She had just left when Nodley, lying on the ICU operating table, suddenly spoke:
"...Stop tending to me."
Her tone was weaker than it had ever been, devoid of her usual strength and composure, as light and flimsy as a piece of paper in the wind.
"Head Nurse Nodley? We've already administered the anesthesia—are you too disturbed by your Qi Energy for the drugs to hold you?"
"Anna... She has it tough."
Nodley's tone was filled with sorrow:
"Someone like me should just die, I've committed so many sins, now is my time for atonement..."
"What are you saying—you've saved so many lives, without you, all of us would have died long ago."
The lead surgeon's nose tingled with emotion; after all, Nodley was a colleague and friend they had worked with for years, defending their peace with martial force.
"...No matter how much water you add to a bottle of ink, it will never become clear. The wrong things I've done can never be washed away."