"That's great! I was still racking my brains over how to tell Natasha about this..." The Hound's expression suddenly changed, "But... who will do the implant surgery? You're in this state now. By the time you recover from your injury, it will definitely be too late."

"... None of you guys who have served in the military know how to do battlefield first aid?" Ke Lan was speechless.

"Battlefield first aid is one thing, and implant surgery is another...Battlefield first aid only buys the wounded some time. If someone is really seriously injured, they will definitely be sent to the rear for rescue as soon as possible. As for the small medical kit equipped on ordinary soldiers, do you think it can be of much use?" said the Hound.

"What about military doctors? There should be some military doctors among your old subordinates, right?"

At this point, Hound's expression suddenly dimmed, and after several seconds he spoke: "Originally there was a military doctor, that young man was a good person, and had good skills... Unfortunately, he died, and we couldn't even get his body back."

"Feel sorry."

"It's nothing, actually." The Hound sighed, "It's all in the past. There's nothing to apologize for. Life and death are determined by fate. It's all up to one's own destiny."

After a long while, the hound managed to utter the next sentence: "Too many people died... I still remember the names and faces of many people... Sometimes I even feel that they are still alive..."

"Old dog." Ke Lan wanted to reach out and pat the other's arm, but he was tied up tightly with bandages and couldn't move at all.

"Forget it, let's not think about it. The dead don't have to worry about how to live tomorrow, but we who are alive still have to find a way to make a living. It's not much better for us. You should tell me what to do about this operation!"

"There are two ways... The first way is that you can perform the surgery and implant the stalagmite fragments into Ivan's body, and then you can 'repair' me after I recover from my injuries."

"I'm afraid that won't work." The Hound shook his head. "First of all, we don't know the range of the fragment, so we have no idea where to bury it or how deep to bury it. Secondly...what if it accidentally cuts a major blood vessel or something important, and directly kills the doctor?"

“I can participate in the surgery remotely using video calls,” Ke Lan added.

"Then can you guarantee that you can handle all emergencies with just the video footage? You know... this is not a routine operation. I'm afraid that few people in the Ark have ever come into contact with that kind of thing." The Hound coughed lightly, "You should talk about the second method."

"As for the second method, I'm even more unsure."

"how?"

"The second option is to accept the Soma Group's recruitment and become their special consultant, and then use my authority to directly assign a doctor to perform the surgery."

"Can this doctor keep a secret?" The word "uneasy" was clearly written on the Hound's face.

"You can choose to have him removed after the doctor completes the operation," Ke Lan smiled, "Of course, this is the worst option."

"Then what other methods are there? We are not the crazy people in the Security Bureau who kill without blinking an eye. I can't do such a thing as attacking innocent people."

"Pull this doctor on board the pirate ship."

"Pull? How?"

"Let him 'accidentally' get infected during the operation, and then implant him with stalagmite fragments... Although this is a bit unethical, at least it doesn't involve killing people."

"This... is indeed a bit mean... but it seems to be the only way." The hound nodded.

…

…

…

Three days later.

Ark South District 2, Soma Group’s First Private Sanatorium, VIP Ward No. 0.

Although it was nominally called a sanatorium, in fact the medical level of this place was enough to beat more than 90% of the public hospitals open to ordinary people on the Ark. Whether it was a fully automatic medical cabin or the LCL fluid used to repair damaged bodies, they were all of the highest quality. And this VIP ward where only Ke Lan lived was more than ten times larger than his previous residence.

But... no matter how big the ward is, the area where Ke Lan can move is only a tiny space in the medical cabin.

The medical cabin is a cylindrical glass tank filled with an orange-yellow transparent liquid called "LCL". This liquid can directly provide oxygen to Ke Lan's lungs, and can also accelerate the repair of damaged tissues in the body - limb reconstruction surgery like the one Zhuo Ligetu had planned to do before, has to be done by soaking in this thing.

"This is a bit too boring..." Ke Lan opened his eyes and glanced at the small screen inside the medical cabin. It was now six o'clock in the morning, time for breakfast.

"I really want to eat something..." Ke Lan licked his teeth with his tongue. Although he didn't feel hungry, the empty feeling in his esophagus and stomach still made him feel a little disappointed.

"LCL liquid will provide you with the energy you need for physical activities, you don't have to worry--" A sweet female voice sounded in my ears. This is the intelligent AI of this automatic medical cabin, named Mary. It is said that the voice source was collected from a very popular beautiful girl idol in the old era.

"I'm not worried that I'll starve to death, I just want to satisfy my appetite - appetite, understand?" Ke Lan said weakly. He hasn't had a single bite of food since he escaped from that strange deserted island until now - at first he was given glucose, then nasogastric nutrition, and then he was stuffed into this glass jar filled with "orange juice".

This liquid nicknamed "orange juice" has a somewhat sticky texture and a faint smell of blood. It tastes a little salty and astringent when you put it in your mouth. It feels like serum separated from plasma. The taste is really not good.

"Putting food into the medical cabin may contaminate the LCL liquid. Your esophagus and trachea are now filled with LCL liquid. Swallowing food may cause blockage of the liquid passage, posing a life-threatening risk..."

"Stop... I'm just complaining." Ke Lan said quickly.

"Negative emotions will affect the body's recovery speed..."

"Stop talking... I feel like you're the main source of my negative emotions..." Ke Lan sighed, "Turn on the TV."

On the wall directly opposite the window of the medical cabin, there is a 150-inch large screen. Ke Lan has basically been using this thing to pass the time these two days.

"Good morning, everyone. You are watching the morning show "Morning News on the Ark" on the news channel of Ark TV Station No. 1. It is now six in the morning, the weather is sunny, and the temperature at the equator is between -9 degrees Celsius and +17 degrees Celsius. I am the host, Bai Qian. I will first show you the important news of the past week."

It's the news again... Ke Lan was a little depressed. Mary seemed to only know how to turn on the TV but not change the channel. Every time she turned on the screen, it was the News Channel of TV One. She completely ignored Ke Lan's request to change the channel.

This AI...isn't it a defective product? Ke Lan couldn't help but think.

"The official announcement is that the welfare benefits of field staff will be improved. Combatants will receive an additional 8% material ration subsidy, and non-combatants will receive an additional 6% material ration subsidy. The subsidy can be collected by family members on their behalf, or converted into credit points..."

"Last week, a total of 1,173 newborns were born, with zero infant mortality and no severe congenital defects. The fertility rate hit a record high this quarter..."

"There was a riot in the East 9th District on Sunday. It has been suppressed by the garrison troops. The number of casualties is unknown for now, but according to reliable information, the instigator may be an extreme Lüquan organization..."

"The institute announced that the new plant virus has been conquered, and the gene-edited virus-resistant seedlings will be delivered to major hydroponic bases within a month."

"Last Friday, an accident occurred during the exploration of Ruins A-087. The entire ruins were sealed again, and the core area sank into the ground. Of the four teams exploring the ruins at the time, a total of 27 researchers, 15 hunters, and 44 logistics support personnel, only one person managed to escape. However, the survivor has serious mental problems and is temporarily unable to accept an interview with our station."

"Huh?" Ke Lan was stunned for a moment, and immediately focused his attention on the screen.

A-087...isn't this the ruins they just explored last week? !