Chapter 9

Vroom… The Mustang roared to life once again and sprinted towards the slopes. As the car approached the slopes, Axel stepped on the brakes, but it had been tampered with and was not working. Axel’s face turned pale as his car sprinted off the slopes. Bang! The tumbling and crashing echoed across the entire circuit. Those who heard and saw the car drive off the slopes were horrified. They shouted, “Call 911!” Later that night, Luna and Halle exited the hospital with frosty looks on their faces. Luna got into her car with Halle while Andrius got into the rear seat. After the car left the hospital, Luna stared into the rearview mirror and saw Andrius intently looking at his phone. Irritated by his frivolous attitude, she bellowed, “Andrius, go apologize to Axel tomorrow.” “Why?” Andrius was confused by her request. Luna continued coldly, “Because you tampered with the Mustang’s brakes and caused Axel’s crash.” “The brakes were already broken when I got the Mustang,” Andrius said with a shrug. Halle immediately realized what must have happened during the race. Given that Andrius had raced through the finishing line and stopped the Mustang using a 360-degree drift, plus the fact that Axel had crashed because of the brakes, it could only mean that Andrius was not lying! The car’s brakes were already faulty when he got it! That was why he drifted 360 degrees to decelerate the car to a stop by maximizing the friction. A poor guy who grew up in the countryside that could speak fluent French and had amazing driving skills? Something felt amiss. Was he really who he claimed he was? Luna, on the other hand, was not as familiar with racing as Halle, hence she had no idea what really happened. She frowned when she heard Andrius’s explanation. “Andrius, you don’t even know how to lie. If you didn’t tamper with the brakes, how did you get out of the car unscathed?” Andrius shrugged. “I was able to get out of the car with broken brakes because of my skills. It has nothing to do with that guy not being able to do the same.” “You…” Andrius’s casual answer fueled Luna’s anger. Screech! The car screeched to a sudden stop by the road. “Get out of my car!” Luna shouted. The door opened and Andrius was ditched beside the road. Watching the car speed out of his sight, Andrius frowned and sighed. The honorable Wolf King was threatened, challenged, and mistreated again and again. No matter how much patience he had, he ran out of it. He took several deep breaths to suppress his anger. Since Master Crestfall was his master’s savior, he decided not to be calculative with the short-tempered Luna. With the thought in mind, he walked back to Dream’s Waterfront. Right after he made a turn into a junction, he ran into a familiar figure. Dr. Artemis! The doctor was beside a minivan with many boxes by his side. Dr. Artemis spotted Andrius as well. Surprised, he cried, “Young man, what are the odds of running into you here?” “I’m just passing by.” Andrius walked closer to Dr. Artemis. He picked up a familiar scent from the boxes on the ground. “Dr. Artemis, are these iodine and antibiotics?” “Oh! You are really good! You can tell the types of medicine by smelling them? I’m impressed! “You’re right. These are iodine and antibiotics that I have to deliver to the Recovery Camp.” “Recovery Camp?” Andrius was slightly surprised. Dr. Artemis said, “The citizens of Sumeria are patriotic, so many volunteered to serve the army. However, the number of discharged soldiers due to injuries is also on the rise. The local government set up a place called the Recovery Camp to take care of the discharged injured soldiers. “Since the number is on the rise, the demand for medicines has increased. These medicines are actually donations from my clinic to the Recovery Camp. “I’ve actually asked several workers to help me transport them, but they claimed the boxes were too heavy and they quit,” Dr. Artemis grumbled. “Let me help.” “Young man, the boxes are really heavy. Let me…” “It’s okay.” Andrius went over and picked the boxes up with ease. Dr. Andrius was shocked. The boxes were indeed heavy. Even two grown men struggled to carry a single box around, but Andrius picked up a box with each hand. In less than two minutes, all the boxes were moved into the minivan. Andrius then hitched a ride to the Recovery Camp which was located in the Western suburbs. The institute was actually a simple building with barely any infrastructure. The crude state of the institute gave Andrius a bitter feeling. Soldiers served the country with their lives, yet they were sent to such a place after they were wounded and discharged. Andrius helped Dr. Artemis move the boxes of medicine into the Recovery Camp. Amongst the doctors who were treating injured men was a cute young girl, who stood out from the rest. The girl was reapplying medicine on an amputee. After she was done, Dr. Artemis called out to her, “Lyra.” “Grandpa!” the girl answered cheerfully and ran over to Dr. Artemis. When she spotted Andrius behind Dr. Artemis, she asked, “Grandpa, who is this?” “Lyra, this is the young doctor whom I told you about before.” Dr. Artemis introduced Andrius to Lyria, “Young man, this is my granddaughter, Lyra Artemis.” “Oh, so you are the doctor who saved Master Crestfall!” Lyra looked surprised. When she heard about Andrius from her grandfather, she assumed he would be around thirty to forty years old, but his actual appearance shocked her. “You are too kind, Ms. Artemis.” Andrius nodded at Lyra before he asked Dr. Artemis, “Doctor, are you volunteering here?” “I am. These soldiers served our country with their lives, so I just want to do whatever I can to help them.” “I’m impressed by your spirit, Doctor. You have my respect.” Andrius bowed at Dr. Artemis and joined him in treating the soldiers. He used his acupuncture skills to help ease the injured soldiers' pain. He helped around until ten o’clock at night before ending the session. On the way back to the city, Andrius asked, “Dr. Artemis, the soldiers served the country with their lives, but why did the local government put them here after they were discharged?” “Fret not, Young man.” Dr. Artemis looked slightly exhausted. He sighed and continued, “The mayor has released a proposal to build a proper rehabilitation facility named the Valiant Institute, to take care of the discharged soldiers. “The project is going through a tender now, so it will take at least a year and a half before completion. The two best candidates to win the bid for the project are the Crestfalls' New Moon Corporation and the Stormbrews’ Castlerock Corporation. If you compare the two companies’ financial status and execution, Castlerock Corporation is likely to win the bid. “But…” A little pause later, Dr. Artemis continued, “I personally want the New Moon Corporation to take the project.” “Why?” Andrius asked. “The Stormbrews’ Castlerock Corporation simply views this project as a profitable expansion, but the Crestfalls' New Moon Corporation is different. “Master Crestfall is also a veteran, and the reason why he wants to take on the project is to take care of his fellow comrades after being discharged.” Andrius finally understood the situation. It seemed like he had to meet Marcus, the mayor, and persuade him to give the project to the Crestfalls.