On her way back to the base, she returned, not only with the troops but also in the company of her dispirited mood. It took more than two hours for the military vehicle to return from the hospital with their troop. It was not until now that Maggie learned from the others that the reason why she had been sent to the General Military Hospital was because there was no appropriate equipment at the medical care center on base to deal with the pollutants in her respiratory tract. They had feared she might suffer permanent damage due to the chemicals involved in the lab fire.
After they arrived at the base, Cathy and the other members of the technical instruction team all expressed their sincerest concerns for Maggie's health. Maggie was given half a day's leave, which was a rare occurrence in the special forces. The only good news was that she would not have to attend their training until tomorrow. In Eagle Special Brigade, people who didn't perform at a high standard would be eliminated from the team. Everybody had to survive hardships and even bullets. As a girl who had by herself chosen to join the army, Maggie wasn't a tomboy and suffered no pretentiousness.
And of course, she hadn't forgotten about the ten kilometers' run ordered by Edgar. Ever since she left college and joined the basic unit, Maggie had been writing self-criticism reports and facing punishments decreed by Edgar every now and then. As a result, she had become quite tough during the course of her time here.
Despite the remaining weakness and some shortness of breath, she began running, drawing the attention of lots of people passing by. At the same time, the medical officer, Hackett Shu's sighs could be heard in the medical care center of the Eagle Special Brigade.
"Let me have a look! Your wounds are starting to open up again,"
Hackett said in a helpless and concerned tone while applying medicine to the burns on Edgar's back. "I understand your great passion for work, but you should also look after your own health and life. The girl has only just joined the basic level unit, so it's natural that she is stubborn. However, is it necessary for you, an injured leader, to go to the hospital to see her only in order to check up on her mental state? If I were your boss, I would have been angry with you too."
Sensing the discontent in Hackett's words and tone, Edgar could not help but flash a bitter smile. "I had no other choice. The Headquarters of the General Staff pays great attention to this technical program. If there is even the slightest chance that the girl's mental state was affected, I'm afraid it could have an adverse effect on the research. In this case, the benefits outweighed the risk to my health."
After taking a short pause, he added, "After all, I had already been injured. I didn't want to have suffered the pain in vain. As a girl, if Maggie Du is unable to concentrate on her research because of mental stress, I would not be able to enjoy any benefits. Then I would have suffered for nothing, right?"
Hackett could not help but roll his eyes at Edgar's long-winded explanantion. "Alas, I forgot that I have never won an argument against you. But every time you get injured, you come to me for help," he complained with a depressed shrug.
"I would not have come to bother you if my injuries weren't on the back, where my eyes cannot reach!" Edgar said, ignoring Hackett's complaints. "Besides, every time I come here, I have to listen to your chatter. You're as nagging as an old woman... Ouch..."
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