I Became A Mech Soldier After Waking Up in The Future.

Keiko didn't speak, and neither did Jeanne.

The eldest lady looked at her with teasing eyes, but Keiko couldn't bear it, so she could only pretend to look around.

However, as her eyes wandered about, the surrounding scene flabbergasted her.

She thought that scenes of overcrowded hospitals could only be seen in movies and on TV, but now they were happening directly in front of her eyes.

The ward she was in looked like it could barely accommodate eight beds at most but had forcibly been stuffed full of a total of twelve.

Moreover, each of these narrow beds had been occupied by more than one patient each, and just looking at them gave her a feeling of great discomfort.

Being the only person who occupied a whole bed by herself under such circumstances, Keiko couldn't help but feel both guilty and grateful.

'This...' Keiko glanced at the girl beside her and shook her head helplessly.

Clearly, the treatment she received was different from the rest, and Keiko knew exactly who was to "blame".

The medical staff hopped from one patient to another with barely a pause in between, their clothes marred with numerous bloody stains.

It was no wonder, really, given that numerous operations, both minor and major, had to be conducted on the spot, regardless of the usual protocols. If they wanted the people they cared for to remain alive under such circumstances... some rules had to die.

The scene was so morbidly fascinating that Keiko was sure she would have fainted in barely a second had she had even the slightest fear of blood in her heart.

This… was the hospital in wartime.

Even in her previous time when she served in the army, Keiko never had the 'opportunity' to witness such a scene.

When a friend who had been assigned to a conflict zone shared her experience, Keiko had imagined a scene like this.

At that time, she'd thought that her imagination was already quite vivid, but only now did she realize that it still paled in comparison to the brutal reality.

"The Zerg swarm tide this time was really disastrous; many people died from the assault. Not to mention the soldiers, there are also many innocent people in Trudheim who suffered," Jeanne said. 

"Why is such a large-scale swarm tide not observed in advance? There is no warning at all. What happened to so many outfield bases?" Keiko asked with a frown. 

"Second Lieutenant Lee, the swarm tide this time was a natural disaster, but at the same time not. Do you know why Bailey was set up and they were hellbent on seeing her dead? I believe this is also due to this matter.

She had observed the abnormality of the zerg and predator's behavior in the Himalayan mountains for so long, especially around the Vstreviðr, and suspected that it might have escalated into a swarm tide.

The Institute had dismissed her proposal to do a field observation to deliberately provoke her so that she would act on her own accord and go out of the city alone in a fit of anger.

This might not only be a ploy to trap Sister Bailey but also a scheme to cover the truth that the Institute's higher-ups actually knew about the existence of this swarm tide earlier but decided to conceal it.

And because of her righteousness and sense of justice, even though she knew it was a trap, Bailey didn't hesitate to jump into it. They knew her too well."

"But why would the Institute—" 

"Shh, keep your voice down."

Jeanne's hand reached out to cover Keiko's mouth and she suddenly felt softness lingering on her fingers, sending a jolt of inexplicable feeling into her heart.

The two gazes met, and suddenly they realized something was wrong.

Jeanne blushed and retracted her hand reluctantly, while Keiko pursed her lips awkwardly. 

"Do you remember when I told you that the ambush in front of the city gate was to disrupt the relationship between the two generals?"

Jeanne cleared her throat and said softly while her left hand subconsciously caressed the fingers that touched Keiko's lips just now. 

"Yes." 

"Whether it was the concealment of the information or the ambush in front of the city gate, who do you think will be blamed for it?" asked Jeanne, staring deeply into Keiko's eyes. 

Keiko thought for a while, and suddenly her eyes widen, "General Frode!" 

"That's right," Jeanne nodded and her gaze turned colder, "When the swarm tide surged from the Vstreviðr forest, Trudheim was the first to feel the brunt of it. As for the ambush, if it succeeds, the relationship between General Frode and my father will be broken. In any case, the one who suffers the biggest loss is General Frode." 

"And if the swarm tide is so severe that the Trudheim region falls and even spreads into the city of Valhalla, then the victim would not only be Frode himself, but also the behemoth occupying the western city of the Federation—the Heisenberg family. That man was deliberately dealing with the Heisenberg family, and that was the truth behind this chain of events. " 

Keiko got goosebumps as she listened to Jeanne's analysis. They both fell silent, lost in their own thoughts.

***

After chatting with Jeanne for a while, Keiko felt fatigue wash over her and soon fell asleep again.

This time, she didn't wake up until noon the next day.

When she woke up, Jeanne wasn't there with her. There was only the nurse who attended to her.

Keiko felt so much better than yesterday, and her strength and mind had recovered a lot. So, she wanted to get out of bed to stretch her body. 

The nurse advised her not to, but Keiko really didn't want to lie down anymore.

The last thing she wanted to do was lie in bed.

After so many years of military life, she was used to going to bed early and getting up early, and she was often woken up in the middle of the night and getting up for emergency gatherings, so she actually sleeps very little.

Despite that, she was very energetic and, generally, she only needs four to five hours of sleep a day.

Her adoptive father taught her since she was a child that for people who practice martial arts, the most important thing was to always practice their bodies. Only by moving frequently could they maintain a good spirit. 

Just as she was trying to find some excuses, Dr. Leah came to visit her. Keiko looked at her with gleaming eyes, as if she were meeting her savior.

With the approval and company of Dr.. Leah, Keiko, who was wearing a hospital gown, supported the mobile drip stand, finally walked out of the crowded ward, and walked outside the hospital for a breather.