He walked out of the building, passed the courtyard between the two buildings, and followed the winding cobblestone path toward Building B.
Qin Chu paused as he passed the flowerbed.
A few minutes later, he took the magnetic card that Dodd had given him and opened the door to room 21.
In the center of the ward was a medical pod, and the surrounding instruments were emitting regular monitoring alerts.
Qin Chu stood by the door for a few seconds before closing it and going inside.
He walked to the medical pod and looked through the transparent window at the sleeping person inside.
The sleeping person's body had become emaciated, with muscle loss and sunken cheeks, with only strong bones still supporting them.
His once healthy skin tone had been replaced by a pale, ashen one, with only the tattoo on his neck remaining a glaring red.
Qin Chu reached out and placed the bright red thorn flower stem in his palm next to the medical pod.
-
Dude had the medical equipment from Qin Chu's ward moved to ward number 21.
Having learned of the changes in Qin Chu's hospital room, members of several legions came to visit him one after another.
After standing outside the room for a while, Burke turned to Dodd and asked, "How are they?"
Dodd shook his head and said frankly, "Neither is optimistic."
Although he had expected it, Burke still sighed upon hearing those words.
Dud explained, "Marshal Qin Chu's consciousness has just returned to his body, but it's unknown whether the damage he suffered can be reversed. His Highness Levi's body is still in a period of decline."
Burke was speechless.
He leaned against the window, waving at Qin Chu in an attempt to get his attention, but to no avail.
“He was similar before, but at least he would have some reaction. Unlike now…” He sat upright next to the medical pod, seemingly indifferent to everything except the people inside.
“He’s not sensitive to human physiological needs now. If we don’t remind him to eat and drink regularly, he won’t do these things all day,” Dud said. “And as for sleep, we can only force him to fall asleep by spraying him with sedatives.”
Burke couldn't hold it in and covered his eyes.
Dud patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "This situation is much better than expected. After finding Levy, he's no longer so insistent on going out, and he's less resistant to treatment. He'll get better."
The situation in Qin and Chu is indeed improving.
A few days later, he noticed that the flower stems next to the medical ward had withered. For the first time, he voluntarily left his ward and went to the flower garden to pick another one.
Some time later, when Dodd was making his rounds, he turned to Dodd and asked, "Is he in pain?"
The medical staff behind him were thrilled by his first question, but Dudley was trying to remain calm and think about the meaning of Qin Chu's words.
After thinking for a while, Dudley realized that Qin Chu was asking if Levi was in pain when the protective shield was activated.
After hesitating for a moment, Dudley said, "I didn't ask him that question. But before the machine was turned on, I asked him if he would regret it, if he hadn't met you, he wouldn't have had to do this."
At this point, Dud noticed that Qin Chu's brow seemed to furrow slightly.
It was very slight, but it was the most painful expression he could show at that moment.
“He replied that he was happy to be with me,” Dud said.
Dud had no idea whether Qin Chu could understand what he had said that day.
But after that day, he seemed to suddenly understand the significance of the consciousness training and therapy he usually did, and he consciously repeated the training on his own when the doctor was not around.
Another six months passed.
For the past six months, Qin Chu has maintained the most routine of his life.
His condition is improving rapidly. In addition to staying by Levy's side, he has started reading, doing regular physical training, and even asked the hospital to let him into the training room.
He slowly began to return to his former normal life, but he still didn't like to talk and selectively listened to what others said.
He also showed clear likes and dislikes towards those who came to visit. When he noticed cabinet members approaching, he would draw the curtains from the inside.
From the surveillance footage, Dudley could see that he was gradually reverting to those small habits and subconscious actions he used to have.
This is a big step forward.
During this time, Levy's body also underwent changes.
His body's tissues stopped decaying, and the remaining stem cells began to slowly differentiate, reshaping his body. First the internal organs, then the muscles, skin, and hair.
Qin Chu seemed to take this as a sign that Levi was waking up, and began to sit in front of the medical pod every day without changing his routine.
A few days later, he showed obvious anxiety and stopped Dodd to ask, "Why hasn't he woken up yet?"
Although this reaction surprised Dud, being stared at by Qin Chu was not a pleasant experience, so Dud could only explain, "There has to be a process."
Fortunately, Qin Chu quickly realized that he had been too hasty.
After some time, and after observing the changes in Levy's body, Dud decided to transfer him out of the medical pod.
This device is designed for delicate humans, while all external stimuli and dangers will only accelerate the metabolism of the Star Beast cells.
During this period, Qin Chu had undergone extremely detailed tests, and in theory, he had met the criteria for discharge.
However, he kept putting off the last test.
The state of war in the empire has been lifted, but the affairs of the military will never be less.
After several army commanders jointly requested permission, the hospital finally agreed to allow Qin Chu to work in his hospital room.
Qin Chu was clearly pleased after transferring Levi out of the medical pod.
Because he was finally able to actually touch Levy.
But this also marked the beginning of Dodd's life of hardship.
In the morning, he had just come out of the hospital cafeteria when he was met by Qin Chu, who was rushing towards him in a menacing manner.
"Greetings, Marshal!"
"Marshal Qin Chu?"
A group of people greeted him, but Qin Chu ignored them all.
Qin Chu, who usually maintained basic courtesy, reacted very unusually. Before Du De could even ask what was wrong, he felt a tightness around his neck and almost vomited up the steamed bun he had just eaten.
Before Dud could say a word, Qin Chu picked him up and took him away.
Qin Chu ran ahead, while Du De floated in his hand.
As his gaze swept over all his colleagues in the corridor, Dud felt like a lonely, helpless plastic bag.
Having finally managed to get his feet on solid ground, Dudley leaned against the wall and asked weakly, "What happened?"
Qin Chu pointed to Levi on the hospital bed: "He's awake."
Dud immediately sprang to his senses and ran over to check.
After examining Levi's body and reviewing the monitoring and instrument records, he asked blankly, "Where did he wake up?"
"Three minutes ago, my finger twitched three times," Qin Chu said in great detail.
Dud zoomed in and zoomed in on the surveillance video until he finally found the "finger movement" that Qin Chu had mentioned.
"Well... Marshal, life isn't a movie. Just because a finger moves doesn't mean a person is awake. But it's a sign of active nerves, which is a good thing." However, you don't need to drag me from the cafeteria.
Qin Chu was clearly disappointed.
Two days later, the same thing happened again.
When he was taken away again, Dudley was only thankful that this time it happened in his office during lunch break, when there wasn't as much foot traffic as in the cafeteria.
Practice makes perfect, and this time Dudley was very calm.
He straightened his collar and asked Qin Chu, "Where did you move this time? I told you before..."
“This time is different.” Qin Chu interrupted him, walked to the bedside and looked at Levi, saying, “He just opened his eyes.”
Dud examined it again and sighed at Qin Chu: "Actually, it's not much different from moving your finger."
After saying those words, Dudley actually felt a little reluctant.
Although Qin Chu didn't say anything or show any expression, he could indeed sense a strong sense of disappointment and repression from this person.
But Marshal Qin Chu's way of alleviating his disappointment was to start reading books on the human body and medicine. Every day when Du De went to check on the patients and saw that stack of books, he felt that his professionalism was being ruthlessly questioned.
In the morning, Qin Chu picked another thorn flower stem and placed it in front of Levi's bedside, then poked Levi's cheek with his finger.
Qin Chu will indeed be disappointed.
Everything seemed to be telling him that this person might wake up, or he might fall into a deep sleep forever.
Over time, it doesn't seem so hard to accept anymore.
I grabbed a towel and wiped Levi's face. He's currently in a period of rapid metabolism; his hair, nails, and stubble are all growing very fast. If I leave him alone for two weeks, he'll probably look like a primitive savage from a remote star system.
The hospital wanted to arrange for a caregiver to come, but Qin Chu refused.
He's not good at taking care of people, but this isn't difficult, and taking care of Levi himself will make him feel better.
This would make Qin Chu feel that he and Levi were still together.
He was awake, but the other person was asleep.
The seasons have come full circle, and the weather is starting to warm up again.
Levi's hair was already quite long, and Qin Chu noticed that he was starting to lose hair when she combed it.
Faced with this situation, Qin Chu was no longer as panicked as he had been at the beginning.
While the doctor was making his rounds, he picked up the clumps of hair and asked Dodd, "Is he going bald?"
Upon hearing this, Duds sadly touched his precious hair: "Although I really want to say yes, his physique is still more similar to that of a star beast. This kind of animal doesn't go bald; it just molts when the season comes."
Qin Chu was relieved. He gathered up the hair and said to the sleeping Levi, "If you go bald, I won't want you anymore."
Dud glanced at him, seemed hesitant to speak, but ultimately left.
It was only after some time that Qin Chu realized he had this problem.
Even someone as taciturn as him started talking to himself as he spoke to Levy.
When pouring water, he would subconsciously ask, "Do you want some?"
When he was trimming Levi's nails, he would hold Levi's hand and say, "They're growing so fast, just chop them off."