Chapter 168

168 / Side Story – Zong Yan

Zong Yan was having a bit of a problem.

Because of Nirvana, he had been reborn.

They say a person is made of their memories. He had all his old ones, so he was still Zong Yan. He’d even found time to go with Yan Bei and the others to burn some spirit money for Gu Zheng.

Everything was fine.

It would have been perfectly fine, if not for the fact that under everyone’s expectant gazes, he’d strained with all his might… and transformed into an adorable, white-haired little boy.

—

K City, Awakener Memorial Park.

The spirit money for Gu Zheng was still in the metal basin, half-burned.

This particular kind was developed by the Research Institute from pollutant sebum. Since the raw material was fat, it gave off a meaty aroma when burned, eventually melting into a translucent, amber-like solid.

It was environmentally friendly, and could even be used to feed stray cats and dogs.

This was a new product the Institute had rolled out to meet market demand after the number of people burning offerings skyrocketed following the disaster.

Society was in a recovery period now, government funding was limited, and even the Research Institute had to find ways to make its own money.

Of course, the Institute’s main goal was still to ensure the products of evolution could truly enter every household.

The whole world was slowly healing.

Just a moment ago, Zong Yan had briefly returned to his human form. Now, he’d shrunk back again.

The atmosphere grew awkward.

Yan Bei looked at the little red bird hiding behind the tombstone and said gently, “Zong Yan, come on out. We won’t laugh.”

Ye Liangshan chimed in, “Yeah! We’ve known each other for decades, what haven’t we seen? Hell, decades ago we were all scrubbing backs in the same bathhouse!”

Qin Guoyu added, “Actually, being a kid is pretty cute. Doctor Lu might even like it.”

The little red bird hesitated for a moment, then slowly paced out from behind the tombstone.

He was still draped in his adult-sized clothes, which obviously didn’t fit.

Yuan Chen couldn’t hold it in. “Pfft.”

Zong Yan flapped his wings and flew off in a flustered rage. “Cheep—! Cheep—!”

*

Aside from the omniscient Lu Yan, the first to know Zong Yan had turned into a child was Zhou Qimeng.

He was at home trying out a demo for a new game when his phone rang with an unknown number.

Zhou Qimeng put it on speaker. “Hello, who’s this?”

“It’s me. Zong Yan.” A child’s voice came through the line. “Question. What do you do when the game’s anti-addiction system fails the facial recognition?”

Zhou Qimeng had met Zong Yan before.

He’d attended the Awakener headquarters’ annual conference as an outside guest. His memory was of a beautiful red bird perched on Yan Bei’s shoulder, one that could breathe fire.

He shouldn’t have remembered him so clearly.

Unfortunately, the title floating above Zong Yan’s head was just too eye-catching.

[Phoenix of Nirvana]

[Victim C]

That second title had also solved a years-old mystery for Zhou Qimeng. Victim A was Tang Xian’an. Victim D was himself. He just didn’t know who B was.

Oh, right. And the fishpond had freaking expanded. There was a Victim E floating above Yan Bei’s head too.

Though, Zhou Qimeng figured that given Lu Yan’s area-of-effect damage, the 26 letters of the alphabet probably wouldn’t be enough to contain all the victims.

Zhou Qimeng replied, “Anti-addiction isn’t my department. I’m in my fifties and I still get caught by it sometimes. But hey, why do you sound so young?”

Zong Yan said, “There’s been a slight… accident.”

Zhou Qimeng remembered the “Phoenix of Nirvana” title and the description of the Nirvana ability on the talent sequence list. He roughly understood what kind of accident it was.

This Nirvana was a literal second life.

Zhou Qimeng offered comfort. “That’s actually great. Plenty of people dream of returning to a happy childhood.”

Zong Yan said, “The growth cycle for this new body is very long. Feels like it’ll take at least sixty years to reach adulthood.”

“Everyone’s lifespan is pretty long now, sixty years isn’t so bad…”

Zong Yan suddenly snapped. “Not bad my **! In sixty years, Lu Yan and Tang Xian’an’s kids will be all grown up!”

Zhou Qimeng: “…”

Zong Yan picked the phone back up. “Sorry. Lost my composure.”

*

Zong Yan decided to see Lu Yan for a consultation. This condition should probably be called “growth retardation.”

His priority level at headquarters was high, so he managed to jump the queue and get an expert appointment.

At three in the afternoon, Lu Yan heard a knock at his door. “Come in.”

The chair in the consultation room wasn’t very high, so when Lu Yan looked up, he didn’t even see Zong Yan, who was hidden behind the desk.

“Doctor Lu…” Zong Yan’s voice was soft and childish. “I’m growing too slowly. Is there a way to fix it?”

Out of habit from his pediatrics rotation, Lu Yan slipped into that gentle tone. “Why don’t you hop up on the desk so I can take a look?”

Zong Yan was silent for a moment, then fluttered up with his beautiful feathered wings.

Aside from some minor aberrant features, he wasn’t much different from a one-year-old human child. He had a pair of orange-red eyes, like burning flames.

The System chirped: [Wow, three-heads-tall proportion!]

Lu Yan asked the System, Any solutions?

[He’s less like an animal now and more like a mass of energy. His form is related to his own energy storage state. Natural absorption will just be slower.]

[If he wants to grow faster, he can go absorb energy from other energy masses. Pollutants or Awakeners will work.]

The most direct method of absorption was ingestion.

Since the Pollution Disease had been purified, pollutants were still being born, but high-level pollutants scattered in the outside world had become exceedingly rare. Most were deep in the ocean.

Lu Yan thought for a moment, then accessed the Research Institute’s backend system and began searching for suitable medicinal materials.

These materials were the remains of high-level pollutants, used for experimental research. They could be considered the spoils of war the Special Operations Department had secured for the Institute.

Lu Yan printed out the prescription, signed his name, and handed it to Zong Yan. “Go collect these from the Institute.”

He just didn’t expect that the Institute’s call would come the moment he finished the prescription.

The landline rang. Lu Yan picked up. The voice of a staff member came through, sounding tense. “Doctor Lu.”

“We just received a notification in our backend… Regarding the pollutants you requested… May I ask what you intend to use them for? Some of these materials are involved in our follow-up experiments… Would it be possible to leave half for us? As compensation, you won’t need to use contribution points for this purchase.”

Zong Yan hadn’t taken on many missions in recent years, so his contribution points were low. The payment was being charged to Lu Yan’s account.

Post-evolution humans had excellent hearing.

Zong Yan said, “Actually, growing a bit slower is fine. Maybe we should just forget it.”

Lu Yan made a noncommittal sound and hung up the phone.

The room fell into a heavy silence.

Zong Yan spoke slowly. “It feels good to be back in human society. The Prevention Center’s cafeteria is delicious. The people around me are very kind. Yan Bei is about to start a world tour for his paintings. Yuan Chen went back to work at the editorial office. Ye Liangshan returned to the coast and started teaching diving again. Tongtong will be starting elementary school soon… I like life like this. Do you like it, Doctor Lu?”

Lu Yan considered the question seriously. “It’s not bad.”

A faint smile touched Zong Yan’s lips. “Be happy, Doctor. I’ll be happy if you’re happy.”

“That was my last wish.”

He wasn’t joking.

Back in the slaughterhouse, when he’d perished together with the Hounds, Zong Yan had looked up and seen the sky burning crimson from the flames.

He felt his life held no great regrets. Except for one longing, aborted before it began, its words forever left unsaid.

Lu Yan returned the smile, a shallow, gentle curve. “Thank you. You too.”