[COD] Newbie's Rise to Power

I initially thought he was a cold person, but later I found out he was just slow to react.

But he is very proactive in his actions, and seems like the kind of person who is quiet but reliable.

And I sense a rich inner world; I imagine when I'm alone I think about a lot of things, like what Chinese people look like? Haha...

Now you have another impression of him: frankness.

For example, when he receives your praise, he is not humble, nor is he being polite, nor is he proud or avoiding the topic. Instead, he frankly acknowledges it without any emotion, as if it were a very ordinary and normal thing.

Interacting with such a person is at least not tiring in terms of communication, since they will frankly reveal their thoughts.

After staying for a while, you prepared to leave.

Before leaving, you tried to give him a bottle of fireflies, but he refused.

"We...I can't take good care of them."

You didn't think too much about the meaning behind his words; you just listened to whatever he said. If he said he couldn't raise the child well, you didn't force him to take care of it, so as not to cause trouble for him.

You walk ahead carrying two bottles of fireflies, the bottles clinking softly, the rhythmic clatter seeming to accompany the chirping of insects on this summer night, making your steps lighter.

And Nicoto walks behind you, following silently.

ch.56: Scars on the right abdomen

The next afternoon, you took the washed clothes and the firefly bottle to Su An'er.

Su An'er examined the bottle curiously for a while before finally placing it on her desk with satisfaction.

Then she tells you, "Kruger seems to be injured; he just came to me to get some medicine."

You frowned: "He's back? When?"

Su An'er tilted her head and thought for a moment: "He left here about an hour ago."

She continued, "He almost never comes to see me after a mission, so this time he's probably badly injured. But he won't accept my help. Why don't you go check on him later?"

You nodded: "I'll go back and check later."

After leaving the medical room, you hurried back and finally stopped in front of the door of the room next to yours.

You knock on the door, but there is no response for a long time.

However, the lack of response only made you more anxious. What if Kruger had fainted inside?

Thinking about it that way, you changed it to banging on the door, banging on it nonstop.

"Scheisse! Stop what you're doing!"

An impatient voice came from inside the room, followed by the sound of the door opening.

Upon seeing it was you, Kruger's previously irritable expression softened considerably, but he still remained impatient.

"What?"

You cut to the chase: "Are you injured?"

Kruger was even more annoyed: "You stinky face... Did Su An'er tell you?"

You nod, then accuse him: "She said you're not accepting treatment, why?"

Kruger rolled his eyes, speechless.

"What do you think? I'd rather let the enemy stab me again than have her heal me!"

Considering Su An'er's previous methods, you have nothing to say.

Seeing that you had nothing to say, he prepared to close the door.

"If there's nothing else, you can go back now."

You noticed that there were no wounds on his exposed body, and his black tracksuit clung to his skin without any signs of bandages bulging, so you asked him.

"You didn't apply the medicine?"

Kruger said, "I was just getting ready, I had just finished showering and was about to apply the medicine when you started banging on the door."

You were taken aback when you heard this. No wonder he was so irritable just now, and his clothes were loose and casual.

So he rushed to get dressed and open the door!

Feeling a little embarrassed for bothering him, you offer to make amends.

"I'm so sorry, I was just in a bit of a hurry. Or... shall I apply some medicine for you?"

You stated that you received medical training while at the base.

Kruger looked at you with a complicated expression and asked, "Are you going to apply the medicine for me? Or in my room?"

You instantly understood what he meant and quickly corrected him:

"If medics have to be careful about relationships between men and women when applying medicine, how many of their teammates would die?"

As a reserve medic, you often practice with your teammates and will provide medical care to different soldiers in the future. Therefore, in your eyes, applying medicine to men and applying medicine to women are the same, without any gender distinction.

Kruger narrowed his eyes slightly, then chuckled softly.

"It seems I overestimated my charm. Please come in."

He stepped aside and opened the door halfway for you.

You went inside as instructed, your eyes scanning the surroundings.

I had assumed that a man's room would be a bit messy, but Kruger's room was surprisingly tidy.

Rather than saying it's tidy, it's more accurate to say it's simple, so simple that there are no unnecessary clutter.

The room is furnished the same way as yours: a wardrobe, a bed, and a desk-like table.

Kruger had placed some guns and accessories, along with paper and pens, on the table.

In addition, there was a piece of animal skin with a head on it hanging on the wall. Judging from its appearance and patterns, it should be a leopard.

Besides that, there's nothing else; there's so little stuff that it's hard to make it messy.

"I didn't expect your room to be decorated so simply."

He's been a member of the Chimera for quite some time now, so it's surprising that his room only contains these things.

If you stay at the base for two years and still have your own room, you'll probably not only decorate the whole room, but you'll probably even grow flowers and vegetables.

"We're often on missions, this is just a place to rest."

Kruger responded.

"Won't this make you feel like you don't belong?"

Your question left Kruger speechless: "Belonging? This isn't my home."

Seeing that his mood was starting to turn negative, you quickly changed the subject.

Where is the medicine you took?

"bathroom."

You step into the bathroom, where water still remains, and a cool minty scent wafts through the damp space.

After you washed your hands, you took all the medicine from the sink.

Prepare the medicine and gauze, then ask him:

"Where are you injured?"

Kruger reached out, pulling down his waistband with one hand and lifting up the hem of his shirt that was stuck inside his pants with the other.

His right abdomen was exposed, revealing a wound about seven or eight centimeters long, with the skin and flesh turned outwards and blood still flowing from it.

"It's so serious, and you won't let Su An'er treat it for you!"

You were a little angry, so your tone wasn't very good.

Is it serious?

Kruger spoke casually, as if such a wound was not worth his attention.

You took a deep breath to calm yourself and said calmly, "It needs to be stitched up. Do you have a needle and thread?"

Kruger: "What do I need the needle and thread for, to patch holes in my mesh?"

You stand up and walk towards the door.

"Then you wait here, I'll go to the medical room to get the medical supplies."

You hurried along, ignoring Kruger's reaction, and quickly went to the medical room. You asked Su An'er for medical sutures, a pair of medical gloves, and a vial of anesthetic.

Back in Kruger's room, you find him already lying in bed, offering a listless explanation upon seeing you.

"I'm tired of standing, but you'll let me lie down later for convenience, won't you?"

You nodded; that's indeed your plan.

Because suturing requires anesthesia, you can't have him stand while the procedure is being performed.

You unpacked the anesthetic and sat down on the bed to administer subcutaneous anesthesia to Kruger.

Next, you put on gloves and take out your needle, thread, and tweezers to sterilize them.

Then I cleaned his wound and disinfected it with iodine.

Finally, you hold the curved needle with tweezers and look at it:

"You can close your eyes and rest for a while; it will be over soon."

The main problem is that he's watching you, and you get nervous. What if your hands shake?

"I hope you don't sew me an ugly centipede."

Kruger said this, but he still closed his eyes.

You only have one pair of tweezers, so you hold the needle with one hand and press the other hand against Kruger's skin to open up the wound so the needle can pass through.

After a focused effort, you snapped the suture, ending your first suturing surgery.

You reached up and wiped the sweat from your forehead. Although there was air conditioning in the Kruger room, this was your first time operating it yourself, and the nervousness made you sweat.

You look at the stitched-up wound and silently give yourself a thumbs up.