Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Right. Your head instructor is quite good-looking. It's only human to feel that way.

Dreamwalking… you've experienced this before, haven't you? In Lu Jiahé's dream. You know what to do.

But stop spacing out. You can look your fill once we're out of here.

"Won't be the same once we're out," Lu Yan murmured, feeling an inexplicable pang of regret.

He raised his hand toward Tang Xian'an. The tattoo on his knuckles seared with sudden, blistering heat.

[Talent 99 — Dreamwalk].

***

Lu Yan opened his eyes. A faint wave of dizziness washed over him.

He looked down. A white lab coat draped his frame. In his hands was a file.

Not just any file—a medical case record. The cover read: "Project Ember — Document No. 19."

"System?" he called softly.

No response. It had gone offline again, damn it.

A portly, older man waddled over. What made Lu Yan's skin crawl was the face—blank, featureless, like a department store mannequin.

A nameplate identified him: Professor Wu*.

"Xiao Lu, you're a Yan University graduate too, I see. Impressive as expected." Professor Wu's tone was approving. "You're the only new recruit the Research Institute accepted this cycle. Don't let Director Qiao down."

Director Qiao?

Lu Yan calmly opened the file in his hands.

Inside was an operative record, a chaotic mix of English, Chinese, and Japanese. Fortunately, Lu Yan could read it all.

[ Year, February 11th]

Tang Xian'an passed physical evaluation. Specific data in appendix. Preliminary modification direction confirmed as combat-class Awakener.

Has made contact with pollutant. Aberration evident. Estimated probability of successful Awakener transformation below 30%.

Tang Xian'an is of legal age. Has signed informed consent forms. Surgery date confirmed.

[ Year, February 18th]

Performed first pollutant fusion surgery on Tang Xian'an.

Fusion target: Human-Faced Spider. Modification direction: Foreign Body Integration. Pre-operative consent obtained.

Post-operative rejection levels mild. Further modification possible.

(Note: Surprisingly, the surgery succeeded. We were all anxious before he went under. His willpower is formidable, which means he endures greater agony during the procedures. And he isn't even an Awakener yet. Director Qiao's stress levels are so high he's barely eating.)

[ Year, March 11th]

Second pollutant fusion surgery.

Fusion target: Viper Fangs. Modification direction: Extreme Toxicity. Pre-operative consent obtained.

Post-operative rejection levels severe. Toxicity modification abandoned.

……

……

[ Year, May 21st]

103rd pollutant fusion surgery.

Fusion target: Nidhogg Dragon Wing. Modification direction: Draconification.

(Note: I don't know what the outcome of this one will be… He's the youngest modified synthetic in our entire experimental group. Perhaps I should leave. My mental state is deteriorating. When I see him, I feel only endless pain and guilt. Under my design… I've turned a person into a weapon.)

Lu Yan glanced at the digital clock on the wall. June 2nd.

Professor Wu spoke up. "Director Qiao Yu is still in surgery. We've told him to take care of himself—he's only in his forties, but his hair is already graying. He doesn't listen. And you know, he's constantly exposed to pollutants during operations. His contamination level is critically high…"

Knowing talk was risky, Lu Yan simply sighed in agreement.

"Professor Katherine, who was overseeing Tang Xian'an, withdrew from Project Ember due to depression. We're severely understaffed now. Since you just awakened as an Awakener this year, Director Qiao hopes you'll take over Tang Xian'an's daily data logs."

The role was similar to a nurse's duties, requiring little specialized knowledge of the Pollution Disease.

"I assume you've signed the confidentiality and liability waivers. This work carries significant risk. We do need your help, but you may withdraw at any time if unwilling."

Lu Yan knew little about the Research Institute's early days.

But now, its core personnel had completely changed…

After a moment's thought, Lu Yan asked quietly, "I'm willing, Professor. Currently, who in the Institute has the highest spiritual power threshold? Are they all Awakeners?"

Professor Wu answered without hesitation. "Director Qiao, of course. I hear he's surpassed 6000. You're not bad either—over 400 upon awakening. That's among the best data we've seen in new Awakener recruits in years… Besides, we can't let ordinary people handle pollutants. That's just inviting aberration."

Good. So in the Institute's early days, both test subjects and researchers were Awakeners.

Professor Wu led Lu Yan forward. Every researcher they passed had a blank, featureless face. Only when they passed a silver-haired middle-aged man did Lu Yan clearly see his features.

A face from textbooks: Qiao Yu.

He looked younger than in his official photos, but weariness etched his face, his expression harried.

Qiao Yu stopped as he passed Lu Yan.

"You're the new researcher?" he asked. "Reviewed the materials? Tang Xian'an's mental state is unstable. Due to the recent dragon wing transplant, close contact carries a high infection risk. Ensure you take full protective measures."

He paused, hesitating briefly.

"If he… shows signs of wanting to end his life—I recall your talents are [Affinity] and [Psychological Counseling]. If counseling fails… then let him go."

"Sometimes, death is a release."

With a nod, Qiao Yu turned and left.

The Institute had no windows. The elevators only went down. They were underground.

The design, it was said, was to minimize the impact of any pollution source in case of an experimental breach.

Tang Xian'an's ward was on Sub-level 10. The entire floor housed only him.

With Professor Wu's guidance, Lu Yan learned how to open the four heavy doors leading to the ward. Each security layer was locked down like a vault—or a tomb.

"It's necessary, I'm afraid," Professor Wu said, voice heavy with resignation. "We don't want to, but… he's already left three staff members permanently disabled."

Past the fourth door, the interior felt less sterile. It held a trace of lived-in warmth.

"This is a 1:1 replica of Tang Xian'an's home."

Judging by the decor, his family had been well-off.

Noticing Lu Yan's curiosity, Professor Wu offered a thin smile. "The boy came from a good family. He pestered Director Qiao to join Project Ember. Started talking about it at sixteen, but we waited until he was of age for the fusion procedures."

"Director Qiao often asks me if he did something wrong." Professor Wu stopped before the final door, lowering his voice. "He's probably sensed me already. I won't go in."

He raised his voice toward the door. "Tang Xian'an! Remember me? Professor Wu. I'm busy today, so I won't disturb you. The new researcher is here to check on you."

Standing at the bedroom doorway, Lu Yan finally flipped to the most recent page of the file.

Tang Xian'an.

Age: 19

Spiritual Power Threshold: 7200.

Contamination Level: 32.1 — 97.7 (fluctuating).

Talents: Dragon Bone (fusion transplant), Unknown Talent (preliminarily assessed as Corrosion—rapid death of organisms upon contact).

Notes:

1. Partial hearing loss due to prior fusion surgeries. Artificial auditory bones implanted.

2. Suffered additional contamination during dragon wing fusion. Currently blind.

3. Exhibits strong aggression due to post-operative rejection. Research group debated euthanasia. Subject retains partial human rationality. Decision made to proceed with "Stranger Contact Experiment" to assess remaining rationality and social capacity.

Experimental Subject: Lu Yan (informed consent obtained).

Lu Yan took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

The bedroom was spacious, painted in bright oranges and grays. It was divided into work and rest areas, with a private bathroom. Even a walk-in closet with a full-length mirror stood in one corner, filled with rows of pristine sneakers.

An open copy of Five-Three lay on the desk—a gaokao chemistry workbook. Lu Yan stepped closer. The handwriting was elegant, the answers mostly correct.

The blankets on the bed were rumpled, clearly slept in.

Bloodstains dotted the pillow. Lu Yan spotted a few shed, translucent scales among the folds.

At first glance, Tang Xian'an was nowhere to be seen.

But Lu Yan could hear it clearly—a ragged, bestial panting.

The sound came from the wardrobe.

"Tang Xian'an…?" Lu Yan called out, keeping his distance. "Are you there?"

He moved forward, step by deliberate step.

Inside him, Wang Yu screamed a frantic warning, thrashing, begging him to flee.

Lu Yan opened the wardrobe door.

In an instant, the figure inside lunged, slamming him to the floor. A hand—a claw—closed around his throat.

The being before him… was barely human. His hands were grotesquely enlarged, taloned like an eagle's, tipped with sharp barbs. Fangs protruded from a distorted jaw. Jet-black dragon scales armored his torso. Bloody dragon wings, raw and new, had torn through the flesh of his shoulder blades.

The iconic golden eyes were absent.

His irises were pale, almost colorless—at first glance, entirely white.

If the file was accurate, Tang Xian'an was blind.

This was less a man and more a half-human, half-dragon monstrosity.

A thick, heavy draconic tail pinned Lu Yan down, its weight crushing.

Tang Xian'an wasn't applying pressure, but the weight of that hand on his neck still made Lu Yan feel like he was suffocating.

A thick, iron collar circled the other man's throat. The report said it came from a pollutant—a Thunder Eel—and could unleash a hundred thousand volts in an instant.

Professor Wu had explained that if Tang Xian'an ever lost control, the high-voltage switch on that collar was the key. It wouldn't kill him, but it would drop him long enough to get away.

Lu Yan's gaze flicked to the ceiling. A surveillance camera stared back, its red light blinking steadily.

"Tang Xian'an," he said, forcing his voice into a calm, even tone. "It's me. Lu Yan."

A raw, guttural rasp answered him—the sound of an animal in pain, not a man.

"Can you hear me?" Slowly, carefully, Lu Yan raised a hand and placed it between the shuddering dragon wings. "It's alright. You're safe."

Most researchers who found themselves under attack panicked. They never looked close enough.

But Lu Yan saw it.

The taloned hand clamped around his throat was trembling.

"I'm not here to hurt you," he murmured, the words soft and steady. "You don't have to be afraid."