"Your condition isn't too serious. It's mostly just contusions. I'll prescribe some medicine; just go home and rest," the doctor advised.
After paying, Shi Rang left the hospital carrying a plastic bag filled with medicine boxes.
He walked briskly, only stopping to check his bill when he reached a secluded area. Because of the lingering odor on his body, everyone had looked at him with strange and disgusted expressions, giving him the distinct illusion that he was back in his college days.
If they found it repulsive, so be it. Shi Rang did not care.
At least, not for now.
It was all about perspective. Compared to the "outstanding and vibrant" Pingyuan City, Yunling City was practically the safest place in the world.
Shi Rang unlocked his newly purchased Mobile Phone and jotted down the Medical Expenses in the reimbursement section of his Memo—right below the costs for his new clothes and the phone itself.
Adding personal expenses that had no business being there made his conscience twinge slightly. But on second thought, he had nearly lost his life. Padding the expense report a little was perfectly reasonable, right?
The data on his old phone could not be salvaged. Faced with that muddy pile of shattered fragments, the repair shop staff could only shake their heads.
Shi Rang was not sure if it was the un-washable Cadaveric Odor on him making them eager to shoo him away, or if the device was truly beyond repair. After checking multiple shops, he could only dejectedly try to recall what data he had lost and roughly write it down from memory.
Whether that audio recording of the Bird Attack ever actually existed was now completely impossible to verify.
'Next time I head into danger, I definitely need to leave my phone behind...'
His new Mobile Phone suddenly vibrated. It was another message from the Chief Editor—ever since the man found out Shi Rang had returned to the city, the texts had been coming in nonstop.
"Haha, as soon as I saw the investigation proposal, I knew you had a gift for journalism. You are a rising star in the news industry!"
"This is massive news! Sift through those Photographs and send them over as soon as possible. We can run an exclusive first-hand report, and you might even win a medal for this!"
"No need to rush returning the Camera, and don't be envious of others. Once this is wrapped up, I will assign you an even better one!"
At first, Shi Rang—who was used to being constantly bossed around and criticized—was quite surprised by these borderline flattering remarks. But after seeing so many of them, he just found it annoying. He switched his phone to Do Not Disturb, hailed a Taxi, and headed home using this rarely indulged luxury.
Right now, all he wanted was a good night's sleep in his own familiar bed.
Oh, right. He also needed to thank the netizen who had left behind that survival guide.
The moment he stepped through his front door, Shi Rang slipped on his sandals and made a beeline for the balcony to water the plants Ying Shang had kept by the window.
He was not good at keeping things alive. Despite his best efforts to search for information online and give himself a crash course in gardening, two years had passed, and the only survivors were a few palm-sized succulents and a single Spider Plant.
After several days without care, the long, slender leaves of the Spider Plant were looking somewhat wilted and yellow. The makeshift watering device he had rigged up using a towel and a basin of water had not been very effective.
"Hang in there..." he murmured, gently patting the drooping leaves of the Spider Plant.
'I really shouldn't leave home for so long in the future.'
He then rushed to take a shower, intentionally turning the water scalding hot. He scrubbed himself desperately in an attempt to wash away the scent, but he failed. It seemed the Cadaveric Odor would linger on him for weeks.
'Does this count as a valid excuse to skip work...?'
Walking toward his bedroom with a towel draped around his neck, Shi Rang sent a text to Jun Zi and Agent Angie to let them know he was safe. Then, he went online to catch up on what had happened in the world over the past few days:
A certain celebrity had dined at a certain restaurant on a certain day, followed by a string of exclamation marks;
Major criminal cases designed to spread anxiety and stoke division;
"Outer district goods are harmful" conspiracy theories accompanied by so-called expert advice;
The massive relocation efforts in Green Island City were still ongoing;
The border between the Third District and the Tenth District was under martial law due to an epidemic;
News about the Old Industrial Zone in Pingyuan City had leaked. The chief of Police was vague and sweating profusely during interviews—it seemed the Alliance had not yet agreed to release the information publicly, or perhaps they were just waiting for Shi Rang to complete his formalities;
In the Eastern Second-to-Last District, tragedies of various wars and chaos were being reported in massive swathes.
Before he knew it, Shi Rang had been scrolling on his phone for half an hour.
There was still plenty of news he had not read, and perhaps he would never finish it all, but he felt at ease.
It seemed that even after a few days completely off the grid, the world remained exactly as it had always been. It would not change just because of what he did.
What finally snapped him out of his reverie was a phone call from Jun Zi.
His close friend had heard he was investigating a major case and called immediately.
However, he wasn't calling to express surprise or congratulations. The moment the call connected, Jun Zi unleashed a torrent of expletives on the other end.
"Where is your brain?! Are you trying to scare me to death? There's really no need to go this far! What if something happened to you? Don't you think I know what you're capable of? If you try to play the hero with this kind of thing again, I'll fly over there and kill you myself! I was seriously terrified. I can't believe you were the one investigating that! The headlines all over the Fourth District are about this smuggling case. You better treat me to dinner next time we meet; my poor heart can't take this kind of shock... How long has it even been since I last saw you, and you've already turned into a Spy?"
Beneath Jun Zi's blunt outburst lay nothing but deep concern.
The two bickered for a while, chatting about this and that, before finally hanging up reluctantly.
Even so many years after graduating from college, they were still the best of friends.
Wearing a warm smile, Shi Rang set his phone down and turned back to his long-neglected computer screen.
He opened his browser, clicked his bookmarks, and selected the Management Bureau Main Station...
"404-Not-Found"
Having seen this screen before, Shi Rang remained completely unfazed.
He suspected that because the website hosted sensitive content, its domain name was frequently banned.
After refreshing a few times to no avail, an impatient Shi Rang typed the URL into his phone instead. After throwing two 404 errors, it actually responded—a security warning popped up.
Shi Rang ignored the risk and proceeded to the site, prompting the page to start loading with a spinning icon.
Even though it just made his phone lag and he still couldn't see the site's content, it was a good sign.
While he was waiting, a call from the Chief Editor came in. Mildly annoyed, Shi Rang tapped the accept button.
"Shi Rang, get to the Newspaper Office immediately! I've already got people waiting to do the post-processing for you. We're just waiting on your Photographs!"
The Chief Editor's voice sounded just as slightly hoarse as always.
The old Shi Rang would have grimaced and miserably accepted the overtime, but now, he leaned back in his chair, completely indifferent.
For one thing, he had already decided to quit. For another, he had just gotten home after a grueling overnight train ride, and he desperately needed some time to rest.
He had almost lost his life, yet he wasn't even allowed the basic right to rest.
"Shi Rang? Hello? Shi Rang, are you there?"
The Chief Editor's relentless urging started to grate on his nerves. Shi Rang gave a hollow murmur of acknowledgment, which only made the man push even harder.
"Young man, you need to fix your attitude! The most important thing in journalism is racing against the clock. The Pingyuan City police station is completely surrounded by reporters. We must get this report out as quickly as possible! I've already had the copywriters prepare the draft; we're just waiting on you!"
A dark ball of frustration gathered in Shi Rang's chest. His finger hovered over the end-call button—something he had fantasized about doing countless times but never had the courage to follow through with.
But then, he remembered the Investigative Journalism Bonus the Chief Editor had promised.
That's right. Quitting his job to travel the world was his choice, which meant he needed this money. Furthermore, it was what he rightfully deserved for risking his life.
Whether it was for Ying Shang or for himself, this was the choice he had made, and he had to bear the consequences.
He exhaled the pent-up frustration from his lungs and leaned closer to the phone.
Who could have known that the Chief Editor, as if picking up on that barely audible sigh, would instantly blow his top.
"Let me make things perfectly clear, Shi Rang. Breaking news is highly time-sensitive. Once the window of opportunity passes, the hype will plummet. If you intentionally drag your feet and cause our traction to drop, don't blame me for breaking my promises later."
"I have no intention of doing that!" Shi Rang couldn't help but raise his voice. "If you're so eager, why don't we put your name on the article? Go publish it yourself!"
The man on the other end of the line was stunned by his sudden outburst. This was the first time in all these years that Shi Rang had lost his temper at anyone.
"...I will send the Photographs over right now." Shi Rang leaned sideways from his seat, rummaging through his drawer for a card reader. "When will the bonus be paid out?"
Whether it was just an illusion or not, the Chief Editor's voice sounded significantly weaker. "Let's get the news published first, then we'll talk."
Shi Rang sat up straight and began his overtime work.
He loathed socializing with others; he both resisted it and completely lacked the aptitude for it. In the past, his greatest dream was to find a job where he could just keep his head down and work without ever needing to interact with anyone, doing that for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, heaven rarely granted people's wishes. Ever since he graduated with a degree from the history department, things had never gone his way.
After exporting and sending the Photographs, he slumped back against his chair. Overtime was over.
Glancing to the side, he saw that his phone had finally managed to log into the Management Bureau Main Station. Shi Rang studied the interface, trying to figure out how to leave a comment and a like on the mountaineering guide that had saved his life. To his disbelief, he soon discovered the site lacked even the most basic feedback functions, and the communication page didn't allow users to send friend requests to strangers.
'Why would they set it up like this? This isn't conducive to community building at all.'
A new message notification popped up at the top of his phone screen.
"Dog Editor-in-Chief: Are these all the Photographs?"
Shi Rang suddenly had a very bad premonition.
"I sent them all over," he replied.
The very next moment, his premonition came true.