Wang Fei opened his eyes to an unfamiliar white room. Judging by the sterile smell, it was likely an infirmary—one far too expensive for someone like him to afford.
"Ah... that felt like a dream just now."
He reached up and felt the bandages wrapped around his head, recalling everything that had happened not too long ago.
He could remember his life in the simulation clearly, yet it all felt like a long, surreal dream. He still remembered the people around him—but strangely, he had forgotten certain things. His ideals. The faces of strangers or distant acquaintances. Even parts of his past experiences.
That could be both a blessing and a curse. At least it meant he wasn't being consumed by the ideologies his simulated self had embraced. The unfortunate part, though, was that he hadn't retained any combat skills or experiences from the simulation. That was a real shame.
As he leaned forward, preparing to get out of bed, a voice beside him suddenly warned:
"You shouldn't be getting out of bed right now."
Startled, Wang Fei turned toward the voice and immediately let out a sigh of relief.
"Yuxia, it's you..." He just noticed the pink-haired woman dressed in formal diplomat-like attire sitting beside his bed, keeping a close watch on him. In her hands was a book titled Law and Social Order—a painfully boring read that only someone like her could enjoy.
"Of course it's me. Or did you think I was that tigress of yours?" Yuxia replied coldly, lightly bonking him on the head with her book.
"No, no... I was just surprised someone like you would be sitting here. You're the busiest among us, after all," Wang Fei replied with a smile, prompting Yuxia to frown even more.
"Well, excuse me for having so much free time right now that I can waste it watching over someone like you!" She huffed and turned away with a pout, making Wang Fei rush to placate her.
"Oh come on, big sis Yuxia, don't be mad. You know I didn't mean it that way… I promise to make it up to you with dinner."
"Hmph, in that case, I'll be waiting tomorrow at—" But before Yuxia could finish,
The door suddenly burst open, followed by a loud, charming voice.
"If you're going to treat someone to dinner, that someone should obviously be me!"
"Beatrix?"
"Ugh… the annoying yellow cat is here..." Wang Fei and Yuxia muttered in unison upon seeing her. The police officer in her formal uniform rushed in as soon as she shut the door behind her.
"Wang Fei! You idiot! I know everything that happened! Do you even realize how worried I was, you moron?! What were you thinking, taking a bullet for someone else like that?!" Schwarz had learned about everything from Exusiai and nearby surveillance footage. She was furious that he would do something so reckless in his frail condition.
"Sorry, sorry… my body just moved on its own," Wang Fei gave a weak smile. His body had indeed acted on instinct. Even if he had a choice, he probably would've done the same.
"Does… does everyone know what happened?" Wang Fei asked nervously. He was afraid one specific person might know.
"If you're worried your sister doesn't know, then sorry… she was one of the first. She's been going after those thugs all day. The slums are in chaos because of her," Yuxia answered.
Wang Fei looked down, clearly troubled.
"How long have I been out since I passed out?"
"One week!! You've been asleep for a whole week, you know?!" Beatrix yelled while slapping his bed in frustration, causing Wang Fei to flinch at the revelation.
A week? That damned simulation system… Didn't it say it would restore my body instantly? How could a whole week have passed?
Just then, a system message popped up in front of him:
"Physical recovery was completed immediately. However, mental trauma is not so easily healed. As a result, the host lost consciousness after experiencing pain beyond what the brain could endure."
Wang Fei jolted upon seeing the message appear.
Beatrix noticed his reaction and immediately grew concerned.
"What's wrong? Are you hurting anywhere? Wait! I'll get the director right away!"
Wang Fei quickly grabbed her hand to stop her from pulling out her phone.
"No, no… I was just thinking about the state of the office. Nothing serious, really. No need to call anyone."
"Geez, worry about yourself first, will you? The office is fine. I'm worried about your body," Beatrix said, and then quickly covered her mouth, realizing she had let something slip.
"My body? What about it?"
Yuxia narrowed her eyes at Beatrix.
"Beatrix…"
"S-Sorry!"
Seeing their reactions, Wang Fei began to suspect they were hiding something from him.
"Is there something you two haven't told me? Does it have to do with the accident?"
"No—No! Your body is totally fine! Perfectly normal!!" Beatrix blurted out. Unfortunately, no one had ever told her she was a terrible liar.
Yuxia sighed, realizing the truth was out.
"Wang Fei… do you remember what kind of bullet hit you?"
"It was made from Originium ore. We removed the bullet, but… fragments remain embedded in your brain," Yuxia said, not daring to look at him directly.
Silence fell across the room.
Wang Fei let out a hollow laugh. Now he understood their expressions.
"Ah… So I'm Infected now, huh?"
An Infected with Originium crystals lodged in his brain. From any angle, he looked like someone with one foot in the grave.
"…"
"Hmm? Why those faces? Don't tell me you're going to stop talking to me now that I'm infected?" Wang Fei joked, then instantly felt guilty. Beatrix smacked his shoulder hard.
"You idiot! Is this really the time to crack jokes?!"
"I've told you before—your jokes never make anyone laugh, Fei Fei," Yuxia said, shaking her head in irritation.
"Sorry… I just didn't want things to feel so heavy," Wang Fei said sheepishly, trying to laugh it off.
"Anyway… does anyone else know? What about Captain Chen and Hoshiguma?"
"That earthworm just knows you're infected. She doesn't know how bad it is. Hoshiguma's still on vacation, so she hasn't heard anything. Besides them, there's that red-haired angel who was with you at the scene. No one else at HQ knows. I told them you were on leave, visiting your hometown. I've transferred you to a hospital affiliated with my family—no one will find out what happened to you," Beatrix explained.
"Is that so… Thanks, Beatrix."
Beatrix didn't respond. She just stared at his smile, then sat down next to him and held his hand tightly.
"You'll be okay, Fei Fei… I promise I'll find a way to heal you."
"Hey now, don't treat me like some dying drama heroine. I'm still healthy, look at me."
"Yeah, totally healthy. So healthy you couldn't even lift yourself on the bars in middle school or run laps without collapsing," Yuxia said sarcastically, making Wang Fei blush and pull the blanket over his face.
"What?! Fei Fei got punished and had to run laps?! This honor-student of three years in a row?! Tell me more!" Beatrix exclaimed. Yuxia, pretending not to care, began reciting the memory as if it had just happened.
"Apparently, the PE teacher was jealous because Wang Fei got love letters from nearly every girl in school. So he'd punish him regularly in class out of spite."
"What?! That unethical bastard! Who is he?! I'll go deal with him myself!"
"No need. Back when we were still in school, he mysteriously disappeared. Rumor is he offended someone powerful and got 'dealt with.'"
"No idea who it could've been," Yuxia said with a cryptic smile. Wang Fei gave a dry chuckle, knowing full well that the culprit was sitting right there.
But Beatrix, still unsuspecting, kept trying to guess who it could've been.
After chatting for several hours, Beatrix and Yuxia finally left, not wanting to interfere with his rest. Wang Fei noticed it was already past 9 p.m. He got up, changed into the clothes left in his wardrobe, and removed his bandages. Seeing only a scar above his right brow in the mirror, he quietly snuck out of the hospital, avoiding the nurses as best he could.
He felt a bit guilty toward Beatrix, but he knew his body was fine now. He had to leave—there was someone he was worried about.
He didn't expect that only a few steps out of the hospital, someone would emerge from the nearby alley to block his path.
"Slipping out of a hospital this late at night… not a very model officer, are you?"
"Miss Mostima?" Wang Fei was stunned to see the blue-haired, halo-wearing angel appear. She rarely stayed in Lungmen, always off working in distant places—making it a rare occasion to see her at all.
He and Mostima met by chance last year, when the Emperor was looking for a tour guide for a particular escort mission. At the time, he was assigned as the leader of that mission—and that's when he met her.
Mostima, upon first seeing him, looked extremely shocked and called him "Modi," just like Exusiai did. But once she found out that his name was Wang Fei and that he had lived here since he was a child, it seemed like she had a hard time accepting it at first. Eventually, though, she appeared to come to terms with it and stopped contacting him for a while.
It wasn't until about six months ago that she started talking to him more frequently. She always addressed him as "Officer" and never once used his name. Even so, Wang Fei still felt somewhat positive toward her, since Mostima had never done anything to make him uncomfortable—unlike two others from her company…
"I had no idea you were in Lungmen too. How have you been?" Wang Fei greeted her with a smile, while also trying to brush his hair to cover the scar on his eyebrow. However, it seemed almost impossible to hide it from the sharp eyes of a former sniper from Laterano.
"Officer, don't try to change the subject. Aren't you supposed to be sick right now? Should I call someone to let them know you're here? Or are you going to walk back inside like a good patient?" Mostima said as she pulled out her phone, about to dial a number saved under the name "Officer Chen."
Seeing that name, Wang Fei quickly waved his hands frantically, completely forgetting to question how Mostima even had his sister's phone number.
"W-Wait, Miss Mostima! You're mistaken! I'm actually in great shape right now, really. So please, put the phone down."
It was quite a funny sight—an officer begging someone else to let him go like that. And Mostima seemed to think the same, as she gave a slight smile before putting her phone away.
"Since you're asking so nicely, I'll let you off this time… but there's a condition. Right now, my little angel at home is all sad and moping in her room, refusing to go anywhere. If you have time, could you go visit her and maybe bring her favorite—apple pie? It might cheer her up."
"You mean Exusiai, right? H-How is she doing?" Wang Fei asked, clearly worried that the woman might be overthinking the whole situation. And from the sound of it, his concern might not be misplaced.
"She'll get better soon… but if you visit her, I bet she'll perk up immediately."
"I understand. I promise I'll visit her tomorrow."
"Thank you… Well, that's all I needed. Shall I walk you home?"
"Thanks, but no need… I actually have some business at the office."
"The office? Why are you going there at this hour?"
"Because my sister is probably working there right now. If I don't show up, she'll end up handling everything on her own until morning."
Wang Fei wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but he noticed Mostima's eye twitch slightly when she heard him say "my sister."
"Oh… I've changed my mind. On second thought, I think I should call an officer to escort you back to the hospital," Mostima said as she reached for her phone again.
"W-Why would you do that?!"
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