The eccentric doctor never makes a misdiagnosis!

"It's really troublesome that the messenger can't find this place... collecting debts, returning pendants, buying groceries, I have to go there myself for everything."

Unless there is a systematic arrangement and permission, no one can enter Fog Street from the outside. But if one is already inside the street, one can naturally walk out. Of course, Fran himself can come and go as he pleases.

This also means that unless she goes out to buy supplies, she is mostly isolated from the world.

"Speaking of which, several technologies have been stuck in a bottleneck recently, so it's definitely time to go out and find some new test subjects. Hopefully, this quarter's data... will be better from the patients."

—≡_々∨捌∮¤ˇ☆俬+伞·■3零∪五索索｛+:—

Fifteen days later.

"Ms. Marian, isn't today the last day of the observation period?"

Heda looked at Marian, who was holding the puncture syringe, and even someone as composed as her couldn't help but show a hint of guilt and exhaustion.

Marianne comes every night, and each time she's unusually excited. After all that, her back is really starting to hurt...

“That’s right, little Haida. Speaking of which, why did we only apply for a half-month observation period for you? What a pity... It seems our close relationship can only end today.”

Mary touched her face, her voice filled with deep regret.

"The blood and biological tissue sampling are all done. Now all that's left is the lumbar puncture. Once today's tests are finished, you'll be free. Come on, lie down."

Marian patted Heda's back to comfort her, then quickly and accurately located the intervertebral space in her lumbar spine, inserted the puncture needle, and extracted a small amount of colorless and transparent cerebrospinal fluid.

The entire movement was skillful, fluid, and executed in one go.

Haida's body trembled slightly, her silver teeth clenched, but she did not make a sound.

Since pain sensitivity was also part of the observation process, Marianne only disinfected Heida and did not administer anesthesia. A lumbar puncture without anesthesia... is generally very difficult for most people to endure.

"Okay, get some rest today. You can take your regular vacation tomorrow... But with your restless nature, can you really get a proper rest?"

Marian carefully preserved the obtained cerebrospinal fluid, then placed a glass of steaming milk on the bedside table before gracefully leaving. This was a habit Heda had developed as a child, though she hadn't done it for a long time.

After about five minutes, the excruciating pain gradually subsided. Haida slowly sat up, picked up the hot milk from the bedside table, and took a sip.

"Are you still treating me like a child?"

Just then, Haida suddenly smelled a slightly cool, damp scent.

The door to the ward... opened.

A cold, gray mist shrouded everything within the doorway, the darkness and faint light intertwining to create a chaotic, fragmented void.

A slender figure in a white doctor's coat emerged faintly from the haze.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Miss Haida. I'm here for a post-operative follow-up. Hmm... you haven't become a very muscular guy. It seems you've been taking your medication as prescribed, which is wonderful."

Fran always wore a smile that was polite and professional, friendly but not obsequious.

Heda was visibly taken aback when Fran suddenly appeared. Being approached by this strange doctor was certainly unexpected.

This is the headquarters of the Order of the Hunters, Doctor. Aren't you afraid of being targeted by the hunters of the Underworld? Those fanatics aren't like me; they won't reason with you...

"Dr. Fran, who exactly are you? And what have you done to my body?"

"I didn't do anything... Your original organs were almost completely damaged, so I replaced them with a new set."

Fran tapped his head, his tone very relaxed, as if he were saying, "I changed your clothes."

"As for my identity, I am the attending physician at Fog Street Clinic. You are well aware of that... Apart from that, I currently have no side jobs."

When the topic of "side hustle" came up, Fran's smile faded slightly, but then he quickly and subtly returned to normal.

Seemingly expecting Fran to give such a meaningless answer, Heda wasn't too surprised and asked other questions.

What is your purpose in saving me?

"I am a doctor with strong professional ethics. It's normal for me to help someone seriously injured on the street. It's definitely not for money, and it's certainly not to conduct any strange experiments..."

After Fran finished speaking, seemingly worried that Heda would continue to ask questions, she quickly handed Heda the platinum pendant that had been used as collateral, along with a black card.

"Dear guest, please keep your collateral and your Fog Street Clinic membership card safe. You can get a 10% discount on your next visit."

“…Hmm, 9.” Haida was silent for a moment, then finally accepted the card and pendant.

Since Dr. Fran isn't answering my question directly, I suppose there's no point in pressing him further...

In that case, why not go along with the other party's pace, play the role of "patient" well, and try to maintain the relationship between the two parties?

She was able to heal herself from near death, and the ingredients she used were so complex that even Ms. Marian couldn't decipher them. She could even enter the headquarters of the Hunter's Order as if it were her own territory...

What exactly is she?

A humanoid anomaly that has become standardized? An evil offspring from a higher dimension? An apostle of a hidden deity? Or perhaps an ancient human remnant from a lost era? There are contradictions... yet they all make sense.

What we know is that she is currently friendly and communicative.

Looking at Fran, who was rubbing her hands together in anticipation, Haida knew... she was waiting for her to pay the bill.

Heda opened the bedside table, took out a bank slip, and handed it to Fran. Supervisor Alvin's expense reimbursement approvals were quick, so she had prepared the money to pay the bill well in advance.

If Fran is a rule-bound oddity, then completing the checkout process is necessary. Otherwise... it might lead to some unimaginable consequences.

"A bank draft from Norlington Central Bank, totaling 1200 standard silver coins. The extra amount is considered a token of gratitude for your rescue."

"I can't accept this... thank you so much."

Fran gave a very perfunctory refusal, then accepted the bank draft so quickly that Heda didn't even see it clearly.

"So, this concludes our discussion on doctor-patient relations for now. I hope you were satisfied with my service. Finally... I look forward to seeing you again next time."

After saying goodbye, she slowly walked through the misty gate and left the place.

Even Fran was unwilling to stay in the core area of ​​the Hunter's Order for too long.

There are a few madmen in the Hunter's Order who could pose a threat; getting entangled with them would cause some trouble.

Besides, she was in a hurry to make her quarterly cross-disciplinary medical rounds...

Chapter Four: The Dilemma of the Prisoner

[Cross-disciplinary quarterly outpatient service begins. You are about to travel to the "Nameless Chamber: The Trial Room." This outpatient service is a solo trip.]

[Patient: The owner of the secret room, who calls herself "Themis".]

[Patient Profile: "Themis" is an excellent surgeon. She possesses high medical ethics, superb skills, and a kind personality, but is not adept at interpersonal relationships. No one knows what role she plays in the shadows of the city at night...] Ba

[Symptoms: Jigsaw syndrome (early stage).] Wu

[WARNING: This region possesses next-generation medical technology, and... watch out for competitors!]

[Begin the patient reception process.] Lu

-

"It seems like a colleague who needs psychological counseling."

Fran walked for a moment in the grayish-white mist, and as the mist dissipated, her vision was suddenly plunged into darkness.

A single incandescent bulb cast a faint glow, illuminating the surroundings. However, seemingly due to aging wiring, the already dim light flickered and was unstable.

With the help of the lamplight, Fran could see his surroundings clearly.

This is a windowless room with bare walls and floors, exposing rough, gray concrete.

Apart from the metal door, there were no ventilation openings, making it almost completely sealed off. A simple wooden counter stood to the side of the door.

It was dark and oppressive, filled with the smell of mold and dust, and a faint, sticky, fishy odor of protein degradation.

"Hmm. Is this the kind of place the patients are staying in this time? It's so pitiful. How about we waive the fee this time..."

Fran looked around and quickly fixed his gaze on the simple counter.

She went closer and pulled out the drawer, inside which was an old-fashioned tape recorder, made of plastic, the kind that plays cassette tapes.

In addition, there were two newspapers, a magazine, and a diary.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, a bad feeling creeping into her mind. Then she raised her hand and pressed the play button.

"Good day, Dr. Fran Hesser. I am Themis."

After a brief greeting, the person recording introduced herself, a perfectly standard opening for any recording. But her hoarse voice, clearly distorted by the tape, gave off a subtle sense of unease.

Her next words made Fran squint.

"I want to play a game with you..."

"Fran, you are an excellent doctor. Under the operating lights, your scalpel has saved countless lives. You have snatched them back from the clutches of death and given them back the right to live. But do you truly respect the wishes of your patients? When you cut through their flesh and dissect their organs, have you considered whether they can accept that distorted 'new life'?"

"In my opinion, you are an indifferent yet fanatical madman. You never care about the true wishes of your patients, arbitrarily modify their bodies, and the only guarantee you give them is 'to live'."

"While you were unconscious, I removed both of your kidneys. How long can you survive without kidneys? As a doctor, you are better than me, so you should know the answer better."

"You have lost something, but you have also gained something else. The only question is whether you have the determination to acquire it? ... The path to salvation lies within this."

"To live or to die. Make your choice."

Fran's eye twitched slightly, making his standard business smile appear somewhat stiff.

"No, I've lost my kidneys?"

She lifted her clothes, revealing a stitched-up horizontal wound on her slender waist and abdomen. The wound was accompanied by intense nerve plexus pain.

"The patients today aren't very friendly either... Well, just you wait."

Fran felt his steps were a little unsteady.

Fortunately, the method used by the other party to remove the organs was very skillful, preventing a large-scale infection that could have been caused by a quack doctor. She is currently still able to maintain some mobility.

This is also certain.

If Themis could take her kidneys, she could certainly take her heart. The reason she didn't remove the organs that would kill her instantly was precisely to watch her struggle.

Generally, Fran's "quarterly outpatient visits" are preceded by a specific identity to make her presence seem legitimate. But today... she seems to be an unlucky doctor who got her back ripped off by a fanatical fan of Jigsaw.

"Let's take a look at what those documents say. Mental illnesses are best treated by addressing the root cause..."

Fran took out magazines, newspapers, and a diary from the drawer and laid them out on the cabinet.

The first thing she noticed was the magazine. Incredibly, she was on the cover...

As for the titles, they are "Fran Hessler's team achieves a new breakthrough in the study of human immune mechanisms!" and "Genius! Dr. Fran brings about a revolutionary innovation in gene intervention technology!"

"Oh, I'm so amazing, huh? You really are something else..."

Although Fran had never been interviewed by this magazine and didn't have any research team, she seemed quite satisfied with its content. She read it twice more before reluctantly putting it down.

She put the magazine into the loose pocket of her white coat, then turned her gaze to the diary.

The other pages of the diary had been torn out, leaving only a few lonely pages with writing on them.

January 30th. Director Julie is always dissatisfied with me, and I don't know where this malice comes from. But thankfully, she hasn't done anything outrageous. Maybe she just simply doesn't like me? Sometimes the way she looks at me is strange, like something is burning in her eyes.

April 9th. As I expected, Julie started targeting me deliberately. She tirelessly caused me trouble over trivial matters, almost as if she enjoyed it. Why? Because my family is better off? ... I told John about my recent situation, and he always comforted me, saying everything would be alright. I hope so...

The next page was visibly wrinkled, as if it had been torn. The handwriting was not only shaky but also showed signs of being soaked in liquid.

[May 15th. My father and mother were in a car accident; the police said it was due to damaged brake components. As their only daughter, I inherited their estate.]

May 20th. My engagement to John is fast approaching. He urged me to proceed as planned. Perhaps this is for the best… I began to suffer from insomnia. It all felt so unreal, almost unbelievable. I still couldn't believe that my parents were gone…

The diary ends abruptly here.

"Although I can roughly guess what will happen next, you can't just give me half of this diary..."

Fran squinted, seemingly quite annoyed. She hated being interrupted halfway through doing something important.

"Hmm... there's one newspaper left."

The headline in bold on the front page is:

"Part of the body of the missing doctor 'Julie Jane' has been found, and genetic matching confirms her identity."

"September 13th. Julie Jane, who had been missing for half a month, was confirmed dead. Police only found one set of her internal organs. Was it a distortion of humanity or a decline in morality? Where in the city does the demon that killed the angel in white hide? We have no idea..."

In addition, there was a shorter report.

"Genius or madman? Dr. Fran will face serious charges of unethical experimentation, with dozens of patients who were once test subjects submitting relevant materials to the court. The public hearing will be held at noon on October 30."

After confirming that he had read everything without missing anything, Lufran tossed the newspaper aside.

"Director Julie is dead, most likely the work of Themis. And we know she had a fiancé named John. Besides, 'I' seem to be in trouble too."

"That means there are three victims in total, including myself."

Fran pondered for a moment, then turned his gaze to the door of the secret room.