Chapter 265

Chapter 265

When Eve told Deputy Director Hu earlier that Zuo Tan had the mildest symptoms among the four patients, she wasn’t lying.

Zerg venom possesses extreme corrosiveness, capable of eroding from external wounds all the way to the spiritual sea. At the very least, compared to the others, Zuo Tan’s condition had not deteriorated severely. If it wasn't due to strong resistance, it could only mean she had been injured for the shortest time.

Every patient’s room had an A4-sized window in the wall. To avoid infection, anything needed was usually delivered through a mechanical arm via this window. After briefly examining Zuo Tan’s injury, Eve retrieved the equipment and materials she had just requested through the window.

She didn’t have access to medications herself, so she had Deputy Director Hu apply for them after stepping out.

Deputy Director Hu looked astonished. "You can really cure Zerg venom infection?"

"Her condition isn’t severe; an hour is enough," Eve replied. Although Louis' memories had taught her how to handle Zerg venom, the outcome still depended on the specific situation. Some people could poison themselves by eating spoiled food, let alone deal with something as dangerous as Zerg venom. In Eve’s view, at least half the patients on this floor were already beyond saving. "The essence of Zerg venom is contamination, and contamination spreads. The longer it's delayed, the more dangerous it becomes. Right now, it’s best if you mobilize all available personnel to cut out the infected areas from those who still have a chance."

Deputy Director Hu hesitated. "But simply cutting it out won’t completely remove the venom, will it…"

Eve looked at him as if he were an idiot. "Obviously not, but it will significantly delay the onset of symptoms."

The military doctors had tried amputation before, but once Zerg venom enters the bloodstream, it quickly circulates throughout the body. Even amputation doesn’t prevent it from causing decay elsewhere, like a rotting black dahlia eagerly finding new places to sprout on the patient’s body.

Over time, with no cure available, the military doctors stopped amputating. It only added to the patients’ suffering, and the spilled blood easily caused secondary infections.

Zuo Tan was aware of this as well, which was why she couldn’t help but feel a chill down her spine when she saw Eve holding a saw to her wrist. She stammered, "J-Just cutting it off will be enough? When the military brought me here, the doctors said even if the injured part is amputated, other areas would still start to rot."

"I’m not a doctor, thank you," Eve said without looking up. "I’m an expert Senior Alchemist."

Since she’s called an alchemist, isn’t it reasonable for her to know a few tricks like turning stone to gold or bringing the dead back to life?

Hidden within the flesh that had almost completely rotted into sludge was a straight, deep cut with blood spreading outward—a typical wound from a serrated weapon. Eve guessed this was the injury Zuo Tan had sustained from the Zerg attack.

She injected an anesthetic slightly above the wound, then picked up a small handheld saw and began cutting from the completely decayed edge. After removing large chunks of rotten flesh, she switched to a smaller, slender scalpel to carefully trim away the remaining decay.

Eve’s knife skills were excellent. The metal blade moved through the flesh with a grating sound that made Zuo Tan’s scalp tingle. Unperturbed, Eve continued working while making conversation to distract her. "How long ago were you injured?"

"About two or three days ago," Zuo Tan recalled. "I was inspecting on Pushy Star when I unfortunately encountered a Zerg swarm. Luckily, the planet’s alarm was raised quickly, and the military arrived soon after. When they discovered my wound was infected, I was sent here."

In just two or three days, a perfectly healthy hand had been corroded into a soft, rotten mess.

Eve pondered this internally but showed no outward reaction. Switching to a small pair of scissors, she steadily treated the wound while asking another question to divert Zuo Tan’s attention. "What were you doing inspecting Pushy Star? Speaking of which, I haven’t asked you yet—what happened after you escaped from the 'Skyfarrow'? How did you end up here?"

Zuo Tan replied, "It’s a long story."

During the Third Legion’s raid on the Skyfarrow, thanks to Eve’s prior arrangements, Zuo Tan and the others escaped smoothly and were relocated to a safe place by the military. She had enough sense not to reveal she was Zuo Qirong’s daughter, and the disoriented hostages couldn’t tell if she was among them. Thus, Zuo Tan blended in with the hostages.

These rescued individuals were victims of the Skyfarrow, not perpetrators, so after basic evidence collection, the government issued them new identities and helped them search for surviving relatives. However, most of the hostages were captives left behind after the space pirates had attacked merchant ships, and their relatives had long been killed by the ruthless pirates. They were left with no one in the world except their fellow survivors.

Due to the favorable natural environment of the Swan Star System and its location on the empire’s border, the living costs were relatively low, making it a suitable new home for these traumatized hostages. After some twists and turns, thanks to her good looks, they all ended up working for the Garcia family. Among them, Zuo Tan and another girl, being quick-witted and efficient, were promoted to junior supervisors last month.

This accident occurred when Zuo Tan was inspecting a subordinate resource star on behalf of her employer.

"I don’t know if this is luck or misfortune," she said with a bitter smile, covering her pale face with her remaining hand. "I thought my life had taken a turn for the better, but I almost died. Thankfully, I met you, Miss Eve. You saved my life again."

Eve replied, "...Your life sounds quite dramatic."

The deadpan delivery of this teasing remark made Zuo Tan laugh through her tears.

Eve had prepared a potion beforehand that could suppress the Zerg venom and halt its circulation in the body, just in case of emergencies.

As expected, she encountered Frigga’s warning immediately upon arrival. Fortunately, she had come prepared.

After bandaging the wound to stop the bleeding, Eve injected a translucent, milky potion into Zuo Tan using a syringe. Next came the delivered bionic hand. In the Interstellar Era, losing a hand or foot was considered a minor injury, as bionic prosthetics could be replaced as needed.

Alchemy potions work quickly. Within minutes, Zuo Tan felt a soft, warm sensation in her arm, which had been numb with pain for two whole days—it came from Eve’s hand lightly pressing on her forearm.

She tentatively raised her hand, reaching for the empty water glass on the bedside table. Having been immobile for so long, her wrist trembled unnaturally at first, but as time passed, Zuo Tan steeled herself and firmly grasped the glass.

"My injury... is it really healed?" she asked, dazed, unable to believe that the Zerg venom that had tormented her for so long had been dealt with so effortlessly by Eve. "Is it truly cured? Or is this just a temporary effect after getting the prosthetic?"

"It’s cured, truly cured. However, it’s best if you stay here overnight for observation. I’ll check on you again tomorrow morning. If there’s no further growth or thrombosis, you’ll be fine."

Seeing color return to the woman’s face, Eve subtly breathed a sigh of relief. This was her first time treating pure Zerg venom infection, and she wasn't as confident as she appeared. But she couldn’t very well say that to a patient already consumed by anxiety.

She was glad to have brought hope back to someone.

"Alright, rest now. I happen to be going to the Garcia residence tomorrow and can take you with me," Eve said, putting her veiled hat back on—she had removed it earlier to get a better look at the wound. She took two steps toward the door under Zuo Tan’s reluctant gaze but suddenly turned back as if remembering something. "One more thing."

Zuo Tan quickly said, "What is it? Please, feel free to ask. If I can help, don’t hesitate."

"It’s a small matter," Eve said calmly. "I just wanted to remind you—since I’m here on a mission, I’m using the alias Lu Zhan. Please don’t call me by the wrong name."

She even changed her name!

The matter of the league competition involved the empire’s reputation, so it hadn’t been widely publicized. Zuo Tan, being in the remote Swan Star System, had no idea that Eve had been reported missing during the competition.

Her heart sank, thinking that Eve must have come to this small place under a false identity for an incredibly important mission. She immediately straightened up and said seriously, "Don’t worry, my lips are sealed. I won’t leak a single word about your real identity."

Having shared hardships made it easier to bluff.

Eve adjusted her collar and calmly pushed the door open. Deputy Director Hu had already taken the remaining personnel to examine the other patients as she had suggested, leaving only Anthony waiting outside.

The room had just undergone surgery. Although the mechanical arm had cleaned up immediately after the procedure, a faint smell of blood still lingered in the air.

Looking past the alchemist’s slender figure, Anthony watched the revitalized woman in the room with a complex expression. "You really can handle Zerg venom. I thought..."

Eve raised an eyebrow. "You thought what?"

He had thought Louis was the only one in the world who could analyze Zerg venom... Anthony's gaze shifted before he broke into a warm, friendly smile. "Nothing. I’m just glad you avoided being thrown out of the camp by Marshal Frigga. Welcome to our team, highly capable Lu Zhan Senior Alchemist."

"Actually, there’s something I’ve been curious about," Eve said suddenly.

Where did that come from? Seeing the alchemist’s calm expression, Anthony felt a strange premonition. "Is it about me?"

"Yes, and it might be somewhat intrusive," Eve said, though she gave him no chance to refuse. "As you know, I came from the Capital Star, and in a way, I’m here at the behest of the Grand Princess... Aren’t you wondering why I traveled all the way here? That’s part of the reason. I’m curious about how you feel about being sent here."

The corridor lights flickered twice as if they had short-circuited before returning to normal.

Eve, afraid Anthony might retaliate, deliberately recalled the taunting tones often used by Gu Zhaoxi and Agnes. Tilting her head, she stared unblinkingly at the red-haired young man. Sure enough, this classic condescending attitude only made the corner of Anthony's mouth twitch, without arousing further suspicion.

"Your question is really..." He paused, then shrugged with a laugh, admitting frankly, "My feelings are complicated, but not bad. Life in the military camp isn’t as rough as I imagined. I think staying here is quite alright."

Eve silently watched him for a while before uttering an "Oh" and leaving listlessly.

Before asking, she had even used the Luna Butterfly to loosen Anthony’s mental defenses, yet she still failed to extract any useful details. The guy was as tight-lipped as they come.

After she left, Anthony dropped his friendly smile, stood thoughtfully for a moment, then took out his terminal and reported the events to Frigga.

His role differed from others’. As royalty, Anthony didn’t need to fight on the dangerous front lines or handle unrewarding tasks in logistics. As an adjutant to Frigga, his duties were minimal—more of an assistant with little actual work.

It was far better than being forced to study relentlessly in the palace, but after several days of relaxation, Anthony couldn’t help feeling restless.

He remembered he came to the legion to do something meaningful—after all, he couldn’t just be slacking off, right?

After hesitating for a moment, he slowly added a sentence after reporting the situation.

“Anthony: Well, she really seems quite capable. Alchemists are too fragile. If you permit, I can lead a squad of guards to protect her.”

“Frigga: Are you sure she can treat Zerg venom?”

“Anthony: I believe her abilities go beyond that.”

No evidence, just pure intuition.

Just like when Anthony first met Eve—back then, she was still a nobody, yet he instinctively felt she wasn’t someone to be taken lightly. Even though Lu Zhan had shown what she can do in front of him today, Anthony still felt that she must be hiding something more.

The communication screen froze for a moment, as if the other side was evaluating the significance of Lu Zhan receiving such a remark. After a while, a single word appeared in the message box, as if rippling like water.

“Frigga: Approved.”