The first thing Xie De saw when he opened his eyes was a beaked mask, followed by a familiar, raspy voice.
"Oh, my old friend, you're finally awake. You were badly hurt this time."
Anbers?!
Xie De wanted to bolt upright, but his body seemed to have only just recovered, leaving him to boot up slowly.
Anbers helped pull him up. "I know, I know. I'm happy to see you too. I've repaired your body now. You really were careless. If you'd ended up with some other quack, you'd have been laid up for ten days or half a month."
Xie De stared at him in bewilderment, his expression making him look as though he simply didn't want to speak. His military uniform had been removed and replaced with a soft hospital gown, and his skin was pale.
Anbers didn't mind his silence. In fact, he was positively elated, pacing around the room that reeked of disinfectant. It was furnished like a hospital from the last century, meticulous to the extreme, cold and impersonal.
The only exception was a bouquet of warm yellow sunflowers on the bedside table. A crow stood on the windowsill, tilting its head to peer into the ward.
Anbers said, "My old friend, how long has it been since we last met? I can tell you've had quite an eventful time lately. I have a whole heap of things to tell you. Oh, right, didn't I mention prosthetic limbs to you before? They're my specialty..."
Anbers kept rambling on.
Xie De finally caught on. Well, damn. Damn, 730, that's just like you! So this is how the Medical Card works? It dumps you straight into Anbers's care?
He had thought 730 had finally done something supernatural for once, but it turned out to be a pragmatist