Chapter 87: 87
"What did you say? He is back as a patient again?"
The nurse asked while blinking her eyes repeatedly in surprise as she hurried across the hospital corridor after receiving the unexpected call.Disbelief filled her face because this was already the second time that patient had somehow ended up in the hospital within such a short period of time.
CRUNG!
The door opened with a soft noise.
The nurse froze the moment the sight inside the room greeted her.
A purple-haired woman sat calmly beside the bed while a boy and a girl stood near the door with pale expressions and complicated looks on their faces as if they had witnessed something they still couldn’t properly process.
But that wasn’t what shocked her.
Rather, it was the person lying on the hospital bed.The man was wrapped in bandages from top to bottom.
His entire body looked like a giant white cocoon while only a tiny portion of his face remained visible through the layers of bandages.
The nurse stood there blankly for several seconds while trying to understand what exactly she was looking at.
The man on the bed noticed her arrival and immediately started mumbling through the thick layers of bandages.
"Uumm... Mmmmm!"
The nurse stared at him and then at the bandages.
Then she slowly turned her gaze toward the purple-haired woman.
She took a long moment to process everything before swallowing nervously.
"Who? Who did this?"
"It’s me."
Nyxara proudly raised her chin.
"Darling said he was hurting so I wrapped him myself as first aid."
A satisfied smile appeared on her face as if she had just completed an important achievement.
She then looked directly at the nurse.
"I think I did a very fine job."
The nurse opened her lips.
Several curses almost escaped her mouth at that very moment.
But the instant she remembered exactly who the woman sitting before her was, she forcefully swallowed those words back down.
A few veins visibly appeared on her forehead.
She took a deep breath and forced a professional smile onto her face.
"All of you... Please get out and let me check."
"Do I have to get out too?"
Nyxara’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
The temperature inside the room seemed to drop instantly.The nurse immediately started sweating.
"Haha! Of course not... You can stay."
She laughed awkwardly while silently prioritizing her own survival.
Meanwhile, Kellar and Lira stood quietly near the entrance while watching the entire exchange unfold before their eyes.
Their expressions were completely horrified.
’Crazy...’
’Crazy...’
’This woman is crazy.’
The two silently shared the exact same thought.
And so they were kicked out.
**********
Inside a tall skyscraper that rose toward the sky and overlooked a vast portion of the city, a man stood near the edge of the floor while silently glancing through the massive glass window before him.
The enormous metropolis reflected in his eyes.
Countless lights blinked throughout the city below while vehicles moved through the roads like endless streams of flowing light, creating the illusion of peace despite the dangers constantly lurking beneath the surface of society.
From this height, the city almost looked peaceful.
"The number of gates opening has become quite significant. Chairman, it seems we need to come up with some measures."
The man slowly turned around to look at the group of figures displayed across the large holographic screen behind him.
Representatives from several powerful organizations sat on the screen while wearing solemn expressions as they discussed one of the biggest issues currently facing humanity.
A woman adjusted her spectacles at the front of her desk before pointing toward a large world map displayed beside her.
"Each year, the level of gate openings has been increasing and new zones have been appearing randomly, leading to the loss of natural habitats and the deaths of many people."
She paused briefly while looking around the meeting.
"So we request the several clan heads to please take a look at this matter and provide help."
A wrinkled old man frowned slightly before speaking.
"Hmm. That’s really disheartening, but isn’t that what the Federation was founded for?"
He folded his arms while leaning back into his chair.
"Secretary Linda. It’s your job to safeguard common citizens."
A woman on another screen also nodded in agreement.
"You know how busy we are. We are already doing our job by providing necessary support. You can’t expect us to deploy our entire forces to help. It would destroy the meaning of your existence."
"But..."
Linda tried to argue.
"Stop."
Linda paused immediately and turned toward the person who had stepped forward.
"President Gare. Tell me we are wrong."
"I don’t think I spoke anything but facts."
After saying that, the representatives all looked toward Gare.
The man had an eyepatch covering his left eye and a long scar running across the left side of his face, revealing the vast amount of experience, hardship, and countless battles he had endured throughout his life.
Gare remained silent for a moment while looking around the room.
The current world was vastly different from the one centuries ago.
The era of nobles was long over.
In their place, powerful families had risen to prominence and established themselves as the strongest forces across the world.
There were several families ranked from Tenth Grade to First Grade.
And among them, only five families stood at the very top.
The Veydrin.
The Augustus.
The Cavendish.
The Wellchaser.
And the Sunblade.
These families stood at the top of the food chain and controlled enormous influence across the world through their power, wealth, and awakeners.
Then there was the Federation.
While the families served their personal interests and protected their own territories, it was the Federation that safeguarded the people and managed the welfare of the world.
It was the world government elected jointly by both the people and the families.
However, to think the person sitting at the top was merely a symbolic figure would be a huge mistake because only someone possessing overwhelming strength alongside exceptional political skill and diplomacy could firmly occupy that seat.
Gare slowly looked across the representatives.
Everyone was present except Veydrin.His gaze swept across them before he finally spoke.
"The Federation is short on manpower and needs some help."
A representative from the Sunblade Family immediately spoke.
"So... Are you saying that we are free?"
Gare frowned.
He stared deeply at the man.
His remaining eye suddenly emitted a mysterious gleam that caused the atmosphere inside the meeting room to become noticeably heavier, making several representatives unconsciously sit straighter in their seats.
Then he slowly spoke.
"Veydrin and Luthers are already providing their valuable support."
His voice remained calm.
"But it’s you four that have become quite disobedient during the past few years."
