Half for Half Upon Meeting (Thanks to Wushuang de Hundun for the Alliance Leader)

That Night, the gas explosion at Jici Hospital hit the trending topics on media platforms across Yacheng and even the entire Haizhou, sparking heated debate.

A full half of the outpatient building had been blown to rubble, and other structures had sustained varying degrees of damage.

The hazards and negligence regarding public safety triggered a collective reflection among the public.

The matter was temporarily put to rest when the relevant municipal officials held a press conference and bowed in apology.

Yet, to everyone's surprise, despite such a severe accident occurring at the hospital, only one doctor had died as a result.

It was reported that the deceased, Mr. Lawrence, had worked at Jici Hospital for seven years, diligent and skilled, with a heart of gold. To meet such an untimely end was truly a pity and a tragedy.

Regarding this, Mr. Ji Jue—a well-known Roll Dog at Tianmen University in Yacheng, an obscure critic, a direct victim of the accident, and someone who preferred not to disclose his name—stated:

--Sounds like a meow, time to pop the champagne!

Unfortunately, while it was a good death, there was no champagne to be popped.

Having experienced such a major accident, Jici Hospital fell into a state of forced maintenance and closure.

Fortunately, the City Hall, which usually did nothing but bow, acted like a timely rain for once, transporting hospitalized patients to other hospitals and covering a portion of the medical expenses—a sum entirely negligible to the masters. Though there weren't many people, it felt as if the sun had risen from the west.

When Ji Jue lay in his clean private room, he felt flattered, and then, without hesitation, he downed four luxury nutritional meals in a single day!

Two days later, Wen Wen suddenly showed up and asked: "I accidentally punched half the outpatient building down, and it only costs eight million to fix, but for some reason, all the electric scooters and cars in both parking lots were totaled, with losses exceeding twenty million. Do you have any idea why?"

Ji Jue replied: "I'm just a victim. My head is injured, I've got amnesia. You're asking me? How the hell would I know?"

"The second-hand, 'barely used by a girl' electric scooter I bought from Lu Feng just last year is gone too!"

"Did I say anything about it!"

In any case, admitting it was absolutely impossible. He had bled for the Federation and taken bullets for Yacheng; how could he endure such slander? It must have been that dog Mr. Lawrence who did it!

Besides, he had acted out of a sense of justice, hadn't he? He saw Wen Wen facing dark, evil forces all alone and stepped in to help.

If he had known she was so powerful—so badass she was nearly shooting out eighteen dragons with a single palm—then Ji Jue... well, he probably still would have done it.

Fighting is great!

Fighting forever is even greater!

It was just that the matter had blown up so much that Ji Jue couldn't help but feel a little worried: "Did you get into any trouble for this?"

"Trouble? What trouble would I get into?"

Wen Wen sneered, flicking her cigarette ash out the window: "Do you really think I have to pay for this? Believe me, if blowing up half a hospital outpatient building could take down a Shepherd of the Dragon Offering Society, the Security Bureau would flatten every hospital in Yacheng by tomorrow."

"Besides, thwarting the conspiracy of a terrorist organization, preventing hundreds of thousands in the North Mountain District from coming to harm, and blowing the dog head off a Shepherd—with losses this small, the Governor is probably laughing in his sleep."

"With this, the Security Bureau's KPI for the entire Yacheng this year is set. If those idiots weren't at odds with me, they'd be kowtowing to me right now!"

"As for those who were watching the show on the sidelines, they're probably regretting it to their guts. If they had managed to get a hand in, such a massive merit wouldn't have fallen into my pocket alone."

"Merit? What merit? Is there a bonus?"

Ji Jue's eyes lit up. He couldn't help but squirm on the bed, leaning closer with a smile as enthusiastic as a sycophant: "I'm not saying we should split it fifty-fifty, but I provided output too, Captain!"

"I have DKP, you can't leave me out of the loot roll!"

"It's gone."

Wen Wen shrugged regretfully, pulling out her empty pockets: "The things they issued to me, you can't use, and you can't get your hands on the internal benefits of the Security Bureau, but..."

She paused, revealing a smile: "There was a bounty on Mr. Lawrence."

"How much?"

Ji Jue's eyes grew even brighter: "To tell you the truth, I just love these worldly possessions!"

"Let me see... the Federal Security Bureau offered over ten million, not too much. The Empire offered over forty million, and those lunatics at the hospital put up quite a bit too, but they wanted him alive... anyway, all the miscellaneous bits and pieces added up to this."

As she spoke, she pulled a slip from her chest pocket.

The figure of over fifty-three million on it instantly blinded Ji Jue's dog eyes!

It was just a pity that it wasn't a check.

It was a donation slip.

Donated by the North Mountain District Security Bureau office to the Chongguang Charity Foundation, which had long operated Jici Hospital, specifically designated as a special donation for the repair and renovation of Jici Hospital.

Ji Jue stared blankly for a long time, then suddenly felt that this wasn't so bad.

Although Mr. Lawrence had committed countless evils over the years, that didn't mean Jici was a devil's den. For many patients with no money and no way out, this kind of charity hospital might be their last straw. In a critical moment, even the shortest straw could save a life!

Besides, fifty-three million might look like a lot—more than Ji Jue could spend in a lifetime of debauchery—but for a place like a hospital, it was merely a drop in the bucket. It would vanish instantly upon building a new wing or adding a couple of new pieces of equipment.

As the old saying goes, split it fifty-fifty.

Rounding it up, didn't that mean he had donated over twenty million to charity?

Although he was still destitute, he was at least a legitimate Chosen One now, wasn't he? What was there to fear about earning money? He didn't even have to worry about student loans anymore! At the very worst, if he were truly pushed to the edge, he could just cover his face and hit up an ATM, right?

Watching Ji Jue clutching the deposit slip and feeling poor-man's joy, Wen Wen, not seeing the reaction she expected, felt bored instead. She couldn't help but shake her head and pulled a bag from her side to hand over.

"Forget it, I won't tease you anymore."

She said, "This is the one that's actually for you."

"Oh my, how could I possibly accept this? Oh↑ oh↓ oh→ oh..."

Watching his grandson put on a show of declining for ages while his hand gripped the bag like a vice, Wen Wen couldn't help but want to smack him upside the head. Could you at least try to act a little high-minded for once?

"You shouldn't have, you really shouldn't have. Actually, I'm not one to care about such things. Wen Jie, you know me—I'm a person who values selflessness and lives by the creed of devotion..."

Despite his incessant chatter, Ji Jue's hands never stopped moving. He pulled the bag open, spotted the box inside, and popped it open. "A necklace? The design is quite unique!"

After a habitual compliment, he suddenly froze, looking up at Wen Wen in shock.

Something was wrong.

Something was twelve-thousand-percent wrong!

They had known each other for less than a week, and she was already gifting him watches and jewelry... What was this all about?

Were there just too many schemes among women in society?

He was terrified of what might happen if she pulled out a set of car keys next... The main issue was that he felt his moral bottom line couldn't withstand such temptation!

He was so afraid that if he fell into such depravity, he'd end up waking up in a seaside villa every day, gorging on champagne and luxury cars.

"What are you thinking about?!"

Wen Wen rolled her eyes. Unable to hold back any longer, she slapped the back of his head, then followed it with another. "This is something that guy from the Dragon Offering Society left behind. I have no use for it, so I'm giving it to you. Take it or leave it, if you don't want it, I'm taking it back!"

"No, no, don't! Can't you see I'm moved?"

Ji Jue hurriedly clutched the bag, offering a fawning smile. "The warmth I've felt in Yacheng in this lifetime doesn't even compare to the two days I've known Wen Jie. My Little Pearl is almost falling out."

As he spoke, he examined the pendant in his hand with delight.

Another gold coin dropped by Lawrence!

As the saying goes, when a whale falls, everything else thrives. Ji Jue originally just thought Lawrence's death was a good thing, but he hadn't expected him to keep on giving even after death! He hoped more people like that would die in the future—preferably one every workday and two on holidays.

The tiny necklace was only as big as a pinky joint. Embedded in the base was what looked like a fragment from some statue—golden and gleaming, carved into half a face. The only complete part was the lips, which wore a meaningful smile, both sorrowful and joyful, mysterious and solemn, as if it were a god.

In the Security Bureau's appraisal files, it was known as the Mouth of the Ancient One.

Originally, it was an ancient alchemical artifact unearthed by the Empire from Central Earth.

According to experts, its records might date back to before the Calamity Era. It was likely a sacred object crafted in the image of the Emperor's majesty during the peak of the Central Empire, specifically for worship in temples.

Simply put, it was a figurine.

Of course, anything that could make so many people kowtow and worship it certainly wasn't an ordinary figurine. It was likely the kind of thing that could fetch hundreds of millions at an auction, right?

It looked damn impressive!

Unfortunately, the object had originally been complete, but it was damaged during a struggle, and the fragments were scattered everywhere.

Even as a fragment, it possessed special abilities.

And what it represented was self-healing.

It could accelerate wound repair, purge toxins, and eliminate abnormal states.

This type of equipment was always the most sought-after. After all, no one could guarantee they wouldn't suffer a few bumps and bruises while out and about; one could never have too many life-saving items.

In the hands of a Chosen One like Lawrence, with a compatible Matrix and proper usage, even regrowing a severed limb wouldn't be out of the question. Although Ji Jue didn't have a [Vortex] Matrix, utilizing even twenty or thirty percent of its effect was enough for him.

"After injecting Spiritual Substance, it can accelerate wound repair or stabilize injuries. But its ability works by promoting cell division, so using it too much will shorten your lifespan. I suggest you don't use it recklessly; just wearing it provides an effect," Wen Wen warned. "The side effect is that you'll get hungry very quickly after being injured, and your appetite will increase several times over. Keep that in mind."

"It's fine, I'm usually hungry anyway. I'll just treat it as an extra meal."

Ji Jue happily put it on, not caring in the slightest. The nutritional meals here were free and all-you-can-eat, and it wasn't his money being spent. Before he was discharged, he was determined to eat the cafeteria dry!

"Take this seriously. This thing is for saving your life."

Wen Wen's expression turned stern. "I just received the results from the Security Bureau's on-site survey today. The Dragon Blood contamination has been cleared to zero. There's practically nothing left; it's completely negligible."

"Ah, isn't that a good thing?" Ji Jue was bewildered.

After all, according to Wen Wen, that Dragon Blood stuff was so potent that an ordinary person might go insane and turn into some twisted monster just by smelling it.

If it was all cleaned up now, didn't that mean he was safe and sound?