NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8
Extra Case File 8 Doctor
“Sincere” Heart
“My name is Ash. I’m… well, a newcomer doctor. Also, judging by your shabby appearance, have you been enduring for a long time?”
Not just those acute issues, but Ash also found a series of chronic diseases in Wild Flower, including arthritis. He could roughly tell they were ailments from overwork.
“Mmm…”
Seeing the small gesture of her clenching the nearby bedding, Ash heaved a sigh and began instructing in a way that didn’t sound like his own voice.
“If any minor issue appears again next time, go to the hospital immediately. I think comprehensive medical insurance has been fully implemented this world, so treating something shouldn’t cost much money. The kind of situation where someone is literally dragged to death in the hospital because they can’t afford it should not happen here.”
“In short, have you heard of the iceberg principle?”
“Iceberg?” Wild Flower tilted her head, not understanding what illness and an iceberg could possibly have in common.
“Every fatal accidental incident has at least 30,000 hidden hazards as ‘underpinnings,’ similar to the massive part of an iceberg under the sea’s surface.”
“If you ignore small health issues, they will inevitably turn into major incidents. This time, you got lucky meeting me; I brought you back from critical condition. If you encounter another such incident, just being two minutes later might be enough for you to become ZX Unit Two.”
Speechless, Wild Flower lowered her head low, presenting a humble posture towards Ash’s teachings.
I know these things. I do. But sometimes various reasons make it so that I can’t follow the correct path, or perhaps the world hasn’t given me a choice. Not yet, anyway…
“Thank you, Dr. Ash. I don’t know what else to say.”
There are countless things to say, but what comes out is only “thank you” as Wild Flower slowly got off the operating table, suppressing the slight return of pain in her lower back, and deeply bowed before Ash.
“This…”
As Wild Flower took out some money from her coat pocket to pay, Ash blocked her hand.
“No need. As I’ve already explained, I’m not short on cash and my clinic was created to prevent certain events from happening again while treating people.”
Ash shook his head slightly, motioning for Wild Flower to sit back down.
“Wait for a moment. Once the complete check report comes out, I’ll prescribe some medicine and examine your body for further issues. Don’t worry, it’s all free.”
What a good person Mr. Ash is!
Although his tone and attitude are a bit unusual, Wild Flower genuinely felt thankful. She felt warm inside at this moment, since this good man saved her and even provided a comprehensive checkup free of charge.
Wait, a comprehensive checkup!?
Wild Flower jerked up, realizing something unbelievable.
“Dr. Ash! You said…”
“Oh, it’s coming.” Ash watched the progress bar fill up on the operation table and stretched his hand toward the area displaying the report.
“——”
Before he reached for it, a hand grabbed it even faster, and upon seeing the detailed report, the woman’s face turned grim.
Signs of third-degree burn wounds healing, piercing wounds, widespread tearing, limb and organ disorders due to bruising and fractures, abnormal tissue proliferation, partial body structure necrosis.
Silence engulfed, Wild Flower sensed the ultimate verdict of fate, replaced joy at survival with fear and worry of secrets being unveiled.
Harmful mixed substances accumulating inside her body, with each microliter containing about 119,278 leukocytes, roughly ten times more than normal… Well, a typical human wouldn’t be able to speak after experiencing this. This essentially highlighted “Wild Flower is not normal.”
“Miss Wild Flower?” Ash’s voice brought Wild Flower back to reality.
“What? What happened?”
“Oh, no surprise.” Ash assumed she was asking why he knew her name and nodded at the wallet on the desk. “I looked at your ID. It’s perfectly normal.”
“So, Miss Wild Flower…”
“Aah, UFO!”
With a desperate mindset, Wild Flower pointed at the window behind her and shouted, hoping against hope that it might work. Astonishingly, Ash did turn around to look.
Sorry, Dr. Ash, though I really don’t want to cause trouble!
The future energy quietly altered the report details.
Meanwhile, Ash caught sight of a disheveled man looking through a book outside the window.
“……”
“Who the hell are you looking at?” Ash shot him a fiery retort.
Unpredictably….
With a fierce look, he scared off the uninvited viewer who seemed to have been eavesdropping. Turning back, Ash lectured Wild Flower, who was panting.
“Miss Wild Flower, I understand your attempt to lighten the atmosphere, but please refrain from doing so again next time.”
Having just transitioned from the world of Kamen Raiders, Wild Flower thought that a space administration attack had arrived when she mentioned the UFO, fearing she had almost cried out “V-REX” and transformed into a robot.
“Let me see…”
“See what…”
“Se…..”
Ash furrowed his brows, not because of an overly complex problem, but rather because there wasn’t one. Lack of significant findings was problematic.
But this was a genuinely readable report. Might it be possible that Death Mask, while drunk, somehow botched the pre-op sensors during an episode of alcohol-induced surgery?
“F—!” He felt something amiss. Ignoring the report, Ash quickly approached Wild Flower, placing his finger near her nose to feel steady breath. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
She fell asleep, thank goodness. What a scare.
Wiping the sweat left from the surgery, Ash appreciated the advanced medical table, aside from lacking an automated sweat-wiper like that of Shocker. Considering Dr. Death previously removed his own sweat glands and now relies solely on coolant, the lack of this feature was logical.
The surgical room quickly returned to its original state, the suspicious devices becoming harmless-looking once more, and an additional pillow was placed where Wild Flower had fallen asleep.
“V-REX.” He softly uttered the activation phrase. The Shocker logo on his tablet screen transformed into the Time Linked Warrior logo.
Grateful for Jiro’s blueprint “Conscience Circuit,” and referencing models from Ken Ryuu and Kanperson’s designs, Ash fitted V-REX’s original AI chip with his self-made “Super AI” circuit.
At this point, combined, all technologies on Earth couldn’t match V-REX’s intelligence.
“Any clues obtained?” Preparing for surgery, Ash considered Wild Flower’s situation and instructed V-REX to check all traffic cameras across the city for the hours leading up to her arrival.
Minor injuries aside, the freshly ruptured organs appeared severe. Surviving such an injury alone to seek treatment showed immense strength of will and body. If it was due to a traffic accident causing internal injuries and leaving her abandoned by the driver, Ash felt willing to assist his rescuer with further necessary measures.