Doctor Jiang

“I’m not dead?”

Xiao Jun slowly opened his eyes. He felt like he had heard this phrase somewhere before.

After struggling to take in his surroundings, he realized he seemed to be in his own room.

Xiao Jun wanted to sit up, but then noticed that his arms were wrapped in bandages. Even the slightest movement caused a lot of pain.

Suddenly, noises came from outside the door and Xiao Jun looked over warily.

The door opened and an unfamiliar woman walked in.

The woman appeared to be in her mid to late twenties. She exuded a mature aura, yet there was a hint of weariness on her face, as if she hadn’t rested for a long time. Xiao Jun was certain there wasn’t a woman like her on his team. He would have remembered such an appearance and temperament if he had seen her before.

“Commander, you’re awake,” the woman said as she jogged over to Xiao Jun’s bedside when she saw he was conscious.

“Commander, you can’t move around. You have muscle and ligament strains all over your body. You need to stay in bed and rest,” she admonished.

“Who are you?”

Xiao Jun abandoned the idea of sitting up. It hurt too much.

“Commander, I’m Jiang Wei. I’m new here. I was a doctor before the apocalypse, so Commander Jiang Yue assigned me to your team.”

Jiang Wei paused for a moment before continuing.

“Commander, it’s time to take your temperature.”

As she spoke, she took out a thermometer and gingerly placed it under Xiao Jun's armpit.

Facing Xiao Jun’s gaze, Jiang Wei’s face turned red.

She had performed this motion many times over the past few days, but this time Xiao Jun was awake and staring at her the whole time.

Jiang Wei’s hands were a bit cool against Xiao Jun’s skin, giving him an unusual sensation.

The two fell silent, and the atmosphere instantly became rather awkward. If Xiao Jun could move, Jiang Wei might have already fled.

After a long pause, Jiang Wei finally reacted. Jiang Yue had repeatedly reminded her to notify them immediately once the commander awoke.

“Commander, I have something else to take care of. I’ll step out for a bit.”

After saying this to Xiao Jun, Jiang Wei hurriedly left.

Soon, chattering sounds came from outside the door.

The door opened again, and Wan Qianya rushed in first, followed by the twin sisters.

“Jun.”

Wan Qianya’s eyes were red. It was evident she had been crying a lot recently.

“I’m glad you’re alright. How long was I unconscious?”

Xiao Jun had wanted to ask this earlier, but the mood didn’t seem right at the time.

“Two days,” the older twin sister replied.

“Sis Qianya woke up a day before you.”

Two days. That was quite long.

“How much longer until I recover?”

Xiao Jun directed this question at Jiang Wei.

The doctor hesitated before deciding to tell the truth.

“Commander, broken bones take a hundred days to heal. Your injuries are even more severe. Even with your strong recuperative abilities, you’ll need at least two months minimum.”

Two months. Xiao Jun couldn’t wait that long.

Lying in bed helpless for two months meant he would likely lose everything.

With great difficulty, Xiao Jun moved his fingers and took out a third-order mutant crystal from his storage space.

It looked like he had no choice but to consume this.

The operating principles behind mutant crystals were unknown. Aside from providing level upgrades, they also possessed powerful restorative and curative abilities. Xiao Jun had heard that seventh-order mutant crystals could even regenerate severed limbs.

Of course, that was just hearsay. Future City in his previous life probably couldn’t produce many seventh-order mutant crystals.

Seeing the faint blue mutant crystal in Xiao Jun's hand, everyone's gazes were drawn to it, even distracting Wan Qianya from her tears. The gem was truly beautiful.

"Stop staring. Help feed this into my mouth. I can't move," Xiao Jun said impatiently.

The women had forgotten about him once they saw the dazzling crystal.

Wan Qianya hastily took the mutant crystal from Xiao Jun's hand. Reluctantly, she placed it into his mouth.

"If you want it, there will be plenty more in the future. There are even prettier ones," Xiao Jun said after swallowing.

As the mutant crystal went down, a warm current rose within Xiao Jun's body. His limbs felt especially tingly and comfortable.

"Water."

Wan Qianya hurriedly grabbed a water bottle and poured it into Xiao Jun's mouth...

"Young miss, are you trying to drown me? Use a smaller cup..." Xiao Jun said, exasperated after choking on the water.

In the end, Wan Qianya stepped aside and let the younger twin take over.

She took out a disposable cup, filled it with water, then gently propped up Xiao Jun's head with her arm and slowly fed him sips.

After drinking two full cups, Xiao Jun felt some strength return to his body. Under the third-order mutant crystal's effects, he could move slowly.

Xiao Jun didn't ask them to keep taking care of him. He took out a lunchbox from his storage space.

After eating a rice ball, his body recovered a bit more. After a second one, his hunger finally disappeared.

The mutant crystal’s healing effects were nearing their end. The warm currents faded away.

Xiao Jun got out of bed and moved around a little. Walking seemed fine now, but he definitely couldn't fight yet.

He popped another second-order mutant crystal into his mouth. The same sensations arose, but the warmth was much fainter and lasted only a few seconds.

Oh well, any more would be too extravagant.

Xiao Jun gave up. Recovering this much was sufficient for now. He could let the rest heal slowly.

Jiang Wei had watched the entire process dumbfoundedly. Before joining Xiao Jun’s team a couple days ago, she hadn’t known mutant crystals possessed such effects.

“Commander, please let me examine you again,” she said professionally. She still felt it necessary to re-check him.

Xiao Jun didn’t want to make a fuss, but seeing the other women's expressions, he obediently lay back down on the bed.

Jiang Wei’s face turned red as she approached. Although somewhat embarrassed, she still maintained her professionalism.

After over ten minutes, Jiang Wei finally stopped her prodding. She was certain Xiao Jun did indeed seem recovered.

Could even the medical profession become obsolete in the apocalypse?

Jiang Wei was confused.

Just two days ago when she had joined Xiao Jun’s team, Jiang Yue's face had lit up with joy, saying they finally had a doctor.

But now it seemed doctors weren't of much use after all if a mutant crystal could solve everything.

"Doctor Jiang, mutant crystals can heal injuries but not cure illnesses," Xiao Jun said, sensing her thoughts.

"I didn't have a disease, just wounds. For other more serious conditions, mutant crystals cannot provide treatment."

Jiang Wei had just started doubting herself when Xiao Jun affirmed her again, leaving her somewhat stunned.

"Our team will definitely expand further. We need professional talents like Doctor Jiang even more. Welcome aboard," Xiao Jun said, extending his right hand.

Jiang Wei blanked for a moment before extending her right hand as well.

It was still cool, but not icy cold. His grip felt soothingly cool, like jade. Though seemingly contradictory sensations, they blended together harmoniously.

"Thank you!" Jiang Wei said softly.