"There must be some mistake—I'm perfectly healthy!"
Zeig, now changed into a patient gown, sat on the hospital bed raising his hand in protest.
But… no one paid him any attention.
"…"
The others were busy discussing things among themselves.
Natasha was organizing her medical kit, looking as though she was about to head out.
Dan Heng and Bronya were helping nearby, handing over bandages and medicines one by one, placing them beside her so Natasha could pack them.
March 7th stood in front of Natasha, asking curiously:
"Natasha, where are you going?"
From the back, Zeig shouted loudly, "I'm not sick!"
Natasha wiped the sweat from her forehead, looked up, and smiled:
"You must have noticed, right? A lot of Wildfire members in Rivet Town are missing."
March 7th nodded:
"We know that—we've been looking for them too."
In the back, Zeig waved both arms wildly, trying to get everyone's attention: "I'm not sick, hey!"
Natasha sighed, her emotions complex, but she still managed a faint smile:
"I was just about to go look for them."
After placing the last of the medicines into the kit, Natasha rubbed her wrists and said to March 7th and the others:
"There's a large-scale conflict between miners and vagrants in the Great Mine right now. All the Wildfire members have rushed over there. I need to go treat the wounded—would you like to come along?"
March 7th's eyes lit up, and she immediately agreed:
"Of course! We've been wanting to find Wildfire's leader!"
Zeig stared in disbelief, eyes wide, wailing: "Awooo—!"
Natasha nodded and smiled: "Then let's go together. You can help out while we're there."
Soon after,
Dan Heng, March 7th, and Bronya all left with Natasha.
Leaving only Zeig, dressed in a patient gown, sitting blankly on the hospital bed.
An IV needle was still inserted in the back of his hand, connected to a drip.
Zeig looked around dazedly. In the clinic, a few nurses were still tending to patients.
It seemed no one was paying attention to him.
Immediately,
he pulled out the needle from his hand and jumped off the bed.
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
"Big Sis Zeig, what are you doing?"
"…"
Hearing the question, Zeig whipped his head around and saw a somewhat familiar nurse staring at him.
"This humble one believes it's time to be discharged." Zeig declared confidently.
Cyrille shook her head, pushed him back onto the bed, and reattached the drip:
"No, you can't. Doctor Natasha said you need proper rest and recovery."
"…"
"Classmate Cyrille, look at me—do I look like someone who needs rest?" Zeig frowned.
Cyrille stared at Zeig for a while, recalling what Natasha had instructed, then suddenly asked: "Do you still remember your gender?"
Zeig: "Can't you tell???"
Cyrille: "Gender."
Zeig: "You really can't tell???"
Cyrille: "Gender."
Zeig: "Male."
Cyrille was silent for a moment, then brought over several more bags of fluid and said softly to Zeig:
"Doctor Natasha said that if there are signs of your condition worsening, we need to increase the dosage."
"…"
Zeig was speechless. How could a pure, upright flower of Belobog end up in this situation?
When exactly had all this started going wrong?
"Classmate Cyrille, we've driven tractors together—we're comrades! Can't you turn a blind eye just this once?!"
Cyrille shook her head. Her watery large eyes looked at Zeig as she said earnestly:
"Precisely because we're friends, I have to take responsibility for your health."
Zeig fell silent for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing!
"Hahahaha… I get it now! You're in on it with March and the others to prank me, right?!"
He immediately yanked out the IV tube and declared confidently:
"As expected, there's no way I could be sick!"
The next instant, Cyrille inserted it back in.
Zeig: "…"
Cyrille: "Please don't move around carelessly."
Zeig let out a disdainful cold laugh and, as if he hadn't heard, pulled it out again.
Cyrille swiftly inserted it once more.
Zeig: "…"
Cyrille: "…"
Pull.
Insert.
Pull.
Insert.
Pull.
"…"
"Why'd you stop inserting?" Zeig looked at the stunned Cyrille and raised an eyebrow in confusion.
Cyrille swallowed, blinking blankly.
Recalling Zeig's behavior just now, something seemed to solidify even more in her mind.
Cyrille: "…Big Sis Zeig."
Zeig: "Could you change how you address me?"
Cyrille ignored him and continued on her own: "Do you see that chair over there?"
Zeig followed the direction Cyrille was pointing and saw a chair with wheels.
"Oh, your clinic even has a wheelchair—pretty high-end." Zeig praised.
Cyrille's expression didn't change as she said softly:
"If you can sit in that wheelchair, I won't stop you anymore."
Hearing this,
Zeig immediately perked up.
"What? I didn't mishear, did I? Don't go back on your word!"
"I…"
Whoosh!
Before Cyrille could respond, Zeig instantly yanked out the needle and launched himself forward!
Wearing his patient gown, he leaped high in excitement!
Cyrille: "…"
He landed squarely in the wheelchair, raising both hands like a victorious champion!
He burst into laughter:
"Hahahaha, how could that possibly be difficult?"
A shadow flashed by.
Click.
Suddenly, Zeig felt something tightening around his waist.
Looking down,
he saw iron chains that Cyrille was steadily wrapping around his abdomen, binding him to the wheelchair.
After finishing the wrapping,
Cyrille crouched behind the wheelchair and considerately added a lock to the chains.
Zeig: "…"
Zeig: "Uh, what are you doing?"
Cyrille worked silently without replying.
After locking Zeig to the wheelchair, she stood up and reattached the IV to him.
Cyrille: "Big Sis Zeig, I'm sorry."
Zeig: "…"
Zeig: "You don't love me anymore."
Cyrille: "I'm sorry."
Zeig: "…"
With one hand pushing the wheelchair and the other holding the IV bag aloft, Cyrille wheeled Zeig into the inner room.
"Big Sis Zeig, you're being too noisy. Out here you'll disturb the other patients' rest." Cyrille said.
"No, Sister Cyrille, what's the meaning of this?" Zeig's eyes widened.
How could she just lock him up without a word?
"This is also for your own safety."
"I feel perfectly fine."
"You're not fine."
"I don't believe it."
"…"
Zeig shifted his body and discovered the chains only secured him to the wheelchair—his hands could still move.
So he pulled out the needle again.
Cyrille patiently and silently reinserted it.
Zeig stared blankly: "…"
Pull.
Insert.
Pull.
Insert.
…
"Good sister, aren't you tired of this?" Zeig was on the verge of breaking down.
Cyrille shook her head and said softly:
"Without Big Sis Zeig, I would have died—so I won't give up on you either."
Suddenly, Zeig seemed to realize something, and his heart tightened.
This girl…
"Big Sis Zeig, just behave a little. It'll be better for your health." Cyrille said gently.
"No!" Zeig turned his head away, eyes wide. "Cyrille, didn't you hear just now? Natasha and the others are heading to the Great Mine—they said there's a large-scale conflict breaking out there!"
Cyrille nodded and once again reinserted the needle Zeig had secretly removed. "…"
She replied:
"Mhm, I heard, but that has nothing to do with us."
"It does! Of course it does—it's a huge deal!"
"What kind of deal?"
"I'm currently a Belobog Executor—with great authority! I have to go arrest them, hahaha—bet you didn't expect me to have that kind of status, huh?!"
Cyrille nodded, then inserted another needle into Zeig's other hand.
"…"
Increase the dosage.
…