"He’s okay now, right?" Tangmo looked at the anesthetized Luo’er, anxiously asking the lead surgeon.
"The bullet we removed was quite intact, so there should be no fragments left in his body," the surgeon replied, glancing at Luo’er before continuing, "However, his Magic Erosion Disease is still a cause for concern. This disease is quite rare, and we did not expect that a sub-species would also be afflicted by it. The best solution now would be to send him back to Earth for further examination and treatment."
"But Luo’er does not want to go back to Earth, and given the current situation, you can’t send him back either." Tangmo glanced at Luo’er, then spoke to the doctor.
"Well, that’s a bit of a problem," the doctor scratched his head and sighed, saying, "Let’s proceed with conservative treatment then. After we go back, we’ll bring some medication for him. You should let him take it as we instructed, which should help limit the spread of the magic erosion."
"Thank you, doctor." Tangmo bowed slightly, expressing her gratitude.
"No problem," the doctor waved his hand, then looked at her and asked, "You seem very concerned about Luo’er. Do you two...?"
Tangmo was startled, she shyly lowered her head, embarrassedly stating, "Doctor, please, don’t ask about that!"
"Oh, I see," the doctor nodded, a knowing look on his face.
Luo’er was a celebrity-like figure when he was at Haiya Academy. He was cute and liked not just by the ladies, but even some men in the military were fond of him. A lot of female scientists are still affectionately attached to him.
The lead surgeon felt that this was quite valuable gossip. After returning to the academy, he could finally quell the hopes of those mature women daydreaming about Luo’er returning to the academy and rekindling their relationships.
Thanks to the surgeon’s gossip, the operating room suddenly became lively. Doctors and nurses chattered away. They recognized Tangmo, who had won first place in last year’s magic assessment. She was petite and cute, a perfect match for Luo’er, they thought.
Hearing the discussions around her, Tangmo lowered her head, a triumphant smile curling the corner of her mouth. She subtly looked at Luo’er, who was still unconscious, her expression full of confidence.
The three members of their team anxiously waited outside the surgical suite until they saw Luo’er pushed out of the room. Only then were their worries eased.
Tangmo kept a close watch by Luo’er’s side, holding his IV drip high. Seeing her, Baiyue’s face clouded over instantly.
"So he’s okay now?" Hu Daoke stepped forward to ask with concern.
"Don’t worry, the bullet has been removed. All he needs now is rest and recovery!" Tangmo softly assured him.
Cheng Ziang didn’t speak. Seeing Luo’er unconscious, he didn’t voice his feelings, but inside, he felt a huge weight off his chest. He cared about Luo’er greatly, hence his decision to report Luo’er’s illness to the Headquarters regardless of the risks.
"That’s freaking great. We don’t have any mission upcoming anyways. The chief has taken care of us a lot in the past, now it’s our turn to repay him!" Hu Daoke couldn’t help sighing in relief.
"I’ll take care of him," Tangmo spoke, her eyes fixed on Luo’er. She then confessed guiltingly: "He was injured because of me, so it’s my responsibility to look after him. I hope you guys can give me a chance to make it up to him."
With those words, for whatever reason, she stole a glance at Baiyue. Her eyes carried an unnoticed hint of provocation.
"Eh, wouldn’t that be too much work for you, Sister Moumou?" Hu Daoke scratched his head, looking at Cheng Ziang.
"Yeah, it seems a bit much for just you to take care of him. But as two big clumsy men, we don’t know how to nurse him back to health either. Maybe it would be better if Baiyue and you took turns caring for him," Cheng Ziang suggested.
Upon hearing his words, Baiyue instantly froze and turned to look at Cheng Ziang. She never expected him to stand up for her.
For some reason, Cheng Ziang just didn’t want Tangmo to be hovering around Luo’er all the time. Ever since she became a different person, his suspicion of Tangmo never ceased. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he always felt that having Tangmo near Luo’er was a danger, and she might hurt Luo’er somehow.
"Yeah, yeah, it’s too tiresome for Sister Moumou to take care of Luo’er all by herself. Let Baiyue help a bit too!" unknowingly echoing Cheng Ziang’s proposal, Hu Daoke added his agreement.
"Then...thank you for your help." Tangmo turned to Baiyue and bowed slightly in gratitude. But as she straightened up, Baiyue could unmistakably see a hint of foreign malice in her eyes.
Tangmo really has changed; that was the most immediate feeling in Baiyue’s heart. Whether the transformation was due to guilt over Luo’er or other factors, the change was undeniable. Tangmo was no longer his previous cheerful and generous self, instead becoming reserved and stingy.
After ten days, the three-party conference finally ended. Not because the Judgement Legion had handled the armed faction in Yazhi City, but because they received intelligence that Arya’s Blade had emerged within the boundaries of Odela. The entire legion had now set off towards Odela in pursuit of Arya’s Blade.
Whether it was mere coincidence or not, since the departure of the Judgement Legion, the attackers of Yazhi City have also mysteriously disappeared, returning the city to peace and stability. After five continuous days of bench-sitting, Li Si finally had the opportunity to rest.
He returned to his station, slept a full day and night, and finally recovered his strength. It wasn’t long after he woke up that he received a message from Wang Xu.
"Boss!" Li Si entered the office and, as Wang Xu wished, took a seat on the sofa. He had slept for twenty-four hours straight and still had a lingering headache.
"You really worked hard," Wang Xu said sincerely, noticing the dark circles under Li’s eyes.
Li Si waved him off and replied, "No problem, I was sitting most of the time anyway; just got a bit of a sore butt."
"What’s your take on the news of Arya’s Blade appearing within Odela?" Wang Xu asked, cutting straight to the chase.
"It should be fake since Arya’s Blade is in our possession," Li Si mused, then hesitated a moment before adding, "But, we can’t be absolutely sure that our Arya’s Blade is the real one."
"The Arya’s Blade in our possession is definitely authentic. Not only has it been inspected by Tangmo, but even Cheng Ziang once used it to kill several knights of the Judgement Legion. If it were a counterfeit, he wouldn’t have been able to break through the knight’s Rune Armor," Wang Xu said.
"That’s interesting then," Li Si said, furrowing his brows, "That would suggest someone is spreading false information to divert the Judgement Legion’s attention. But how does this benefit them?"
"It might be one of the three countries adjacent to Yazhi City, because when the Judgement Legion was in Yazhi City, merchants couldn’t trade. Ever since they left, the attackers also disappeared, which I don’t think is just a coincidence," Wang Xu analysed.
"I hope you’re right," Li Si nodded and then asked, "Has Arya’s Blade been transported back to Earth yet?"
"Not yet," Wang Xu shook his head and sighed, "The church people are gone, but the CIA still has a stranglehold on the Otherworld Gate. We only managed to send back the blueprints. Arya’s Blade is still here in our camp."
"That’s strange," Li Si frowned, "Even though they know of Arya’s Blade, why didn’t they try to snatch it? Instead, they continue to block the Otherworld Gate. Could it be that they knew it was fake intelligence?"
"We’re not sure about that. Perhaps the news about Arya’s Blade was released by them to begin with," Wang Xu suggested.
"You mean they could have spread the false information about Arya’s Blade to divert the Judgement Legion from Yazhi City. But how does that benefit them?" Li Si asked, puzzled.
"Don’t forget, it’s not only the Otherworld countries that have suffered from the chaos in Yazhi City. Earth’s Australia is also feeling the heat. The tariffs from Ulysses City are a major source of their tax revenue. I suspect they may have requested the American’s assistance to handle this issue," Wang Xu proposed.
"Looks like we still have a long road ahead of us," Li Si remarked while massaging his aching shoulders before asking, "Hey Boss, how’s Luo’er doing?"
He vaguely remembered Luo’er being shot and the bullet was stuck in his body. Wang Xu, in distress, had quickly sent out a medical team but he hasn’t heard anything since then.
"The bullet was taken out. He’s currently recovering. His Magic Erosion Disease still needs medication for stability," Wang Xu sighed and then said angrily, "This guy, he was clearly injured during the mission in Ronisca, but he kept it a secret. He’s been so neglectful; he doesn’t even regard me the chief."
"Relax, Boss. You know how Luo’er is. If he reported his injuries, you would definitely have sent him back to our country," Li Si tried to calm him down.
"I’m just doing what’s best for him," Wang Xu said earnestly, "If something happens to him, how am I supposed to explain that to the higher-ups?"
"Luo’er seems to dislike going back to Earth. Probably because he fears you might send him back," Li Si sighed and said, "Boss, you should have a proper conversation with him. I know you care about him, but your methods are a little off. While it might be for his own good, he’s just not willing to see it that way."
"Then how should I treat him?" Wang Xu sighed, massaging his temples before continuing, "Ever since the Origin Project started, he’s even started to resent me. All these years, I’ve cared about him every day but my efforts are rarely reciprocated."