Chapter 29

029

Talent transplantation surgery? More like an express ticket to the next life.

The donor's ticket.

Even a pollutant stripped of its special item is left in a state of extreme weakness, let alone a talent ripped from a human.

Lu Yan still remembered the day he first awakened his talent, when Lin Sinan and his team showed up. The system warned him then: Never enter a Research Institute.

Among the three departments related to Awakened, the Research Institute was the most secretive, never open to the public. Yet no one could deny its contributions.

Whether it was the tools and specialized medicine provided by the Prevention Centers, or the detection devices every Awakened carried—none would exist without the Institutes' day-and-night labor.

They were like a blade. The blade itself wasn't evil. It all depended on the hand that wielded it—whether it sought to kill or to heal.

Therefore, Lu Yan stated plainly, "I accept the file amendment. But I refuse the talent transplantation surgery."

As an experienced logistics officer, Director Li smoothly replied, "Understood. Headquarters anticipated you might decline. In that case, your registered talents will be listed as 'Precognition' and 'Cross-Species Communication.' Is that acceptable?"

"Cross-Species Communication" had been gleaned from reports filed by Detective and Tang Xun'an. It was a low-utility talent, not within the Special Operations Department's recruitment criteria.

"Precognition" was ranked 501 on the Talent Periodic Table—the most common talent among ordinary awakenings. Its vague, interpretive nature made it easy to justify. No one expected support-class Awakened to slay many pollutants anyway.

Lu Yan found it acceptable.

Director Li nodded. "Good. Additionally, the Research Institute has reviewed your mission report. They found it highly valuable and have awarded you 100 contribution points as an intelligence bonus."

That was an unexpected windfall.

Leaving the director's office, Lu Yan headed to the Medical Center to update his ID.

"Spiritual power threshold: 1450. Congratulations, Mr. Lu. You've reached E-Class level. We'll update your credentials immediately."

Threshold 500-1500: E-Class.

Lu Yan had been a bottom-rung F-Class. In just over a month since his awakening, he was already brushing against the doorstep of D-Class.

But the instances he'd survived would have been death sentences for any Awakened of his level. Danger and opportunity were two sides of the same coin. He harbored no complaints.

A higher grade meant a higher monthly stipend.

At the logistics department, Lu Yan collected his three pills of specialized medicine for the month. He casually picked up a brochure from the front desk.

The staff member glanced at his ID badge and smiled. "Hello, sir. This is the latest catalog of psychic artifacts newly added to City K's Pollution Disease Prevention Center, along with the contribution point exchange list."

One contribution point exchanged for 10,000 cash. One hundred points for a single D-Class specialized pill.

Lu Yan pulled out the pills he'd just received. They matched the photo in the brochure exactly.

According to the propaganda, Headquarters invested millions monthly in each Awakened on average. It seemed they weren't joking.

He flipped a few pages further.

F-Class psychic weapons averaged around 100 points.

F-Class healing items averaged around 300.

The first page of the brochure featured a B-Class psychic artifact: a stunning silver longbow named Dreamstartler.

Description: B-Class psychic artifact. Arrows inflict hallucinatory effects upon hitting the target. Provides inherent damage reduction.

Recommended user spiritual power threshold: 5000 and above.

Price: 30,000 contribution points.

Lu Yan had earned over six thousand points for treating Zhou Qiming, but they'd slipped through his fingers before they could grow warm. His account was now embarrassingly empty. Feigning disinterest, he set the brochure down.

***

The new Awakened skills training conference was held in City A. A three-month program, running from April 1st to June 30th.

With time to kill before the training, Lu Yan found himself back at the hospital, clocking in for surgeries.

His post-awakening physique was too robust. He could handle seven or eight major operations a day. The anesthesiologists on overtime duty began trembling at the sight of him.

Even the nurses who usually fluttered around him like songbirds changed their tunes, looking for any excuse to flee.

In recognition of his outstanding performance, Lu Yan was promoted, becoming the youngest Chief Physician at City K's First People's Hospital.

It broke protocol, but it made sense. Some clueless young doctors, lacking tact, voiced their discontent. The administration swiftly silenced them.

Ridiculous. His main job isn't even being a doctor anymore. What's the harm in giving him the title?

Unfortunately, Lu Yan had barely gotten used to the sound of "Chief Lu" before he was forced to hitch a ride with Zhou Qiming to City A.

Headquarters had booked the tickets. First class.

Zhou Qiming pulled up to the hospital entrance in a silver Rolls-Royce to pick Lu Yan up after his shift.

Sunglasses, a floral shirt—he looked every bit the playboy headed for the nightclubs. A large, bright red commendation banner lay coiled in the passenger seat.

Seeing Lu Yan emerge, Zhou Qiming got out, unfurled the banner with a flourish, his face beaming. "Doctor Lu, I did my research. They say doctors don't care for much else, but they love these. Do you like it?"

Lu Yan's eyes scanned the banner. Two lines of bold characters:

—Master of Gynecology, Heart of a Healer.

—Presented to Doctor Lu Yan of City K First People's Hospital by patient Zhou Qiming.

The system couldn't help it. [Pfft.]

A headache pulsed behind Lu Yan's eyes. "...Are you trying to announce to the world that you were pregnant?"

In that instant, Zhou Qiming saw a line of text clearly pop up above Lu Yan's head.

[Favorability -1].

Yes, because of that talent, Virtual World.

To Zhou Qiming's eyes, everything around him could be visualized.

Lu Yan's title had changed too. Previously "Man-Eating Flower Doctor," it had somehow morphed into "Bloodthirsty Fish-Slaughtering Maniac" in just a few days.

Lu Yan refused the banner. Some dignity had to be maintained.

He slid into the passenger seat. Zhou Qiming hit the gas, and the luxury car sped from the hospital to the airport.

"I never joined Special Ops. Too restrictive," Zhou Qiming chattered. "But Doctor Lu, I support your decision. Becoming a public servant is good. There's a safety net. A guaranteed life. Not everyone can be a self-made rich first-gen like me."

[His 'self-made' fortune was sponsored by the Prevention Center to keep him from failing and turning against society.]

"My talent is ranked 39. Pretty high for an advanced talent. I haven't trained much over the years, but my spiritual power is still over seven thousand. I think I'm quite reliable, Doctor Lu."

Lu Yan let the words go in one ear and out the other. "Hmm."

Half an hour later, they finally reached the airport.

Lu Yan got out, ready to collect his ticket, when he saw Zhou Qiming open the trunk and pull out a bouquet of crimson roses.

Zhou Qiming looked at him with deep affection. "We've faced life and death together, Doctor Lu. I'll be frank. In over forty years of living, you're the only person who's ever made my heart flutter."

The sky was blue. The sun was bright.

Zhou Qiming was handsome. On paper, the conditions seemed... acceptable.

Lu Yan whispered to the system, "Is there a polite way to refuse this?"

Though Lu Yan often told people he was gay, he was closer to asexual.

His interest in cadavers far exceeded his interest in the living.

[There is. Think about his forum username.]

So, Lu Yan accepted the roses and smiled. "Mr. Zhou, you're a good man. But I'm a bottom."

The atmosphere chilled slightly.

Zhou Qiming didn't speak to him for the rest of the way to the terminal.

The first-class seats were spaced apart. Lu Yan watched from his pod as Zhou Qiming ordered three whiskeys on the plane, drowning his sorrows.

After a moment's thought, Lu Yan put on his eye mask and lay down to sleep.

He hadn't been asleep long when violent turbulence shook him awake.

Over the intercom, the pilot's voice held a note of panic. "We have unexpectedly encountered extreme thunderstorm conditions. The aircraft will be making an emergency landing at the nearest airport. Please remain calm and keep your seatbelts fastened—"

Lu Yan turned to the window.

Black clouds pressed down, threatening to crush the world. Inky cloud masses swirled, occasional tendrils of violet lightning flickering at their edges.

If it were just that, Lu Yan wouldn't be overly concerned.

After all, he'd heard the pilot was from the fighting nation. This was probably just a minor scene for them.

What worried Lu Yan was the steadily climbing number on the detection meter in his hand.

Pollution Value: 2000.

The system's voice was eerie. [Mutated bird flock. Originally a skein of geese. Now they're Thunderbirds. E-Class pollutants. Usually appear in groups.]

[They're migrating. Your plane just flew right into their path.]

[Honestly, the system recommends the host travel less. Every long trip seems to trigger a 'catastrophe out of nowhere' buff.]

"Animals can mutate too?"

[Animals are living beings. Why wouldn't they mutate? Plants too. Anything alive can. Especially things in the sea... Their mutations are far more terrifying than human-derived pollutants.]

[Land-based mutations started a century ago. But the mutations in the sea... they've been going on for centuries...]

Ignoring the flight attendant's attempts to stop him, Lu Yan unbuckled and made his way to Zhou Qiming's seat.

"Zhou Qiming." He shook him awake. "Wake up. There are pollutants."

The plane lurched again. Bracing himself with both hands on either side of Zhou Qiming's seatback, Lu Yan ended up looming over him—an almost perfect imitation of a "kabedon" (pinning someone against a wall).

Zhou Qimeng’s eyes were bleary, still clouded with the dregs of a drunken haze. He blinked back sentimental tears. “Doctor Lu,” he slurred, “you’re so handsome. I’ve thought it over. For love… I’m willing to be the top.”

In that moment, Lu Yan’s fingers twitched with the overwhelming urge to find a bottle of water and pour it directly over the man’s head.