Chapter 180
Translator’s Notes: Ther’s nothing better than an escort mission in XCOM.
Chapter 180: The Angel in White Who Eats Beautifying Pig’s Trotters [Part 1]
For the trip to receive Dias and the others, Cillin’s team kept a very low profile. They did not put any representative signs on the s.p.a.ceplane, and the badge Udoze polished brightly every day was strung up with a chain and worn inside his clothes just like Tang Qiuqiu.
It was not that they were afraid. It was just better to minimise as much conflict as possible at such a time.
"We need to keep a low profile this time." this was what Cillin had told them before they departed.
Although they were going to execute this mission with a low profile, Udoze’s excitement was palpable since this was his first time partic.i.p.ating in a mission. Rikulab had originally planned to continue researching antibiotics at the Sixth B Squadron’s base, but since Cillin and the others were heading out he too decided to put down his research temporarily and visit Sector E along the way. So many years had pa.s.sed by. How far had the Sector known for its medical science developed?
Scarlet Wind was dressed in a very cute children’s clothing. These were the clothes Cary had purchased along the way while he was buying new clothes for Tang Qiuqiu. Scarlet Wind’s height was almost the same as Tang Qiuqiu, and since the clothes looked rather nice he just bought them along with Tang Qiuqiu’s. they did look pretty suitable on Scarlet Wind after he wore it.
One had to admit that had Cary had the tendency to become a stay-at-home dad.
Currently, the two little fellows wearing children’s clothes, Scarlet Wind and Tang Qiuqiu were talking to each other. Tang Qiuqiu was telling Scarlet Wind about Dias with s...o...b..ll hanging behind he back. It would see that it was well familiar with this posture considering that it hadn’t fallen off her back yet.
They had already informed Dias, and once they arrived Dias would probably have gathered the men together already. The operation plan looked fairly simple, but no one could see if they might run into some bad luck.
Cillin’s team arrived at a district planet of Sector E following the coordinates Dias had provided them. This was not the most central part of Sector E. Although Dias had received his treatment at the central zone, he was transferred to this planet after his core treatment was complete. This also meant that they avoided some of the complications that might have arisen had they gone to the central zone. After all, Dias was the former lieutenant commander of Vanguard’s Sixth B Squadron. With Asiya, another former lieutenant commander by his side as well, they might haven ran into bigger complications if someone who had enmity with Vanguard were to think maliciously towards them. They might as well find a quieter place to receive their treatment and recuperate in peace.
After parking the s.p.a.ceplane at the parking zone of the port and paying the security fee, Cillin led the team towards the place Dias had mentioned.
The second Rikulab got off the s.p.a.ceplane, he frowned, "What a strong chemical smell."
Udoze shrugged and said, "I don’t smell anything, but I do feel a little cold."
In reality, the sunlight was pretty strong today. But for some reason, they couldn’t help but feel a little solemn, oppressed and cold despite the good weather.
"This is how Sector E is. It is just like a huge hospital, and you have just stepped through its front door." Cillin said.
Cary and the others subconsciously s.h.i.+vered at his words. They hated hearing the word ‘hospital’ the most. It just didn’t feel right.
(E: Are they 5 years old?)
This planet was slightly quieter than the few planets they pa.s.sed by. There weren’t many hospitals on this planet, and most of them were subsidiaries of some large and reputable hospitals. They were mainly focused on aftertreatment.
The planet’s main hue was white and green. It was the white of cleanliness, and the green of life.
After exiting the port, the group became a lot quieter. No one knew if it was because of the planet’s atmosphere. In reality, this planet was much better than the other planets already. Partings and reunions could be seen everywhere on those planets that were mainly focused on core treatments and emergency rescues. There, death filled every nook and cranny at every moment. Those people who were screaming in pain and helplessness would affect the mood of others around them.
True to its medical environment, the food here paid stronger emphasis on nutrition and recuperation. Although their taste might not necessarily be great, the important thing was that they were healthy. Some additives were not allowed in this place.
They took a circle line train and got off at a station. They only needed to walk for the rest of the road. All flying cars except hospital use vehicles were forbidden from entering the aftertreatment area.
At first, Scarlet Wind was a little nervous. After all, he thought that he was somewhat different from the people around him. He gradually calmed down, however.
Although some people found Scarlet Wind’s appearance a little novel, they did not pay him any extra attention. After all, there were plenty of different races in a place with better development like this one. No one gave Ba Dao six exposed arms a second glance, and there were countless people who had a tail behind their backs. Although the average human was the dominant human population on this planet, no one would give a stranger too much attention as long as they didn’t look too unusual.
Scarlet Wind began to grow lively after he realised that he wouldn’t be treated as a monster. He curiously stared at the surrounding buildings, and those white single function robots and the flying cars in the air.
"Oh, it’s here." Cillin pointed at a big door and said.
The door plate on the door was labeled pretty clearly. It was none other than the subsidiary recovery center Dias had pointed them to. Dias and a few others were having their aftertreatment at this place.
Cillin’s group entered the recovery center after they had scanned their ident.i.ties.
"Still, isn’t this recovery center a little too big?" Xiao Shang stared.
A wide lawn stretched as far as the eyes could see. Buildings were scattered sporadically across the land. There were bamboo racks, forests, wooden benches and gardens etc. When the patients were bored, they would come out to relieve their boredom and exercise a little.
"It looks like those patients are all feeling pretty great." Xiao Shang said.
Ba Dao cast him a glance, "You can come here often in the future then."
"In that case, never mind."
Following to the minute address Dias had provided them, after Cillin’s group had learned the distribution of the buildings from a navigation robot, the robot then led them to the Area 16 Dias was staying in.
The recovery center had plenty of areas, and every area had a corresponding setup of sick wards, personnel and so on.
In reality, the areas were only part.i.tioned by some small fences. They weren’t too enclosed, and sometimes people from different areas would gather together to interact with each other. The recovery center was a rather monotonous place already, so it could get boring if there was no one around to chat with.
The navigation robot left after taking them to Area 16. Cillin searched the room with the door plate number Dias had provided him, but found no one inside. After he asked the people in charge of this area, they said that he had probably gone out for business or hadn’t returned yet from their outdoor trip. Here in the recovery center, patient rules were not strict as long as the patients were out of danger. The patients also enjoyed a lot of freedom at this place, although of course they must all return by night time.
"Let’s go out someplace and take a seat. We can eat something while we wait." Cillin checked the time and said.
The group agreed, but did not look like they have much appet.i.te for food. After all, although this place was just a recovery center, they were not completely unaffected by it. They couldn’t help but feel oppressed by their surroundings.
Area 16 had a specialised cafeteria, but there weren’t many people in it since it wasn’t lunch time. Cillin’s group found a large table near a forest and ordered a few meals to enjoy during the meantime.
The group hadn’t chatted for too long before a person came to a small, round table not far away from them.
Specifically speaking, this person
"Wah, an angel in white!" Xiao Shang said like he was hiding a great secret.
"She has a pretty good figure." Cary and the others also echoed his words.
The angel in white on the other side raised her head and cast a glance at Cilin’s group. Without an expression, she withdrew her gaze and sat down on her seat. She stretched a hand into her pockets and fondled around for a bit, taking out a tiny, palm-sized white rabbit. The rabbit’s ears were drooping. It was probably bred this way.
Translator’s Notes: The meme’s a little sobering, but so is last chapter. Despite the t.i.tle.
Chapter 180: The Angel in White Who Eats Beautifying Pig’s Trotters [Part 2]
The rabbit looked a little dazed even after it was put on top of the table. It had probably just woken up.
After the angel in white had put down the little rabbit, she then ordered some meals from a service robot that came flying to her direction. Before long, the service robot had served her meals.
In reality, only three plates served on top of the table.
There was a plate of fresh carrots, white radishes, red carrots etc and many other types of radishes that formed a radish collection. There was also a simple plate of steamed wheat buns. Finally, there was a large plate of beautifying pig’s trotters that did not belong here.
They did not know what kind of pig it was, but a single trotter was as large as a watermelon. There were at least eight trotters in the plate, and they were all sprinkled with sauce. The dish was supposed to be very aesthetically beautiful, but Cillin and the others couldn’t help but feel a little ache in their stomachs.
The little rabbit grew spirited after it saw the radish collection. It happily jumped next to the plate and started eating and grinding its food with its small teeth and iconic three-lipped mouth. It was eating very energetically.
Meanwhile, that angel in white picked up a steamed bun and swallowed it in one go. Then, she picked up her knife and fork and began eating that jumbo beautifying pig’s trotters of hers.
One must admit that the angel in white’s fingers were very beautiful, and the way she used her table knife was an art in itself. Agilely, she cut the meat off the big pig’s trotter with the table knife before picking the meat up with the fork and delivering it into her mouth.
There were many people who did not use table knives when eating pig’s trotters because they found it more troublesome than not. However, the way this angel in white used a table knife to eat them looked pretty pleasing to the eye, giving off the impression that this was how people were supposed to eat pig’s trotters in the first place. Of course, this would not be the case if she was a different person. The reason that this scene was filled with aesthetic beauty was due to the person using the table knife.
The group basically busied themselves by watching the angel in white and her little rabbit eating their own meals. Their own meals on the table were barely touched.
Half an hour later, the whole plate of beautifying pig’s trotters were cleaned out and fully eaten. The angel in white gracefully picked up a napkin, wiped her mouth and began drinking the drink served by the service robot. On her opposite side, the little rabbit hadn’t finished one quarter of its radishes yet, and it would probably be done by the time she finished her drink.
"Hi, pretty!" Xiao Shang was pretty straightforward, and he greeted the woman the moment she turned around to look at their direction. However, his greeting was incredibly frivolous.
"Hi, handsomes!" the angel in white replied with a smile. Although it was obviously a similar type of greeting, her aura was so overbearing that Xiao Shang’s smile was a little stiff.
"Good knife skills." Cillin raised his cup in toast and finished the alcoholic beverage inside in one go.
The angel in white simply smiled and took a careless sip of her drink in response.
Cillin did not mind the gesture, and instead looked towards Rikulab. He knew what Rikulab was thinking right now. It would seem that the so-called recovery zone wasn’t as peaceful as it seemed.
"You’ve just finished an operation?" Rikulab asked. He frowned slightly instead of smiling, "Why is an emergency rescue operation like this still necessary in the recovery zone?"
The angel in white looked at him with a somewhat surprised expression after she had heard Rikulab’s words. She could glean from the group’s expressions that Cillin and Rikulab had guessed correctly that she had just finished an operation, whereas Cary and the others were surprised by the revelation.
The angel in white nodded, "Yeah, in reality there are no such things as absolutes even in the recovery zone. Although theoretically speaking a patient here is considered to have escaped danger, and they only need to undergo late stage supplementary treatment and rehabilitative exercises, nothing is absolute in this world. The outcome depends and varies according to the person."
"That means that you are a very good doctor." Cillin praised.
Although the woman had changed a new coat, the odor of chemicals were still present. The odor revealed that the surgery she performed was the kind that belonged under major surgery procedures and emergency rescue operations. Moreover, an operation like this was extremely exhausting and could not be taken over by robots. It was no wonder that the woman had eaten such a large plate of food after the operation.
However, Cillin guessed that this woman was probably the surgeon of the operation. Even if she wasn’t, she would be a very important a.s.sistant. One must say that it was very rare to find a person with such abilities at such age. She was literally br.i.m.m.i.n.g with talent.
The angel in white did not act modest and nodded at Cillin’s praise with a small smile on her face. Then, she continued to drink her beverage.
By now Cary and the others were feeling more impressed than anything. Although the group was unwilling to hear words like doctor and so on most of the time, they really were impressed by her abilities. Plus, as combat personnel they were often hurt in battle, so they knew even better just how precious a good doctor was.
Cary, Xiao Shang and the others made meaningful glances at Cillin. Let’s get her over to our side, LC! She’s a talented person, and right now we’re sorely lacking in talented people!
Although Rikulab would sometimes roleplay as a doctor, his real occupation was a medicine maker. Surgeries were something he seldom performed. That was why he very much agreed that they should absorb a doctor into their ranks too. There was a problem, however. Even if she was a very experienced doctor, whether she was willing to give up her work here and join Vanguard, and whether her moral standing was in the right place were very important questions to consider.
A good doctor with shrewd hands could take a life without anyone noticing it. They could also make the death look like an accident and exclude themselves completely from the circle of responsibility.
Naturally Cillin knew what was at stake here, and the same goes with Cary and the others. That was why they hadn’t pushed the matter further.
It was at this moment a clamor came from nearby.
It was quite obvious that several youngsters were attacking an old man and a young kid.
The leader of the youngsters were pointing at a stain on his sleeves and speaking loudly and domineeringly. The obscenities flying out of his mouth were so smooth that he probably said such things quite often daily.
The youngsters were beating down on the old man on the floor. The old man was protecting a child in his lap, and the child was choking on his sobs already.
No one came out to mediate the fight even though many people saw what was going on. They did not even dare to match eyes with the young man who led the group and left hurriedly.
"F*ck, how can there be such a terrible person!"
Cary got up and was about to head over. Xiao Shang and the others got ready to stand up as well.
"I advise that you do not head over and cause trouble, or more people will suffer because of this." the angel in white said.
"Why is that?" Cillin asked.
Anyone with a discerning eye would know that the incident was really trivial. It was probably the kid accidentally kicking a ball at the young man’s sleeves and dirtying it as a result. That was why he was met with a terrible beating.
"If you don’t interfere, the incident will pa.s.s after he vents on them. No lives will be threatened, and in fact that old man and the young kid will get even better treatment than before. However, if you interfered, not only will you fail to save that old man and young kid, you will attract quite a lot of trouble to yourself too."
Cary was so troubled by this that his eyebrows had become knitted together. He had never liked such twists and turns.
Cillin patted Cary’s shoulder to make him sit down. Xiao Shang and the others had also taken their seats once more as they stared in dissatisfaction at the event developing over the other side.
The angel in white glanced somewhat in surprise at Cillin. She did not think that an incredibly young fellow like him would be leading these people, not to mention that he was far calmer than anyone else in the group. Suddenly, she seemed to recall something as she scrutinised Cillin and the others closely to the point they began to feel uncomfortable.
"Ahem, er, who might that b.a.s.t.a.r.d be?" Cary said to divert her attention.
The white dressed beauty withdrew her gaze and smiled contemptuously, "He is the ‘prince’ of this district. He fooled around with women too much outside to the point where he reeked of trouble, and his father sent him over to take refuge. Well, he took refuge and was safe from his troubles alright, but the people at the recovery center suffered as a result instead."
"If I was his father I would’ve choked the life out of him a long time ago!" Cary said mercilessly while moving his fingers about as if he could actually feel that b.a.s.t.a.r.d’s neck.
"There are plenty of people who wants to choke him, but none has succeeded." the angel in white pointed at the robots hovering about in midair. Some of them were service robots, and some were navigation robots, "At certain times, these robots would turn into zealous bodyguards. After all, this recovery center was established by his father, and he is very protective of his beloved son. Moreover, they share a lot of connections with the higher ups of that famous large hospital at Sector E this hospital is a subsidiary to. Therefore, as long as he doesn’t kill someone, those people would not say a word."
"Doesn’t that mean that they’ve already eavesdropped on our criticisms?" Beaver looked around and found the eyes of the service robots in the restaurant were s.h.i.+ning with light. However, their attention were mainly focused at the clamor on the other side and not on the people at the dining tables.
"It’s fine. As long as you don’t act then nothing will come. There are countless people who backbite him."
"In that case, why are there still so many people who came here to undergo recovery treatment even though they obviously knew about his moral standing?" Cillin asked.
"For the patients, the fee here is cheap. For the doctors, the salary here is high." the white dressed beauty answered.
It was a very pragmatic question. For those people who were lacking in funds and qualifications, this place was without a doubt a very good choice.
"Isn’t there a saying that evil has its retributions?" Tang Qiuqiu spoke up. This was an idiom that she had learned after she came to Vanguard. Although this idiom would make a lot of people turn up their noses, she remembered it very well.
"Evil has its retributions?" the white dressed beauty smiled as her eyes sparkled with unfathomable meaning. She said in a low voice, "Perhaps."
The beating on the other side was finally over, and the old man and young kid was carried away by a few medical personnel. According to the white dressed beauty’s words, these people would be getting better treatment for free.
The young man who led the group continued to swear while talking, and he accepted a gla.s.s of water from his subordinate and abruptly poured it down his throat. However, because he drank the water too hastily, he had choked on the water instead. He couldn’t stop the moment he started choking. In the end, the choking had turned so severe that he was hurried into the ICU by medical personnel.
On top of the white dressed beauty’s dining table, the little rabbit flicked its drooping ears and jumped down to the chair. Then, it jumped down onto the ground and cast a glance at the white dressed beauty. Finally, it left the scene.
The white dressed beauty stared at the leftover radishes in the plate and ignored the little rabbit who had jumped away from her. However, the corner of her lips had curled up a bit, and her eyes were serene and hidden in depth.
Cary was just about to say something as he watched the rabbit. Cillin caught his attention with his eyes and shook his head. He then continued to eat his meal.
Five minutes later, a disturbance broke out from the other side. Everyone, be it the doctors or the nurses all wore expressions that looked like they were facing the end of the world. Meanwhile, the little rabbit had returned before they knew it, jumping up the chair and the table before cleaning up the rest of its radishes.