Kal’tsit’s gaze swept past Amiya and landed directly on the Doctor, who was silently hidden by a hood.
Her voice was steady but carried an unavoidable scrutiny: “First meeting, and you don’t even plan to offer a basic greeting, Doctor?” The Doctor’s body seemed to stiffen imperceptibly, remaining silent, as if the wide hood could block out all external sounds and sights.
Amiya immediately sensed the Doctor’s discomfort and unease.
She stepped forward, slightly shielding the Doctor, her tone pleading: “Doctor Kal’tsit, please…
please don’t make things difficult for the Doctor.
The Doctor just woke up and doesn’t remember many things…” Just then, Ivan, who had been watching the commotion from the side, also walked over.
Ivan casually slung an arm around the Doctor’s shoulder, completely ignoring the oppressive atmosphere Kal’tsit brought, and cheerfully played peacemaker: “Let’s go, let’s go, don’t just stand here.
And don’t mind that old…
uh, old cat.” Ivan almost blurted out “old clam” but stopped himself in time, then suggested, “I heard Lungmen’s night market is amazing, there’s so much good food!
Come on, I’ll treat you to dinner.” Kal’tsit watched Ivan practically ‘kidnapping’ the Doctor, then looked at Amiya, who was trying to protect the Doctor, and finally let out an almost inaudible sigh, her taut expression softening slightly.
She shifted her gaze, as if making a concession, her voice still cool, but no longer carrying the previous oppressive tone: “Sigh…
never mind.
Doctor, whatever the past holds, welcome back to Rhodes Island.” She watched Ivan, arm hooked around the Doctor’s shoulder, practically half-pushing, half-hugging the Doctor away from the scene, with Amiya hurrying to follow.
It wasn’t until their figures disappeared around the corner of the corridor that Kal’tsit withdrew her gaze.
She stood alone, the cold light of the medical room casting faint shadows on her face.
A flicker of extremely complex light passed through her deep eyes, and she fell into prolonged contemplation.
The ‘Black Snake’ Ivan had unintentionally mentioned earlier, and his power, far beyond common sense, even capable of easily changing the course of battle, lingered in her mind like a circling cloud of doubt.
Able to foresee danger, possessing combat methods that overturn common sense, with an unknown origin and unclear purpose…
Kal’tsit looked in the direction they had left, her brows slightly furrowed, and murmured in a voice almost only she could hear: “Black Snake…
able to foresee danger, possessing combat methods that overturn common sense, with an unknown origin and unclear purpose…
Ivan, the power you’ve displayed has indeed helped us, but it has also brought too many unknowns.” She slowly closed her eyes.
“Is the variable you bring a torch to light the way, or a lurking disaster?” “Is your powerful strength, for Rhodes Island, a reliable shield…
or the storm that needs to be most vigilant against in the future?” — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — (At the entrance of a narrow alley in the Lungmen slums, the air filled with dust and tension) Officer Chen’s previous clues indicate that the suspicious target’s last known location was in this vicinity.” Amiya vigilantly scanned the cluttered surroundings.
“Those Reunion Movement members who infiltrated Lungmen disguised as refugees are very likely hiding in some corner of this area.” As she spoke, she noticed Ivan next to her, once again engrossed in scrolling through his terminal screen, even emitting faint game sound effects.
A clear ‘hash’ mark involuntarily appeared on her forehead: “…And, Mr.
Ivan!
Now is not the time to play with your terminal, could you please focus?” “Ah, sorry, sorry!” Ivan quickly put away his terminal, clasped his hands together, and apologized.
The blade of slaughter had, at some unknown moment, silently appeared in Ivan’s hand.
Amiya sighed and continued: “We could encounter a sudden battle at any moment, so I’ll trouble you, Mr.
Ivan, to look after the Doctor’s safety.” She turned her head as she spoke.
“And Doctor, please make sure to stick close to me and Ivan, and absolutely do not…
Doctor?
Ivan?” Before she could finish her sentence, she realized the two people who had just been beside her were gone.
Turning around, she saw Ivan not far away, leaning lazily against a wall, holding the long, purple-glowing blade of slaughter, ready to provide support.
Meanwhile, the Doctor was standing in front of several ragged children huddled in a corner, facing two burly men who were clearly local thugs, delivering a crisp slap for every sentence spoken!
“Do you think you’re superior?” “Showing off?” *Slap!* “I’ll make you fly?” “Dare to spar with me?” *Slap!* “I’ll let you know what it’s like to be haunted by nightmares!” “You’ve really never seen the dark side, never seen the underworld!” Ivan, instead of stopping them, was enthusiastically egging them on from the side: “That’s right, that’s right!
Doctor!
Just like that!” Amiya was dumbfounded.
The Doctor couldn’t help but ask Ivan in a low voice: “Will this really ‘deter’ them?
And why are you smiling so happily?!” “Ivan!
Doctor!
What exactly are you doing?!” Amiya finally couldn’t help but raise her voice.
By this time, the Doctor seemed tired of hitting them and shook his hand.
Ivan then stepped forward, the tip of the blade of slaughter carelessly pointed at the two dazed thugs, who were huddled trembling in the corner.
His face still wore that harmless smile: “Alright, scram.
If I see you bullying children again…” Ivan’s smile turned cold.
“I’ll chop you up and feed you to the Oripathy Mites.” Amiya quickly walked over and finally saw the situation clearly—several gaunt children were huddled in the back, one boy with a bruise on his face, clearly having just been bullied.
“Amiya,” Ivan explained, “just now, the Doctor and I saw these two guys laying hands on these children, so we’slightly’ educated them.” After understanding the situation, Amiya also breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the injured child.
She said to Ivan: “So that’s what happened…
Mr.
Ivan, could I still trouble you to call a nearby Medical Operator?
That child needs his injuries treated.” “No need for such trouble,” Ivan said, casually pulling out a shining golden apple from his pocket and directly stuffing it into the still-sobbing child’s mouth.
“Gold…
golden?” Both Amiya and the Doctor were stunned.
“Ugh…
ugh…” The child, having an apple forcibly stuffed into his mouth, swallowed with difficulty, almost choking.
“What are you doing?!” He had just yelled out when he suddenly froze, instinctively touching his cheeks and arms that had been stinging moments ago—the bruises there were receding at a visible rate, and all pain and discomfort were rapidly disappearing!
This scene left everyone around speechless with shock.
“Ivan…” The Doctor pointed at the child’s completely recovered face, his voice a little dry, “What you just gave him…
was it golden?” “It’s nothing, nothing,” Ivan waved his hand, acting as if it was no big deal.
“It’s just a very ordinary recovery item.
I have a lot of them.” As he spoke, Ivan pulled out several more equally gleaming golden apples, tossing one to each child present, to the Doctor, to Amiya, and even to the Lungmen Guard Department / Guard Department members standing guard nearby.
“Take them, eat them as snacks.
Don’t be shy.” Amiya held the heavy, probably immeasurably valuable “golden apple,” looked at the children’s surprised yet bewildered faces, then at Ivan’s expression of “this is just a local specialty,” and slowly said, her voice filled with incredulous wonder: “Mr.
Ivan…
is truly amazing.”