Catching up with Kayleen

Bai Jingshen didn't know about the commotion he had caused. He stepped through the only door on this balcony before an elevator brought him back into the Bullet Avoidance training grounds again. Arriving there he smiled slightly as he understood that this elevator was hidden perfectly behind a wall. He went over towards the console next to the meditation chamber, quickly realizing that he still had one day left. The young man decided to simply meditate in this good environment before taking a look at some available martial arts.

A few hours later however, he suddenly received a notification. He looked at his bracelet and noticed that Sam asked for permission to enter the training grounds. Bai Jingshen quickly accepted and stood up to welcome his friend. As the door opened, he soon saw Sam waiting outside in his training clothes. The latter only took two steps before he spoke with a smile on his face:

"Brother Bai. You have been really hard-working. Do you have time right now?"

"Sure. I would have left in a few hours anyways. What do you want to do?"

"I figured out where our RSS team is. I thought we should visit them. Although we probably won't be fighting together, we were still a team for a short time."

"Well, I don't know if they want to see me, but we can try. Where are they right now?"

Sam's smiled turned slightly awkward after Bai Jingshen's last question.

"They… are in the medical division still. They sadly need… psychological treatment."

"Then they might not let us see them. I hope they can snap out of it soon. Defeating your inner demons is an important step in everyone's cultivation journey."

"We should try at least. Who knows, maybe we can even be of help."

"Alright. Lead the way."

Having come to a consensus Bai Jingshen simply followed Sam out of the training grounds. On their way out Bai Jingshen suddenly noticed Stormspear showing him a thumps up. The young man wasn't quite sure why, simply nodding back as he walked after Sam. The two young men soon took an elevator all the way down towards the third floor. On the way Bai Jingshen noticed that Sam was already quite knowledgeable about the layout of Thobar Bionics HQ. His friend briefly explained that the medical division was on such a low floor, so it could be quickly accessed from the outside as well. Furthermore, the medical division not only treated wounds but also traded and researched medicine, working closely with a few shops in the city. In fact, the medical division delivered a good part of the company's revenue.

After a short while the two men reached the third floor. They walked a bit to the right before arriving in front of a door with the label 'Psychological Treatment Center' on it. After they entered, they found themselves in a small reception room, where a young man welcomed them.

"Welcome to the PTC. How can I help you?"

"Hi. We wanted to visit our teammates. They are the RSS team that should have come here little over a month ago."

"Yes, I know who you are talking about. Can you tell me your names? I have to check with the treating doctor."

"Sure, we are Bai Jingshen and Sam Immartokav."

"Thank you. One moment please."

In an office somewhere on the third floor a mature, tired looking woman was just checking through a few reports. Even with her Golden Core Realm cultivation she felt like she had too much to do recently. A month ago, everything was going well, until a group of young men came under her care. Those new recruits had just arrived, only to be captured by beasts.

Shortly after more and more employees were brought to her, all of them showing symptoms of a complete breakdown. They all talked about a dark cloud and untamable fear. She was confused at first, until management confirmed to her that a dragon had been sighted. Merely being in the presents of such a legendary beast destroyed the conviction of a lot of cultivators. They developed inner demons and lost their path. Now they were brought to her with the hope that she could stabilize their damaged mentality.

After weeks of hard work, this doctor finally got a break as she relaxed in her office under the excuse of reading reports. Just as she calmed her tired mind, she suddenly received a message. She quickly read the report about two visitors while gnashing her teeth in anger. As the treating doctor of the RSS team, she naturally recognized the names of Sam and Bai Jingshen. Especially mentioning the latter brought out mixed emotions among the new recruits. There was no chance she would let those two anywhere near her patients before their mentality stabilized. Just as she wanted to send them away however, she had a better idea. She quickly sent a notification to one of her new assistants, telling her to deal with the situation.

Bai Jingshen and Sam were waiting for the young man to ask for permission. Soon a few seconds went by without anything happening. The young man's professional smile got slightly strained. He fake coughed once before awkwardly saying:

"It seems the doctor is unavailable. Let me message an assistant real quick to see if you can come later."

Just as the receptionist wanted to send another notification, a side door opened. Bai Jingshen was surprised when he saw a young, red-haired woman enter. However, he soon smiled as Kayleen greeted him enthousiastically.

"Jingshen! Good to see again. And you must be Sam right. I'm Kayleen, I work here."

"Ahh I didn't think about it. But of course, it makes sense. Are you doing well Kayleen?"

The young woman walked over with a happy smile on her face. Sam also recognized Kayleen from the training grounds, but he didn't really know her so he only quietly returned the greeting. Bai Jingshen was also happy to meet his first friend again, as he noticed in surprise that the young woman had already reached the 2nd stage of Qi Gathering.

"Yes! I really think I was made for this. I love working here. Although I was slightly injured as our arrival here was a bit rough. Well… not as rough as yours I guess."

"I personally couldn't have asked for a better one, but I guess not everyone shares my opinion."

Kayleen's face suddenly gained a strictness Bai Jingshen had never seen from the lively woman. She looked into his eyes as she reprimanded him:

"Don't make fun of my patients, Jingshen! You are not helping anybody by doing so."

The former emperor thought about Kayleen's words for a second.

"Hmm… I guess you are right. Although I won't pity those that chose their own fate, but I shouldn't make fun of them either."

"Well, that's… better. However, I was sent here to ask you for help. Can you come with me for a few minutes please?"

Bai Jingshen shrugged his shoulders, as he turned his head towards Sam. He knew his friend would like to help his old teammates. Therefore, the young men signaled Kayleen to take the lead, as they followed her into a small room for conversations.

After the took their seats, Kayleen began to tell them what she had on her mind:

"You see. At the PTC it is our job to help people deal with psychological blows. However, our job gets harder if we don't understand the situation. We have received an official report, but often they aren't very detailed. Can you explain everything that happened from you point of view please?"

Bai Jingshen showed his friend a calm smile as he explained:

"Sure. I will explain what I know first. It pretty much comes down to the day we were introduced to Bloodsaber. This guide was rather arrogant from the start, making things difficult for us. On the day we should travel to the new world I could also feel his jealousy as I won the newcomer competition. Simply put: we couldn't see eye to eye with each other. Afterwards Spike manipulated the receiver, leading to us landing in the Sleeping Lake Forest. I quickly assessed our situation and set my priorities straight.

I decided we had to find a place to breakthrough fast, before securing something to drink. Bloodsaber however thought waiting in place was the right thing to do. In his opinion the place we landed would be the first that Thobar Bionics would send a search party to, so they could simply wait a day for rescue. On top of that Bloodsaber tried to attack me, thinking our miserable situation was my fault."

"Sorry for interrupting you. Did you tell the others about your plan?"

"If I remember correctly I told them we should quickly reach the Qi Gathering Realm to defend ourselves."

Kayleen quietly muttered after hearing this:

"So, you really did say this… Why were you confident that you could successfully break through? Weren't you afraid the Immortal Qi would hurt you?"

"I didn't know. I simply tried."

The young woman's mouth opened slightly before she shook her head.

"Now it's clear why no one followed you. You were pretty much gambling that your cultivation would be successful. Still, your team shouldn't be blaming you either. Thank you for clearing my doubts. Do you have anything to add?"