"...Anyway, that's what the doctor said." Himeko placed the medical report in front of Sheng Jiu. "If it comes to it, we can wait two weeks and see how well you've recovered before deciding whether you should stay in the hospital longer."
"I still think it's ridiculous. Someone with nearly every bone in his body broken shouldn't be able to recover and be full of energy after just two weeks in bed. It's bizarre."
Himeko waved a hand. "Never mind. We can talk about that later. Focus on recovering. I'll be going now. Someone will bring you food in a little while."
"Wait, Teacher Himeko." Sheng Jiu stopped her. "Why would a top-tier lower-class Honkai Beast like a Herrscher of Honkai appear on the outskirts of Changkong City? That doesn't make sense, does it?"
Himeko furrowed her brow. "...Under normal circumstances, there shouldn't have been a Honkai Beast horde as large as the one we saw early this morning, either. What's happening now has already exceeded the expectations of those higher-ups. I think Changkong City is about to see a major upheaval."
"..." Sheng Jiu watched Himeko leave the room, then lay in bed with his neck brace on, lost in thought. Looking closely at the horde, it was obvious that the Honkai Beasts had attacked without any real order. It hadn't seemed like a planned assault; it was more like they'd been startled and instinctively tried to flee Changkong City, only to end up fighting the city's defenders.
There were two possible explanations for what had scared off even a creature as powerful as a Herrscher of Honkai. Either an even stronger Judgment-class Honkai Beast had appeared inside Changkong City—but that possibility could more or less be ruled out for now. Judgment-class Honkai Beasts were extremely rare; the last one on record was the dragon-type Honkai Beast Benares, Sirin's servant during the Second Honkai Outbreak ten years ago. The other possibility was...
"Hey, sleepyhead, are you there? Whoa! Why are you wrapped up like a rice dumpling?" Kiana's energetic voice rang out from the doorway, interrupting Sheng Jiu's thoughts.
Kiana walked in carrying a thermos. The moment she saw Sheng Jiu wrapped tightly in bandages and plaster casts, she burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! How did you end up looking like that? You weren't wrapped in this many bandages at the field hospital. I'm dying!"
"Seeing such a big rice dumpling, does Lady Kiana feel tempted to take a bite?"
"Drop dead!" At Sheng Jiu's teasing, Kiana grabbed his ear without hesitation and twisted it a hundred and eighty degrees.
"Ow, ow, ow! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" With both arms in casts and a neck brace on, Sheng Jiu was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. Even a child could beat him up, let alone the furious Kiana right in front of him.
After thoroughly torturing (rewarding) Sheng Jiu's face, Kiana finally let go of her claws, satisfied. "Next time, I really will twist your ear off!"
Kiana slowly opened the thermos and served Sheng Jiu a bowl of seafood porridge. "Here, eat up! Yae Sakura knew you liked it, so she made it especially for you."
Despite the delicious smell of the seafood porridge in front of him, Sheng Jiu didn't react at all.
"What's wrong with you? Do you have any idea how long Yae Sakura spent making this porridge? And you still dare to turn your nose up at it! She's never made porridge for me before! You're impossible!" Thinking Sheng Jiu didn't like how the porridge smelled, Kiana angrily reached for his ear again.
"Wait, wait! Look at me. How am I supposed to react? I can't even hold a spoon right now." Sheng Jiu gazed miserably at his arms in plaster casts and complained.
Kiana's claws slowly retreated. "I guess you're right! So what do we do? How about this: you watch me eat, and then you won't feel hungry."
Kiana picked up the bowl of seafood porridge with complete confidence and pretended she was about to eat it. But when she saw Sheng Jiu gazing at her pitifully, she sighed, scooped up a spoonful, and blew on it. Blushing, she held it up to Sheng Jiu's lips. "Open up!"
"Huh?" Sheng Jiu stared at Kiana in shock.
The blush on Kiana's face deepened. "If you dare tell anyone about this, I'll kill you! Open up!"
"Mmph!" Sheng Jiu obediently opened his mouth, and a full spoonful of seafood porridge went in. "Is it too hot?"
"No!"
"Ah~ Open up!"
Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye. During that time, many classmates came to visit Sheng Jiu in the hospital. Kiana came to bring him food every day, and before the casts on his hands were removed, she even fed him herself.
Just as the military doctor had predicted, Sheng Jiu's body recovered at an almost uncanny rate. By the end of the first week, the wound on his back had already begun to scab over. Near the end of the second week, his casts had long since been removed, and he could walk on his own.
Early one morning, Theresa sat by the bed, peeling an apple for Sheng Jiu. "...That's what happened. Headquarters believes that the recent super typhoon changed the climate inside Changkong City and startled the Honkai Beast horde, which is why this horde appeared."
"I see." Sheng Jiu leaned against the hospital bed and flipped through his class notes. "I thought a Herrscher had appeared in Changkong City and caused the horde."
Theresa's expression suddenly darkened, but she quickly returned to normal. Smiling, she set the peeled apple on the fruit plate. "You've really been letting your imagination run wild lately. You're always overthinking things. If a Herrscher had appeared in Changkong City, the people at headquarters would've been beside themselves by now!"
"Maybe I was overthinking it." Sheng Jiu set down his notebook and looked out the window. The trees were lush and green, their branches and leaves swaying gently in the breeze with a faint rustling sound. Birds sang from the branches, adding a little life and energy to the peaceful scene. The lawn beneath the trees was like a green carpet, full of vitality.
Theresa got up to say goodbye to Sheng Jiu. "I still have some things to take care of, so I'll be going. Get some rest. You can leave the hospital tomorrow."
The moment Theresa stepped out of the room, her smile vanished. She walked over to Himeko, who was leaning against the corner. "What did the scans show?"
"It's confirmed. I've had them run the scans again four times, and the results were the same every time. There's definitely a Pseudo-Herrscher, or something even stronger, inside Changkong City. Should we send troops into the city?"
"No need. I'll go there myself in a few days."
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