At the Rhodes Island office, Chen, Hoshiguma, and Swire hurried down the corridor.
In addition to her usual two sword sheaths, Chen now carried a third at her waist, moving along with three sheaths in total.
While they had just been handling the aftermath of the incident, Chen suddenly received a call from Exusiai. Then she heard a doctor urgently calling Shirou's name.
And then Exusiai actually hung up. They could not even get through again.
That scare made them immediately wrap up everything at hand and rush over by car.
Originally, only Chen had planned to come, but Hoshiguma and Swire followed her after hearing the news.
Since most of the cleanup at the scene had already been completed, Chen did not stop them.
Although this was not an official hospital, it had been registered with Lungmen. Moreover, Shirou himself seemed to be a frequent visitor here, which was why he had been brought to this place.
Otherwise, Swire had been ready to use her money to force connections open.
This place also seemed to have ties with Blacksteel Worldwide and was quite experienced in handling Oripathy, even if it was not particularly famous.
As for its name 'Rhodes Island', Chen was familiar with it. Rather than a pharmaceutical company, her impression of Rhodes Island leaned more toward a mercenary organization.
When she confirmed it was actually a medical company, she had briefly questioned reality. After all, they were truly well known for their combat strength, even in Lungmen.
Fortunately, they were not people without moral boundaries, and their reputation remained quite good.
Arriving at the ward door, Chen pushed it open and said:
"How is the situation now—?"
As she spoke, her urgent concern turned into pure confusion.
Inside the ward, Exusiai and Croissant from Penguin Logistics were lying on the bed, fast asleep. Texas sat nearby with her eyes half-closed, while Sora still looked exhausted but forced herself to stay awake.
As for the person they had come to check on, Shirou was sitting on a chair dressed in a patient gown, peeling an apple with a small knife.
"Hm? Are things finished on the Guard Department's side?"
Hearing the noise at the door, Shirou turned his head toward them, recognizing who had arrived, while his hands continued working.
"Uh… more or less. Shirou, what exactly are you doing?"
Seeing that the patient was not even lying on the bed, Chen felt her blood pressure rising.
"I am cutting apples for the busy doctors. Would you like some?"
With a few swift movements, Shirou peeled the apple cleanly, even slicing it and removing the core.
He placed the cut pieces onto a plate and politely asked the three from the Guard Department.
"…No, I will carry it for you."
Looking at the plate of apples, Hoshiguma took it from him.
How should she put it… Shirou seemed extremely familiar with this place. The doctors and nurses nearby showed no resistance to the fruit he prepared and once the plate arrived, it was immediately emptied.
Some of those eating were even patients in hospital gowns.
"Let us talk outside."
Looking at the emptied plate and the Penguin Logistics group nearby, Shirou spoke.
At the same time, he gestured for Sora and Texas to continue resting.
"Are you alright?"
After stepping out of the ward, Swire, who had been following behind, pursed her lips before asking.
Shirou looked perfectly fine on the surface, but that was only an external impression.
If Texas felt guilty for not acting in time at the scene,
then Swire felt responsible because her misjudgment in command had led to Shirou ending up like this.
If she had not been overly optimistic at the time and had deployed personnel earlier, things might have been different.
"Minmin the medical operator from Rhodes Island already arranged examinations for me. I only fainted from exhaustion."
Noticing Swire's unusual expression, Shirou directly repeated what Minmin had told him.
If he had to be more precise, it was likely due to the mental strain from the strange voices in the Originium dust, along with the effects of his magecraft.
"I see…"
Seeing that Shirou did not mention Oripathy at all, Swire's expression grew even more troubled.
But she did not press further.
Whether Shirou was ready to face it or not, she did not know. But she knew that she herself was not ready.
Such consequences caused by her own command error…
"Focus on recovering. I will cancel your newbie work for you."
Noticing Swire's state, Chen refrained from mocking her. She understood the situation.
Besides, this was a hospital.
The reason she wanted to cancel Shirou's newbie work was mainly to give him time to recover.
"Huh? I am fine. I can return to work after resting for two days."
Hearing Chen's words, Shirou quickly refused her offer.
Although he had initially been sent to the Guard Department because his boss set him up, after staying there for a while, he had gotten used to it.
Moreover, he preferred to see things through to the end. Ending it halfway like this just did not feel right to him.
If it had been interrupted because of matters at the Guard Department, that would have been one thing. But Chen's intention was for him to rest and recover properly, and that was something Shirou could not accept.
He had promised to teach someone archery this week.
"No, no, no! You should focus on recovery first, right? Your body is your most important asset!"
Hoshiguma could not help but retort after hearing Shirou's statement which was something that would probably make any employer shed tears of admiration.
She knew Shirou took his work seriously, but this was excessive.
Did he realize he was still wearing a patient's gown?
"Hm? My body is fine. The doctor said I can be discharged today. If everyone had not insisted that I stay for a couple more days to rest, I would already be back at the dorm."
Hearing Hoshiguma's complaint, Shirou scratched his head.
Had he not just said he was fine? Did they all think he was being polite?
No… what they were concerned about was probably Oripathy.
Only then did Shirou suddenly remember that issue. He had just gone through a long series of examinations, and his mind was still a little foggy.
"Damn it, I knew something was wrong here! They are actually trying to discharge him on the same day!"
Chen immediately lost her composure, turning around as if ready to confront the people here about Lungmen regulations.
She had not been at the scene, but being hit by an Originium explosive and then being told he could be discharged the same day?
Even if the explosive had been extremely low quality, that still made no sense.
"Calm down! Officer Chen, please calm down! Hoshiguma, you too!"
Seeing Chen turn around and Hoshiguma also looking ready for action, Shirou quickly stepped in to stop them.
"Shirou, do not stop us. We have dealt with plenty of shady hospitals like this. We are very experienced!"
Hoshiguma cracked her knuckles loudly.
The commotion drew the attention of others nearby. After seeing Shirou, they immediately understood.
Oh, it is Shirou calming people down again. Nothing unusual.
"Wait here! Do not move! I will go get the examination report!"
Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Shirou realized that even if he explained he was not infected, they would probably think he was just trying to reassure them.
Words alone would not convince them. Evidence would.
"…?"
The three of them watched as Shirou rushed back into the ward, leaving behind Chen and Hoshiguma, who looked ready to tear the place apart, and Swire, who was already contacting doctors she knew.
Not long after, Shirou came running back with a stack of documents.
"Here."
He handed the papers to them, catching his breath.
After all, he had rushed in, obtained the report and even blacked out some confidential details as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, by the time he returned, they might have already demolished the place.
"Let me see… physical condition good, bloodwork normal, no abnormalities… X-ray shows no Originium crystals? Confirmed non-Infected!?"
Although she did not know why Shirou brought his report, Chen still took it and read through it.
It was similar to the Guard Department's routine medical reports, just more detailed and comprehensive.
Some data had been blacked out, but the remaining information clearly showed that Shirou's condition was excellent.
Most importantly, both the blood test and X-ray results confirmed that he had not been infected.
"Not infected?"
Hoshiguma glanced at Shirou and asked in disbelief.
"No. Do not worry. I only fainted from exhaustion. The Originium dust did not infect me."
Only after seeing them calm down did Shirou add further explanation.
As for the burning sensation in his lungs at the time, it was probably due to psychological suggestion while being inside the Originium dust.
It was similar to when he was younger, there had been a period when seeing fire made him feel like he could not breathe.
Many survivors of fires experienced the same thing, though most gradually overcame it with time.
Shirou figured that a moment of anger combined with the sudden explosion had triggered those symptoms.
"You did not just grab someone else's report to fool us, did you?"
Leaning in to examine the report, Swire asked again.
She was worried that he might have hastily produced it just to reassure them.
"No. Texas and the others personally watched me go through most of the examinations. There is absolutely no way this is fake!"
This time, Shirou even brought up Penguin Logistics as witnesses.
"Ah… that is such a relief."
After hearing his firm answer, Swire's legs suddenly gave out, and she sat down on the floor. Her voice even carried a hint of a nasal tone.
She felt she bore the greatest responsibility for what had happened to Shirou.
Even if others said it was not her fault, she still believed she had to shoulder a large part of the blame.
Now that it was confirmed Shirou was fine, the tension she had been holding finally released.
As a result, she felt completely drained and could only rely on Hoshiguma to help her stand.
"I will take Missy aside to rest first. Chen, you handle this."
Supporting Swire, Hoshiguma spoke to Chen.
Her meaning was simple, she wanted Chen to verify the authenticity of the medical report.
It was not that she did not trust Shirou. Rather, from what she knew, Shirou's personality was such that he disliked making others worry about him.
So if they truly wanted to confirm whether he was fine, they had to put in extra effort.
"Mm, I understand."
As the one holding and examining the report most carefully, Chen felt that the credibility of the report in her hands was extremely high.
Of course, that was only her impression. She was not careless when it came to such matters and anything that needed verification would be confirmed.
"Phew…"
Seeing the situation settle down, Shirou finally let out a sigh of relief.
After all, they were partners. If this place had been torn apart because of him, he would have felt very guilty.
"First, congratulations on being safe. I will still verify this report."
After organizing the documents in her hand, Chen spoke to Shirou.
Unlike Hoshiguma's more tactful approach, Chen preferred to speak directly.
Although many people did not like that style, she had no intention of changing it.
"Thank you. As for the report, just let me black out a bit more information later."
Accepting her congratulations, Shirou picked up a pen, preparing to obscure some details more thoroughly.
Earlier, Penguin Logistics and Minmin had repeatedly reminded him to keep certain information confidential. He could not afford to expose it just a few hours later.
"That can wait. I think… we have something else to discuss first."
Chen did not refuse his intention to conceal parts of the report. However, before that, there was something she wanted to ask.
About the Chi Xiao at her waist and the sword techniques.
"Ah… this…"
Looking at the extra Chi Xiao in Chen's hand, Shirou more or less understood what she wanted to ask.
After all, projecting someone else's weapon and using their techniques right in front of them, anyone would question it.
At this moment, Shirou could only give an awkward smile, waiting for Chen's next question.
"Relax. I am not here to blame you. I just want to confirm the situation."
Handing the Chi Xiao over to Shirou, Chen noticed that he looked so embarrassed he might start digging into the floor.
Considering he was still wearing a patient's gown, she decided not to press too hard for now and simply understand the situation first.
There was not much to pursue anyway. The traces left at the scene were nearly identical to those produced by her own techniques.
Even between her and Wei Yenwu, both wielding Chi Xiao, the results of using the same "Draw" technique could differ greatly.
That was why she was curious where Shirou had learned it.
"…Um, Officer Chen, you took the wrong one. The one you are giving me is yours."
Looking at Chen holding Chi Xiao out in midair, Shirou hesitated for a moment before speaking.