CHAPTER 979: CHAPTER 978: THEN LET’S DO THIS THE HARD WAY

After spending a night with Eiriri, Fang Zheng bid her farewell and left.

Although Eiriri was somewhat reluctant to see him go, her body was still quite weak. Besides, although they had done it countless times in the Game World, it was Eiriri’s first time experiencing the storms of Fang Zheng in reality. She needed rest, so Fang Zheng took care of her thoroughly, had breakfast with her, and then did another real "rehabilitation training" before leaving the hospital.

The next person Fang Zheng planned to visit was Black Cat.

After leaving the Game World, Fang Zheng had already decided to take care of everyone in his Guild. After all, only through their joint efforts were they able to defeat the Boss and return to the real world from the game. In other words, without their help, just Fang Zheng, Ester, and Restia alone could never have cleared the 100 floors.

Fang Zheng naturally wanted to give them some reward, to help these companions solve certain difficulties and problems.

The first targets Fang Zheng chose were Eiriri, Black Cat, and Asuna.

The reason is very simple; these three girls were the ones with whom he had the closest relationship in the game and had intimate contact. Although he didn’t know how they intended to interact with him in real life, Fang Zheng decided that since he had done it, he would take full responsibility.

Of course, he would also visit other members from the Raid Group one by one, including those from the production and combat groups.

Originally, Fang Zheng planned to visit Yuki first, then Eiriri, Asuna, and finally Black Cat. Unexpectedly, fate turned out more interesting than he had imagined. The first person he met by chance was Yuna, followed by Asuna and Yuki, and only after that Eiriri, thus making Black Cat the last visit.

But speaking of which... the condition of Black Cat’s home is indeed quite average.

Looking at the somewhat rundown house in front of him, Fang Zheng couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional. Although he had heard that Black Cat’s family wasn’t very well-off economically, seeing it in comparison, he realized that their conditions were indeed poor. Especially compared to Asuna and Eiriri; one is the young lady of an influential family, the other the daughter of a diplomat, both with privileged conditions. Black Cat’s situation was completely different.

For treatment, throughout the whole game raiding period, all medical expenses were covered by the Government of Japan and ARGUS lawsuit compensation, but the enhanced treatments after waking up weren’t the same. Families like Asuna’s and Eiriri’s, who had the means, could opt for better medication and rehabilitation treatments to recover, with Eiriri even having her own dedicated rehabilitation therapist. However, families like Black Cat’s, who couldn’t afford such expenses, had no choice but to go home for self-training and recuperation.

In fact, according to Fang Zheng’s investigation, Black Cat had been discharged and returned home a week after the game raid was completed. Of course, her health was otherwise normal, without any illnesses. However, relative to others, Black Cat obviously couldn’t receive such comprehensive rehabilitation treatments, so her recovery might be slower.

In any case, let’s check out the situation first.

With this thought, Fang Zheng opened the car door, walked to Black Cat’s doorstep, and rang the doorbell.

"Coming..."

Accompanied by a somewhat childish voice, the door in front of Fang Zheng opened, and two little figures appeared before him.

They were two little girls who looked like they were still primary school students. Faced with Fang Zheng’s sudden appearance, both seemed a bit surprised. The older one curiously surveyed Fang Zheng for a few moments and then asked.

"Um... may I ask who you are looking for?"

"My name is Fang Zheng. Is this Black Cat’s... I mean, Kirigaya Suguha’s house?"

"Yes... and you are... ah?"

Faced with Fang Zheng’s inquiry, the older girl nodded, seemingly recalling something. Simultaneously, the younger one’s eyes suddenly sparkled.

"Ah, it’s His Imperial Majesty!"

Upon saying this, the little girl turned and ran inside.

"Sister dear, His Imperial Majesty is here...!"

"..."

Watching the little girl’s retreating figure, Fang Zheng couldn’t help but twitch his mouth. What on earth has Black Cat been telling people at home...

"Ahahaha, sorry..."

Now, the older girl also gave an awkward smile toward Fang Zheng, then respectfully bowed her head.

"Hello, nice to meet you. I am Kirigaya Hinata. Thank you for taking care of my sister in the game..."

"You’re her sister, huh, quite adorable..."

Seeing the well-behaved Hinata in front of him, Fang Zheng casually complimented, but soon he was concerned about another issue.

"However... does she talk about such things with you?"

"Of course, during the time recuperating at home, my sister recounts her experiences in the game to us every day... Ah, please come in."

Compared to the chuunibyou Black Cat, her sister seemed more mature and steady, or perhaps it’s precisely because the elder sister is deep into chuunibyou that the younger one has no choice but to take on the responsibility of being the normal one.

If it were some other disease, they’d probably be contenders for China’s... no, Japan’s top ten most inspirational families.

But chuunibyou...?

No cure, no cure.

Hinata welcomed Fang Zheng inside and explained Black Cat’s situation. Since being discharged home, Black Cat had been doing her rehab training during this period. When she’s idle, she often recounts her adventures in the Game World and talks about the members of the Dark Moon Sword Guild to her two sisters.

"So, how is Black Cat... Suguha’s recovery?"

"Sister is very spirited. However, she still can’t do much physical activity. Like an old lady, she feels tired just after taking a few steps..."

"In that case, professional treatment would be better, right?"

Hearing Hinata’s response, Fang Zheng furrowed his brows. Being Chinese, he was all too familiar with the mindset of families like Black Cat’s, which have low to medium income. The saying goes, once the disease is cured, every bit of saving counts. In China, many families are like this. After an operation or treatment, one should enhance the effects through rest, medication, and complete treatment.

But often, trying to save money leads to patients giving up post-treatment, resulting in poor recovery, or even potential residual problems.

"That’s what the doctor said too, but Sister Liuli insisted on being discharged..."

"Hinata, what are you talking about?"

As the two were conversing, Black Cat’s voice suddenly sounded. Fang Zheng turned toward the voice’s source, and saw Black Cat leaning against the wall, slowly rounding the corner of the hallway.

"Zhu Xi too, what Imperial Majesty..."

As she spoke, Black Cat raised her head to look ahead, and upon seeing Fang Zheng, she froze momentarily, then reached out to rub her eyes.

"Fang, Mr. Fang Zheng...? How come..."

"I came to see you, but didn’t expect your situation to be this bad..."

Fang Zheng walked up to Black Cat, staring at her intently. Indeed, at this moment, Fang Zheng clearly saw that Black Cat’s recovery wasn’t going well. After all, they had all woken up at roughly the same time. Yuna was already capable of walking long distances, Asuna was practically back to normal, and Eiriri was already capable of "exercising" with him, yet Black Cat was still needing the wall for support to walk around?

Fang Zheng knew that rehabilitation treatment was tremendously vital, especially for players who returned from the Death Game. After all, these players had been in a coma for two full years. Without complete treatment, who knows what kind of aftereffects might be left?

And Black Cat just came back like this?

"Ugh... I’m just resting at home. Besides, even if I stayed in the hospital, it would just be wasting time."

"I don’t quite agree with that."

Gazing at Black Cat, Fang Zheng raised an eyebrow.

"Asuna can already walk on her own, Eiriri can hop around, yet you still need to cling to walls and get out of breath after a few steps? Do you think that’s what a good recovery looks like?"

Finishing his sentence, Fang Zheng didn’t wait for Black Cat to say anything and directly approached, picking her up in his arms.

"Waaaah!!"

Startled by Fang Zheng’s sudden move, Black Cat was taken aback.

"W-What are you doing?"

"Taking you to the hospital."

Fang Zheng quickly replied.

"This time, I’m keeping an eye on you. Don’t even think about running away!"