Chapter 64

64

Lu Yan stood before the door, waiting silently for the staff member to unlock the ward.

The system was chatting with him. An Awakener's talent does grant power far beyond the ordinary. No wonder regular people are so afraid of it.

That Wei Chengwu… his mental state isn't great. With what you said, he'll most likely die. Suicide.

Lu Yan thought for a moment. "How unfortunate."

His tone held neither pity nor regret; it was simply a flat statement of fact.

The system fell silent.

When the door opened, it wasn't a ward inside, but a long, narrow corridor.

Every few meters, there was another security checkpoint.

The director handed over Patient 07's file. "Mr. Lu, Patient 07's corruption level is already very high, but he's never shown any aggression. And we have special protective measures in place. So please don't worry, the ward is perfectly safe."

Lu Yan looked down at the single, thin sheet of paper in his hand.

Test Subject 07 (Name: Zong Yan)

Talent: 42 - Karmic Flame

Spiritual Power Threshold: 7200

Corruption Level: 98.7%

Corrosion Vector: Carbonization

However, the data the system provided was different.

Ah, his talent is actually 519 Signal Interference. The Karmic Flame is gone. This chart hasn't been updated.

"Why is it gone?" Lu Yan asked, puzzled.

Stolen, of course, the system sneered. Stolen. His life, his ideals, everything he was… leaving behind an empty, hollow shell. A truly beautiful and despairing soul.

"This corruption level is already quite dangerous," the director said, looking genuinely worried. "If the treatment fails, we'll have to consider transferring him to the Twelfth Research Institute."

The Twelfth Research Institute. The legendary euthanasia center for Awakeners.

Lu Yan gave a slight nod.

After passing through the multiple checkpoints, the two finally arrived at the final door.

The director pulled it open. "Mr. Lu, I'll wait for you outside."

Entry and exit here required swiping an access pass, which Lu Yan didn't have permission for yet.

He stepped into the ward and glanced up at the camera in the corner.

For safety reasons, the surveillance here was controlled by a central computer, with personnel on standby 24/7.

07—or Zong Yan—sat quietly on the edge of the bed, dressed in blue and white striped patient garb.

His head was bowed, hair a little too long at the ends, obscuring his expression.

A monitoring bracelet was clamped around Zong Yan's wrist, tracking his corruption level in real time. Beyond that, there were handcuffs and leg irons, all chained to a solid iron column.

The room was filled with toys a child might like, a computer, a television. Every inch of the floor was covered in fireproof padding. Water sprinklers were installed every few meters.

Zong Yan offered no vivid reaction to Lu Yan's sudden visit.

He just stared blankly at the corner, where a guitar with broken strings lay.

"Zong Yan," Lu Yan said.

No response.

So, Lu Yan tried again. "Zero Seven."

This time, 07's body trembled slightly. He slowly raised his head, looking toward the source of the voice.

Half his face was already burned away, the eyeball melted by high heat. The border between flesh and skin was a layer of black, charred patterning. His other eye, still intact, was a vacant, lifeless red.

Lu Yan had some experience treating patients with corruption levels this high by now.

He moved closer to Zong Yan, removed his glove, and extended a hand. "Give me your hand."

Zong Yan tilted his head, looking at him, then slowly placed his hand in Lu Yan's.

Several thin, white filaments extended from Lu Yan's sleeve, connecting to Zong Yan's arm.

Times like this always brought an inevitable resonance with Wang Yu.

The taste of the pollution source on Zong Yan wasn't pleasant. Like pork roasted for too long, dry and stringy, tough to chew.

Zong Yan's blood was black. The white, semi-transparent filaments inevitably darkened as a result.

Zong Yan seemed curious about them, leaning his head closer to the threads.

He stood up, the chains on his body clinking. His somewhat gaunt frame happened to block the camera's line of sight.

He turned his hand, gripping Lu Yan's palm. Without a word, he used his index finger to lightly trace two numbers onto Lu Yan's skin: 95.

Lu Yan froze, instinctively meeting the other's gaze.

A flicker of focus seemed to return to those eyes. The red pupils were no longer vacant and lifeless, instead holding a burning beauty, like flame.

Lu Yan understood. What Zong Yan was saying was, "Save me."

I don't want to go back to the Research Institute. I don't want to be locked up again.

I don't want to watch the people I know disappear, one by one.

Lu Yan's expression remained perfectly calm.

He was even curiously asking the system, "Why is Zong Yan asking me for help?"

They were just strangers meeting for the first time.

The system answered. Back then, 07 was on a mission with the Dog Dragon. Tang Xian'an fell into the dream, and so did he. You were actually in the same past.

So he's seen you before.

Lu Yan still said nothing, just quietly watched the corruption level reading on the monitor.

Over the course of a few minutes, the number slowly dropped from 98 to 96.

You seem… tempted? The system's tone was one of genuine surprise. No way. You're not actually thinking of saving him, are you? Dealing with this would probably be more troublesome than you using your talent on Wei Chengwu. After all, Headquarters doesn't know you have this ability, and Wei Chengwu himself was mentally unstable. Jumping off a building, while sudden, isn't incomprehensible.

The system thought for a moment, then continued. But if 07 were to escape during your treatment… you might find yourself facing the Investigation Unit directly.

"Sounds troublesome," Lu Yan remarked. "And the consequences would be severe."

Yes, the system nodded its non-existent head. Forgive my bluntness, but after everything that's happened, 07's heart is as black as the carbon on his face… Don't be fooled. He's just using you.

So, Lu Yan couldn't help but look at 07 again.

The other man offered him a foolish, childishly innocent smile.

"I think you definitely have a way," Lu Yan said to the system.

The system was silent for a beat. …Why? I mean, this isn't like you. Or have you recently been imitating someone new to serve as your primary personality?

A rare question that had even the system confused.

"I'm not imitating anyone," Lu Yan replied. "I just think 07 played the guitar very well. It would be a shame to never hear it again. Besides, he's my patient."

With that, he withdrew his hand.

The Wang Yu inside him was already stuffed full, its belly distended, even letting out a silent hiccup.

Fine. Wanting to save him isn't necessarily wrong. In the long run, it might not even be a bad thing… really.

After some thought, the system answered hesitantly. Maybe you could try fighting poison with poison?

*

Lu Yan walked out of the ward.

Outside, the director's gaze was full of concern. "How is 07 now? Is there still hope?"

Lu Yan gave a slight nod. "Yes. His corruption level has dropped to 94, but one treatment is far from enough. I'll be staying in City X a while longer."

The director was immediately overjoyed. "Excellent! Where would you like to stay? Should we prepare an apartment for you? A car? What about a nanny?"

Lu Yan thought for a moment. "That won't be necessary. I usually stay at the Prevention and Control Center. However, I would like to work at a nearby hospital."

The director remembered the earnest instructions from Lu Yan's liaison, Director Li. The gist was that 'Clairaudience' had little social life or entertainment, had been a surgeon before becoming an Awakener, and that performing surgery was his way of relieving stress.

The director was filled with respect. "I understand! I'll arrange it for you tomorrow. Which department would you prefer?"

"The Emergency Department." Lu Yan paused for a few seconds. "Assign a few extra anesthesiologists and secondary assistants."

People these days weren't very resilient. Three surgeries a day could exhaust them. They were a perishable resource.

Lu Yan's reasons for going to the hospital were split. Half was because his hands were itching—he genuinely wanted to operate.

The other half was because outside the nearby hospital stood a long-abandoned green mailbox.

With the march of time, these mailboxes had gradually faded from use, rarely receiving letters anymore.

But in City X, they served another purpose.

Clients could, according to their needs, use these mailboxes to send orders to the Slaughterhouse, requesting their preferred 'meat pig.'

The Slaughterhouse would, in turn, demand appropriate compensation based on the difficulty of acquiring said 'pig.'

Earlier, in the ward, Lu Yan had asked the system how he could save Zong Yan.

The system had told him: You could try placing an order with the Slaughterhouse. Purchase a live meat pig.