The consistent, soothing hums of multiple air conditioners sang a lonely melody in the depths of a special underground facility, chilly yet temperate winds ensuring that everyone inside was comfortable.

However, it was unknown whether they truly felt that way.

Everyone inside was slumbering, after all, protected by a translucent-red divine barrier.

The serenity was faintly marred by the metallic door's beep, which slid open the next moment.

A pink-haired woman in her late twenties scanned her eyes over the sleeping bladeborns, who were trapped somewhere in the Myriad Sword Realm, with a slightly heavy heart.

She then entered with three people, one of whom was the authorized warden of the facility.

"Where is he?"

"We've freed up cubicle thirteen and placed the young man there as you requested, Division Head Hailey," the warden responded with a deep, respectful bow.

Hailey nodded in appreciation, walking over, her heavy heart mildly appeased by the faint hums of machinery.

The facility was huge, and it took her around ten minutes of walking before she arrived at cubicle thirteen, steps lightly clanging on the metallic floor surface.

She stared for a moment at the thick green curtains, sighing lightly before moving them aside.

The figure of a peacefully sleeping, blonde young man was revealed, similarly covered by a translucent-red divine barrier like the rest.

Hailey walked closer, observing him from the head down.

"He seems stable enough…" she muttered, turning to look at the old man and old woman behind her and nodding.

"Please check how he's doing."

Respected and extremely renowned Bladeborn Physicians as the two were, Hailey's status was still higher than theirs, so they bowed respectfully at the division leader before retrieving a few small yet extremely effective apparatuses from their black cloth cases and getting to work.

The young female division leader knew she would only get in the way of the two old masters, so she temporarily left Daru's cubicle.

She instead headed over to another cubicle a fair distance away with seasoned steps, as if she already knew the route by heart.

It would take the two elderly physicians around half an hour at the earliest to finish the complex condition check, as they would still have to bypass the barrier with the help of the advanced apparatuses before they could obtain the information Hailey needed.

While what they would learn would be limited, it would at least give the desperate government guidance on what they should do next.

The young intel division leader could only pray that the situation wasn't hopeless.

A few minutes later, Hailey arrived in front of another cubicle.

She moved the green curtains away, her gaze turning gentle but also lonely at the sight of another young man, who had a similar hair color to hers, though the shades differed slightly.

Hailey watched him for a while in forlorn silence before speaking:

"Sorry, I haven't been able to visit you in the past four months, little rascal…I've been busy, you see…"

She then walked closer and sat in the visitor's chair beside the ward bed, observing the young man for a few more seconds.

A rare, pained and vulnerable expression appeared on her face in the next moment, one that had never slipped past her strong and composed facade.

"How many years has it been? Five? Will you return already, please? I really miss you…You're all I've got left, you know? Also, weren't we gonna save the world together, you lying little gremlin? I'll be waiting for you, no matter how long it takes…so don't you dare give up wherever you are, you hear me?"

A heavy teardrop slid down the corners of Hailey's left eye, and she sniffed once, removing her glasses and wiping the wet streak off in the next moment before taking a few deep breaths.

The young intel division leader was a master of her emotions, and so was able to quickly recollect herself.

She continued watching over the lonely sight of her slumbering little brother for as long as her busy schedule allowed before standing up and returning to where the two old physicians were.

Hailey didn't enter Daru's cubicle. Instead, she waited outside.

Her timing was almost perfect, as, just a few more minutes later, the two elderly masters emerged from behind the green curtains.

"Division Head Hailey." They bowed respectfully, to which Hailey nodded in acknowledgement.

"So…how is he doing?" she asked, not a hint of what had happened earlier and her current anxious heart visible on her gorgeous face.

The two old physicians had long been colleagues and partners — both in work and in life.

They merely nodded at each other in understanding before the elderly female stepped up to answer.

"It is quite surprising, really. Among those we've checked over the years, his condition is the most stable, so while he's indeed stuck out there somewhere, he's doing really well. His brain signals even showed signs that…uhh…he's enjoying himself…at least that's what we got from the apparatuses."

Hailey's brows rose at the absurd assessment results.

"He's…enjoying himself?"

"Yes, Lady Hailey. We've also confirmed it three times just to be sure, hence the slight delay. In any case, it doesn't seem like he's in a worrisome situation, so you can put your heart at ease for now."

"I see…thank you, old masters."

"Ah, actually, allow us to thank YOU," the old male physician suddenly chimed in, chuckling. "This is the first time we encountered such a case, so if we may be so presumptuous as to request, please assign this young man's case to us. We shall monitor him every few days for you and give you as detailed a report as our schedules allow."

"That…would be a tremendous help. Then I'm counting on you two."

The two elderly physicians nodded repeatedly, their aged eyes turning into slits as they smiled widely, clearly very happy.

Soon, the trio left the underground facility, escorted by the authorized warden, and after the metallic door's beep, the cold serenity brought by the gentle, consistent hums of the air conditioners returned.

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