21st Century Necromancer

"Rokuro, take a photo of this area," Misumi Mikoto instructed while examining the victim's head and gesturing for Kube Rokuro to come over and take pictures.

Upon hearing Misumi Mikoto's call, Kube Rokuro, who was holding the camera, hurried over and pressed the shutter to capture the specific area Mikoto had requested.

However, seeing the victim's head smashed like a rotten watermelon, he couldn't help but feel bile rising to his throat.

"Really, Rokuro, you've been at UDI for almost a year now, right? You must have seen a hundred or two bodies, so how come you can't stand this kind of scene?" Tokairin Yuko couldn't help but tease him when she noticed Rokuro's reaction.

"Sorry!" Kube Rokuro quickly apologized.

Fortunately, Misumi Mikoto was almost done with the examination, and a more detailed autopsy would need to be conducted back at UDI's morgue, so seeing Rokuro's condition, Mikoto nonchalantly suggested, "Rokuro, why don't you take half a day off this afternoon? There won't be much to do when we get back anyway. With the way you look, I'd hate to see you actually throw up."

"I'm really sorry, I might have eaten a bit too much this morning," Kube Rokuro still felt embarrassed, as it was remarkably shameful for a forensic worker to be nearly vomiting at the sight of a death scene.

"No worries, Rokuro, you've been doing quite well! But deaths as gruesome as this one are rare even for me to see. The last time was..." As Tokairin Yuko spoke, she actually began to recall the last time she saw a body that was so gruesomely deceased: "I think it was that suicide case three years ago, wasn't it? Mikoto, do you remember? It was summer, and the body had been left in an abandoned school for a month, ultimately turning into a spectacle."

Hearing Tokairin Yuko bring up that case, Misumi Mikoto also remembered, "Ah! I do remember, the victim's head had been struck with a blunt instrument, and the entire skull was smashed and deformed. Moreover, because the body had been dead for a long time, there were maggots throughout the skull. When I lifted the skullcap, about half a bowl of maggots flowed out, right?"

"Ugh!" Kube Rokuro hadn't felt like vomiting yet, but a police officer who overheard their conversation couldn't help it and almost did vomit, only holding it back forcefully because he was wearing a mask.

Seeing the officer's reaction, Tokairin Yuko burst into laughter and said to Kube Rokuro with a smile, "So, Rokuro, go ahead and take a rest! Besides, didn't you say that you met a very beautiful female doctor at this hospital? Professor Chen Yu is right here, why don't you ask him about her?"

"Uh, this..." Kube Rokuro became immediately embarrassed, remembering the words that the female doctor had said to him previously and thinking about the possibility of seeing her for the third time: "Previously, Brother Yu said he would inquire for me as well, but I still think it's better not to trouble him. After all, if she isn't interested in me, it might at least lessen the awkwardness."

"Well, well, well, Rokuro, you're an adult now and if you have your own ideas, then go according to your own plan," Tokairin Yuko could only offer her support upon hearing Kube Rokuro say this.

But within her heart, she couldn't help feeling a little regret since she originally thought highly of Kube Rokuro and wanted to consider him as a backup option.

After working with the Metropolitan Police Department's forensic team to place the body on the ground into a body bag, Misumi Mikoto finally left with Tokairin Yuko, while Kube Rokuro stayed behind.

It was rare to have a half-day off, and Kube Rokuro had intended to look for Chen Yu, but after thinking about the female doctor he had encountered before, he decided to wander around the hospital instead.

However, due to the attack that had occurred that day and the death of a person, the atmosphere in the hospital was rather tense. Even patients who would normally be moving about in the corridors had returned to their rooms, making the hospital feel somewhat desolate.

After roaming around for half the day without encountering the female doctor he wanted to meet, Kube Rokuro was about to leave, somewhat disappointed, when he unexpectedly ran into a nurse who knew him.

"Mr. Kube, are you here at the hospital to see Professor Chen Yu again?" The young nurse, arms full of a thick stack of medical records, seemed to be on her way to deliver documents, but she still greeted Kube Rokuro when she saw him.

Kube Rokuro was taken aback. He didn't know many people at this hospital, and he didn't have much of an impression of the young nurse in front of him.

Seeing that Rokuro didn't recognize her, the nurse laughed. She didn't mind; after all, she was wearing a mask today, and it was indeed difficult to recognize someone if they weren't a close acquaintance.

But after laughing, she went on to explain, "Don't you remember, Mr. Kube? You met me last time you came to the hospital, and I even took you to our nurse station's lounge. Have you forgotten?"

"Oh, oh! It's you! I remember now, I even ate your snacks! I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you at first." After the nurse's reminder, Kube Rokuro quickly recalled who she was.

"Why did you come today, Mr. Kube? Were you here to see Professor Chen Yu, as usual?" The nurse, seeing that Rokuro remembered her, smiled again and inquired about the purpose of his hospital visit, "But Professor Chen Yu might not have time right now. He happened to be at the scene of the incident that just occurred, so at this moment…"

Before the nurse could finish explaining, Rokuro interjected hastily, "I've already seen Brother Yu earlier. I came with the police, and the victim from earlier was taken to our UDI for an autopsy. I'm here just to…"

Feeling somewhat embarrassed about his desire to have a chance encounter with the female doctor, Rokuro nevertheless felt he hadn't met anyone after circling around, so he asked the nurse he had met by chance, "Right, the last time I was here, I met a female doctor with indigo-colored eyes. Do you know which department she's from?"

"Eyes that are indigo-colored..." Asked by Rokuro, the nurse paused for a moment but quickly realized whom Rokuro was referring to: "Are you talking about Doctor Qingdai? She's the only one in the entire hospital with such distinctive eyes. However, she's from General Surgery, the same department as Professor Chen Yu. Didn't you know that, Mr. Kube?"

"Eh? She's a surgeon?" Rokuro was immediately surprised, but he was already quite happy to know the name and information of the female doctor.

"Yes, she started working here last year, but she's not a trainee doctor," the nurse affirmed with a nod. "But if you're looking for her, it's unfortunate. There was a gas explosion at Doctor Qingdai's house, and she sustained severe injuries. She's now an inpatient undergoing treatment."

"Eh? Which room is she in?" Hearing this news, Rokuro asked with concern.