Ronan saw it clearly: it was a strand of muscle fiber. The non-commissioned officer had reacted quickly enough; otherwise, the medical robot's debridement needle blade would have cut away an entire nerve bundle from his injured right arm.
Caught by the sudden injury, the already ill-tempered non-commissioned officer cursed. He swept out with his legs, kicking the idling robot far away, but the wound, torn open for the second time, spurted even more blood.
"Sir!"
Ronan showed some concern, but much of his attention was focused on the depths of the wound and the treatment robot that was nearly scrapped:
An Urgent 5+ Battlefield Treatment Machine... It shouldn't have made this kind of mistake!
"It's nothing. Bad luck. In an Evil Poison environment like this, any kind of problem can pop up."
The non-commissioned officer put on a rough, unconcerned manner. A smile returned to his face, which was crisscrossed with metal prosthetics. "I haven't even thanked you yet! You did well, kid. You knocked me right out of the fixed maintenance group... If I don't have to spend every day messing with these low-grade machines, I can live at least another three to five years."
Ronan had already guessed the man's identity and tentatively greeted him. "Non-Commissioned Officer Xian Zhu?"
"That's right, it's me!"
Non-Commissioned Officer Xian Zhu proactively held out a hand. Ronan instinctively thought he wanted a handshake, but after extending his own palm, he realized the man wanted a fist bump. He hurriedly corrected himself, half-clenched his fingers, and bumped fists awkwardly.
Fortunately, Xian Zhu did not mind.
To ease the awkwardness, Ronan took the initiative. "I heard from Officer Gou that you went to the front line. I didn't expect you back so soon."
"How far away is the front line? Besides, what kind of