Chapter 635: Plastic Surgery

"Rhys Chase had plastic surgery."

Evelyn Ford was completely shocked.

"Seriously?"

"Of course it’s true. The thing he cares about most is his face, followed by his lifespan. There are still signs of surgery on his face. His eyes, nose, mouth, chin—all products of high-tech procedures."

Evelyn Ford was stunned for a long moment. She couldn’t help but press a hand to her forehead and sigh. It wasn’t that she thought there was anything wrong with plastic surgery. It was just that associating the words "plastic surgery" with Rhys Chase was what she found so shocking.

’I need a moment to process this. Rhys Chase had made such a good impression on me—gentle, refined, low-key, reserved, mature, and steady. Not the least bit sleazy. His face was like a movie star’s, perfect from every angle. I even asked Ronan Kendrick before if all gene-edited humans were this physically perfect. Whether it was Ronan, Rhys, or that bearded man from Crystell City, their looks were impeccable, and they were all over six feet tall. I figured whoever did the genetic engineering for them must have been obsessed with good looks. Rhys Chase must have had a good foundation to begin with. He already looked so perfect, so why would he need plastic surgery?’

"Why would he...?" Evelyn Ford started to ask, but she didn’t know what to say.

Ronan Kendrick chuckled. "He did have plastic surgery, but it wasn’t to achieve the perfect face. It was to hide his identity as a gene-edited human; he just changed his face. The genetic lab’s internal network has files on all of us. He fled abroad before the apocalypse to avoid becoming the lab’s living blood bank. He recognized me not just because gene-edited humans can smell a unique scent on each other, but also because he’d seen my file."

Ronan Kendrick continued, "But he really does care about his looks. He’s always slicking stuff on his face, and when everyone else is a mess, he still has his hair waxed."

Evelyn Ford burst out laughing.

"Alright, alright, let’s not talk about him anymore. The smell of jealousy is so strong, I’m practically drowning in it."

Ronan Kendrick huffed. "Don’t pay any attention to him."

"Okay, I won’t." ’So childish,’ Evelyn thought. ’He’s a thirty-year-old man, yet he’s acting like a kid, all jealous and petty, secretly spilling embarrassing stories about Rhys Chase. I wonder if Rhys would die of anger if he found out.’

「Meanwhile, dozens of kilometers away in Eldoria」

Rhys Chase let out a string of sneezes as he stared at a huge pile of documents.

’Is someone talking smack about me?’

"Commander, regarding the base’s reconstruction..." a surveyor standing before him began to report on the basic situation in Eldoria. Rhys Chase glanced at the time and couldn’t help but complain to himself.

’It’s so late, and I still can’t sleep. I stay up working every single night. What am I even doing this for? I don’t want to be the Commander for a single day longer. I just want to run away from home, dump all my responsibilities on someone else, and lose my mind. Another all-nighter... more hair loss. Ugh, my dark circles are going to be terrible.’

"Commander? Commander?"

Rhys Chase snapped back to attention and cleared his throat gravely. "I’m listening."

...

The next morning, Zoe and Annie made a rare trip out of the space and were taken by Wendy to catch grasshoppers on the prairie. Evelyn Ford went to check on several of the new mothers. Since she had promoted Iris Miller to be the administrator of the maternity carriage, the car had become clean and orderly. The pregnant women and new mothers had all become friendly and supportive of each other, and the babies were well cared for. Even the new mother who had been suffering from depression now had some color in her cheeks and a smile on her face.

"During the lunch break, you can go outside to get some sun. You should take the babies out for some sun as well."

"Don’t worry, Dr. Ford, I’ll make sure of it. By the way, are we almost at Eldoria?"

"We’ll arrive in Eldoria tomorrow morning."

Iris Miller’s face lit up with excitement. "That’s wonderful! We can finally stop moving. Even though we’ve just been sitting in the carriage, maybe because of the pregnancies, everyone’s feet are badly swollen. It hurts just to walk a few steps. The swelling should go down once we get to Eldoria."

Iris Miller’s notebook had detailed records of everyone’s condition. She wasn’t just responsible, she was also efficient and decisive.

"Here’s a bottle of vitamins for you. Distribute them to everyone; it might help with the swelling. There are still ten women who haven’t given birth yet. Once we’re in Eldoria, the base will probably group you all together to see out your pregnancies. If anything comes up, you can come find me."

Evelyn Ford was now their full-time obstetrician; delivering their babies was part of her duties.

Iris Miller was beaming, as were the other women. After spending so much time together, they all knew that Evelyn Ford was gentle, serious, and responsible. With her there to help deliver their babies, the expectant mothers felt secure and very grateful.

After finishing her rounds and giving a few more instructions, Evelyn Ford returned to her carriage. Watching the people catching grasshoppers on the prairie put her in a very good mood. ’If it weren’t for the cataclysms,’ she thought, ’life should be this full of vitality.’

When the convoy stopped for lunch, Wendy returned with the two children. They had caught a large bag of grasshoppers. Zoe was so excited she wanted to go back to the space immediately to deep-fry them.

"Auntie, I caught so many! I’m so good at it! I want to go catch more this afternoon."

"No, you can’t. There are too many people outside, and there might be snakes in the grass. You’ve already been at it all morning. This afternoon, it’s time to go back and read."

Zoe nodded. "Okay. I can already write my name, and the names of my dad, my mom, and you, Auntie."

"That’s amazing! How about you, Annie? Did you finish the homework Vance gave you?"

"I finished. Vance said my skills are a little unbalanced."

"That’s fine, it’s perfectly normal to be stronger in some areas. As long as you use the right methods, learning is actually very simple. I’ll teach you some techniques tonight."

Annie said shyly, "Thank you, Aunt Ford."

"However, at your age, physical exercise is even more important than studying. Don’t forget your daily routine: one hour of archery practice, half an hour of running, and half an hour of jumping rope or playing ball."

Before she was reunited with him, Annie had been starving for a long time. He was severely malnourished and very short for his age. After finding him, Evelyn Ford created a fitness plan for him, nurturing him from the inside out. He had already grown quite a bit taller.

"I know. Vance said I grew a whole centimeter this month," Annie said, his face practically begging for praise.

Evelyn Ford ruffled his hair. "That’s amazing! You’ll definitely be a tall young man when you grow up, even taller than Uncle Ronan."

Annie was instantly motivated, as if he’d been shot full of adrenaline.

"Evelyn, I’ll definitely be as tall as Uncle Ronan!"

Evelyn Ford smiled and sent them into the space. Without the two children in the carriage, it instantly grew quiet.

Wendy had been busy lately. She was now in charge of patients with heatstroke, and the number of calls she made each day was five or six times that of Evelyn’s.

’People can only grow through practice.’ In the past two months, Wendy had learned to handle things on her own. She could now diagnose and treat patients even without Evelyn by her side.

Now, whenever people in the convoy saw Wendy, they would address her as Dr. Graham.

"Joy Ford, once we get to Eldoria, can I go work in a hospital?"

"Why do you want to work in a hospital?"

"I want to become a well-rounded doctor, and a hospital is the best place to learn."

A pleased look crossed Evelyn Ford’s face. "I support you. Go do what you want to do. Don’t have any reservations."