After five minutes, Aaron had a professionally crafted white bandage securely covering his left eye. While he would have preferred a different color, the medical robot didn't offer any alternative options. He accepted his appearance without complaint.
He wanted to break the remaining knife, but then he stopped when he realized that the quest for breaking fake artifacts was on cooldown, which caught him by surprise.
"Huh?"
The cooldown timer started for 24 hours the moment he applied the tear drop to his left eye
[23:50:23]
Half an hour later, Garry and Luo entered through the door of the medical room.
"Hey Aaron, long time no see! How have you been?" Garry exclaimed with excitement, glad to see Aaron in person again.
"Yeah, things have been going well. And you?" Aaron replied, returning the greeting.
They continued to engage in conversation for a while before they began the process of transferring Laura. With the help of the facility's robots, most of the transfer was smoothly carried out until Laura was inside the ambulance.
Initially, Aaron had planned to teleport directly to the hospital, but they recommended that he stay with her in case she woke up during the ambulance ride.
"Wow, the ambulance looks luxurious from the outside, but the interior is even better," Aaron thought, amazed by the ambulance's impressive design and functionality. The paramedic and the driver also appeared highly courteous and professional.
He took a seat next to Laura, who was lying on the white gurney.
...
Eventually, they arrived at the Coolay Private Hospital. The hospital had previously received direct funding from the government but had run out of budget, leading to its acquisition by Garry.
Laura was allocated the largest and most private room, courtesy of Garry. The room occupied a quarter of the top floor of the building, leaving Aaron curious about its cost if he hadn't received Garry's assistance.
Suddenly, a random thought crossed his mind.
"Oh damn... I really need to upgrade my life and health insurance. I'm pretty sure the current and cheap one won't cover me anymore, especially if they find out about my current profession."
Aaron stepped out of the room momentarily, allowing the hospital staff to perform their routine diagnosis and treatment on Laura, even though she had already received initial treatment. It was mostly a procedural check-up.
Upon his return to the room, he observed that the nurses and staff were treating both him and Laura with utmost politeness.
"Garry must have instructed them to behave this way," Aaron thought to himself as he noticed the respectful manner in which everyone left the room vacant.
Aaron lay on the sofa, gazing at the dark sky outside. It was already past 9 PM, and being in the hospital located in the heart of Coolay's Town allowed him to observe the bustling activity of people with their families and friends.
He had initially planned to visit his own family, but unforeseen circumstances had caused a significant delay.
"Hmm... Should I inform her family about this situation? But it doesn't seem like they have been actively searching for her... Ah, her car is still parked outside!" Aaron muttered to himself, contemplating the decision. Suddenly, his attention was drawn to the sound of changes in the heartbeat monitor attached to Laura.
"Is she waking up?" Aaron wondered, his thoughts consumed by anticipation.
Cough cough
"Where am I...?"
"Am I dead...?"
"Where is this place...?"
She was lost and confused the moment she woke up, but her expression changed for the better when she saw Aaron walking towards her.
"Aaron..." she called his name in a cracked voice before starting to cry.
Aaron took a chair and placed it next to her bed, offering his shoulder for her to cry on.
Half an hour later, his shirt was already soaked wet by Laura's tear but she already stopped crying.
"I remembered everything now.. Where are the bad guys that tried to kidnap me? Am I in danger.. Where's my family.. Are they okay?" Laura asked in soft and concerned voice.
Aaron told her that the authorities had already apprehended the criminals and they were no longer a threat. He explained that he had found her unconscious in her car and immediately brought her to the hospital.
He didn't hesitate to fabricate these lies in order to help her, but he found it difficult to explain that her family hadn't contacted her throughout the day. Surprisingly, her phone had almost no notifications from her family, especially her parents.
Her expression turned sad and gloomy as Aaron informed her about her family. She had a slight doubt in her mind, but he handed her belongings back to her. She began scrolling through her phone, searching for any messages or calls from her parents.
Unfortunately, there were no signs of communication from them.
Her eyes welled up with tears once again, and a sense of sadness enveloped her.
"Am I such a disappointment to them?" she whispered, her voice filled with self-doubt.
Aaron gently embraced her, allowing her to rest her tear-streaked face against his chest. He chose not to say anything, understanding that sometimes silence could provide the comfort and support needed in such moments.
It was nearly midnight and Laura had drifted off to sleep on the bed. Aaron observed her peaceful slumber FINALLY, feeling a sense of concern for her weariness.
"She must be exhausted," he thought to himself. He carefully adjusted the blanket to ensure she was comfortably covered before teleporting back to his personal room at the training facility.
Aaron realized that he didn't have any tokens to roll for artifacts at the moment. He hadn't completed any of the daily quests due to being busy, and the consumable he received from the last quest required a full day to be consumed.
Meanwhile, Luo had gathered all the information he could find about the dispatched kidnappers. They weren't highly ranked within their association, but it was revealed that the shorter one was actually from the founder's family. Luo warned Aaron to be extra cautious, as they might seek revenge and intensify their efforts to find him.
Aaron carefully read through the gathered information before eventually drifting off to sleep. He needed to wake up early the next morning to retrieve Laura's car and bring it to the hospital.
…
Later before dawn, Aaron met with Luo to ask for his help in investigating Laura's parents' background. He couldn't shake off a strange feeling about them, especially after Laura mentioned that she had informed them about being stalked on an almost daily basis, yet her father seemed indifferent to the situation.
After having breakfast together, Aaron teleported to the nearest hidden spot near Laura's abandoned car.
Using his magical universal key, he unlocked the car and carefully inspected its condition before getting behind the wheel and driving towards the hospital. However, he found his driving skills somewhat compromised due to the bandage covering his left eye.
…
"Mr. Edward Williams, we request your presence to meet an emissary from the Diabolic Dominion, who will be arriving in Coolay's Town in two days. We require your assistance in locating our leader's relative, who has been missing since his arrival in this town several weeks ago."
Edward Williams, Laura's father, had been affiliated with the association for nearly a decade. He had exerted great effort to advance his rank, despite his limited power. He was satisfied to have achieved a 3-star ranking solely through his own determination.
When his daughter contacted him about being stalked, he initially wanted to help. However, his concern waned when he discovered that the stalkers were connected to the association he had been working for. He believed that his daughter would be safe, as they only sought the serum, which she did not possess.
Edward, who was sitting in his study, was filled with panic. Whenever an emissary arrived, it signified that something significant was happening.
"Has something gone wrong?" Edward muttered nervously to himself.
He recalled the previous emissaries sent by the association, who were always irritable and bloodthirsty, readily taking lives without remorse.
"I must give my best to appease the emissary, or I risk missing out on this year's promotion!" Edward thought, having already made up his mind to travel to Coolay Town before noon, where he would await the arrival of the emissary in a few days.
Living in a quaint hamlet outside the bustling Capital City, Edward knew that it would take approximately five hours of traversing to reach Coolay Town. During the journey, he attempted to contact Laura to inquire about her well-being.
However, he found it rather peculiar when he discovered that Laura was admitted to a prestigious private hospital. Before he could delve further into the matter, Laura abruptly terminated the call, citing doctors' orders to rest.
"I suppose she must be fine right?," Edward muttered to himself as he continued navigating the winding roads.