"Big Sis, are you telling the truth?"
Several little brats followed Rope timidly, and one of them reached out to grab the corner of her clothes. "Can we... really be cured?"
"Really," Rope sighed, looking at them. "Remember to be polite in a moment, alright? She doesn't seem to like being called 'Missy,' so call her Doctor, understand? When the time comes, do whatever she tells you to do, got it?"
A string of 'understands' and 'got its' only made the little brats even more terrified.
However, they had already been brought to the front of Rope's house; there was no escape now.
"Just these few?" Xia Yu looked at the children of varying sizes before her and curled her lip.
"That's way too few. Rope, it seems you don't have much influence here either."
"Doctor Bailu, there's nothing I can do," Rope replied with a fawning smile. "I'm just a thief..."
Seeing her intentionally flattering expression, Xia Yu sighed.
She didn't like this.
"Come in."
"Right away, right away," Rope pushed the children through the door.
Xia Yu didn't feel like talking and simply brushed them with a Law of Regression. Golden Light once again shone within the tiny, broken shack.
However, with the previous experience, it wasn't so bright as to blind anyone.
"It fell off! It really fell off!"
Just then, an Infected child cried out in surprise.
His Originium Crystals had been on his face. After the golden light passed, he gave them a slight touch and found himself holding the crystals in his hand.
"It's so big!"
The other children cried out in shock as well.
Xia Yu watched this and nodded in satisfaction. After a few more tries, she would be able to master the exact degree of power.
It was normal for the falling Originium Crystals to be large. After all, being Infected wasn't just superficial; even the internal organs were slowly converted into Originium.
But the Law of Regression couldn't just pluck those Originium bits directly from their internal organs and then restore the organs.
The organs would be restored, but what about the Originium Shards left inside the body? These weren't like kidney stones that could be crushed and passed; if you dared to crush them inside the body, the patient would dare to die right in front of you.
So, her usual method was to directly convert the internal Originium into energy, gathering and growing it at the surface crystal sites until the internal condition was restored, and then completely expelling the surface Originium.
This was a unique skill she had perfected back in the Snowfield.
Of course, if your condition was unusual—having only internal crystals with no surface ones—you'd have to suffer a bit. The Originium Crystals would directly tear through the skin to leave the body. Though the wounds would be healed afterward, the pain was unavoidable.
Honestly, if she didn't have the Elden Ring in hand, Xia Yu wouldn't be able to perform such high-level operations. Without the Elden Ring, the Law of Regression wouldn't even be able to treat Oripathy.
One had to admit, the Elden Ring was truly useful.
"Big Sister Rope," a little girl cried as she looked at Rope with the crystals in her hand, "my stones fell off!"
"Why are you looking at me?" Rope quickly pressed the girl's head toward Xia Yu. "Hurry up and thank Doctor Bailu!"
"Thank you, Doctor Bailu!" the little brats shouted in a row.
"Alright, that's enough," Xia Yu nodded in satisfaction. "Go home and change your clothes. Be careful not to get scratched by the falling Originium Shards."
"Come back here later. I'm happy today—we're having a feast!"
Hearing this, the little brats swarmed out. Rope followed behind them, shouting, "Slow down! Slow down!" in a fit of pique.
After finally seeing them off, Rope returned to the room.
"Doctor Bailu," she looked around, "where is Officer Swire?"
"Didn't I say? I'm happy today and want to hold a feast," Xia Yu answered casually. "So I sent her to buy groceries. Don't worry, she's rich."
"Uh, about that..." Rope fell silent for a few seconds before advising, "Doctor, you should leave here quickly."
"The slums... aren't that peaceful."
Originally, she thought that with an LGD officer present, those people wouldn't be too out of line. But why did Officer Swire leave by herself!
"It's fine," Xia Yu glanced at the tiny Little Tarnished beside her. "I have bodyguards."
"This..." Rope followed her gaze to the expressionless Little Tarnished. She was even shorter than Rope, wearing a tiny set of armor. How strong could she be?
"Rope," just then, a voice called from outside. The two looked up to see a youth of about fifteen or sixteen standing constrainedly at the door. "And, this Miss."
"You guys should run," he said. "Those little brats just now are talking nonsense everywhere, saying their Oripathy was cured, and they're showing off their Originium Crystals all over the place."
"I've already seen people going to notify others."
"Brother Yaozu," Rope blinked, then said to the youth, "Thanks."
"Doctor Bailu, look..."
"Why didn't you go notify those people?" Bailu ignored her and looked at the youth outside the door.
"...I... I don't run with gangs," the youth lowered his head and said timidly.
"Brother Yaozu is actually a good person," Rope added quickly. "Ever since something happened to his parents and he ended up here, he's been kind. He even gave me half a biscuit once when I was nearly starving to death."
"That's a small matter, Rope," the youth rubbed his face embarrassedly. "You really should leave."
"Leave? I'm not leaving," Xia Yu looked at Rope. "Where is my next batch of patients?"
"Don't worry about me. I may look like this, but I'm actually incredibly strong. Even if everyone in the slums ganged up on me, it wouldn't be enough for me to kill. Otherwise, where would I get the confidence?"
"Compared to the Ursus Snowfield, the dangers here aren't even worth mentioning, alright?"
"Doctor Bailu, you've been to the Snowfield?" Rope's eyes lit up. "I heard those Ursus guys say the Snowfield eats people alive without leaving even the bones..."
"Would I lie about that?" Xia Yu put on a stern face. "Go find more patients!"
"Actually, you don't need to look..." Just then, Yaozu spoke up. "People have already seen those brats. Everyone is already here."
Hearing this, Xia Yu stood up and walked out the door.
She discovered that the entire shack was surrounded by people. All of them had obvious Originium Crystals on their bodies, and they were all looking toward her expectantly.
"What are you staring for?" Xia Yu's face went cold. "Don't you know how to form a line? Hurry up, groups of five!"
At times like this, one couldn't be too kind and gentle. If you were too friendly, people would think you had an ulterior motive. Xia Yu had learned this long ago in the Snowfield.
The more you put on a stern face and acted impatient, the more obedient they became.
After all, the Infected were at the bottom of society; this was the environment they were familiar with.
It was all the fault of this damn world.
After hearing her words, the people around began to whisper, but none dared to step forward.
It wasn't as if large companies hadn't used 'free medical care' as a front to find human test subjects before.
This continued until a middle-aged man, half his face covered in Originium Crystals and clearly near death, was pushed in front of Rope's shack.
"Isn't this..." Rope looked at Yaozu.
"It's my father," the fifteen-year-old youth lowered his head, his voice trembling. "He's already like this... there's no other hope anyway... Dad, if you don't make it, it's just your son's lack of filial piety..."
"I have no choice, I really have no other way..."
He had only made the decision after seeing the child who previously had a massive crystal on his face now waving that same crystal around everywhere.
"Xi... di..." The man tried to speak, his lips moving, but he couldn't make a sound. His throat had long since been eroded by Originium.
In the end, only a stream of murky tears flowed down the furrows of his face, dripping onto the black crystals.
"Push him in," Xia Yu said instinctively, then waved her hand. "Never mind, just do it out here."
With so many people watching, she'd treat it as a way to put their minds at ease.
"Prop him up, otherwise it'll be easy to scratch his back when the Originium Crystals fall off later."
"By the way, there are no crystals on his thighs or buttocks, right?"
"No, Doctor," Yaozu knew these things well. His father couldn't move; he was the one who looked after his eating, drinking, and bathing.
"That's good," Xia Yu nodded. The Little Tarnished behind her began to pray, and the golden light once again covered the patient.
When the gold light faded, everyone present craned their necks to look at the middle-aged man sitting on the stretcher.
Clang.
It was the sound of an Originium Crystal falling and hitting the metal frame of the stretcher.
"It fell! It really fell!" Seeing this, Yaozu reached out to pull at the hideous crystals on his father's face. Just then, Rope's hand flashed as she threw out her hook to snag his wrist.
"Do you want to die? You dare touch anything!" Rope shouted. "Those are Originium Crystals! Can't you just let them fall off on their own?"
However, Yaozu didn't speak. He stared blankly at his hand.
Beneath Rope's lasso, a hand still flecked with a few crystals was firmly gripping his forearm.
It was his father's hand.
"I, ah..." Seeing his own hand still covered in Originium Crystals, the middle-aged man let go as if he'd received an electric shock, terrified of hurting his son.
"Dad, Dad!" Seeing this, Yaozu burst into tears on the spot and opened his arms to hug his old father.
"Are you even listening to me!" Rope yanked the hook, pulling him away.
"Your dad is covered in Originium Crystals, and you're still trying to hug him! What, you looked after him for four years, and now that he's better, you want to collect on that debt by getting Oripathy yourself so your dad has to look after you?"
The words were poison, but right now, no one would blame her.
Including Yaozu's father.
The girl was right!
"Ah... ah!" The middle-aged man wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come. He could only make weak sounds and gesture wildly with his hands.
"Sorry, Rope, I wasn't thinking," Yaozu finally calmed down.
"Sigh, Brother Yaozu, you... forget it," Rope sighed and didn't say more, but she didn't retract the lasso either, fearing he would get overexcited again.
Ten years ago, the father and son had ended up here. Back then, the uncle could still manage some work, and Yaozu could occasionally eat his fill; Rope had been helped by them during that time.
Later, the uncle's condition worsened, and the food for two people fell onto the shoulders of the eleven-year-old Yaozu. Now that the uncle was better, his excitement was inevitable.
After all... he was just a child.
"Doctor, my dad's..." Yaozu looked at Xia Yu through his tears. His dad couldn't say anything right now.
"How long has it been since he last spoke?" Xia Yu knew the reason with a single glance. "Combine that with the intense joy and sorrow today, his emotions are just running high. It's not a big problem; he'll recover on his own in a few days or months."
"Take him back now. Be careful not to let the falling crystals scratch him. Let him rest well. I'm holding a feast tonight—remember to come eat. It'll be good for his body."
"Doctor, I don't know how to repay you!" Hearing this, Yaozu was so moved he knelt down to kowtow, but that was the one thing Xia Yu couldn't stand.
"Rope!" she called out loudly.
Rope immediately pulled the lasso, and Yaozu was pulled straight down onto his face.
"I only palliated his condition; I haven't cured him," Xia Yu said, looking at the father and son. "Also, I don't like people kowtowing to me, and I don't like people calling me a deity."
"If you go through with that kowtow, don't even think about me treating your father in the future, understand?"
"And you lot," she looked up at the surroundings, "if I hear any of you calling me some kind of deity, I'd rather go be a veterinarian and treat Originium Slugs than treat you, got it? Call me Doctor, DOCTOR!"
"Also, those who want treatment, come and line up! Anyone who dares to cut in line won't be cured in this lifetime!"
Seeing this, the Infected who had been about to swarm forward all began to line up obediently.
Of course, this was mainly due to the three tough guys who appeared behind Xia Yu.
On the left, a tall figure in armor holding two greatswords stood there with an intimidating aura—Banished Knight Oleg. One could tell just by looking at his twin swords that he was no easy opponent.
On the right, wearing the same armor as the knight on the left, but with his weapon swapped for a halberd, Banished Knight Engvall stood watch like a tiger over its prey.
In the middle, just looking at the physique of the tall and brawny Mad Pumpkin Head, coupled with the flail in his hand that was as thick as a thigh, was enough to convey his power.
With these three tough guys presiding and the terrifying weapons in their hands, everyone became rational.
Rope also breathed a sigh of relief. With that situation just now, if these tough guys hadn't suddenly appeared, the people around would have definitely rushed forward.
She understood better than anyone—the feeling of being plagued by Oripathy, that feeling of wishing for death.
In such a moment, seeing the light of salvation, they would certainly push forward regardless of everything.
"Line up, line up for me!" Rope began to organize them voluntarily. "Do you know what lining up means? Don't push forward!"
This was the state of having no organization. In the Snowfield, with the Guerrillas organizing things, it had never been this chaotic.
Fortunately, under the deterrence of the three tough guys, the crowd was fairly well-behaved.
Under this orderly chaos, in less than three hours, Xia Yu clapped her hands.
Done.
Of course, this was only the Infected from this settlement who were at home.
During the broad daylight, most of those who still had the capacity to work were out earning money. Although most places wouldn't hire the Infected, there were always some factories that valued cheap labor.
Furthermore, the Infected here weren't all the Infected in Lungmen. A man like Wei Yenwu, even if the slums accepted the Infected, would never allow them all to gather in one place.
The Infected across the slums were divided into various large and small settlements by gangs of all sizes.
Hmph, it could be said he'd calculated everything to the extreme.
"Doctor Bailu," Rope said excitedly, "including those few severe cases who couldn't leave their homes, everyone in the settlement has been cured!"
Now, no one in the settlement dared to look down on this tiny doctor. Though she was small, her abilities were heavenly.
"Mm, let's stop here for today," Xia Yu uncorked her Medicine Gourd and took a sip of sugar water. "Why isn't Swire back yet?"
It had been several hours.
Right then, a boisterous voice came from the edge of the crowd.
"What are you all huddling here for? What, you want to cause trouble!"
Hearing this, the crowd was pushed aside by several large gang members.
"I heard there's a doctor here doing some kind of... free clinic?" A man wearing sunglasses walked in with an arrogant stride. "What free clinic? Did you get permission from our Tiger Hall?"
"Where's the person?" He scanned left and right, failing to see any doctor, then looked at the surrounding Infected. "I'm asking you, where's that doctor?"
"What do you want with the doctor?" Rope asked boldly.
"What for? For money, of course!" He slammed the steel pipe in his hand onto the ground, producing a heavy thud. "You kidding me? This is our turf. You think you can do things here without paying respects?"
"I'll break their legs. They really think our Tiger Hall... what's with that look in your eyes?"
The moment he mentioned breaking legs, he felt the surrounding temperature drop several degrees. He looked up to find everyone around him scrutinizing him.
"What? Is Tiger Hall's word no longer good enough?" He laughed in anger. "A bunch of weaklings like you dare to resist?"
"Come on then? What've you got? Let your grandpa see... see... see..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a scrawny old man with graying hair conjured a ball of Arts in his hand and glared at him fiercely.
"My son is out working..." the old man muttered. "His illness... hasn't been treated yet..."
As soon as he spoke, the gazes of the surrounding Infected toward the thugs became increasingly unfriendly.
After all, there were many here who normally worked outside to support their families. Their own illnesses were gone, but those breadwinners hadn't been treated yet.
And now someone wanted to come and beat up the doctor?
The old man had never learned Arts in his life. Even the unstable ball of Arts in his hand was produced through the Oripathy under intense emotion. It couldn't last; in just a few seconds, it completely vanished from his hand.
After all, an Infected's 'staff' was the Originium Crystals in their body, but those Originium bits had just been cured...
Even FrostNova, after being cured, had obediently picked up a staff.
The kind that could crush a person's head.
Seeing the ball of Arts vanish, a flash of despair crossed the old man's eyes. Finally, he chose to pick up the Originium Shards that had fallen from his own body.
Many people simultaneously chose to pick up this most deterrent weapon.
"You... you lot..." Seeing this, the gang leader finally felt that things were going south.
These old, weak, and sick might not be able to beat them.
But those people really did have Originium Crystals in their hands—things that could take a life.
Who would dare clash with them? One slip-up, and you'd be Infected too.
Behind the crowd, Xia Yu silently put away her Spirit-Calling Bell.
'Tsk, if it's like this, how am I supposed to make a move?'