The Traveler Lingering on Earth (2/2)

Returning the recovered remains to their loved ones would take a long time, even with the assistance of the Metropolitan Police Department.

For those living in rural areas, the Metropolitan Police Department was of little help.

To prevent further accidents, the TPC Ground Support Unit set up long cordons around Shishinohana Forest, and various roadblocks and news reports were broadcasted incessantly.

It brought some astonishing stories to people caught up in their busy lives.

Once the brief period of excitement passed, life eventually returned to normal—back to the daily routine of training and the boredom of beating up teammates.

"Zhou Hong, most of the work in our medical department is caused by you. Could you please let us have some peace?" Mayumi looked helplessly at Zhou Hong, who had dragged another teammate in for treatment, and complained.

Deeply aware of the consequences of offending medical staff—such as being intentionally poked with the wrong needle during an injection, which wasn't a big deal, but certainly gave one a heart-racing experience—Zhou Hong laughed and replied, "Alright, alright, I'll be gentler next time. By the way, can we switch nurses next time?"

Mayumi rolled her eyes, and after dressing the wound, she patted Koda on the shoulder. "No. You come to the medical center for every little scratch; I think you have ulterior motives."

"I have to keep a close watch for my sisters."

The still-young Koda and Gari hadn't developed thick skin yet; they coughed and blushed, feeling exceptionally embarrassed.

Zhou Hong, however, felt no shame at all and naturally changed the subject. "By the way, why are you so free today?"

"If it were before, you would have nagged me twice and left after finishing the treatment."

Mayumi had entered the TPC Headquarters Medical Center through her brother's connections. To prove she was no worse than anyone else, she had always worked with all her might, leaving almost no time for rest.

After condemning Zhou Hong for his crude remarks, she explained, "Daigo brought a girl back to the base today; she's right next door."

"To take care of that child, Daigo asked the doctor to let me handle the nursing for the nearby wards."

"The child Daigo picked up seems to have lost her memory. How pitiful."

Daigo picked up a girl? What kind of romantic encounter was this?

Zhou Hong paused for a moment, and then he immediately thought of that story.

In his view, it was a farce that lacked any real communication.

Saki, a young girl (?) who had wandered the Earth for a long time, had likely seen too much of the dark side of humanity and no longer trusted them.

At night, she had activated the device to summon her biological spacecraft alone, and fearing that humans would capture and control her, preventing her from returning home, she had simply hijacked an emergency escape pod and fled.

All of this stemmed from the TPC's security system, which was practically non-existent, as well as Saki's suspicion and distrust.

"I'll go see what this beauty Daigo picked up looks like," Zhou Hong said, heading toward the ward.

Mayumi didn't pay much mind and continued working on her tasks; in the TPC, Zhou Hong's reliability had been promoted by a certain captain who wished to remain anonymous.

The door to the ward opened, and Saki, leaning against the hospital bed, looked up and saw a radiance even more dazzling.

Her beautiful pupils constricted, and her previously calm expression shifted slightly—it was surprise.

Zhou Hong slowly locked the door and sat down on the chair beside her bed with a faint smile.

The plastic chair groaned under a weight it wasn't meant to bear, and the conversation began.

"Judging by your expression, you should already understand who I am," Zhou Hong revealed a brilliant smile, though with his burly physique, it looked like a malicious grin.

However, Saki was no ordinary person, and she didn't feel any aversion; she nodded slightly.

"I'm not very good with words, so I'll keep it brief."

"Having wandered on Earth for so long and seen all kinds of darkness, do you feel that the organization humans have established cannot be trusted?"

Without waiting for Saki to speak, Zhou Hong continued, "You can rest assured; tell Daigo about your situation."

"After all, you have no intention of destroying the Earth; you only want to return home as soon as possible, right?"

Saki's eyes shimmered with an inexplicable luster. Even though there had been no intersection between them, this person of light knew everything about her.

Saki lowered her head and remained silent for a long time. Having wandered for hundreds of years on this lonely, helpless planet, she was truly tired.

"Can I really trust you?" she asked weakly.

It was like a little girl asking whether the milk in front of her was safe to drink.

"Of course," Zhou Hong's answer was very firm. "Please trust us. Although there are indeed some scumbags, I will make anyone who tries to stop you taste this."

His sandbag-sized fist was full of persuasion, both for Saki and for those guys.

Especially since Director Yoshioka stood behind Zhou Hong.

This time, Saki nodded heavily and slowly climbed out of the hospital bed.

Meanwhile, Gari and Koda, still waiting in the medical center, saw their captain walk out of the ward with a beautiful girl shortly after entering, and they were so shocked their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Gari, is something wrong with my eyes?" Koda rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

"I don't think so," Gari also wanted to say it was an illusion, but everything before them was so real.

The two looked at each other and reached a common conclusion: "In other words, the vice-captain's physique really can attract girls!"

Ignoring the two hot-blooded idiots who had been completely led astray, Zhou Hong took Saki and headed toward the GUTS command room.

"Yo, Daigo, I've brought over your childhood sweetheart."

Zhou Hong's words caused Rena, standing beside Daigo, to instantly knit her brows, and upon seeing Saki, she looked at Daigo with even greater suspicion.

Rena's gaze, sharp as a needle, made Daigo hurriedly explain, "Ah Hong, what nonsense are you spouting again? I didn't even—"

Daigo's words trailed off, for he had just recalled Saki.

This reaction only made Rena more dissatisfied, filling the command room with the sour scent of jealousy.

"No more jokes. Saki comes from beyond the universe; let her explain the specific situation to you all. While you're at it, notify Director Sawai." After saying this, Zhou Hong hurried away.

However, he believed that GUTS and Director Sawai would surely bring this less-than-pleasant story to a beautiful conclusion.

When he heard it from the loudspeaker, he had indeed obtained the ending he wanted.

As well as Saki's final concern.

"The darkness permeating the world will swallow everything; please, take care."

"Regarding this matter, I have known for a long time, Saki." Zhou Hong spoke words that no one could answer.

Commissioned an illustration; it wasn't an exorbitant price, but it was still enough to make my wallet shrink. If there are any typos, please let me know; even when I check, sometimes I just can't see them.