"Hah! Damn it! It really is cancer! You're so red you're turning purple! You've really endured!"
Ren Zhong had a full-body scan, and when Sun Miao looked at the three-dimensional human model on the wall, red like blooming roses, he marveled with such admiration.
Confirming that this person was indeed a "heaven-sent omen"—a terminal cancer patient, he felt a profound satisfaction.
Ren Zhong, lying obediently in the chair, nodded honestly, "Yeah, isn't it?"
"At this level of spreading, calling it terminal is not exactly modest."
"Ah. Dr. Sun, is the treatment expensive? I'm afraid I can't afford it."
The kind-hearted Dr. Sun swiftly switched to a compassionate expression, patting Ren Zhong's shoulder, "Don't worry, who in Starfire Town doesn't know that I'm the warm-hearted, uh, selfless Sun at Miracle Clinic? No need to fret about the treatment costs, I offer installment plans here!"
Ren Zhong: "But I only have 0.72 Contribution Points, and I'm just a helpless vagrant."
Sun Miao: "Zero down payment on installment! Ten years mortgage!"
Ren Zhong clasped Sun Miao's hand tightly, "Dr. Sun, you're a good person! I really appreciate it!"
...
Watching Sun Miao busily preparing the potion with his back turned to him, Ren Zhong felt a bit conflicted.
He knew the steps that followed like the back of his hand.
When to run, how to run away, how to negotiate, he had it all planned clearly.
But he couldn't help feeling a bit guilty, regardless of what happened, Sun Miao's life-saving grace was evident.
Ren Zhong certainly had a sense of shame, but in the face of emergency, he had to take action.
I shall repay this enormous kindness at a later date!
...
Injecting the Neuro-blocker, waiting five minutes, self-check.
Injecting the Abnormal Cell Eater Injection Liquid.
Sun Miao took out a brown bottle, ready to give instructions.
Seizing the opportunity, Ren Zhong grabbed it, "This is Nutritional Ointment, isn't it? Three times a day, finished in two days, I know."
Sun Miao was stunned, "Alright then, a total of 102 Contribution Points, just write me a note."
Ren Zhong suddenly sat upright, jumped off the lounge chair, and pulled out a pre-prepared note from his pocket.
On the note, he had already written in a strong and bold hand, "Today, I, Ren Zhong, have received treatment from Dr. Sun Miao at the Miracle Clinic in Starfire Town, owing a total diagnosis fee of (blank space) Contribution Points."
Ren Zhong snatched the pen from Sun Miao's hand and swiftly wrote the number 102 in the blank space.
Sun Miao froze, vaguely feeling something off.
How does a dying patient prepare a note for a debt in advance, just missing the digits?
You came prepared!
Then Ren Zhong cupped his hands, "Dr. Sun, I won't say more to thank you for your great kindness. The diagnosis fee I owe you today, I'll definitely pay back double another day! Farewell!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ren Zhong took a large step across to the entrance of the clinic.
With just a turn, the outside was a vast world.
About to draw half a tube of saline to complete the final sampling step, Sun Miao was caught off guard.
"No! Wait a minute! Stand there for the labor boss!" Sun Miao shouted anxiously from behind.
Ren Zhong chuckled inwardly.
He's anxious! He's anxious!
But on the surface, he pretended to be confused, "Dr. Sun, what else do you have to instruct?"
While talking, he didn't stop his steps, already stepping back one step, half of his body outside the clinic door.
"How can you, as a patient, not act like one? The doctor hasn't even let you go, can you leave? Get back here and lie down! There's one last dose of Immune Correction Potion, to boost your immunity, I'm giving it to you for free! No charge!"
Ren Zhong feigned embarrassment, waving his hand repeatedly, "How can I accept that? I've already owe you so much, Dr. Sun, I can't accept more of your kindness."
"Stand still! You stand still for me!"
Sun Miao stomped in frustration this time.
He genuinely feared that Ren Zhong would run away.
Although given his status in town, it wouldn't be difficult to find the person later.
But the issue was that the Abnormal Cell Eater was already injected, and the drug was working.
The cancer cells in Ren Zhong's body were being annihilated as they queued up. If the delay time exceeded five minutes, some Devourers would enter those key lymph nodes, making it very challenging to obtain the ideal samples.
However, Ren Zhong was merely putting on an act and didn't genuinely run away.
Sun Miao, on the other hand, had time to quickly grab a new syringe, pierce the large bottle beside him, and draw half a syringe of saline.
Then he quickly walked over, swiftly approaching Ren Zhong.
At the entrance, seeing the atmosphere had brewed enough, Ren Zhong was ready to reveal all.
He furrowed his brow, pointing at the syringe in Sun Miao's hand, "Dr. Sun, is that saline?"
"Hmm?" Sun Miao, caught off guard again, "Why are you talking nonsense, I clearly said it's the Immune Correction Potion."
Ren Zhong feigned suspicion, "Dr. Sun, something's not quite right with you."
"What do you mean by not quite right?"
"Though I haven't studied medicine, I'm not dumb. You drew the liquid from that big bottle, without adding any other agents. The bottle clearly has the sodium chloride formula written on it."
Sun Miao, accustomed to dealing with patients who were obedient to him, had never encountered a wild card like this, "Ah, this..."
Ren Zhong pressed the advantage.
"Besides, I specifically inquired before coming. Though Dr. Sun, your reputation in town isn't bad, you're not so generous as to let hundreds of bucks of diagnosis fees go on credit. My treatment is already finished, yet you come up with this half a syringe of saline, still trying to deceive me with a non-existent immune correction potion. What's your real intention?"
Sun Miao: "I... you..."
"Dr. Sun, just tell me what you want to do, no need to hide anything. I'm not an ungrateful person. Just say it, say it."
I know what you want, but I won't expose it, waiting for you to speak up so I can make a high demand.
Oh, just playing around.
Ten seconds later, the tongue-tied Sun Miao admitted defeat, "I want to take some cancer cells from you for research."
Ren Zhong smiled, squinting his eyes, "Sampling? Well, that's business. You have to pay then."
Sun Miao, growing furious, "How can you be like this! I didn't charge you for the treatment!"
Ren Zhong: "But didn't I leave you an IOU?"
You ungrateful wretch!
Sun Miao was so angry he was gritting his teeth, "Alright, how much do you want!"
With no understanding of the research system in this world or Sun Miao's financial capacity, Ren Zhong didn't know how much to ask.
So he decided to kick the ball back, "Dr. Sun, why don't you decide? I think, as the only doctor in town, you surely wouldn't underpay a humble vagrant like me, right?"
"How about I waive your debt?"
Sun Miao rolled his eyes, testing the waters.
"Not good enough."
"I'll return the IOU to you and throw in another hundred!"
Sun Miao squinted, suppressing his rage, seeming to start feeling the financial pain.
Ren Zhong closely observed the other's micro-expressions, considering Sun Miao's financial pain to be thirty percent genuine, seventy percent feigned.
Not quite there yet.
"As far as I know, very few people let cancer drag on to my extent. Are my cancer cells really this cheap? It shouldn't be."
"Two hundred! No more! That can buy two vials of Abnormal Cell Eater! You know how expensive that drug is!"
Ren Zhong saw through it.
This time, Sun Miao was genuinely feeling the financial pinch.
Almost there.
Ren Zhong delivered the final blow.
"Two hundred after tax! Cash before the goods!"
"Damn..." Sun Miao finally admitted defeat, deflated like a frostbitten eggplant, weakly saying, "Alright, deal. Come over, let me transfer the money to you."
...
Standing at the clinic door, Sun Miao looked like a courtesan who had been fleeced for free, watching Ren Zhong walk away triumphantly.
Sun Huakui's mood was complicated.
Anger, helplessness, grievance, excitement—it was all there.
Poured resources into treating someone, didn't earn a penny, on top of that ended up losing an extra two hundred and twenty.
What's the world coming to?
The hearts of people are too treacherous.
...
At the intersection, with a screech, a hover truck stopped beside Ren Zhong.
Zheng Tian and Wen Lei had just finished selling goods and coincidentally came over to meet Ren Zhong.
"Mr. Ren, this is your money, a total of 0.72 Contribution Points."
Ren Zhong nodded, "Thanks a lot."
"By the way, the mayor will be available in an hour. I'll take you to report then. We need to resupply, do you have any plans, Mr. Ren?"
Ren Zhong: "Let's meet outside the town hall in an hour, I'll go explore the town on my own for now."
"Alright."
After parting ways with Zheng Tian, Ren Zhong jogged straight to the eastern edge of the town center by the White Wall.
There stood a relatively tall building, the town's only official general store, commonly known as the supply and marketing cooperative, under the Alson Group, which mainly deals in finance and commerce among the nine major enterprises.
Time for some shopping therapy.