Helene didn't know where Illumi was taking her, but at this point, she had no choice.
At Gro City Airport, Helene followed Illumi onto a flight bound for Peigros. She remained silent throughout the journey.
Half a month later, they arrived in Sgran City.
"Boss, long time no see."
This time, the one who came to greet him was the burly Ahmad, wearing a green beret. Dressed in a military green camouflage uniform, combat boots, and straight-legged pants, he exuded a completely military demeanor.
"Ahmad, it's been three months, and you seem much younger."
Illumi looked at Ahmad's vibrant appearance. His muscles were more toned, his complexion redder, and his mood seemed to have alleviated compared to three months ago.
"According to Dr. Ballard, I've had my potential stimulated by Nen ability."
"Not only has my strength greatly increased, but my lifespan has also extended significantly."
"Now, I'm faster, stronger, and more agile."
Ahmad clenched his fists, showcasing his physique and strength, and spoke confidently.
"Oh?"
Illumi's eyes lit up. It sounded like the three doctors had made progress in their research on Nen.
"This lady, is she the escort target this time?"
Ahmad shifted his gaze to behind Illumi. A beautiful woman with long black hair, carrying a silver-white box, stood there. Her age was estimated to be around twenty-four or twenty-five. However, Ahmad could tell Helene's true age from her bone structure: around thirty years old. Her youthful appearance was likely due to proper maintenance.
"Helene Stuart, Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Edi American National Medical University."
"Research Director of Immenah BioTech Corporation's branch in Ballusa Archipelago."
Illumi stepped aside, looking at the calm-faced Helene, and said with a smile, "Now, she's a member of Umbrella BioTech Corporation."
Illumi turned back to Ahmad and instructed, "Take her to the company headquarters. I have other matters. You can contact me if anything comes up."
Ahmad nodded solemnly. Illumi patted Helene's shoulder. She gave him a deep glance, then followed Ahmad, bending down to enter a black sedan.
"Beep..."
Illumi stood in the airport, watching Helene and Ahmad depart. His phone vibrated in his embrace.
"Illumi."
He first spoke the other's name. The call was from his twin brother, Illumi Zoldyck.
"You haven't been home for ten months."
"Mom is almost furious enough to come find you herself. Dad also told me to call you and ask you to come home and visit."
Illumi's calm, flat voice sounded from the phone. He briefly explained the family's situation and his family members' reactions.
"I'll be home next month. Tell Mom and Dad. Thanks."
"Good."
As his words fell, Illumi only replied with a single "good" and then directly hung up.
"Ruthless, Illumi."
Illumi looked at the hung-up call screen. He had originally thought the other party would chat with him about family matters or assassination missions, but he hung up so abruptly.
"Is it because he has an extra younger brother?"
Illumi thought of Milluki, who was only a year old. Perhaps Illumi had transferred his interest from himself to Milluki, his newborn younger brother.
"Brother complex?"
Illumi couldn't help but think this way. Thinking of what he would do to Killua later, he could understand it.
"Let's go, time to go home."
Illumi took a step, walked towards the airport, bought another ticket for Edi America, and then transferred to the Republic of Padokia mid-journey.
Time: August 16, 1983.
Location: Padokia Republic, Dentora Region.
"Clatter clatter..."
On the train heading to the town at the foot of Kukuroo Mountain, Illumi sat alone in a special-class seat. His elbow rested on the windowsill, his palm supporting his chin, as he watched the scenery outside.
"A rare moment of leisure."
Illumi's demeanor was relaxed, and his mood was cheerful. Since leaving home ten months ago, he hadn't relaxed like this for a single moment. Moreover, he had a premonition that in the future, he would return home less and less often, with longer intervals between visits.
Might as well take advantage of this trip home to relax a little on the way, stop and admire the scenery, and experience the charm of the Hunter world.
An hour later, the train Illumi was on arrived at the town at the foot of Kukuroo Mountain.
"Thump."
Illumi leaped down from the train door, landing steadily on the platform.
He still appeared as a twenty-four-year-old youth, dressed in a suit, with no luggage or backpack. He looked neither like a tourist nor someone returning home.
Illumi followed the signs out of the station and came to the only station in the town that led to Kukuroo Mountain. He sat on a cool chair, waiting quietly.
"Mommy, where are we going?"
After a long while, a man and a woman, holding a little girl, came and sat down beside Illumi, who was resting with his eyes closed. The girl's tender voice entered Illumi's ears.
He didn't open his eyes, because there was no need. His En (Nen ability to detect presence) was always active, and his emotional perception clearly distinguished the forms of the three. Based on their voices, Illumi easily discerned that this was a family of three out on a trip.
"We're going to the famous Kukuroo Mountain..."
The little girl's mother wore a light blue long dress, with beautiful black hair, and smiled gently.
"Legend has it that a legendary assassin family lives on Kukuroo Mountain~"
The father, wearing a white T-shirt and light blue short-sleeved shirt, with jeans and white sneakers, tried to scare the girl.
"Then, is that uncle also going to see the legendary assassin family?"
But the girl was completely unfazed. Instead, she pointed at Illumi, who was sitting next to her father, and asked.
"Uncle..."
Illumi's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. His current appearance was that of his twenty-four-year-old self from his previous life, and he was handsome. By no means did he look like he deserved the title of "uncle."
A little girl with no discerning eye.
Illumi opened his eyes and slowly turned his head to look at the family of three sitting next to him, especially the little girl in the light blue family-matching dress. He smiled.
"That's right, older brother is also going to Kukuroo Mountain to see the legendary assassin family."
"Uncle, want to come with us?"
As soon as Illumi's words fell, the little girl once again called him "uncle," making him sigh helplessly.
"Uh, heh heh, I'm sorry, little brother."
The girl's father clearly noticed Illumi's sigh and apologized awkwardly.
"Beep~!"
Just then, the bus arrived. The little girl eagerly sprang up from the cool chair, tugged at her parents' hands, and happily boarded the bus.
"Childhood..."
"A distant word."
Illumi stood behind them, watching the family of three board the bus, his heart filled with emotion.
No matter in his previous life or this one. He had never experienced such things as holding his parents' hands and freely acting spoiled or playfully messing around.
Looking at the smiles on their faces, overflowing with happiness and joy. Illumi felt only a faint sigh in his heart, neither envy nor longing or resentment towards his parents.
"Sir, are you not boarding?"
The attendant stood at the bus door, asking Illumi, who was standing on the platform.
Illumi stepped onto the bus. As the door closed, the bus engine started, and it drove along the highway towards Kukuroo Mountain.
And just as Illumi was about to return home, on the other side of the world.
Time: 6:44 PM.
Location: Ozma Federation, Marta City.
Marta City was a third-tier city in the northwest of the Ozma Federation.
At this moment, in Marta City Hospital, a female doctor with glasses, dressed in a white coat, looked impatient.
"Mr. Natan, I am a doctor, please believe me!"
Her name was Talia Decker, a doctor at this hospital. She suppressed her impatience and explained to a man in a suit standing in front of her, but the other party simply wouldn't listen.
"Dr. Talia, this medicine has been taken for four or five days, and it's completely ineffective."
"She absolutely needs an IV drip. If you don't give her one, I'm not leaving today."
Natan looked worried. His daughter's mental state had drastically changed these past few days since returning from abroad, making his heart ache.
"Mr. Natan, your daughter just has a minor cold; there's no need for an IV drip at all."
Talia said this to him, but Natan didn't believe her at all. He insisted that she give his daughter an IV drip, otherwise, he would block her and not let her go.
"Sigh..."
Talia looked at the worried expression in Natan's eyes, sighed, and shook her head.
"If you insist, then we'll do the IV drip."
"Thank you, thank you, Doctor."
Talia looked at the smile on Natan's face. She felt helpless. She was just a kind-hearted person.
If it were any other hospital, no, it should be said, hospitals across the country are all like this: as soon as someone has a cold or fever, they immediately give the patient an IV drip.
This is because it genuinely aligns with the hospital's economic interests, and the doctor's salary commission also increases. But for patients, this is not a good thing.
Moreover, many patients simply don't understand medical knowledge. They learn from the internet that antibiotics can make them recover faster, so they believe IV drips are a good thing, yet they fail to see the essence of the matter, its true horror. Some patients even believe that IV drips work quickly because the doctor's medical skills are superb.
In reality, due to the widespread abuse of antibiotics, hospitals across the country are almost out of control. Although the government has successively introduced various relevant policies to curb the phenomenon of antibiotic abuse in various hospitals, except for large hospitals in major cities, the situation in grassroots areas and small clinics largely ignores government policies.
On one hand, patients themselves lack relevant medical common sense.
On the other hand, it's driven by profit. Just like in this third-tier city where she is now, many small hospitals, whose equipment can't keep up, resort to all sorts of tricks in prescribing medicine: IV drips and injections, the more the better; oral medication, the less the better.
Hospital profits increase, and doctors' commissions also increase.
Doctors naturally understand the consequences of this, but faced with the enormous pressure of survival, they have no other choice. Talia's kindness had not yet been extinguished. She understood that antibiotic abuse, for anyone, was an extremely bad thing.
But for patients, such behavior was malicious, even escalating to accusations that she wasn't fit to be a doctor, that she was defiling the "angels in white." Her kind actions, however, weren't understood by patients, and gradually, she too compromised.
And this Mr. Natan, among many patients, had a relatively better attitude; at least he wasn't verbally abusive.
"Dr. Talia..."
Suddenly, a nurse rushed over from the other side of the corridor, bent over, panting heavily, her face flushed, and said.
"Emergency room, the emergency room needs you to come quickly..."
"What's wrong? What happened?"
Dr. Talia, efficient and decisive, strode towards the elevator.
"A patient was just admitted, constantly having fever, nausea, headache, vomiting..."
Inside the elevator, the nurse told Dr. Talia about the patient's various symptoms. As Talia listened, her brows furrowed tighter and tighter.
When she stepped out of the elevator and arrived at the emergency room, she saw a man趴 on the ground, vomiting frantically. His throat made gurgling sounds, and from time to time, he vomited brownish-colored vomit mixed with blood. The smell was extremely foul, unbearable.
Talia, who had just entered the emergency room, was startled and couldn't help but cover her mouth and step back.
The next moment, Talia sharply came to her senses.
"What are you still doing!?"
"Hurry up and help the patient up and send him to the ICU!"
Talia immediately scolded. Several nurses were so scared they almost cried. They hurriedly stepped forward to help the patient up and put him on a hospital bed, sending him to the ICU for rehydration first, and then further examination.
"Notify Dr. Cleff!"
"Also, have someone clean and disinfect this place!"
"And, those few nurses from just now, they all need to be disinfected after they come out!"
"Yes!"
The nurse, following Talia's instructions, immediately turned and ran towards the other side of the corridor.
Three hours later, Talia detected that this was just a common E. coli-induced intestinal infection. However, even after they used the corresponding antibiotics, it remained ineffective. The patient was still suffering from frantic vomiting, fever, and bloody stools.
"Ugh~"
In the ICU ward, several young nurses couldn't help but gag, as the patient had made the entire ICU ward smell terribly foul.
"Have you tried other antibiotics?"
"No, Gentamicin and Chloramphenicol are the same. As for others..."
Talia looked at Dr. Cleff, then shook her head, not speaking.
Cleff knew what Dr. Talia meant. Choosing inappropriate antibiotics would increase the chance of hemolytic uremic syndrome. They couldn't take that risk.
"Let's try induced vomiting and gastric lavage first."
Cleff thought for a moment. Talia had no solution, and neither did he.
Returning to his office, Cleff sat in his chair, carefully reviewing the patient's medical records, his brows tightly furrowed.
The first time he saw the patient, his heart tightened, feeling somewhat uneasy, but he didn't know where this uneasiness came from. However, he decided to find the source of this uneasiness.
"Beep beep..."
Cleff took out his phone and dialed his wife's number.
"Honey, I won't be home tonight."
"No, it's a very serious patient today. His condition is quite unusual."
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of myself."
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