Chapter 155

The conversation with the system had left Lu Yan silent for a long moment.

Bai Ze's expression gradually twisted into one of profound grief.

After a moment's thought, Lu Yan answered, "He's in the sea."

It was the truth.

Tang Xian'an was indeed at the bottom of the ocean right now, keeping company with the sunken city.

He had awoken, but had no immediate plans to surface.

He hadn't yet adjusted to his new body—a body that was forty percent rotted, like some bloated, black sea cucumber.

And he had become the very thing he'd once hated most: a pollutant.

Hearing Lu Yan's words, Bai Ze's face went blank. The next instant, he turned away, covered his face with his hands, and sank to the floor in a fit of wracking sobs. He sounded utterly heartbroken, like a man who'd just watched a winning lottery ticket for five million get swept away by the wind.

The sound was pure, unadulterated anguish, enough to move anyone who heard it.

Lu Yan opened his mouth. "Actually—"

Bai Ze, still in his crouched position, threw out a hand to stop him. "Y-you… you don't have to say more. I understand."

"…"

Lu Yan didn't press the issue.

After all, while Tang Xian'an wasn't dead, his current state wasn't exactly fit for public appearances. Explaining it would be complicated.

And Lu Yan wasn't sure if revealing this might become a stain on Tang Xian'an's record.

Beside him, Tang Xian'an's expression was one of pure surprise. He probably hadn't expected to hear the news of his own death here.

Lu Yan's newly transplanted heart gave a dull, aching throb. He tried flexing his fingers slightly. A single, round point of light bloomed at his fingertip.

The speck of light wasn't under his control. A breeze caught it, sending it drifting away to who-knows-where.

The sight was eerily similar to the massive tumor his brother had shown him.

That giant sphere had dripped fish eggs, each one a vessel for a pollution source, carried by currents to every corner of the world.

Lu Yan's fingertip felt warm. He realized the 'Apocalypse' talent consumed far less than he'd imagined.

"He can come back, can't he?" he asked, a sliver of hope he himself hadn't noticed coloring his tone.

[Where there is light, there is shadow. Where there is pollution, there will be purification,] the system sighed. [The 'Apocalypse' talent is like the hope left in Pandora's box. It exists, but it was meant to be locked away forever.]

From Yu Hanxi to Qiao Yu, to the Tang Xian'an who crossed time, to the Tang Xian'an who turned it back, and finally to Lu Yan.

It was a chain of irreplicable coincidences that had allowed it to remain in this world.

[It is the final mercy from the subconscious of a god.]

---

Bai Ze's breakdown was severe, but he was, after all, a man in his nineties.

By the time the rescue vessel dispatched by headquarters appeared on the horizon, his mental state had settled, though a deep sadness still clung to his features.

The patrol ship cut through the water, approaching slowly.

Lu Yan, holding Yu Zhizhi, turned to Tang Xian'an. "You should go back."

Tang Xian'an's gaze lingered on the little girl's face. She was soft and frail, her complexion pale. She hadn't woken since the surgery, and it worried him.

"Can I take her back with me?"

Leaving Yu Zhizhi in this unfamiliar time felt wrong.

The system was firm. [No. Yu Zhizhi is too susceptible to pollution. Placing her in the past, without 'Apocalypse,' she would likely suffer aberration and die within a few years.]

Lu Yan relayed the message verbatim.

Tang Xian'an hesitated. "Then… can I wait until Zhizhi wakes up before I go?"

This time, Lu Yan didn't refuse.

"Just ignore anyone who tries to talk to you," he said quietly.

As the only person present who knew the full story, Lu Yan gave Bai Ze a brief explanation.

But Bai Ze seemed dazed, tearing up every time he looked at Tang Xian'an. It was unclear how much he actually processed.

The ship that arrived was from the same fleet that had taken them to Changjia. They didn't even need to change cabins.

Lu Yan placed Yu Zhizhi in the ship's medical bay for a basic checkup. Her vitals were stable, her wounds healing well. She was expected to wake within 24 hours post-op.

It was Lu Yan who, unexpectedly, developed a low-grade fever that very night.

The system offered reassurance. [It's just transplant rejection. Nothing serious.]

So Lu Yan took some anti-inflammatories and special medication, and turned in early.

Tang Xian'an, a stranger in a strange time, spent the evening using a phone to get a rough grasp of this world's situation before obediently going to bed as well.

His fear of water made him prone to seasickness. In the middle of the night, he heard a faint call from the neighboring bunk.

"Tang… Xian'an…"

It was Lu Yan.

Startled, Tang Xian'an carefully slipped out of bed and approached Lu Yan's bunk. "What's wrong, Doctor Lu?"

Lu Yan lay under a thin blanket, one hand clutching a fold of the fabric.

His eyes cracked open, glazed with fever.

"Water."

His voice was thick with nasal congestion, almost like a sob. It sounded like a plea.

Something fluttered in Tang Xian'an's chest. He fumbled for a cup, but there was no hot water at this hour. So he simply breathed a small stream of dragonfire, heating the water through the glass.

Lu Yan took the cup and drained it, then handed it back. "More."

This process repeated seven times.

Finally, with a belly full of water, Lu Yan seemed to find some relief for his parched body.

His gaze fixed, unblinking, on Tang Xian'an's face.

Tang Xian'an shifted uncomfortably. "Should I… go back now?"

Lu Yan gave no response.

Tang Xian'an took two steps back, only for a hand to shoot out and grab his wrist.

He heard Lu Yan's voice, soft but insistent. "Want to play… with the tail."

Tang Xian'an was stunned.

After a hesitant moment, he manifested his draconic tail at the base of his spine and gathered it in his arms. "This one?"

The sensation of having his tail touched was indescribable. A tingling itch shot straight up from his tailbone, settling deep in his core.

Tang Xian'an tried to pull away, but Lu Yan's grip was surprisingly strong.

Lu Yan proceeded to pin him down and thoroughly indulge his whims, happily falling asleep while hugging the tail.

He just couldn't figure out why the tail felt smaller and less substantial than he remembered.

---

The next day.

Lu Yan opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling for a long time before asking, "I was dreaming yesterday, right?"

The fever had broken, and his mind was clearer.

He had a vague memory of a little puppy-dragon's tail being soft, its scales not as large or hard. When he'd touched the base, it had tensed and trembled.

The system's tone was one of forced solemnity. [I regret to inform you.]

Lu Yan: "…"

Never mind. It wasn't a big deal.

It probably didn't count as harassment. He'd just been out of his mind, petting a little tail.

Tang Xian'an wasn't in the room.

Lu Yan got dressed and headed to the medical bay. Sure enough, he found him there.

Tang Xian'an was speaking softly to Yu Zhizhi. Lu Yan listened for a moment—the usual fare. "Big brother has to go." "Be good and listen to Lu Yan here."

His voice was gentle.

Yu Zhizhi gave no particular reaction. An IV needle was still in her hand, her left hand sketching on a tablet with an Apple Pencil.

Lu Yan knocked, pushed the door open, and entered. "Rounds."

The moment Tang Xian'an saw him, his posture stiffened slightly, his lips pressing into a thin line.

Yu Zhizhi glanced up at Lu Yan, then looked back down.

She wasn't fully accustomed to the slippery screen as a canvas, but she finished her drawing anyway.

She handed the tablet to Tang Xian'an.

The picture was filled with people and animals—a dragon, a bird, a tree—all holding hands in a row. A bright red heart was scribbled at the top.

The system remarked, [Your pond is remarkably harmonious.]

Lu Yan wasn't sure what it meant.

The lower half of the picture was divided by a straight line, colored a dusty yellow to represent underground.

Buried there were an octopus, a dog, a great serpent, and other things.

Their bodies slept there forever.

Back at the Research Institute, Yu Zhizhi had often drawn strange pictures and handed them to people.

Tang Xian'an didn't understand it, but he smiled warmly. "Zhizhi draws so beautifully."

The little girl gave a slight nod, closed her eyes, and drifted back to sleep. At six years old, her growing body demanded rest.

Lu Yan took the tablet and looked at Tang Xian'an. "You can go back now."

Every moment Tang Xian'an spent in this time meant he was actively using his talent, draining himself.

If not for that, Lu Yan wouldn't have minded keeping the little puppy-dragon around to play for a week or two.

Tang Xian'an met his gaze, gathering his courage. "Doctor… are we lovers?"

He'd woken very early and happened to run into Bai Ze taking some air on the deck. That's where he'd heard this particular piece of intelligence.

Denial was pointless. Lu Yan nodded. "Yes."

Tang Xian'an couldn't put his feelings into words. He thought he should be happy. And he was. But beneath the happiness was a faint, sour note.

Clearly, Lu Yan didn't love the him standing here now.

The person Lu Yan loved was the powerful, reserved man Bai Ze had spoken of.

"Can I… hug you before I go?" Tang Xian'an asked softly, his voice thick with reluctance.

He had met the person he liked far too early.

Their life paths had intersected, briefly.

But after this, he had a long, thorny road ahead, one he would have to walk alone.

Lu Yan didn't agree, but he didn't refuse either. Instead, he raised a hand and gently ruffled Tang Xian'an's hair.

His tone was uncharacteristically soft. "Go back. I'll be waiting for you in the future."

A faint, bittersweet smile touched Tang Xian'an's lips. "Okay."

Bai Ze handed Lu Yan a new phone.

"Fresh unit. We tried to replicate your old one as closely as possible. All your apps are logged in, though the chat histories and messages are gone. Have a look."

His eyelids were still puffy.

After that trip to the ocean floor, Lu Yan had lost more than just his phone. Anything that could fall off him had. The medal of honor was gone too.

He took the device. "Thanks."

It was an exact replica. Every app was ready, waiting for him.

Aside from the missing conversations, it required no setup.

Lu Yan glanced at his social media. There were quite a few messages asking where he'd been. He posted a single update to his feed as a blanket response.

Bai Ze cleared his throat. "Headquarters wants a full debrief on the operation… Sorry. Probably not the best time, right after Team Leader Tang… But we really need it."

Lu Yan's voice was calm. "I understand."

Bai Ze fell silent, his expression defeated. "Also… you're listed as the beneficiary in Tang Xian'an's will. Someone will be in touch to handle the transfer soon." He paused. "And the… younger Tang Xian'an? Is he gone? He said he was here to bring a little girl named Yu Zhizhi for treatment. That the medical tech back in his time couldn't help her…"

"He's gone back."

"Good." The word tasted bitter in Bai Ze's mouth.

The name 'Yu Zhizhi' rang a faint, distant bell, but no matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't place it. They all probably knew her better by another name: Subject Zero.

Bai Ze looked utterly drained, his spirit broken as he shuffled away. In that moment, he seemed more the grieving widow than Lu Yan did.

"When do we go to purify Tang Xian'an?" Lu Yan asked.

He didn't care that Tang Xian'an was a pollutant. But if possible, a human form was more… convenient. The black dragon was simply too large. Married life would be logistically challenging.

The system sighed. [Patience, my treasure. We're missing the final piece.]

[The last fragment of your lost body is on the Floating Isle. That's where your final remnant lies—the hemisphere of your brain that governs emotion.]

[And also, Talent #5: Judgment.]

Its voice dropped low. [Only Judgment, combined with Apocalypse, constitutes the complete purification.]

***

The Deep Sea.

The massive black dragon sprawled across the seabed finally stirred. Its spine rose and fell like a submerged mountain range.

It pushed itself up, causing the very ocean floor to tremble.

The surrounding waters were pitch black, but it was unbothered.

Tang Xian'an had already realized, from the fundamentally different aura radiating from his own body, the truth: he had become a pollutant.

A powerful one.

A gnawing, maddening hunger in his gut made him clamp his jaws down on his own forearm. Golden blood welled, quickly diluted by the sea.

The black dragon let out a roar, a sound of pure, throttled agony. Again and again, he drove his body against the undersea cliffs, heedless of the damage.

Hearing that draconic cry, other pollutants in the vicinity wisely gave the area a wide berth, wanting no part of that fury.

Finally, battered and exhausted, the great beast stilled.

In the inky darkness, something glimmered faintly. Like a jewel from a sunken wreck.

He stared, and suddenly, great fat tears welled in his eyes. But here, in the crushing deep, even weeping felt pointless.

The glowing object was Lu Yan's medal of honor.

The black dragon gently picked up the medal in his teeth. He had no intention of leaving this place. Instead, he coiled his immense body into a circle, closed his eyes, and settled back onto the cold seabed.

He missed Lu Yan.