Chapter 319: Chapter 319: Xue Can, You Must Compensate Me

Jiang Gong was exhausted and severely injured. He had been sleeping ever since he was wheeled out of the emergency room.

The woman he had clutched to his chest was also unconscious.

Xue Can had arranged a double room for the two of them, making it easier to keep an eye on them.

It was late, so it wasn’t practical for him to return to the stronghold. He made do on the sofa in the hospital room for the night.

The next morning, Jiang Gong opened his eyes. He tried to move but found he couldn’t. A look around told him he was in a hospital room.

Xue Can was dozing on the sofa, and in the adjacent bed lay the woman Jiang Gong had fought so hard to save.

He let out a long breath.

’Now I can finally relax.’

Xue Can was a light sleeper when away from his base. The moment Jiang Gong stirred, he snapped awake.

The man rubbed his face. He instinctively reached for a cigarette, then remembered he was in a hospital room and forced himself to stop. His fingers tapped restlessly, itching for a smoke.

"Alright, spill it. What happened?"

"Help me raise the head of my bed a bit."

"You’re so high-maintenance."

Xue Can got up, pressed a button, and the head of Jiang Gong’s bed slowly rose.

"It wasn’t a big deal. I ran into some trouble during a mission, and she saved me. But she got poisoned with H-ro3. You know the antidote is only available in the Imperial City, so I had to bring her back here ahead of everyone else."

Xue Can grunted in acknowledgment. "She’s already been given the antidote. The medical bill for the two of you is 150,000 Star Coins. Remember to transfer it to me."

"Whoa, Xue Can, do you even have a conscience?!" Jiang Gong protested. "What the hell did this mission escorting the delegation have to do with me?! You’re the one who backed out at the last minute and asked me to take your place. That’s the only reason I got into this mess."

"I nearly died, Xue Can! You have to compensate me!"

Xue Can smirked. "I didn’t force you."

After he decided not to participate in the mission, a spot on the delegation’s security detail had opened up.

Since the decision was made right before departure, Xue Can, feeling a sense of responsibility, contacted Jiang Gong to ask if he was interested.

Of course, Jiang Gong was interested. Who wouldn’t want to build a connection with the government?

Besides, the Sharp Blade Mercenary Corps and the government had some minor friction between them, so they hadn’t been included in the recruitment list for the security detail.

This was also a key step toward mending that relationship.

Jiang Gong played dumb. "I don’t care about any of that."

"Fine, just get some rest." Xue Can glanced at the weather outside. "I should get going."

"Wait," Jiang Gong called out. "Don’t tell my family I’m back."

"Okay."

Xue Can nodded as he walked out. "I have no interest in being a gossip."

"You brat," Jiang Gong muttered. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the eyelashes of the woman in the next bed were trembling.

"Sang Yue?" he called out softly.

With a sudden effort, Sang Yue finally managed to force her eyes open.

There was no sky full of yellow sand, no gale scraping her cheeks raw, and no man-eating mutant beasts. She was in a room that looked very Advanced, the rhythmic sounds of various instruments beeping in her ears.

A burning pain still lingered in her chest, but it had eased considerably.

After ten or so seconds, her consciousness slowly returned. She turned her head and saw Jiang Gong.

"Are we... saved?" Her voice was incredibly hoarse, as if her throat had been scrubbed with sand.

Jiang Gong’s heart finally settled in his chest. "Yeah, we’re saved."

"Is this the... Imperial City you mentioned?" Sang Yue’s gentle gaze fell upon the window, where she could vaguely make out the silhouettes of buildings through the swirling sand.

"Yes, it is. Don’t worry about anything for now, just get some rest." Jiang Gong mustered what little strength he had and pressed the call button.

A nurse and doctor came in quickly, and he asked them to examine Sang Yue again.

After a thorough examination and a few questions, they confirmed Sang Yue’s condition was stable.

"It will take a few more days for the toxins to be completely flushed from her system. She has multiple soft tissue contusions and a minor fracture in her foot. We recommend she stays in the hospital for two days, then recuperates at home."

Jiang Gong replied, "Okay, I understand. Thank you, Doctor."

The doctor then checked on Jiang Gong’s condition, gave the nurse some instructions for his care, and left.

Only Sang Yue and Jiang Gong were left in the hospital room.

Sang Yue stared blankly at the ceiling, her expression dazed and her thoughts a million miles away.

She had transmigrated to this unknown planet half a month ago, and by a stroke of terrible luck, had been stranded in a vast, wild desert.

Along with her came the portable space she had possessed since she was a child.

Fortunately, she had a habit of stockpiling. Her portable space was filled with all sorts of supplies; otherwise, she never would have survived alone in the vast desert.

She had thought being stranded in the desert was miserable enough, but she hadn’t expected there to be man-eating monsters. In her most dangerous encounter, she was nearly eaten.

Fortunately, a tornado had suddenly swept across the plains, pulling both her and the monster into it.

The good news: she had temporarily escaped the danger of being eaten.

The bad news: she was caught mid-air, with no idea if she would land safely.

Perhaps she had some sort of lucky charm on her because after the tornado passed, she had somehow only sustained minor injuries.

That same afternoon, she had saved Jiang Gong and made a request of him.

"Can you take me to a place with people?"

She was sick of living alone in the endless desert; she wanted to return to a normal human society.

’With my abilities, it shouldn’t be hard to live a decent life.’

Jiang Gong had agreed, but less than two days later, the H-ro3 poison she’d been exposed to while saving him had flared up.

She wasn’t clear on what happened after that, but from the looks of things, Jiang Gong had kept his promise to her.

"Thank you," Sang Yue said softly. "Jiang Gong, I’ll never forget this."

"You’re being too formal. Besides, didn’t you save me first?" Jiang Gong wanted to thump his chest, but the movement was too much for him, so he had to give up with a grimace. "From now on, stick with me in the Imperial City. I’ll make sure you live the good life."

Sang Yue neither agreed nor disagreed.

After meeting Jiang Gong but before passing out from the poison, she had already gained a basic understanding of this new world.

When she first arrived, she had assumed she’d just been unlucky enough to land in a desert, and that was why her surroundings were so desolate.

She never imagined the environmental damage on this planet was so severe as to be irreparable.

’What a truly awful place this is.’

But she wasn’t overly panicked. The supplies in her personal space were enough for her to live comfortably for a lifetime; she didn’t have to worry about making a living at all.

’Since I’m here, I might as well make the best of it. I’ll use this time while my body is healing to learn more about this world.’

Sang Yue’s injuries were less severe than Jiang Gong’s, and she was able to get out of bed the very next day.

The first thing she did once she could get out of bed was take a shower.

She hadn’t had a proper wash since arriving, making do with a quick wipe-down with wet tissues at best.

For someone as fastidious as Sang Yue, this was practically torture. Now that she finally had the opportunity to bathe properly, she couldn’t control herself.

She showered for a full hour. Jiang Gong grew so uneasy that he nearly pressed the call button for a nurse to come and check on her.

CREAK. The bathroom door opened, and Sang Yue walked out, her face rosy and flushed.

Jiang Gong’s nonchalant expression instantly froze, his eyes widening in shock.

"You? Sang Yue?"

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