Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

Chapter 973 Patia is a little bird, so she is destined...

The setting sun gradually disappeared on the western side of this land, and darkness crept across the land.

Lateran's holy city stands in darkness, its bright lights impenetrable to the darkness, like a resilient reef in the waves.

However, when light and darkness coexist, if the light cannot completely dispel the darkness, its presence will only make the place shrouded in darkness appear even more profound.

The Church of Requiem, the resting place of the Sarkaz after their deaths, is located in the suburbs outside the holy city, on the border where darkness and light meet.

A thin, Sakorta man dressed in monk's robes stood in front of the Church of Requiem, carrying a dim lantern in his hand.

The candlelight in the wick burned brightly.

The man stood in the dim light, gazing into the distance at the brightly lit holy city.

The light in his hand could not dispel the darkness behind him, nor could it blend into the radiance of the holy city before him.

"Leader, it's very late."

The doors of the Requiem Church were pushed open, and a nun inside whispered a reminder.

The gaunt man turned around. The wings of light on his back were much more exquisite than those of a typical Sarkaz, like carefully sculpted works of art, gently drooping behind him.

"Has Patia not returned yet?" the man asked.

The nun explained, "She took people into the city to look for the little girl named Cecilia, and it will probably take several days to bring her out safely."

The man nodded and continued:

"I hope Patia won't hurt the child. Her mother is a pitiful person. I don't know what the future holds for them, but I hope I can do my best to help them."

The nun hesitated for a moment, then asked:

"Leader, what are your plans for that child?"

Before the man could answer, a voice suddenly came from the darkness:

"I advise you to stop thinking about that little girl named Cecilia."

"Oren?" the nun exclaimed in surprise. "Why are you here so late?"

Oren, sporting green hair like a potted plant, emerged from the darkness and shrugged:

"I had dinner with my new friend, which took up some time, but some things couldn't be delayed, so I had to stay up all night to get on the road."

The man looked at Oren and asked, "What message did you receive?"

"Andorn, if you don't want to get punched into the ground and never be able to get out, you'd better get Patia back as soon as possible."

Oren reminded Andorn with a serious expression, "Qi Yan has arrived, and he has made a high-profile declaration that Cecilia is under his protection."

“Qi Yan…”

Upon hearing this name, Andorn's grey eyes lowered slightly.

The evening breeze ruffled his short, gray hair and the lantern in his hand, causing the already faint light to flicker and cast shifting shadows on Andorn's face.

Seeing Andorn deep in thought, Oren pretended to suddenly remember something, slapped his forehead, and spoke again:

"Not just Patia, if you ask me, you should run away too."

"What?" Andorn asked, puzzled.

“I know about your past with Fiameta,” Oren said with a forced smile. “And Qi Yan’s participation in the World Summit this time was at Fiameta’s invitation. Do you think Fiameta would let go of such a good opportunity?”

"You have a chance to escape now that the two haven't met up yet. But once they do, given Fiameta's impatient nature, she'll probably be dragging Qi Yan over with one hand and a sack in the other."

Andorn remained silent, but the nun beside him was clearly frightened.

She was well aware of Qi Yan's legend, and upon hearing that they had been implicated in matters related to Qi Yan, she immediately became terrified.

"Master, we can't mess with Qi Yan! Legend has it that he likes to suffocate people by burying them in the ground!" the nun exclaimed in terror.

Andorn gestured to the nun, indicating that she should calm down.

Then Andorn looked at Oren and nodded, saying:

"Thank you for reminding me. If something happens to me, I hope you can send my brothers and sisters out of Laterano. I know you have the ability to do so."

"So you really won't shed a tear until you see Qi Yan?" Oren was at a loss for words when it came to Andorn's assessment.

“I have returned to seek the truth,” Andorn explained. “I must see the Pope, but I have also heard the legend of Qi Yan. If I can see him, perhaps I can also obtain the truth.”

Oren countered, "And then you died. What good is knowing the truth then?"

“The truth is more important than me,” Andorn said earnestly. “If my death can bring the truth and help my lost brothers and sisters find their way, then it will be worthwhile.”

He was not surprised by the answer.

“Perhaps I can help you. My new friend loves doing business,” Oren said enthusiastically. “If he can catch a villain who has angered Qi Yan, he can make a fortune with his abilities, and even get in touch with Qi Yan directly.”

"You want your friend to capture me in exchange for a chance to contact Qi Yan?" Andorn remained remarkably calm.

But the nun, her face contorted with anger, rushed forward and pointed at Oren, shouting:

"Do you know what you're talking about?"

"You have misunderstood."

Oren quickly raised his hands in surrender: "I wanted to help you get in touch with Qi Yan, not have you tied up and sent to the Holy City prison. So it can't be Andorn who angers Qi Yan. We need to choose someone else."

Besides, time is of the essence. While my friend is on her way, I also need to do my best to find Fiameta and prevent her from meeting Qi Yan. We're going to be busy.

“I do not accept this behavior,” Andorn shook his head.

"Then you'd better call Patia back quickly." Oren said with a bright smile.

St. Petersburg District General Hospital.

Felia lay uneasily on the hospital bed, holding Cecilia's small hand tightly beside her.

The ward was quiet, with only the mother and daughter present. Qi Yan only came back for a quick look before disappearing again, and Qi Lin went to contact the people at Rhodes Island.

Even now, Felia still feels that her day has been too dreamlike.

Her body, which had already reached its limit due to her illness, surprisingly regained some strength thanks to Qi Lin's treatment and the protective cool aura injected into her body.

But what Feria found most unbelievable was the process of her being admitted to the hospital.

When Qi Yan returned, she simply greeted Qi Lin, who then picked her up and carried her out of the room. Qi Yan followed behind, holding Cecilia's hand.

The streets were deserted, not a soul in sight.

The hospital corridors were deserted, without a single person in sight.

She didn't even need to go through the hospital admission process. She lay down in the quietest ward in the hospital and watched as Qi Lin used a communicator to order the medications and equipment needed for treatment. Someone immediately brought them over from outside the door, and then disappeared without opening the door.

Just as Qi Yan had assured them, no outsiders saw the mother and daughter throughout the entire process.

Felia couldn't imagine what terrifying power could possibly be used to achieve such a level.

Qi Yan's carefree figure grew taller and taller in Felia's heart, but it didn't give her any sense of oppression. Instead, it gave her a sense of peace and ease that she hadn't felt in a very long time.

"Mom, let me tell you a story."

Cecilia's voice interrupted Felia's thoughts.

Felia gently stroked her daughter's soft, long hair and said softly, "Thank you, my Cecilia, but you didn't bring a storybook. Did you memorize the story?"

Cecilia shook her head:

"No, it's a new story Qi Yan told me. I wrote it down. It's called 'The Medical Department's Healthy Old Lynx Who Always Uses Riddles to Cover Up His Shame'."

Felia: ? ? ?

The towering figure that Qi Yan had just become in this mother's heart crumbled instantly.

"Well, Mom is a little tired, so she won't listen anymore."

Felia was terrified of hearing something outrageous from her adorable little daughter, so she decisively chose to escape reality.

If she didn't actually hear it, it's as if it didn't happen!

Cecilia nodded obediently.

But she soon couldn't help but share, "Mom, Qi Yan also said that he would teach me to sing when he has time. He said there is a song called 'Latland Dessert Song' that is very suitable for me. After I learn it, I can lull you to sleep."

"Hmm... Mom is really looking forward to it."

When Felia saw that this time a name that was at least somewhat normal appeared, he couldn't help but breathe a long sigh of relief.

Upon hearing her mother's agreement, Cecilia's face lit up with excitement.

Just then, there was a knock on the door of the ward, followed by a woman's voice that was being hushed down.

"Felia, open the door. I've come to take you and your daughter to find the Pioneer."

Chapter 974 Iced Birds, One Yuan Each

Upon hearing the woman's voice outside the door, Felia's eyes widened slightly.

Cecilia had no idea what was happening. Suddenly hearing a stranger's voice, she instinctively tried to find a place to hide.

However, the ward was simply furnished, with almost no place to hide.

Just as Cecilia was trying to crawl under the bed, Felia reached out and picked her up, holding her in his arms and asking:

"Can I tell my friends first? After all, I was able to come here for treatment thanks to their help."

"Time is running out!"

The woman outside urged, "Feria, don't be fooled. I don't know who helped you, but do you think someone with such power in Lateran would have no connection with the Holy See?"

Felia pursed her lips, momentarily caught in a state of hesitation.

The woman outside the door urged him on more urgently:

"Don't trust those people. Only pioneers can lead us on the right path. Felia, there's no time to hesitate. I took a huge risk by infiltrating the hospital!"

“But Qi Yan did me such a big favor, I don’t think he’s a bad person,” Felia argued.

"I told you not to trust people so easily... Huh? Who are you talking about?"

The woman's urging voice outside the door stopped abruptly.

The next second, another woman's voice came from outside the door.

She said Qi Yan, so it seems you've heard of my brother's name at least a little.

The startled bird's shriek echoed through the hospital corridor.

The door to the ward was opened with a key, and Qi Lin walked in, pulling an ice sculpture bird with one hand.

Felia's heart was pounding in her throat. When she looked closely and saw that the short-haired Liberi girl was only frozen but not in any danger, she breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Your friend?" Qi Lin placed the ice sculpture bird beside the bed.

Cecilia curiously peeked out from her mother's arms, looking at the adorable ice sculpture bird in front of her. She discovered that apart from its eyes, which could still turn in fear, there was no part of its body that she could control.

Cecilia reached out and poked the bird's cheek, then immediately withdrew her hand.

"So cold, so hard."

"Cecilia, don't move."

Feria quickly stopped her daughter, then looked at Qi Lin and pleaded, "Please don't hurt her. She's also a member of the Vanguard. She's only here to help me."

Qi Lin, unaware of the full picture, refrained from commenting.

"So what do you plan to do with her?" Felia probed.

"Give it to Qi Yan. Whether she has a few feathers left depends on her fate," Qi Lin replied.

The ice sculpture bird heard the two talking and its eyes darted around frantically, trying to express something.

Felia noticed this scene and cautiously looked at Qilin, but the latter was indifferent to their reactions and picked up Cecilia herself, gesturing for Felia to lie down and continue resting.

"The sanatorium...where exactly is the sanatorium?"

Qi Yan stood in the corridor, looking up at the sign hanging on the ceiling, and was momentarily caught in a dilemma.

Having reunited with Qi Yan, Aizel held the gifts of comfort, hesitating to speak several times.

In a short period of time, he missed the fork in the road to the sanatorium three times while following Qi Yan. Each time he tried to remind him, Qi Yan waved him off, claiming that he would prove himself in this hospital today.

In fact, Qi Yan did successfully prove himself.