Chapter 65: Aftermath
The seventh floor of Qingshan Hospital was as quiet as ever. After all, this was the Exchange Group’s base of operations; ordinary patients weren’t sent here.
But at this moment, it wasn’t Group Leader Ji Shinian lying in Ward Zero, but Phantom, Yang Meili.
When Luo Ling entered, Yang Meili was staring blankly at the ceiling, her usual heavy makeup gone, making her look much more… normal.
…Luo Ling had always thought her makeup skills were questionable, almost deliberately unflattering.
Yang Meili seemed to notice Luo Ling’s entrance but didn’t react.
However, Shen Miaoyun, who had been dozing by the bedside, jumped up, flustered.
“Sister Miaoyun, where’s the Group Leader?”
Luo Ling sat down, carefully gathering her troublesome white hair.
“The Group Leader… he and Brother Liu went to escort Wu Hai home,” Shen Miaoyun whispered, glancing at Yang Meili to gauge her reaction.
Although she had been under Performer’s control at the time, it was Yang Meili who had killed Wu Hai. That was why she was now in such a distraught state.
…Killing a former comrade, no matter the circumstances, was difficult to accept.
But Yang Meili was like a statue, seemingly hearing nothing, her expression blank, her eyes vacant.
“Mm… alright,” Luo Ling nodded and asked, “Where are Xiao Qian and An Yu?”
“They’re… relatively okay for now, in the next ward,” Shen Miaoyun replied.
“Good.”
Luo Ling was about to leave when Shen Miaoyun stopped her.
“Wait, the Group Leader asked me to… explain everything to you when you woke up.”
She looked at Yang Meili with concern, then stood up, walked over to Luo Ling, and continued, “I’ll take you to them. I can explain everything on the way.”
…
“That’s roughly what happened on our side,” Shen Miaoyun said, her head lowered, her expression downcast. “I don’t know if it was fortunate or unfortunate, but I had snuck off to buy snacks… and that’s how I escaped.
“Brother Liu was the most seriously injured, but he recovered quickly thanks to his ability. Wu Hai was already dead. Zhong Bo lost his right hand. Sister Meili was actually the least injured, but as you can see…”
It was fortunate that Shen Miaoyun hadn’t been there. Except for Wu Hai, who had died on the spot, everyone else had been saved by her.
If Shen Miaoyun had been present, she wouldn’t have escaped either, and she wouldn’t have been able to heal the others… In that case, Yang Meili might have been the only survivor.
Perhaps that had been Performer’s intention.
The Qingshan Patient Exchange Group was, after all, a loosely organized group, and even their team operations weren’t very disciplined. Against a mysterious expert like Performer… the chances of defeat were high.
They just hadn’t expected such a devastating loss.
“What happened on your side?” Shen Miaoyun asked nervously. “I saw the distress signal, but you didn’t seem to receive any of my messages. The other group members who went there said they couldn’t find the place…
“In the end, it was Gypsy Girl from the Speaker who brought you three back to the hospital, but she refused to say anything, just said to ask you when you woke up.”
“The Baiyan Village incident… it’s complicated,” Luo Ling’s eyes flickered. Having consumed part of Performer’s memories, she knew the others couldn’t find Baiyan Village because of the incubation barrier. “Is Xiao Qian alright now? She… had some problems.”
Luo Ling remembered Scientist, who had appeared through Performer via psychological suggestion, saying that Elsa’s consciousness would collapse within half an hour, but for some reason, nothing had happened.
“I’m not sure, Xiao Qian is still unconscious… she’s in this ward. Gypsy Girl said she intervened, and Xiao Qian is safe for now.”
Shen Miaoyun opened the door to the ward. Elsa was lying on the bed, the small, red-haired girl’s brow furrowed, as if struggling in her sleep.
Medical equipment kept her alive, and Bella, the teddy bear, was tightly bound with tape to the bedside table. Seeing Luo Ling and Shen Miaoyun, she immediately started struggling, looking at Luo Ling with pleading eyes.
“…Gypsy Girl did that. Said she was too noisy.”
Shen Miaoyun’s eye twitched at this sight, but she also felt a sense of secret satisfaction.
Bella had insulted almost every member of the exchange group. If there were a list of the most annoying things in the group, Bella would definitely be on it.
“Did An Yu go home?”
Ignoring Bella’s pleas, Luo Ling looked around, not seeing An Yu.
“No… she’s there.”
Shen Miaoyun pointed to a corner of the ward. Luo Ling followed her finger and saw a pair of canvas military training shoes sticking out from under a table.
…An Yu was hiding under the table.
She wasn’t physically injured; Luo Ling had healed her fatal wound with Proliferation.
Although Luo Ling could make An Yu’s regenerated half collapse with a single thought, there… didn’t seem to be a need for that.
Shen Miaoyun pulled Luo Ling out of the ward and lowered her voice.
“Xiao Yu has been like this since she woke up. About Baiyan Village… are her grandparents dead?”
“Yes, everyone in Baiyan Village is dead,” Luo Ling nodded.
“Oh my god!”
Shen Miaoyun’s eyes widened in shock. She had expected the situation in Baiyan Village to be grim, but not to this extent…
“It’s understandable. Xiao Yu loved her grandparents the most,” Shen Miaoyun sighed. “The reason she joined the exchange group… was actually because her parents sent her to Qingshan Hospital, and the Group Leader discovered she was an Awakened One and recruited her.
“Mm… as for why she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, Xiao Yu used to suffer from severe autism. It seemed to have started after she moved from the countryside to the city for school. She wasn’t used to the environment and was bullied, which triggered it.”
Looking through the window at the girl huddled under the table, a flicker of pity crossed Shen Miaoyun’s eyes.
“It was the Group Leader who brought her grandparents to the hospital during her treatment that helped her gradually recover. You can imagine how important they were to her… It’s such a shame.”
Luo Ling remained silent. She had witnessed it all, the heartwarming yet cruel reality.
The more An Yu loved her grandparents, the heavier the blow and the deeper the pain she was now enduring.
“Oh right, what about Xiao Qian?” Luo Ling asked. “I’m curious… how did she join the Patient Exchange Group?”
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