There's a big problem with dreams in this world.

Lu Qing thought this way, knowing that the work to be done next was no easy task.

If it were just physical exhaustion, that would be manageable, but what's most unbearable is the mental anguish.

Dim lighting, foul and putrid air, and infectious disease patients devoid of any vitality—only those with strong minds can continue working in such an environment.

And this young man.......

Lu Qing didn't think much of him, but you have to try to find out.

Upon hearing her reply, the young man straightened up again, his expression excited, and said, "Yes, I will try my best!"

"I hope you can maintain this mindset in the future," Lu Qing thought to herself.

She led the young man into the basement, but the moment they entered, the smell of sweat and excrement mixed together hit the young man like a ton of bricks.

His face looked like he'd eaten shit, his features contorted and distorted. If Lu Qing hadn't been walking in front of him, he might have run away on the spot.

He placed the food and water on the ground, and was then greeted by the patients crammed together in the basement.

All that could be seen were large numbers of patients, barely recognizable as human, lying helplessly on the hard ground, with only a tattered blanket beneath them.

"vomit........."

The scene before him made the young man feel nauseous, as if something was about to rise in his stomach, but fortunately he managed to suppress the feeling and only gagged slightly.

"Are all of these patients sick?"

The young man's Adam's apple bobbed, and he felt a dryness in his throat. He had never imagined that this place would be so terrifying.

Looking at the doctor, whose expression remained unchanged, he couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

"Stop standing there, get to work!"

Seeing that the young man had recovered, Lu Qing quickly said.

Since it was the young man's first job and he had no experience, Lu Qing did not have him and her clean the patients separately, but instead cleaned them together.

She was certainly quite skilled at this kind of thing, while the young man not only lacked experience, but also lacked Lu Qing's resilience that had become so accustomed to it. He was not only inefficient, but also frequently made mistakes.

When the day's cleaning work was finally finished, time seemed to be moving even slower than usual.

Well, that's how it is with newcomers. Although they're much slower now, they'll pick up speed in a couple of days.

Lu Qing felt that it was already very good that the other party didn't quit because they couldn't stand it.

"Do doctors do this kind of work every day?" The young man thought to himself, glancing at Lu Qing with lingering fear after finishing the cleaning.

Only those who have truly experienced it can understand how tiring this job is. Before he arrived, only the doctor was managing the place.

Thinking about it this way, the young man suddenly felt that his own hardships were nothing, and he couldn't help but admire Lu Qing.

After the cleaning was finished, it was time to feed the patients in the basement. Lu Qing didn't need to teach her how to do this, but just in case, she still didn't let the young people feed them too far away from her.

Even if the probability is low, she wants to eliminate the possibility of young people bullying patients. This is not because she is overthinking it, but because it is really possible. After all, it is normal to feel unhappy or have negative emotions when sent to work in such a place.

However, based on the current situation, she is quite satisfied with the performance of the young people, and there are no major problems.

........

"Doctor, I'm so bored. I want to go play with my little sister..." The little boy, as always, expressed his longing for his sister after Lu Qing arrived.

"Don't rush, once you've recovered, you can play with your sister for as long as you want," Lu Qing said gently.

"But I'm getting better too slowly, and I can't wait any longer," the little boy said, his voice slightly more serious.

Hearing the little boy's words, Lu Qing couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. After thinking for a moment, she said:

"Forget about going out to play. How about this, when I have time, I'll go find your sister and have her pass on a few words to you, okay?"

"Great! My little sister must miss me terribly. Doctor, you're so kind," the little boy said happily upon hearing Lu Qing's words.

"Doctor, you're so kind," the young man said to Lu Qing after leaving the little boy.

"Is she gentle?"

Upon hearing the young man's words, Lu Qing paused, unsure how to respond.

In fact, at the beginning, her ability to skillfully comfort patients relied on the doctor's own skills, or rather, her willingness.

This skill is almost subconscious for doctors; when a patient is complaining, they will try to comfort them.

Now, she's gotten used to this kind of comfort, and as for what she said earlier about going to find the little boy and his sister, that was certainly true.

If she has time, she will go and look for it.

"and many more!"

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Lu Qing, and she felt as if she knew how to break the illusion.

But this flash of inspiration came quickly and disappeared just as fast. Lu Qing could only grasp a sliver of the idea before the other person vanished.

"What's your name?" Lu Qing asked the young man.

“Me? My name is Duda,” the young man replied quickly.

"Duda, um... I have a question for you." Lu Qing stroked her chin, pondering, "What do I look like when you look at me?"

"What does it look like?" Duda was stunned. What a strange question.

He instinctively wanted to answer, but suddenly realized that he didn't seem to know what a doctor looked like, even though he saw the doctor every day.

Turning his head, Duda carefully observed the doctor in front of him, and only then did he truly memorize the doctor's appearance.

The doctor is a very beautiful girl...

She has a head of silver-white hair, which looks messy because it hasn't been styled for several days, but it doesn't look bad at all. Instead, it adds to her cuteness.

The icy blue eyes, filled with doubt, were staring straight ahead, their deep pupils seemingly drawing one's attention into them, making one want to be captivated by them.

And this beautiful and quiet girl is now wearing a white coat stained with dust and blood, working diligently every day in this dimly lit basement, taking care of every patient suffering from illness.

Duda felt a pang of heartache and instinctively opened his mouth to say, "You are a kind and beautiful angel."

------------

Chapter 361: The Merchant in the Illusion?

"Heavens, angels?"

Lu Qing was a little embarrassed by what Du Da said, but thanks to him, she also learned how others viewed her.

Judging from the other person's reaction, their appearance seems rather blurry when others look at them.

The blurriness mentioned here does not refer to visual blurriness, but rather psychological blurriness. It means that what you see with your eyes is indeed her appearance, but subconsciously you don't pay attention to her appearance.

What Lu Qing had just thought of was actually to get more people to notice her appearance.

Well, that sounds a bit strange. I should say something like a sense of presence, making the people in the illusion realize that she is Lu Qing, not that bald doctor.

"How can I increase my presence in the eyes of others?" Lu Qing thought with some distress.

She couldn't possibly run up to everyone and let them scrutinize her closely, could she? Putting aside how strange that would be, just from a purely intuitive perspective, illusions wouldn't be so easily broken.

So, what should we do?

As Lu Qing pondered this problem while working, she came up with several seemingly feasible solutions before finishing her work.

After stuffing the parasitic wood into the gas furnace, Lu Qing led the young man to her dilapidated room, where she studied the antidote for the infectious disease alone.

[Basic pharmaceutical proficiency increased by 20%!]

Current skill level: Basic Pharmaceutical Engineering 20%

"Ok?"

Lu Qing stared blankly at the information on the notice board, not understanding how a skill called "Basic Pharmaceutical Manufacturing" had suddenly appeared.

She knows nothing about pharmaceuticals; her research is entirely based on a doctor's subconscious instincts. Although she has indeed memorized a lot of information about the effects of plants and how to process them into medicinal materials these days.

But these plants are unique to the Dark Forest. Although there are many medicinal herbs in it that exist in the real world, will that really grant new skills?

Speaking of which, if pharmaceutical manufacturing is a skill, why doesn't she have a cooking skill? Lu Qing feels that she's actually quite good at cooking; surely she can't be completely unskilled at cooking...

Shaking her head, Lu Qing dismissed these strange thoughts and continued her research on how to create an antidote for the infectious disease.

However, this time she was more motivated. In any case, now that the system had acknowledged her possession of the [Basic Pharmaceutical Engineering] skill, her research into the antidote was not meaningless.

At least, it can increase some skill proficiency, right?

"Um, is there anything I can help you with?" Duda asked somewhat shyly, sitting in the corner of the room.

Both worked in the church's basement, but the doctor didn't rest even after taking care of the patients. Instead, he, a grown man, sat in the corner, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"I can do this myself. You're not a doctor, so you can't be of much help," Lu Qing replied without hesitation.

Although it might be a bit hurtful to say this, it is indeed the truth. Even if Lu Qing wanted the young people to help her, she couldn't find anything she could ask them for help with.

It's better to be clear from the beginning than to have an awkward situation later on.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Qing added, "Get some rest. If I finish my work quickly enough during the day, I won't have to research the antidote so late at night."

"Yes!" Duda, who had been somewhat dejected by Lu Qing's previous words, immediately perked up and replied.

Yes, if he works faster during the day, wouldn't the doctor be able to rest earlier?

With that thought in mind, Duda sat down in the corner of the room and closed his eyes to rest.

Only by getting some rest can I be fully prepared to help the doctor tomorrow. As for the only wooden bed in the room...

Just kidding, that's definitely for doctors. How could he possibly lie down on that bed?

Lu Qing glanced back at Duda, who was resting with his eyes closed. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but after Duda recognized her appearance, he seemed to have become more... well, more respectful towards her.

Lu Qing couldn't quite put her finger on what it felt like. If she had to describe it, it was as if this guy really thought of her as an angel.

Bah! What angels!

Lu Qing blushed slightly, feeling embarrassed by her own thoughts. Although no one heard her, she still felt awkward.

Looking again at the young man sitting in the corner of the room, Lu Qing felt that she should ask the village for a blanket. At the very least, she couldn't let the young man sleep in the corner every day.

Silently keeping this in mind, Lu Qing continued her research on antidotes for infectious diseases.

........

This was the young man's third day working in the church's basement. As he became more familiar with the work, he took on a lot of the work for Lu Qing, which meant that the basement work was finished by around 2 p.m.