forced herself to sit up, and glared at Leon urgently,
"Did you... Cough cough... Did you take on some dangerous job to pay for my treatment? You... You... Cough cough cough cough!"
"It's not dangerous, not dangerous at all! I'm perfectly safe!"
Hearing Leon's explanation, the pale girl became more anxious, covering her mouth and nose while coughing. She gripped the handrail and shouted,
"If you didn't take on those deadly jobs, where... Cough cough cough... Where would the money for this special care room come from... Cough cough cough cough..."
"In your current state, you shouldn't be talking so much!"
He held onto Anna's shoulders, forcing his coughing sister back onto the bed. Leon quickly explained,
"This job really isn't dangerous. As for why the benefits are so good, it's mainly because there's no vacation as I'm on call all year round. If anything happens, I must immediately be present, and it's also very hard."
Pulling out the "Dung Beetle Lady Card" and showing the title of "Level Three Accident Handler," Leon made up a serious-sounding explanation,
"See the job title? Accident handler! My job belongs to the Purification Bureau under the Department of Road Administration. Usually... hmm... I'm mainly responsible for investigating and cleaning up crime scenes and accidents.
"For instance, if there's a serial dismemberment case or a large-scale traffic accident, I would clean up the bloody and messy scenes that ordinary people can't stomach seeing even for a glance!
"This job is tiring, dirty, and creepy, so few people are willing to do it. That's why the benefits are quite good... Does that put your mind at ease now?"
The Purification Bureau? Responsible for cleaning up grisly crime scenes?
After hearing the explanation given by her brother, the pale girl hesitated for a moment, then asked half-believingly,
Not wanting to tell her that he had joined a mysterious department where he might kick the bucket any day, Leon raised his right hand with an earnest face and solemnly swore,
"If I'm lying to you, then let me be single forever and never find..."
"Brother! You... Cough cough... Don't say that!"
She pinched Leon's arm hard, forcing him to swallow the rest of his words. The slender girl, now filled with worry, finally calmed down.
Dealing with bloody crime scenes wasn't a great job, but it was better than mining under a furnace or selling oneself as a test subject because, given their current circumstances, what could they really choose?
Although it belonged to the relatively dangerous Department of Road Administration, this post was in the Purification Bureau, which sounded similar to the cleaning bureau in the Department of Road Administration. It should also be a logistical post. Apart from being dirty, tiring, and frightening, her brother was unlikely to encounter any danger. But...
It's all my fault for dragging you down...
Biting her bloodless lips, Anna held Leon's hand, lowering her head in guilt as she said,
"Brother, when we get back to Veteran Lane, if anyone asks about your job, just say you work at the Department of Road Administration. Best not to mention the dismemberment... or the specific job content to others."
"Because you still need to start a family."
Grasping her brother's hand tenderly, the slender girl said with concern,
"While cleaning up dismemberments isn't shameful work since you're earning an honest living, it's still somewhat... If word about your job content gets out, you might not find a good partner..."
Looking at the sister who, despite being seriously ill, was worried about his future marriage, Leon couldn't help but smile wryly.
Get real! To think of marriage in my current state?
Given the Purification Bureau's job scope that could cost anyone their life, it's better to think about who could join me in the afterlife instead of who I might marry...
"Of course, I'm not stupid. I won't say a word."
Considering his current situation, where he could be gone anytime, Leon had long since given up the notion of settling down for fear of dragging someone else in. However, there was no need to share these thoughts with Anna.
Seeing his sister visibly relieved after registering his words, Leon couldn't help but smile and promise,
"As for my marriage, don't you worry about it. When it's time for me to settle down, I'll definitely bring you the best sister-in-law."
After reassuring his sister with a few words, Leon, constantly pondering over the "Uncontrollable Afflicted," took a deep breath and then turned to the nurse beside him, proactively asking,
"Excuse me, where's that... very plump doctor? He didn't come?"
"The director originally wanted to come with us."
Hearing Leon's inquiry, the young nurse, who had already been briefed by the chubby director, immediately apologized and explained,
"But just halfway through, the emergency alarm in the hospital went off, and a large number of critical patients were brought in. There should've been a major public emergency.
"According to the hospital's rules, whenever such an incident occurs, all attending physicians and above must be present, so the director had to go ahead...
"But don't worry, before the director left, he instructed that your sister would receive the best treatment."
A major public emergency... Could it possibly be related to that "Uncontrollable Afflicted"?
Remembering the Purification Bureau's job scope that could only be described as "madness," Leon immediately tensed up. He instinctively wanted to take Anna and leave to prevent her from being caught up in any danger.
But after glancing at the IV line in Anna's arm and her extremely weak condition, Leon hesitated. He then pulled a nurse aside and quietly asked in the corridor,
"How is my sister's condition now? Can I stop the IV temporarily and take her home?"
"Well... it's better not to,"
the nurse said with some difficulty,
"The director knew you might inquire about your sister's condition, so he specifically talked to us about it earlier.
"Because your sister stopped taking her medication for two months on her own, three-quarters of her right lung have already been destroyed by alchemical waste gas. Her left lung is also severely damaged, and the situation has barely stabilized with continuous intravenous cellular supplements.
"If you stop the medication and take her home now, delaying the treatment could result in having to remove the entire right lung. Not only would her life span significantly shorten, but she would... Where are you going?"
"I'm going home to get something! You first go back and take care of her, and don't come out no matter what's happening outside!"