164: Chapter 164 The Chosen Worker

The first holographic meeting room of the wind chaser.

Ten minutes later, the doors of the meeting room were tightly shut.

Thirty-six LV5-grade captains, plus Ivy, totaling thirty-seven people, gathered together.

Grace sat upright at the head of the table.

"Before announcing the next operation, I will first make a personnel appointment."

Grace's gaze swept over the crowd and landed on Ivy.

"Former First Guard Battalion Captain Ivy, having slain the traitor Flynn during this rebellion suppression, has rendered meritorious service in protecting me, and her loyalty is beyond doubt. From today on, Ivy formally assumes the position of 'Great Elder' of the guild, with full authority over the Internal Guard Battalion and the flagship's defenses!"

Regarding this appointment, not a single one of the thirty-six captains below raised an objection.

Ivy's strength was plain for all to see, her seniority was sufficient, and as a die-hard loyalist to the Guild Master, replacing that damned Cormac was truly what everyone expected.

"Congratulations, Great Elder!" everyone saluted in unison.

"Alright, next is the second matter."

Grace crossed her hands on the tabletop, her expression becoming serious.

"From today, the guild enters the highest level of combat preparation and exploration status. All formations, except for necessary personnel left behind, are to deploy to all major undeveloped sky islands. Our goal is—to collect a full six sets of LV6 battleship upgrade core materials and hand them over to Mr. Zhou An."

As soon as these words were spoken, the previously quiet meeting room instantly erupted into chaos.

"Six sets of LV6 core materials?! Give them to that outsider?!"

"Guild Master, this isn't right! We are currently in a state of reconstruction, and our brothers' battle armors are still broken!"

"That's right! Back then, our two thousand-plus people spent over three months without sleep or rest just to gather your one set. Now you want us to gather six sets; how long would that take?"

"We, the thirty-plus people sitting here, are all still at LV5! Even if we find LV6 cores, why shouldn't we upgrade our own people first, instead of giving them away for free to an outsider?"

Relying on the idea that "the law cannot punish the masses," the captains voiced their grievances one after another.

This couldn't be blamed on their shortsightedness; after all, in their eyes, the White Feather Guild was currently so poor that they were practically tightening their belts to the breaking point. How could they have the spare time to work for free for someone else?

Listening to the noisy complaints below, Grace was not angry at all.

She didn't offer an explanation, simply pressing a button on the main console.

"Swish—"

The holographic projection in the center of the meeting room instantly switched, connecting directly to the White Feather Guild's highest-level material stockpile.

On the screen, a massive golden number bar popped up, emitting a gaudy, blinding golden light.

180 million in LV5 materials.

The meeting room, which had just been arguing fiercely, seemed to have been instantly hit with a mute button.

The thirty-six LV5 captains, who had been full of complaints, were now like they had been collectively immobilized. Their eyes were wide open, staring fixedly at the string of numbers on the screen, their very breathing having come to a complete halt at this moment.

"One... ten, hundred, thousand... ten thousand, million, ten million... hundred million?"

The captain of the First Formation, who had been the loudest just a moment ago, now felt his legs go weak. With a gulp, he swallowed audibly, "G-Guild Master... where did you get this?"

"This is the material payment just provided by Mr. Zhou An."

Grace leaned back in her chair, watching these subordinates who were dizzy from being hit by "money power," and lightly dropped the final bombshell.

"By the way, let me remind you, this is only half the deposit. After the mission is completed, there is another 180 million."

"Hiss—!!!"

The meeting room instantly erupted in a synchronized sound of gasping.

Those captains who had just been complaining about "not upgrading our own people" and "no time to work for free" now had eyes that turned greener than hungry wolves.

"It's just six sets of core materials! Even if we have to scrape the entire Cangyun Airspace three feet deep, the brothers will definitely gather them for Mr. Zhou An!"

"Guild Master! The Third Formation requests immediate deployment! We will complete resupply and take off within ten minutes!"

"Get lost! Our Seventh Formation will go first!"

In the face of absolute "money power," all fatigue and the state of reconstruction were thrown to the winds by these Winged Race members' fanatical spirit of labor.

"I am allocating 150 million upfront; whoever needs it, come and collect it from me. All losses will be reimbursed."

"Long live the Guild Master!"

Night fell, and the endless sea of clouds rolled under the starlight.

Zhou An, after accompanying Luo Ning on a long tour of the flagship's interior, strolled back to the luxurious lounge.

At this time, the others from Cloud Top Fortress—Lao Zhang, Lin Qing, Li Muzi, and Shen Xingyue—had also come down to "visit."

With the personal endorsement of Grace, the highest authority, their group moved freely through this heavily guarded LV6 flagship, with Internal Guards respectfully saluting and letting them pass wherever they went.

"Since everyone has come down, we won't go back to the Fortress to eat tonight."

Zhou An leaned back into the spacious leather sofa and turned to look at Lao Zhang and Lin Qing.

"Lao Zhang, borrow their kitchen here; we'll cook ourselves. Lin Qing, take out plenty of our top-tier ingredients; let's make a good meal."

"Alright, Boss, leave it to me!"

Lao Zhang happily rolled up his sleeves and pulled Lin Qing toward the flagship's logistics kitchen.

After the dinner was ready, Zhou An had originally asked Sheila to invite Grace and Ivy over to dine together.

But the White Feather Guild had just gone through a major purge, and the personnel transfers of the thirty-six formations, distribution of materials, and the rearrangement of defense lines... these cumbersome tasks all fell onto the shoulders of Grace and the newly appointed Great Elder, Ivy; the two simply couldn't get away.

It wasn't until past 11 PM.

That the door to the lounge was gently pushed open.

Grace and Ivy walked in, their faces full of exhaustion; even their daily attire appeared somewhat disheveled due to the high-intensity work.

"Mr. Zhou An, everyone, I am truly very sorry."

Grace bowed slightly with an apologetic expression.

"The guild is in a state of reconstruction, and there are simply too many affairs; I have neglected all of you. This should have been the time for us to fulfill our duties as hosts..."

"Alright, why be so polite among ourselves? We know you're busy; we've eaten quite well ourselves." Zhou An pointed to the several exquisite dishes still warm on the table, "Lin Qing specially saved some nourishing medicinal meals for you; eat a few bites while they're hot to fill your stomachs."

"Many thanks."

Grace and Ivy were indeed famished, so they didn't decline excessively and sat down to eat something quickly.

After recovering a bit of strength, Grace put down her chopsticks, her expression becoming somewhat grave.

She turned to look at Shen Xingyue, who had been sitting quietly in the corner reading medical materials, her tone carrying a hint of a request: "Dr. Shen... I have a presumptuous request. Previously, due to Cormac's persecution, various formations secretly hid a group of severely wounded personnel in the bottom holds. Now their condition is dire, and our guild's medical standards are limited. Could I ask you... to help treat them?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Xingyue pushed up the rimless glasses on the bridge of her nose. She did not agree immediately, instead casting her cool gaze toward Zhou An.

As the Chief Medical Officer of Cloud Top Fortress, she only took orders from Zhou An alone.

Zhou An put down the teacup in his hand and waved his hand casually: "Since we are allies, if we can help, we will help. No problem."

"Thank you so much!" Grace's face lit up with joy, and she hurriedly asked.

"Then... roughly how much would the treatment cost? Rest assured, as long as it is within our means, the White Feather Guild will never refuse!"

"Forget the fees; consider it a bonus ally benefit. You don't have many pennies anyway, and most of it is what I just gave you."

Zhou An shook his head, then changed the subject, his tone becoming serious.

"However, I must say the ugly words first: the free medical service only covers life-saving and routine trauma repair. It does not include services at the level of limb regeneration or gene remodeling. Because for those levels of legendary grade and Moon-Glitter Grade drugs, I don't have many in my own hands either, and they cannot be used for routine medical treatment."

"This is already enough!"

Grace stood up in excitement.

"As long as we can save the brothers' lives, it is already a tremendous gift to White Feather!"

"Since it's decided, let's get to work now."

Shen Xingyue stood up. "For the critically injured, the longer it drags on, the higher the probability of complications and infection, making subsequent treatment much more troublesome. Ivy, lead the way."

"Alright, Dr. Shen, please follow me!" Ivy didn't dare to delay and immediately led the way.

A few minutes later, Ivy brought Shen Xingyue to the area inside the flagship specifically used for docking the guild's medical ships.

A white warship with a slightly mottled surface and a somewhat bulky build was docked in the center of the hangar.

Shen Xingyue followed Ivy into this Winged Tribe medical ship, her cold gaze sweeping quickly over the surrounding equipment.

The backward life support pods, the outdated energy dialysis machines, and the air reeking of pungent chemical agents made this chief physician, who had severe medical cleanliness habits, frown uncontrollably.

"The precision error of this ultrasonic scalpel exceeds two percent, and the energy filter net of that physiotherapy pod should have been replaced long ago."

Shen Xingyue commented professionally, then finally shook her head. "The equipment here is too low-grade, and it has lacked maintenance for a long time. Performing large-scale surgeries for critical injuries here will cause the infection rate to skyrocket."

The several Winged Tribe military doctors nearby listened, their faces flushing red, yet they couldn't refute her because everything Shen Xingyue said was correct.

"Then... what should we do? This is the best medical ship we currently have." Ivy was a bit anxious.

"Go to my vehicle."

Shen Xingyue calmly pressed her tactical headset, connecting to the main AI of the Cloud Top Fortress.

"EVA, open the hangar bay doors on the third level of the fortress. Release my personal medical ship."

"Received, Officer Xingyue. The hangar doors are open, and the medical ship is ready for launch." EVA's emotionless mechanical voice came through the headset.

A moment later.

"Boom—"

In the night sky outside the flagship hangar, a low, highly sci-fi engine hum echoed.

Under the shocked gazes of Ivy and the group of Winged Tribe military doctors, a warship with a pure, flawless moon-white body and a streamlined, sharp design resembling a scalpel slowly entered the vast docking area of the 'wind chaser' and landed steadily before them.

On the armor surface of this warship, high-end green vital energy array lights faintly shimmered.

"This... this is..."

Ivy widened her eyes, sensing the energy fluctuations emanating from that warship.

"My personal vehicle, the LV5-grade Lifeline."

"Let's go, transfer all the critically injured to my ship; I'm going to start working."

Under Shen Xingyue's command, over a hundred critically injured Winged Tribe members, whose various injuries had been secretly hidden, were carefully transferred to this moon-white LV5-grade medical ship.

The interior space of the 'Lifeline' was spacious and scientifically planned.

This medical ship could accommodate three hundred wounded for sterile treatment when fully loaded. However, because Zhou An's team only had a few core members, and each had their own top-tier individual physiotherapy pod, this massive medical ship was almost always gathering dust. Today was its first real encounter with large-scale casualty treatment.

"Perform triage. Send those with light injuries and conventional penetrating wounds to the outer cabin for automated debridement and suturing by medical robots; send the critically injured with severe erosion, broken bones, and organ damage to the inner cabin, which I will handle personally."

Shen Xingyue changed into a sterile surgical gown, pushed up her glasses, and instantly entered a focused medical state.

Watching the dozens of precise medical robots moving methodically between hospital beds, Ivy couldn't find a way to help, so she hurriedly stepped forward to ask: "Dr. Shen, there are too many wounded. Can you handle it alone? Do you need me to call the Winged Tribe medical staff from the flagship to assist you?"

"No need, Ms. Ivy. If you have other matters, please go ahead and get busy; leave this to me."

Shen Xingyue looked at the holographic medical records while bluntly shaking her head: "Forgive my frankness, but the techniques of your Winged Tribe medical staff are indeed rather crude. I just checked the initial emergency treatment for this batch of wounded; many of the suturing techniques and the removal of necrotic tissue were very mediocre, even causing secondary infections. Letting them assist would be less precise than my medical robots and would actually increase my workload."

These words were merciless, but after hearing them, Ivy not only didn't get angry but felt a sense of relief. In the medical field, the more rigorous and demanding a doctor is, the higher the survival rate of the patients.

"Then I'll leave this to you!" Ivy bowed solemnly, turned, and exited the medical ship to deal with the other messes in the guild that were waiting to be sorted out.

A long and high-intensity night.

When the first glimmer of dawn pierced through the sea of clouds and hit the portholes of the medical ship, the sterile green light of the inner cabin operating room finally lit up.

"Whew..."

Shen Xingyue took off her medical gloves, which were stained with blood and bodily fluids, and wearily rubbed her throbbing temples. After an entire night of high-intensity continuous surgery, even for a high-level enhancer like her, her mental energy had almost reached its limit.

At this moment, the last critically injured patient lying on the operating table slowly opened his eyes.

His chest cavity, which had been almost completely eroded by violent energy, had been perfectly repaired and sutured, and the alien energy within his body had been completely extracted.

"Dr... Dr. Shen..." The Winged Tribe warrior weakly turned his head, looking at the cold human female doctor before him, his eyes reddening, his voice choked with emotion.

"Thank you... for pulling us back from the gates of hell..."

Looking at those eyes on the hospital bed, filled with gratitude and the joy of rebirth, Shen Xingyue's face, which was usually as cold as an iceberg, rarely bloomed with a gentle smile.

"It's alright now." She gently tucked the sterile blanket around the patient, her tone soft and reassuring.

"The surgery was very successful. Rest well, you will all recover soon."

After comforting the last patient, Shen Xingyue took off her surgical gown and walked out of the medical ship, which was filled with the smell of disinfectant.

Standing on the deck outside the hatch, with the cold wind from ten thousand meters high blowing in her face, Shen Xingyue took a long breath, feeling her brain clear up quite a bit.

"Dr. Shen! Thank you for your hard work!"

Ivy, who had just finished handling the fleet patrol handover, saw Shen Xingyue come out and immediately hurried over. When she saw the fatigue in Shen Xingyue's eyes, Ivy's gaze was filled with deep gratitude and respect, and she bowed deeply once more: "Thank you for everything you have done for our brothers and sisters."

"It's just a doctor's duty; no need to keep thanking me." Shen Xingyue waved her hand and took the opportunity to give instructions for the follow-up care. "Ivy, later go pick a group of careful people from the fleet and arrange some nurses to come and look after the wounded."

Ivy nodded immediately: "Alright! I will immediately arrange for the most skilled medical staff to come and take over the dressing changes!"

"They don't need to change the dressings."

Shen Xingyue interrupted her, pointing to the silver-white machines busy inside the cabin. "All the wounded on this ship, the subsequent dressing changes, energy dialysis, and injury monitoring will all be handled by the main AI and medical robots. No one is to interfere or change the dosage of medication."

Shen Xingyue pushed up her glasses and added: "I asked you to arrange nurses to come mainly to be responsible for feeding the wounded liquid food and maintaining hygiene. Having just undergone major surgery, the patients' psychological defenses are fragile; they need more companionship and psychological comfort from their own kind. When it comes to technical matters, machines are more reliable than people."

Hearing this thoughtful and professional arrangement, a warm current flowed through Ivy's heart.

"I understand."

Ivy nodded heavily.

"I will personally select the most reliable personnel and absolutely ensure that the care and companionship work is properly arranged, and will never interfere with the robots' treatment programs!"