“This… is chicken soup?” Zhou Ming’s face was filled with disbelief.
‘Are you some kind of dark cuisine master? Or an assassin spy!’
Gadelia seized the chance to bring the spoon to his lips. “Is there a problem? I followed an online video. It should be normal.”
“It’s way too salty! And there’s a bloody taste to it. Did you not soak it in water to remove the smell?” Zhou Ming wanted to vomit, but he lacked the strength, forcing himself to swallow it down.
‘Foreigners really are unreliable.’
Hearing this, Gadelia paused for a moment, quickly placing the bowl of chicken soup on the bedside cabinet and bowing her head in apology.
“Sorry, sorry! I’m not very good at making this kind of dish. I just followed the video, thinking it would help you recover. I didn’t expect it to turn out like this.”
She paused briefly before continuing.
“My name is Gadelia. As you can see, I’m a foreigner. I only recently obtained residency here. I plan to rest in Yu City for a few years.”
“And you?”
Zhou Ming was taken aback, his thoughts in disarray, his speech fragmented. “I… I’m just an ordinary person… trying to get stronger… to avenge my parents… my home was in Anzhou… during the last Energy Beast Tide… I was the only one who survived…”
As he spoke, his words became increasingly incoherent.
Gadelia leaned forward slightly, her tone gentle. “Relax first. I’m not going to eat you.”
Zhou Ming’s gaze uncontrollably swept over her chest. His face instantly flushed red, and his body stiffened.
‘Damn it… stop looking! Look down!’
Gadelia was momentarily stunned, then understood. She hadn’t seen it—she had heard it.
‘Your inner voice is too loud. Around you, I can barely hear anyone else’s thoughts.’
For years, she had been tormented by countless chaotic voices. Zhou Ming’s presence, however, was like a “sun,” suppressing that chaos.
She had wanted to tease him a little but held back.
“My apologies.” She adjusted her dress, her tone serious. “That was my oversight. I wasn’t mindful of my appearance and caused you trouble.”
“N-no, it’s fine!” Zhou Ming didn’t dare look up, just frantically waved his hands.
“After all, you are my savior. I haven’t properly thanked you yet.”
“Let’s exchange contact information. It’ll be easier to stay in touch.”
She pointed to the nearby cabinet. “Your phone is over there. The Lantern Bearers gave it to me earlier. I took the liberty of charging it for you.”
Zhou Ming glanced at her, then quickly averted his eyes, reaching out to grab his phone and scanning her contact info.
The screen showed the time: New Calendar 4032, August 29th, 10:38 AM.
He remembered getting injured on August 28th.
So, only one day had passed.
But…
He moved his body slightly.
There were no obvious abnormalities.
That wasn’t normal.
With injuries like that, recovery shouldn’t be this fast.
“Now… can you tell me what happened after I passed out?” Zhou Ming asked, frowning.
Gadelia sat back in the chair, her tone calm.
“You used your ability to deal with those two Energy Beasts, then collapsed. When I reached you, your heart had already stopped.”
“I performed CPR and gave you mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Later, the Lantern Bearers arrived, called an ambulance, and sent you to the hospital.”
“After the surgery, you’ve been lying here until now.”
She casually patted the bedsheet, as if to cover something up.
“Oh, right. As a small token of thanks for saving my life, I took the liberty of advancing your medical expenses.”
Zhou Ming fell silent for a moment.
“Ability users do have strong physiques,” Gadelia continued. “Their recovery capabilities far exceed ordinary people’s. For injuries like yours, the doctors just said to observe you for a while.”
She said it very naturally.
But Zhou Ming had a vague feeling something was off.
Ability users were indeed stronger, but not to this absurd degree.
Moreover, his ability wasn’t the type that enhanced recovery.
His ability was to manipulate air pressure, deriving “Air Bullets” and “Environmental Perception.”
It had nothing to do with recovery.
So why had he recovered so quickly?
Zhou Ming’s thoughts grew increasingly complex.
However…
“My first kiss…”
He suddenly remembered something, his face stiffening.
But on second thought—compared to his life, it didn’t seem like a big deal.
…Forget it.
At least she didn’t do it on purpose.
He sighed softly and didn’t pursue the matter further.
Gadelia glanced at her phone, her eyebrows raising slightly.
She had received a message from within her organization.
“I have some matters to attend to. I’ll leave first and visit you again later.” She stood up. “The medical fees are already paid. Rest well.”
With that, she turned and left the hospital room.
Zhou Ming watched her departing back, his gaze involuntarily drawn to her.
It was as if some force was slowly pulling his attention toward her.
He frowned.
Something was wrong.
This was all too wrong.
His recovery was too fast.
Her explanation… was also too reasonable.
Reasonable enough to be unsettling.
But for now, he couldn’t find any flaws.
“Whatever…”
Zhou Ming lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
“I’ll focus on recovering first.”