The Last Gentleman

Under the joint coordination of Professor Chamberson and Director Edge, everyone was assigned to Zion's First Clinic, a crucial location for evaluating a doctor’s credentials.

[Revelation Clinic]

Also known as the Hippocrates Major Hospital, it shares similarities with the OCA Alfarostik Academy. The hospital is completely isolated from the surrounding streets by a special barrier—a unique wall structure.

The facility comprises several sections: the Inpatient Department, the Revelation Building, and the Disease Origin Center.

[Inpatient Department]

This section consists of white-brick, red-roofed terraced buildings with gabled roofs, arranged in a linear formation at the rear of the hospital.

It primarily serves gentlemen who have faced great difficulties in completing missions and made significant contributions to the organization. Approved patients enjoy entirely free treatment.

As long as the patient sent in isn’t completely dead or suffering from severe pathological conditions (defined as more than 80% bodily degradation), they can generally walk out alive.

[Revelation Building]

This unique structure, resembling a sports arena, is the first sight upon entering the hospital.

Gentlemen seeking to obtain a "Doctor's Credential" must undergo a rigorous capability assessment here.

Prominent veteran doctors are often invited by the organization to serve as examiners, ensuring the selection process for core members maintains high standards.

[Disease Origin Center]

Adjacent to the Revelation Building stands a massive, sealed white square structure.

Built from costly and highly specialized isolating materials, its level of containment surpasses even the Wilsterman Teaching Building at the academy by several degrees.

Newly credentialed doctors are sometimes assigned as security personnel here, responsible for safety patrols over a certain period.

The reason is straightforward:

Since the organization’s inception, all collected information about pathological mutations, various diseases, and research conducted by gentlemen doctors—including critical documents and reports—has been compiled into books and stored within this building.

It serves as a specialized library with the theme of "Disease."

Whenever new pathological symptoms are discovered, the center promptly archives them. Personal research papers accepted for inclusion here are considered a significant honor. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

......

Inpatient Department

Yi Chen, whose injuries were relatively mild and who exhibited plant-like characteristics, was assigned to an ordinary ward.

After confirming he carried no pathogens and was in stable condition, the doctors proceeded with the "Left Hand Reconstruction Procedure."

A healer-type doctor wearing a white mask entered the ward. Removing his gloves, he revealed a special blood-marked magic circle engraved on the back of his hand.

When his palm touched Yi Chen’s severed wrist, threads of blood and flesh immediately extended, weaving together under the doctor’s control to reconstruct bones, muscle tissue, blood vessels, and more. Within five minutes, a brand-new left hand was formed.

Observing the familiar calluses and the distinct arrangement of palm lines formed from years of grave-digging, Yi Chen was certain this was his old "partner" restored.

Just as he expressed his gratitude, the doctor silently left the room.

Although his left hand was completely healed without any side effects, Yi Chen had previously been exposed to the pathogen host, Moonscar, a rare new disease categorized under "Moon Disease." Thus, he was required to remain hospitalized for a full week.

Daily physical and psychological examinations were conducted.

Perhaps due to the intense nature of the mission, Yi Chen often hallucinated during the night-shift rounds, imagining female doctors with IV stands or bandaged nurses entering his room for special inspections.

On the fourth day of his hospitalization, Yi Chen received notice of a room reassignment.

He, Dagobert, and Edmund were moved to the same ward.

The reality was worse than expected.

Dagobert’s condition was relatively stable, with no long-term complications anticipated, but he would be unable to take on missions for at least two months.

Edmund, however, appeared extremely frail.

Due to the forced injection of the "Plague Conversion Agent" into his carotid artery, although serum was used to kill the pathogens in advance, the impurities remaining in his body could not be expelled through metabolism. Thus, he still required special "bloodletting therapy."

Over the past few days, he underwent extensive bloodletting, followed by rapid blood replenishment through nutritional supplements and medication. As a result, he had visibly lost weight.

Additionally,

the condition of Edmund's injured left arm from the final battle was dire.

The wound on his arm, inflicted by Mr. Lee, had been invaded by "rat hairs." The delay of several hours during their journey allowed these rat hairs to take root on the surface of the bones. Even scraping the bones could not completely remove them.

The only option was to amputate the entire arm and undergo a regional reconstruction similar to Yi Chen's procedure.

However,

reconstructing an entire arm is vastly different from reconstructing a hand. Moreover, unlike Yi Chen, Edmund did not possess plant-based pathogenic characteristics. An arm reconstructed with external assistance would feel entirely foreign to him, requiring long periods of adaptation and practice.

There was a chance he could fully recover, but there was also a possibility of lifelong functional impairment.

For Edmund, who relied on alternating between guns and swords in combat, this was undoubtedly a devastating blow. His future prospects might be ruined.

Yet,

when reunited with his two teammates, Edmund showed no signs of despair. He remained resolutely confident in his unfamiliar and somewhat stiff left arm.

He was proud to have survived such a difficult mission and to have slain the pathogenized gentleman.

If given the choice again, Edmund would still make the same decision.

The only thing that unsettled him was Juliana's condition.

The hospital kept Juliana's treatment entirely confidential, refusing to disclose any information.

On the seventh day of her admission,

the hospital finally provided an update.

Juliana was out of the critical phase but still needed continued treatment and observation.

There was a high likelihood she would be left with lasting aftereffects, making it impossible for her to resume her role as a "pathogen-cleansing" gentleman.

Upon hearing this news, Edmund was almost sleepless that night. For the first time in his life, he lost control of his emotions in front of his teammates.

Yi Chen, on the other hand, displayed little emotion.

Lying on his hospital bed, he contemplated only one thing: if he could become strong enough in the future, he could prevent such situations from ever happening.

Even if they did occur, he could use the healing properties of plants to provide immediate physical recovery, saving his teammates from danger.

One month passed.

In front of the inpatient ward's main entrance,

the four of them emerged one after another after completing their discharge procedures.

Edmund’s left arm was not equipped with any support device, and he showed no discomfort when performing basic movements. His cheerful demeanor had returned as he pushed Juliana, seated in a wheelchair, at the front of the group.

Juliana had long come to terms with her injuries. She neither felt sorrow nor regret. She believed that under those circumstances, the fact that everyone could return alive was the best possible outcome.

She would need more than six months of rest and regular check-ups.

At her current rate of recovery, while she might not reach her former condition, she could still participate in basic pathogen-cleansing missions. If she could break through certain limit barriers, a full recovery might even be possible.

As the four of them chatted and laughed while leaving the front entrance of Hippocrates General Hospital, they saw Supervisor Edge, with his tilted top hat, sitting in a finely crafted carriage, waiting for them.

"Get in," he said. "The settlement for the Secret Medicine Recovery mission will use a confidential, non-public process. Additionally, high-ranking members of the organization besides myself will be present.

During the process, you will be questioned in detail about your mission experiences. Be prepared."