Making Up an Excuse

Before long, drowsiness crept over her.

Tu Ran didn't fight it. She let her thoughts blur and quickly slipped into sleep.

Her body was healing at an astonishing rate.

The swelling on her face drained and subsided, her features settling back into place.

The bruises and wounds across her body slowly faded and closed.

The fractures in her ribs knit together, the hematoma forming callus within an hour, then remodeling and reshaping until her bones were flawless again.

In the space of one deep sleep, everything had healed.

When Tu Ran opened her eyes, seven hours had passed.

The young nurse was waiting outside.

Tu Ran climbed out of the nutrient pod, rinsed off the residual mucus in the changing room shower, and dressed.

She checked the mirror—her face was back to normal.

No more need for a mask.

Exiting the changing room, she was surprised to see Xu Bingli waiting in the corridor.

She raised an eyebrow. "Doctor Xu, were you waiting for me?"

"Yes." Xu Bingli nodded, gesturing for her to sit.

They settled side by side on the bench against the wall.

"I need to ask about your injuries," Xu Bingli said, anticipating the abruptness, and added, "It's standard procedure—we document every Federal Government employee's injury and file a report."

Tu Ran's expression remained composed. "I ran into a group of extreme protesters on my way out and got into a scuffle with them."

Extreme protesters usually didn't kill government officials they caught—just roughed them up.

Every year, the Medical Department treated a batch of officials beaten by extremists.

But as far as being caught by extremists, Tu Ran was the first Pioneer to suffer that.

"Miss Tu, should I report this to the Executive Department? They could help locate those people."

"No need." She'd made it all up anyway. If the Executive Department got involved and couldn't find the group, they'd start to suspect her. "I've already handled it myself."

"Miss Tu certainly lives up to the Pioneer reputation." Xu Bingli offered a polite compliment.

Tu Ran smiled faintly. "Is there anything else you need to ask?"

"No, that's all." Xu Bingli said gently, "It's four in the morning now. Please be careful on your way home, Miss Tu."

Four in the morning?

So late... or so early?

"Doctor Xu, have you been waiting here all this time?" Tu Ran looked at him. If so, she'd feel terrible.

Xu Bingli smiled warmly. "Miss Tu, don't feel burdened. I'm on the night shift today, so I wouldn't have been sleeping anyway."

"Oh, being a doctor must be really tough." Tu Ran sighed.

Good thing she hadn't been accepted by any hospital after graduation.

"It's tough, sure, but there's no danger and the benefits are good. The ones who truly have it hard are Pioneers like you—facing aliens head-on. That's dangerous." Xu Bingli sighed.

Tu Ran nodded, at a loss for words.

She agreed it was hard.

She didn't want to keep doing this.

But she'd signed a contract.

Nine more years before she could retire.

Nine years. The thought was enough to make her despair.

"Then I won't keep you, Doctor Xu. Goodbye." Tu Ran took her leave politely.

"Mm, goodbye."

At four in the morning, the Federation's magnetic levitation trains were still running.

Tu Ran rode one home, changed her clothes, grabbed her work communicator, and headed back to the Administrative Building in the Federal Center.

Having soaked in the nutrient pod and slept for eight hours, she wasn't tired at all.

Even at this hour, many lights were still burning in the Administrative Building.