Chapter 17
Outside the hospital room, Dr. Wu and Dr. Zhang walked together, still discussing Chen Huai'an's case.
"This young man is a college student with no history of mental illness. Are you sure he has a problem?" Dr. Wu, having reviewed Chen Huai'an's file, questioned Dr. Zhang's assessment.
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha! It's cancer! It's the mysterious cancer cells that activated my genetic lock! I'm truly a genius!"
A strange, suppressed laugh echoed from within the room.
"Well then," Dr. Zhang shrugged, tilting his head toward the room.
Dr. Wu: "..."
It seemed this young man might have been a bit shaken after seeing a mirage on Mount Tai, and indeed, medical intervention was necessary.
"Youth..." Dr. Wu stepped into the room.
"Doctor, I'm not sick. I want to be discharged. Or do you have a power bank? If you do, I’ll stay a little longer."
"..." Dr. Wu stared at the serious-looking young man in the hospital bed, pondering whether he needed to increase the dosage.
Dr. Zhang, however, noticed Chen Huai'an's legs and was taken aback. "Hey? How did your leg get better?"
He remembered clearly that when he first went to find Dr. Wu, the area around Chen Huai'an's fractured calf was swollen and dark, nearing the point of necrosis if left untreated.
But now, the swelling had significantly reduced, and the bruising was much less severe.
Noticing the doctor's gaze, Chen Huai'an awkwardly tucked his foot away and chuckled, "I've always been resilient. I have a bit of a talent for self-recovery."
He certainly couldn't say that the bruising was resolved thanks to a secret acupuncture technique; no one would believe him, and it would only lead to trouble.
As for demonstrating the technique to the two doctors, that was out of the question. The elderly man nearby was indeed a great test subject, but before he could even start, he might end up in a psychiatric ward, and besides, he wasn't confident it would work.
Just because it worked on himself didn’t mean it would work on someone else.
In today's society, even helping someone cross the street requires careful consideration of one's own resources, let alone using needles on someone.
Dr. Zhang pondered for a long time but couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation.
All he could say was that, as of now, the osteosarcoma on Chen Huai'an's leg hadn't disappeared. If it did vanish, he would really have to find a way to keep Chen Huai'an around and report this matter to his superiors.
"You need to find a way to treat this cancer, young man. Ignoring it might not be a good idea..."
"I understand, but I have no money," Chen Huai'an replied with a smile.
"Didn't you buy insurance?"
"No."
"What about your parents?"
"They're gone."
"…Sigh." Dr. Zhang fell silent, his questions leading him to a heavy silence.
As a seasoned attending physician, he had encountered many cases like Chen Huai'an's—people with nothing, just waiting for death.
But he had rarely met someone as genuinely indifferent as Chen Huai'an.
"Doctor, I know my situation. I don't have extra money, so just treat the fracture normally."
Dr. Zhang nodded but still added, "If you need to fundraise, you can let me know. Maybe I can help a bit."
"Thank you. If I can earn some money, I will definitely treat my illness properly."
While Chen Huai'an was talking to Dr. Zhang, Dr. Wu had been observing.
He found that this young man was articulate and had bright eyes—there was clearly no mental issue, just a touch of youthful eccentricity.
...They almost had to use a tranquilizer on him.
What a false alarm.
...
Chen Huai'an stayed in the hospital until the afternoon.
His right leg, which had been fractured, was now in a cast.
According to the doctors, it was best to stay for observation, but he refused, citing his lack of funds. Before leaving, he bought a set of silver needles from the pharmacy next to the hospital.
"Power bank! Power bank!!!"
Once outside the hospital, Chen Huai'an was like a starving wolf, his green eyes scanning the shops around him.
He needed a power bank!
He hadn’t played any games all afternoon, and if Li Qingran was attacked by a monster again, he would be devastated.
Moreover, he had already invested nearly sixty thousand into the game; if he lost that character, he might just jump from the second floor of the hospital in frustration.
"Give me that power bank!!!"
In the terrified gaze of a female student, Chen Huai'an, leaning on his crutch, swiftly snatched the last power bank from the charging station in a restaurant.
He powered it on and logged into the game.
A sigh of relief washed over him.
Li Qingran was still unconscious in the Xuanjia Array.
With the power bank in his mouth, one hand on the crutch and the other holding his phone, he approached a table in the restaurant, sitting down. "Boss, three portions of noodles."
"Sure! Want a fried egg with that?"
"No, but I want noodle soup!"
"Got it~"
A fried egg costs three yuan! Not worth it!
Noodle soup is free; he could definitely go for that!
For now, he set aside thoughts of Li Qingran's unconscious state and opened the luck draw pool.
He was still 500 draws away from the guaranteed reward.
"Tsk, I just don’t have the luck of a lucky king."
Chen Huai'an snorted, and with the prompt for payment from Yi Pay, he tapped on the draw button.
All in!
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Chapter 18: This is a Very Important Thing
Li Qingran had a dream.
In the dream, she was being chased by countless monsters, with no light source in sight, darkness surging toward her like a tidal wave.
However, just as the monsters were about to catch her, a melodious thunderclap echoed.
A young man, whose appearance was obscured and dressed in strange clothing, appeared on the horizon.
He waved his left hand, scattering talismans like seasoning over food, and with his right hand, he summoned a variety of magical tools.
The monsters chasing her were either struck down by the lightning from the talismans or pierced by the falling magical tools.
"Is that... a senior?" Li Qingran looked up at the sky.
She had a gut feeling that this was indeed a senior, someone who had come to save her.
Though she couldn't see his face clearly, he seemed much younger than she had imagined.
There was no time for careful observation; in the next moment, the senior had already appeared before her.
Li Qingran's heart raced, her cheeks flushed, and in a panic, she bent down to bow.
In the next instant, a pair of strong hands caught her.
Then, the figure pressed a square object into her hand.
The object was entirely black, resembling a brick but not as heavy.
It had three simplified characters written on it, which seemed to say... "Dian Guan Bao" (电管饱, literally "Electricity Can Fill You Up")?
What is "Dian Guan Bao"?
Some kind of magical artifact?
As she pondered, the figure before her began to fade, like mist dissipating.
"Senior? Qingran has always been very grateful to you, you..."
"This is a very important thing."
The senior's voice echoed through the dissipating mist:
"Make sure to keep it safe..."
...
"This one will do, Dian Guan Bao. Just the name sounds reliable."
Chen Huai'an clicked to place the order.
He couldn't afford the three-yuan fried egg, but a three-hundred-yuan power bank was a no-brainer.
After this experience, he was now terrified; he had to carry a power bank with him at all times.
And it had to be one with a large capacity.
He had considered whether to change his phone, but if he did, could he transfer the 'Electronic Girlfriend' game over? It was a virus program without even an installation package, and he had no idea how to handle that.
Looking at the time on his computer, it was already nine in the evening.
It had been over an hour since he got home.
"Li Qingran should be awake now." Chen Huai'an opened the 'Electronic Girlfriend' game and indeed saw that Li Qingran had woken up. The girl was huddled in a corner, wrapped in tattered clothes, hugging her knees with a vacant stare at the ground, lost in thought.
Chen Huai'an noticed that there was a half-burned incense stick at her feet.
【Your electronic girlfriend 'Li Qingran's' house has been destroyed. Recharge 6 yuan to repair it.】
Chen Huai'an didn't even furrow his brow: "Recharge!"
【Recharge 88 yuan to buy your electronic girlfriend two sets of stylish new clothes~】
"Recharge!!"
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