Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Stars of the Scientific World (1)
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I hurriedly knelt in front of the fainted man.
“Hey!”
I lifted the gray-haired man’s head and shouted urgently.
“Hey, come on, snap out of it!”
[Oh dear!]
Someone shouted from above my head.
…Above my head?
When I looked up, I saw a round machine attached to the ceiling. It was hanging like a disco ball, its camera peering down at me and the collapsed man.
[John’s finally down!]
I hadn’t misheard. The voice was definitely coming from that disco ball thing.
Holding the collapsed man, I stared blankly at the camera-equipped disco ball.
“Finally?”
[I’ll contact Doctor Han right away! Could you take John to the hospital, mysterious stranger?]
“Uh….”
I trailed off in confusion and glanced around.
People in white lab coats were craning their necks to stare at us. Some half-standing from their seats. People murmuring, “Need a hand?”
What was surprising was that they didn’t seem all that shocked. More like faces saying, “It’s finally happened….”
Why did everyone look like they’d seen this coming?
Anyway, first things first—I needed to get this guy to the hospital—when a familiar voice rang out.
“Ah.”
My master’s low voice had never sounded so welcome.
“So it’s come to this, huh?”
“Yoon!”
I called out happily to the man who’d stopped in front of me.
“You’re here! The guy next to me just collapsed out of nowhere….”
“He hasn’t eaten.”
Yoon said flatly.
What?
“What do you mean, hasn’t eaten?”
“Food. Come on. We can head to Samuel’s together.”
Yoon jerked the papers in his hand toward the man clinging to my arm like a limp tree branch.
He wasn’t surprised today, either. My master watched with those eyes as I stood up holding the man, like I was just picking up a dumbbell at the gym.
The researchers who’d been peeking over started turning back to their monitors one by one.
The lab regained its rhythm in an instant. Only the disco ball overhead spun around on the ceiling, still fixated on us.
[I’ve contacted Doctor Han!]
“Yeah, good.”
“What’s that thing?”
I watched my master respond dryly to the disco ball’s announcement.
“Disco ball AI?”
“Disco ball?”
[Disco ball AI?]
Yoon shot me a look like I’d said the dumbest thing on earth. The disco ball repeated it in a tone like it had heard something shocking.
But I just blinked. My master’s expressions like that didn’t faze me anymore. The worry about looking stupid to him had vanished at some point.
Anyway, to him, most humans probably looked dumb.
Yoon spoke up.
“That’s Martin.”
“Martin?”
[Pleasure to meet you!]
What next?
The AI’s tone was bright yet polite. I nodded, chin raised toward the machine’s camera.
Still carrying the collapsed man, I headed out of the lab. I followed Yoon, who was meekly making for the hospital wing. Martin slinked along after us.
Why’s it following?
As we walked through the hectic, noisy lab, Martin stayed above my head.
No.
It followed us out of the lab, too.
Yoon rolled his eyes at the trailing machine.
“Martin. Back inside.”
[Got it!]
The machine obediently complied with Yoon’s order.
It slipped back into the lab as quietly as it had emerged. The moment it vanished from sight, I closed the gap with my master.
“Can that thing go outside the lab?”
“If it wants. The research wing’s set up for it to roam freely.”
“Set up?”
I didn’t miss my master’s last words.
We strode down the corridor teeming with lab-coated folks. I had to be careful not to let the long limbs of the man I carried bump into anyone.
Yoon explained without turning.
“I built it.”
“Whoa.”
“More precisely, that guy you’re holding and I did.”
This gray-haired guy?
Hearing that, I suddenly felt like I knew his name. Hadn’t Yoon mentioned offhand once that someone invented the core?
He’d added later that the core’s creator had received an Enhanced Body.
I looked down at the unconscious man.
“I never got to ask him directly, but what’s his name?”
“John Mullen.”
As expected.
His long limbs dangled limply. But the people in the research wing didn’t bat an eye at the bizarre sight and went about their business.
“Even if he hadn’t collapsed, you’d never have gotten his name out of him directly.”
“Huh?”
“A guy who gets so lost in research he forgets to eat—think he’d stop to chat?”
He didn’t just not eat—he forgot?
How is that possible? I’d skipped one lunch after crying myself to sleep and felt like I was starving to death. More questions bubbled up. I stayed silent, pondering which to ask first.
The lively corridor grew quiet at some point, taking on the distinct atmosphere of a hospital.
As things calmed, I called Yoon’s name.
“Did he name himself Martin?”
Yoon turned to look at me.
My master stared with eyes asking why I’d ask that, then answered flatly.
“Yeah.”
Satisfied, I kept quiet until we reached Doctor Han’s office.
***
Samuel was eating a sandwich at his desk.
When we entered, he looked up from it and saw us. His cleanly shaven jaw. His bushy black hair and sharp blue eyes. He looked exactly as he had when I first fell into this world.
He frowned hard as we strode in.
“Finally collapsed, huh?”
The doctor set down his sandwich and shot up from his chair.
“I knew it. I told you to check if he was eating properly on time.”
“I haven’t been glued to the lab lately because of this kid.”
Yoon protested to the approaching doctor.
Samuel Han didn’t even pretend to hear my master’s excuse. He checked the pale, fainted man, frowned, and sighed.
“Lindsay! Friss!”
Nurses rushed out from inside.
“John Mullen’s here. You know the diagnosis. Take him, give him nutrients, and run a full checkup on this kid holding John Mullen.”
“Yes. He hadn’t left the lab for weeks—guess it came to this.”
Things moved fast.
The nurses smoothly took John Mullen from me like it was routine. Empty-handed, I was led by other nurses and underwent various tests.
No different from the first day.
After the checks, I returned to Samuel Han’s office.
There was John Mullen on the bed, getting an IV. Samuel was chatting with my master at the desk.
…Choi Yoon chatting?
“Hey, good work.”
The doctor, who’d been chuckling at Yoon’s words, spotted me and craned his neck.
“Come sit. You eating okay? How come you’re always fasting when you show up here?”
“Oh, yeah. I eat fine. Just skipped lunch today by accident.”
“I’ve got one sandwich left—eat that at least.”
Samuel pointed to a round chair by the desk.
Nice guy…. I obediently followed the doctor’s advice. Munching the sandwich he handed me, I waited for his diagnosis as he reviewed my checkup results with a “Let’s see.”
Yoon waited too, legs crossed, for Doctor Han to speak.
Samuel eyed the screen with an inscrutable face, then broke the silence.
“You’re in perfect health right now.”
“Thanks. I feel fully recovered too.”
“Can’t boost your recovery any further, either. Normally, this recovery speed would overwhelm an Enhanced Body, but yours is in perfect harmony. Forcing it higher might cause issues.”
What’s that supposed to mean, Doc?
My jaw dropped at the bolt-from-the-blue diagnosis. Did that mean I’d be a half-baked Black Badger forever?
No way. I didn’t want to be a burden to the recruits and seniors every mission.
Yoon spoke first.
“So she has to stay like this?”
“Safest option. Her body’s perfectly healthy—no reason to mess with it.”
“Her recovery’s still below other Badgers’. Way better than a civilian, sure, but immediate hemostasis is an issue.”
“But it’s tricky to tweak. Boosting recovery isn’t risk-free. And it’s not like she’s at civilian levels. No civilian could recover like this. Can’t she just stay as is?”
“Doc, I want to either boost my recovery or scrap the Enhanced Body.”
I voiced my opinion cautiously.
Samuel Han whipped his head around. His wide eyes said it all.
The doctor stared at me, then spoke slowly.
“What?”
“I’d just be a liability like this. If I can’t pull my weight, maybe scrapping the Enhanced Body’s better….”
“You know how taxing scrapping an Enhanced Body is?”
The doctor frowned.
I nodded without dodging his displeased gaze.
“I’ve heard.”
“You know and say it that lightly? Don’t get cocky, kid.”
“It might seem cocky, but I’m serious. You know where I came from. I already popped out of nowhere and troubled the organization—can’t keep being a drag like this….”
“Troubled how? What have you done?”
Grabbing the recruits’ ankles.
I tried to answer, but the doctor didn’t give me time.
He waved his hand dismissively, face saying he was done listening.
“Instead of spouting nonsense, hit the gym more. As long as you don’t find being a Black Badger utterly horrifying, I’m not scrapping a healthy Badger’s Enhanced Body.”
“Then could we try boosting my recovery to match the other Badgers’?”
“Ugh, that’s not simple either. One slip and it’s irreversible! Train harder! Make it so low recovery’s no issue! That’s the best for now. Master emergency first aid from Yoon perfectly.”
“But I do have issues now.”
“No issues—that’s what’s weird. Normally this recovery would overload an Enhanced Body….”
“The core’s been off since that day.”
An unfamiliar voice cut in.
It came from the corner of the infirmary. Our heads turned toward the sound.
Three pairs of eyes landed on the man lying there, fingers interlaced behind his head like he was in a coffin.
His blue eyes open, staring at the ceiling.
“Where’s the one who fell out of the portal.”
Those were John Mullen’s first words.