FATE: Target of Grand Master

"Multiple bullets are lodged in his left arm; amputation is recommended."

"The right knee is severely damaged; amputation is recommended."

"There is a life-threatening penetrating wound in the abdomen; organ removal is recommended."

Xia Yan's confused consciousness immediately cleared up after hearing these words.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a young woman in her twenties with light pink hair wearing white gloves examining and evaluating his body.

Although the woman had a medical bag slung over her right shoulder, she had a large-caliber pistol tucked into her left waistband, giving off a menacing feeling that disobeying medical advice would send her to meet her maker.

Xia Yan recognized this person: one of the core figures of the Fifth Singularity, the founder of the modern nursing system and the nursing profession, Florence Nightingale, known as the "Iron White Coat".

Just as Xia Yan opened his eyes and looked at Nightingale, Nightingale also looked at Xia Yan.

After their eyes met for two seconds, Nightingale said calmly, "The patient has awakened. I recommend amputation and organ removal after anesthesia."

"Wait a moment!"

Hearing Nightingale's words, Xia Yan panicked. He didn't want to lose an arm or a leg at such a young age.

He struggled to lift his neck, looked at his abdomen—which, though still painful, had been properly treated and was no longer losing large amounts of blood—and said, "Head Nurse, I have a suggestion that should be more effective than amputation and organ removal."

This piqued Nightingale's interest.

"You also know medicine?"

"No, I don't know medicine, but I do know a little magic. To be honest, I am a Master, and I have the means to heal myself. You just need to remove the bullet from my left arm and, once my abdominal wound has healed, use your Noble Phantasm to remove the curse from me."

Nightingale was silent for a moment, then finally nodded and said, "A reasonable treatment plan, but I need to monitor your recovery process in real time. If any complications arise during the recovery process, I cannot rule out the use of amputation and organ removal."

"No problem. Thank you for your understanding, Miss Nightingale. You are truly a great angel in white."

Xia Yan immediately nodded and flattered her, but as for Nightingale's still unresolved issues of amputation and organ removal, Xia Yan dared not say anything more.

What a joke! Being able to reason with a berserker and successfully persuade him is already an amazing achievement. What more could you ask for?

"Then let's begin the bullet removal surgery now."

Nightingale placed Xia Yan's left arm on a clean table and then handed him an ear of corn.

Seeing Xia Yan's confusion, Nightingale said, "Bite on it."

Xia Yan then realized the purpose of the corn cob and asked, "Head Nurse, didn't you just say there was an anesthetic?"

"Those anesthetics are for surgical patients with more serious injuries. You've only had two bullets removed; just bear with it and it will pass."

For the first time, Xia Yan began to question his own reading comprehension abilities.

"It's just two bullets being dug out, just bear with it and it'll pass," do you think that's human language?

"Head Nurse..."

"Stop talking nonsense. If you utter another word, I'll give you anesthesia and then amputate your limb."

Xia Yan looked at Nightingale's eyes and knew she wasn't joking, so he had no choice but to obediently bite into the corn cob.

For the next half hour, Xia Yan's facial expression was indescribable. Large beads of sweat kept falling from his forehead. He only hated himself for being able to stay awake and for not simply fainting from the pain.

Of course, during the surgery, Musashi heard Xia Yan's painful groans and came in to check on him. However, neither Musashi's kind words nor his threats of force could shake Nightingale's will. In the end, Musashi could only keep wiping Xia Yan's sweat with a towel.

"That solves the problem for now."

After removing the bullet and stitching up the wound, Nightingale looked at the weak and listless Xia Yan with satisfaction and instructed, "The wounded should rest. I will come again later."

After saying this, Nightingale left the tent to check on the other wounded.

"Thank you for your help, Musashi."

Xia Yan said weakly, watching Musashi bustling around him.

"Xia Yan, you're being too polite if you say that. I'm a rough guy, and I usually only know how to fight and kill. This is the first time I've taken such good care of the wounded. It feels quite novel, and it's not hard work at all."

Musashi brought over a basin of water, wrung out a towel, and continued to wipe Xia Yan's sweat.

"Besides, this is a rare moment of time alone between you and me. Morgan usually keeps a close eye on you, so I don't even have a chance to make a move."

"Huh?" Xia Yan was taken aback.

Seemingly realizing she had inadvertently let something slip, Musashi blushed and quickly explained, "I meant taking care of you. I'm an only child, and I've never had any siblings. Seeing you like that makes me really want to be your older sister. Yeah, that's it, understand?"

Musashi leaned his head in front of Xia Yan's face, trying to ease the awkwardness with his imposing presence, but his face turned even redder after their eyes met.

Musashi quickly sat back down on the edge of the bed and wiped his face with a wet towel.

"Anyway, don't overthink it. I don't mind taking care of you. Just focus on recovering. This basin of water is dirty; I'll go change it."

After saying that, Musashi dashed out of the military tent, leaving Xia Yan without a chance to ask about Cú Chulainn's situation.

"Cú Chulainn was placed in the military tent next door by Nightingale. Fortunately, his spirit core was not damaged. It is estimated that the enemy at that time wanted to deal with you first. Once you were dealt with, Cú Chulainn, as your servant, would not need to put in much effort."

After calming down, Musashi returned to the military tent and informed Xia Yan about Cú Chulainn's situation.

This also stirred Xia Yan's thoughts.

Judging from Cú Chulainn's actions, it seems that he acted after receiving clear instructions. After all, as the boss of a singularity, he shouldn't have appeared so early, so there must be a Master behind him.

Just like with Oceanus, I started the trial later than the other Masters. Moreover, judging from the power distribution of the Fifth Singularity, there must be Masters behind the armies in the East and West, otherwise the situation would not be so tense. I am most likely on the side of Fujimaru Ritsuka in the original work, which is a third-party force that does not belong to the East or West - the resistance army.

Thinking of this, Xia Yan suddenly remembered that since he entered the trial, he had either been running away or unconscious, and had not had time to check his trial mission until now.

Opening the information box, the trial task clearly appeared in front of Xia Yan.

Main Quest (Required): Defeat King Cú Chulainn

Side Quest (Optional): Defeat 2 Masters