Chapter 163

Chapter 163 / Side Story - Time (Part 1)

The memorial service for Tang Xun’an was canceled, thanks to his unexpected return from the dead.

The organizers, however, were overjoyed.

Logically, since Lu Yan’s social circle was small and the guest list for Tang Xun’an’s funeral would have been nearly identical to a wedding, they could have just pivoted to a ceremony. But the venue, steeped in somber purpose, felt wrong for a celebration. The idea was reluctantly shelved.

Still, Tang Xun’an and Lu Yan moved in together. Custody of Yu Zhizhi was also formally returned to Qiao Yu.

That colossal silver moon became the topic of fervent discussion for weeks.

Most people were simply baffled. The Pollution Disease’s emergence and disappearance followed no discernible logic, so they could only marvel at the “divine miracle.” March 17th, the day the moon appeared, was officially designated “Revelation Day,” a global three-day holiday.

But some, watching the black dragon chase the moon, had pieced together a different truth.

Ji Wen had prepared a funeral wreath for Tang Xun’an. With no use for it now, he swapped it for a flower basket.

Halfway to his destination, he paused, turned back, and collected Researcher Bing.

“Make sure your tail is clean,” Ji Wen instructed pointedly.

Researcher Bing straightened with solemn dignity. “Comrade Lu Yan hasn’t squeezed my tail in a long time. Ours is a purely professional relationship!”

Ji Wen felt that wasn’t the point. Regardless of whether Lu Yan cared, they should still present themselves properly.

He knocked on the apartment door.

A moment later, Tang Xun’an answered. “Director Ji. What brings you here?”

Ji Wen was silent for a beat. “Is Mr. Lu in?”

Tang Xun’an paused. “He’s… still resting.”

Somehow, despite Tang Xun’an’s perfectly neutral expression, Ji Wen sensed a thread of inexplicable pride woven through it.

Lu Yan was sleeping. But he was a light sleeper, and had woken the moment Tang Xun’an shifted away from his side.

His body ached with a deep, pleasant soreness. The only lingering discomfort was a feeling of being stretched open, a phantom sensation that Tang Xun’an was still there.

By the time Lu Yan dressed and entered the living room, tea was already steeping.

Researcher Bing rose from the sofa, face bright with excitement. “Sir Truth!”

Lu Yan gave a slight nod and took a seat opposite them.

Ji Wen clasped his hands, having rehearsed numerous openings. Yet, faced with Lu Yan’s calm demeanor, all pretense felt unnecessary.

“Was that moon you?” he asked.

Lu Yan considered for a moment. “Yes.”

He disliked ostentation, but he saw no point in false modesty.

Even with his suspicions, hearing the confirmation from Lu Yan’s own lips was different. Ji Wen’s hands trembled slightly. Researcher Bing’s eyes went round.

“Then… would you consider a press conference?” Ji Wen ventured. “The evening news would suffice.”

“No.”

Eventually, Ji Wen and Researcher Bing left, their expressions dazed, as if walking through a dream.

Some time later, an announcement updated on the Revelation Forum.

[GOOD NEWS] Warm congratulations to Truth (S-Class) for completing the [S-Class Mission - Silver Moon Project]. We extend our deepest gratitude to Truth for his monumental contribution to the global fight against the Pollution Disease.

— Pollution Control Center Headquarters

The Revelation Forum users: ???

Topic: Anyone discussing the latest announcement?

OP: …Is it what I think it means? Silver Moon Project?? The Silver Moon!! It’s the Silver Moon!!

1F: A thousand words, yet I don’t know where to start. Thank you, Emperor Truth, for descending to the mortal realm.

2F: Can ‘Emperor’ even cover it? Thank you, God Truth, for descending.

3F: How is that even possible. Teach me. Please, teach me.

4F (Got 1?): It’s only been a few months, but my husband Truth has already become someone I can’t hope to reach… [This account has been warned by a moderator]

5F: Right? There aren’t any other silver moons.

6F: Truth—! Are you watching? I! Love! You! Here’s my contact info *****! [This account has been temporarily banned]

…

234F: Thank you, God Truth, for descending. Speaking of which, what does Truth do in real life?

-

With the recent global plummet in Pollution Disease cases, many Awakened in the Special Operations Department found themselves teetering on the brink of unemployment.

Fortunately, most had earned enough during their service to last several lifetimes, so panic was minimal.

It was just… surreal. The goal they’d dedicated their lives to had vanished with a soft poof. It felt like waking from a dream.

The Control Center recently established a new department: the Awakened Career Retraining and Redeployment Center.

It sounded bleak, but in practice, it allowed Awakened to choose new career paths, with the Center providing full support. Many of these dreams were, frankly, expensive. Thus, the department earned its unofficial nickname: the “Awakened Dream Fulfillment Center.”

Take Michael.

Upon learning his fanbase was fabricated, he’d nearly needed CPR on the spot.

Thankfully, his liaison officer immediately produced a hefty career plan, meticulously plotting Michael’s next two years as a genuine online influencer.

He finally achieved his dream of becoming a real celebrity, exploding in popularity overnight—a feat rumored to have cost Headquarters thirty million in marketing.

Michael now hosted a daily livestream at 8 PM sharp, recounting his battles against pollutants. An autobiography was in the works.

As a longtime friend, Tang Xun’an naturally supported Michael’s new venture.

He just didn’t understand why, the moment he opened the family tablet, the streaming platform auto-logged into an account.

He tapped it open. The account was, inexplicably, a “Supreme VIP.” Over thirty years, it had spent twenty million. Every single account it followed was a beautiful female streamer performing spicy dances.

Puzzled, his finger slipped, entering one of the followed live rooms.

A sweet, feminine voice spilled from the tablet. “Welcome, Brother Howl-to-the-Sky, to the livestream~~ Brother, you finally came to see me?”

Howl-to-the-Sky, guiltily clutching its own leash in its mouth, decided it was time for a very long, self-directed walk.

It had mentioned to Tang Xun’an wanting to spend some money online. It just hadn’t specified the details.

And Tang Xun’an clearly didn’t have the habit of checking statements.

The money was simply too vast to track.

The “Howl-to-the-Sky” account, famous for funding out-of-school streamers’ returns to education and helping abused housewives re-enter the workforce, was renowned online not just as a gullible tycoon, but as a philanthropic angel investor.

It never engaged in private chats. Many speculated “Howl-to-the-Sky” was impotent. Yet numerous streamers, before leaving the platform, thanked it for changing their lives.

Tang Xun’an scrolled through briefly, but didn’t make an issue of it.

Elsewhere.

Lu Yan was holding clinic at the hospital when the System let out a cold sneer. [Tch. Men. Used a whole box of condoms yesterday, still has the energy to watch dance streams today.]

[Though, credit where it’s due, that sister can really move her hips.]

With life returning to normal, Lu Yan had gone back to his familiar hospital, working a shift every few days.

The hospital lobby now displayed a new staff directory. Lu Yan’s photo was in the front row.

He wasn’t just the youngest department director in the hospital; his specialist consultation fee was set at 400. On the black market, it could be scalped for 3000.

Due to Lu Yan’s unique status, the patients referred to him were also carefully vetted.

Lu Yan looked at the test report in his hand, a flicker of confusion crossing his face.

Across from him, the patient’s expression instantly tightened with dread. “Doctor… is there no hope?”

This patient was a former Awakened.

Although the Silver Moon’s descent had stabilized his lesion level, the physical aberration remained.

Most Awakened’s mutations tended toward the grotesque.

Awakened like Michael, with aesthetically pleasing wings that matched public taste, were the rare exception.

Thus, to better integrate into society, many Awakened were willing to pay a fortune to cure their Pollution Disease.

The middle-aged man before Lu Yan was one of them.

His mutation direction was turtle-like. Not only was his face slightly distorted, but he also carried a heavy, cumbersome shell on his back.

It was manageable before, when his job was just eliminating pollutants. But he’d recently been hired as a game designer. The shell was too large; he’d already accidentally injured three colleagues.

He’d considered resigning, but his boss refused to let him go, citing his shell and Awakened status. With the recent spotlight on “Supporting Special Operations Department Employee Re-employment,” if the game had issues, they could literally make the designer take the fall.

Lu Yan refocused. “There’s hope.”

“That’s wonderful, doctor! When can we schedule the surgery?”

“If you’re in a hurry, we can do it now.”

The System roared: [Tang Xun’an—is watching female streamers!! He has no moral integrity!]

Lu Yan rubbed his temple. “Stop stirring the pot.”

What the System knew, he knew too.

He even knew Tang Xun’an had watched for exactly fourteen seconds. And that Howl-to-the-Sky had howled oaths at the sky, swearing never to use Tang Xun’an’s ID for online verification again.

To assist Lu Yan’s surgeries, the hospital assigned him a dedicated on-call team, available 24/7.

The shell was tricky. Lu Yan spent six hours in the operating room before emerging.

After the procedure, this Awakened would grow a new carapace, but not in the form of a turtle shell. It would be far more convenient.

The hospital director bustled in, beaming, holding a silk banner. “Director Lu! A discharged patient sent a commendation banner! Where should we hang it?”

Though Lu Yan had performed fewer than ten surgeries since starting, he’d already received over a hundred such banners.

At their peak, the hospital received a dozen in a single day. The 80-square-meter wall of his consultation room was now a sea of red silk.

Lu Yan glanced at this one. It read, “God Loves All,” signed “An Anonymous Pollution Disease Patient from District 5.”

Amusing, if a bit ironic.

Lu Yan’s daily life now occupied a comfortable space: deeply respected, but not subjected to excessive scrutiny or interpretation.

He quite liked it that way.

At three in the morning, the surgery finally complete, Lu Yan removed his white coat and prepared to go home.

He was in the middle of changing when a heavy thud sounded from outside the window.

Lu Yan paused, pushed the window open, and leapt straight out from the fifth floor.

He landed lightly on the ground, the coppery tang of blood thick in the air.

[Well, well. Looks like a little puppy dragon fell from the sky.]

Lu Yan peered into the shrubbery.

There, sprawled on the ground and unconscious, was Tang Xian’an. Twenty-nine years old. His body was a canvas of brutal, fresh battle wounds.

Gashes covered him. Several jagged, barbed spikes were driven deep, one perilously close to piercing his heart.

Lu Yan stepped forward, gathered him up, and turned toward the surgical wing.

Tang Xian’an’s eyes fluttered open. Gold irises, clouded with confusion.

His lips parted. A trickle of tainted, dark red blood spilled out, soaking into Lu Yan’s shirt.

The whisper was faint, ragged. "Lu… Lu Yan…"

"I'm here."

A hand, cold and slick with blood, closed around Lu Yan’s wrist. The words spilled out in a feverish, broken loop. "I wanted to see you… so much. Ten years… Lu Yan… I love you…"

Tang Xian’an had been on a mission. Gravely wounded. He’d used the last dregs of his strength not to retreat, but to bridge time itself, crashing from his past into Lu Yan’s present.

He thought he was dying. That he wouldn’t live to see the future where Lu Yan existed. So he had to say it now. Had to get the words out.

The puppy didn’t care about labels like ‘simp’ or ‘fool’. The puppy held its head high, loved openly, loved without shame.

Lu Yan let out a soft, considering hum.

The System sighed. […Don’t say it. I know. You’re hard again.]