Chapter 222 – A Trip to the Hospital
Meanwhile, Tu Ran was sleeping soundly on the soft hotel bed.
She had returned at four in the morning.
She had asked Zero if there were any suspicious individuals with potential genetic mutations in the Pandalin District.
Zero replied: No.
Usually, Zero would be the first to detect any potential genetic mutants or receive alerts about suspicious individuals. Zero would then report to the Executive Department, whose guards would confirm the situation, clear the surrounding area, and only after that would they request the presence of a pioneer to handle the issue.
The whole process typically took at least two or three hours.
So, when Zero reported no issues, Tu Ran promptly decided to return to the hotel and sleep.
By eleven o’clock Federation Time, Tu Ran naturally woke up.
She stared blankly at the white ceiling for a moment, her mind gradually clearing. Then, with a burst of energy, she sat up in bed, fully alert.
She picked up the communicator beside her and glanced at it. There were no work-related notifications, and no one had sent her any messages. This put Tu Ran in an even better mood, as she had the next eight hours all to herself.
Sitting on the bed, she happily ordered lunch — four dishes, one soup, and rice. Casually tossing the communicator aside, she got out of bed and headed for a shower.
After changing into a casual outfit, the hotel service robot brought in her lunch.
It scanned Tu Ran’s face to confirm that she was the guest to be served.
The robot extended its mechanical arm and smoothly placed the four dishes and soup on the dining table, even neatly arranging the chopsticks next to the bowl.
Tu Ran, appreciating the thoughtful service, gave it a positive rating.
The robot’s black electronic screen immediately displayed a smiling face, with little hearts bubbling up.
“Enjoy your meal.”
The robot left, and the room door closed automatically.
Tu Ran began to enjoy her lunch.
She ate quickly, finishing all four dishes and the soup by herself. Afterward, she tucked a handgun and a dagger behind her waist and headed out.
This outfit couldn’t conceal many weapons.
Of course, with firearms being legal in the Federation, even if she openly carried a submachine gun over her shoulder while parading around, no one would say anything.
But that would attract too much attention, which wasn’t ideal for what she had planned.
Tu Ran suddenly wished she had a spatial ability, allowing her to store weapons she couldn’t carry with her, ready to retrieve them anytime, anywhere.
For example, her laser gun—she regretted not being able to carry it with her.
But abilities weren’t like stones lying on the roadside, free to pick up whenever she wished.
As it stood, none of the people around her had any special abilities.
If she wanted to acquire such an ability, she’d have to approach the key figures in the wealthy families.
They had been collecting inner cores for over half a month, and their resources were undoubtedly plentiful.
Tu Ran’s first target was Nick Wells, the person who had swallowed Xi Chunzhi’s inner core.
She had to get it out!
Tu Ran didn’t know the exact method to wake Xi Chunzhi, nor had anyone ever researched how to revive a pioneer who had lost their inner core.
But deep down, Tu Ran believed that if she found the missing inner core and fed it back to Xi Chunzhi, she might wake up.
There was no real basis for this belief, just her own wild guess.
Still, she had to try, even if it was a long shot.
Following Zero’s guidance, Tu Ran boarded a suspended train heading to Xixinnange Hospital.
Xixinnange Hospital was in Luqing City, an area managed by Zhao Yan and Ding Naiqing, and it was some distance from the Pandalin District.
It took Tu Ran forty-five minutes to get there.
After getting off the train, she inserted an invisible earpiece into her ear and put on a mask to conceal her face.
In her ear, Zero was providing her with real-time directions to Xixinnange Hospital.
After walking for three to five minutes, the massive golden sign of Xixinnange Hospital appeared before her eyes.
Behind the sign was a meticulously maintained large courtyard, decorated with artificial mountains and trees so realistic they could easily be mistaken for the real thing. The lush greenery was a rare sight in the Federation, where even the Medical Department only had a few scattered fake trees.
Further back, a row of connected European-style buildings rose and fell with the landscape, their exterior lavishly decorated.
Even from this distance, Tu Ran could smell the scent of money.
The entire hospital didn’t look like a hospital at all; it resembled more of a park.
“Xixinnange Hospital has seventy-one branches across the Federation’s forty-two states. Its clientele consists mainly of the local wealthy elite. According to last year’s statistics, the average cost per patient visit at Xixinnange Hospital was 2,650 Federation credits,” Zero’s cold, emotionless voice explained in Tu Ran’s ear.
Two thousand six hundred and fifty credits—about half of her monthly salary.
“So how rich do I need to seem for Nick Wells to personally treat me?”
“If you want Nick Wells to see you in person, you’ll need to first complete a series of basic health checks at Xixinnange Hospital, which will cost at least fifty thousand credits. Then, you’ll have to book an appointment with Nick Wells for another fifty thousand. However, there are already others ahead of you who have pre-booked appointments with him, and it’s unlikely you’ll get a slot within the next three days. If you want to see him today, you’ll need to pay an additional one hundred thousand credits.”
“In total, you’ll need at least two hundred thousand credits to meet Nick Wells.”
Tu Ran came to a halt.
“Forget it. I don’t have to meet him through this method.”
Two hundred thousand credits? It would cost her an arm and a leg.
Zero’s voice remained cold. “Nick Wells himself resides at Xixinnange Hospital. He almost never leaves. Even when he occasionally attends Federation meetings, he’s heavily guarded, making it nearly impossible for you to get close to him. Unless you approach him as a patient seeking treatment, your chances of meeting him through other means are slim.”
Tu Ran felt a bitter frustration inside. “Two hundred thousand Federation credits… I can’t afford that.”
Zero, in a rare moment of hesitation, responded, “Why don’t you use the funds from the public account?”
“The public account?” Tu Ran frowned deeply. “There’s a public account?”
She racked her brain, searching through the memories of the original owner, but found no trace of anything related to a public account.
There was no mention of such a thing in the original owner’s memories.
Zero seemed to understand, realizing this Tu Ran was not the same as the one from before.
It made sense that she didn’t remember.
“Yes, Xie Xu opened an account. The money inside is available for all his subordinates to use, including you. You can withdraw directly from it.”
Tu Ran swallowed hard. “Two hundred thousand credits… can I just take that much? Isn’t that a huge amount? And I’m not using it for Xie Xu’s business—this is personal.”
“Of course you can,” Zero replied. “Two hundred thousand credits is nothing in the public account. As for using it for personal matters, let me clarify: the money in the public account covers your salaries, bonuses, and other compensations for working under Xie Xu. How you spend it is entirely up to you.”
