Chapter 74

Most people might hesitate when told to stop, but Director Li was instantly alert.

He realized that Xie Xubai was able to bypass security checks and get here smoothly in such a short time, so he definitely had the ability to stop him.

The youth must leave!

Director Li unconsciously used the power of the Ghost King's Domain, and a hurricane suddenly appeared in the airless corridor, causing Xie Xubai to feel a stinging pain all over his body, and his hair and sleeves to fly wildly.

Only his glasses remained firmly fixed to his face, as if welded to it, ensuring that Xie Xubai's vision was not obstructed by the strong wind.

His words, spoken in a clear and logical manner, almost burst forth: "Please listen to what the former dean has to say!"

Director Li suddenly stopped, and the hurricane lost its power.

Xie Xubai immediately used his mental power to bind the old man's two wrists and pulled him away from the control panel.

This series of movements was as swift and fluid as cutting through a tangled mess, catching Director Li completely off guard.

Before the latter could even get angry, he was enveloped by golden spiritual energy and forcibly calmed down.

Xie Xubai met those scarlet eyes and insisted, "You said you can hear what the former dean said, so please listen carefully again, okay?"

Director Li's hands trembled. He didn't know who this young man was, that he could so keenly perceive the bewilderment and uncertainty in his own heart.

Or perhaps Xie Xubai's gaze was so unwavering that people subconsciously followed his lead.

Director Li did indeed calm down as he had said, and under his guidance, he calmed his mind and tried to capture the complete words.

He gradually understood.

That familiar and comforting fluctuation of spiritual energy wasn't calling out to anyone; it was clearly saying—

"No...don't come any closer..."

【Walk……! 】

"Director Li, you heard it too, right?" Seeing the old man's stunned and dazed expression, Xie Xubai said calmly, "Since you have experienced many storms, you should know that good intentions driven by impulse without understanding the whole picture may actually harm the people you care about."

"but……!"

Director Li finally spoke, his withered fingers pressed against his forehead to hide his expression, his voice trembling with suppressed emotion: "But they know nothing, and they're still making wild guesses... Nobody knows what he did or what he sacrificed!"

[Bang!]

When the gossipy medical staff started searching for the former hospital director's name as a joke, Director Li's rationality finally snapped, and he rushed forward and punched one of the busybodies in the face.

The latter was sent flying, in excruciating pain.

The crowd was stunned, staring in disbelief at the elderly man who had suddenly unleashed his power.

The person who was beaten stood up cursing, and after seeing that it was Director Li, he looked terrified.

Director Li was so angry that his brain became congested with blood, and the rapidly increasing intraocular pressure compressed the capillaries, causing menacing red blood vessels to appear on the whites of his eyes.

Looking at the terrified faces of the crowd, he desperately wanted to unleash a torrent of angry curses.

—If Fu Zong is truly as upright and virtuous as you all claim, why was he nowhere to be seen for the three months leading up to the disaster? If he had stepped forward earlier, why would their former dean have suffered so much?

But... there is no evidence.

No matter how hard Director Li tried to collect information, he could only find fragmentary accounts. The specifics of what the former dean had actually done remained shrouded in mystery, like a hazy veil obscuring his view; he could sense it, but couldn't describe it in detail.

Under the oppressive atmosphere of him staring intently at everyone without uttering a single word, the person who felt inexplicably beaten finally realized what was happening and began to lose his temper.

[Director Li, I know you often mention the former dean's name, and you respect him greatly, but you can't let personal feelings blind you!]

I might have been a bit harsh just now, but isn't that the truth? The former dean accomplished nothing; he was simply inferior to the current dean!

"It's not that nobody knows!"

Xie Xubai's answer was resounding, instantly overshadowing the sneer in his memory, like an invisible hand forcefully pulling Director Li out of his grief.

The young man spoke with unwavering conviction: "When the disaster was not effectively controlled and the pollution spread outwards, the higher-ups chose to use force to bomb it. It was the former dean who went to the higher-ups to try his best to stop it. Several powerful figures monopolized resources, ostensibly recruiting volunteers, but in reality using the injured and disabled as bait. It was also the former dean who risked his life to rescue them!"

Director Li's back, which had been hunched over, straightened up instantly upon hearing these words.

Those scarlet, pain-filled eyes widened inch by inch, as if intense emotions were about to burst forth.

"The former dean appeared refined and frail, but he was actually quite healthy; he even reportedly won awards in university badminton tournaments. However, during the period when resources were running out, he would frequently disappear, and whenever he reappeared, he would inevitably fall ill. Then, everyone would have food, drink, and clothing again."

Xie Xubai succinctly summarized: "He single-handedly persuaded powerful figures, and although he successfully obtained resources, he also encountered unimaginable difficulties and torment!"

Through Xie Xubai's words, the old man's originally vague memories gradually became clearer.

He was like a thirsty person walking in the desert who had suddenly encountered a downpour of sweet rain; his voice was hoarse and cracked as he asked incredulously, trembling, "How did you know?"

Of course, it was the intelligence that Xie Xubai diligently gathered this afternoon.

Besides Lü Xiangcai, there's also the Jiang family.

The Jiang family was only purged, not slaughtered. Jiang Xin and other members of the Jiang family who did not commit any bloody crimes survived.

Xie Xubai stayed at the Jiang family's residence to prevent the servants, filled with hatred, from losing control and harming innocent people.

Nowadays, those people have all moved away from the Jiang family mansion and scattered to various industries, but they have maintained contact with Xie Xubai.

Due to cognitive limitations, they lack complete memories of the past.

The alienation disasters that have occurred are, in their minds, wars, or natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, and torrential rains.

They vaguely heard their elders mention that a member of the Fu family, a brilliant young man who supposedly obtained provincial-level science and technology park qualifications, abandoned his promising future to work at the grassroots level in a community hospital or something similar—he was simply out of his mind.

A petty person with a filthy mind, mired in depravity, will want to destroy all beautiful things when they are unhappy with their own life.

And that collateral descendant, a prodigy, with a handsome face and high intelligence, was devoted to academic research. He was the white moonlight that everyone longed for and could not obtain, and could be called the epitome of beauty.

How excited the hyenas were when that person humbled himself and begged others for help for the sake of everyone's survival resources.

She was forced to drink so much alcohol that she vomited blood on the spot, was drugged and almost lost her virginity, and was forced to kneel by being choked. She participated in violent extreme games with others, and ended up covered in blood, being taken to the hospital on a stretcher.

—That was the former dean.

"No matter how ignorant people distort the facts, the facts are the facts. History leaves its mark and cannot be covered up. There will always be people who remember the sacrifices and achievements of our predecessors."

Xie Xubai met Director Li's trembling eyes and said gently but firmly, "Just as you will remember, I will remember, and through our word of mouth, others, the next generation, will also remember."

Why didn't this stubborn old man try to publicize the deeds of the former dean?

He couldn't stand Xie Xubai's sense of entitlement and moved his lips as if to refute him.

But his lips trembled; he couldn't help but be moved.

“You’re right…” As the old man’s long-standing heartache was gradually resolved, the crimson color in his eyes faded, revealing obvious signs of fatigue.

Director Li's dominance in the hospital was second only to Fu Zong.

Therefore, he can seize Fu Zong's position as dean, but his soul will bear a huge burden, with lifespan reduction being the least of his worries.

Who would have thought that at this moment, a sudden change would occur!

Like a bolt of lightning striking his mind, Xie Xubai's alarm bells rang loudly. He felt the oppressive force behind the heavy door before Director Li could react, and quickly transformed his mental energy into a protective shield to block the two of them.

boom--!

Just as the protective shield solidified, the 10-ton military-grade explosion-proof cast iron door groaned as it succumbed to the immense pressure.

The pollution level jumped from 67% to 79% in an instant, and all the alarms in the corridor went off simultaneously, sharp and piercing, as if they could pierce people's eardrums!

Xie Xubai and the other person were thrown back by the unbearable impact.

The protective shield shattered, but Xie Xubai reacted extremely quickly. His scattered spiritual energy instantly transformed into a soft cushion, protecting his and Director Li's heads, allowing them to land with a slight effort.

The cast iron door had a large hole in it, and the sharp, rolled edges were stained with bloody bits of flesh.

Through the opening, one could see a constantly writhing "mountain of flesh," its surface a sinister, ominous blackish-red, resembling erupting magma, churning up fleshy bubbles of varying sizes that burst open with a "pop," releasing a thick, pungent stench reminiscent of a sewer.

After the gate was breached, the "mountain of flesh" seemed very excited and tried to crawl out.

With a whoosh.

Several chains, emitting a faint, shimmering white light, were interwoven around its body, binding it tightly.

The "mountain of flesh" struggled violently, and the loose chains tightened instantly, rattling incessantly.

The contamination level of the detector was stuck at 79%, the number was unstable and fluctuating, and it was about to jump to the critical 80%.

The several gleaming white chains instantly exploded with a surge of mental energy, like a person roaring at the top of their lungs.

【Walk! ! 】

Those chains are from the former dean? No, they are materialized spiritual energy!

Xie Xubai made a quick decision, grabbing Director Li and running away, but "Mountain of Flesh" reacted even faster.

A blood-red vortex the size of a wrist emerged from its surface, constantly gathering power.

Xie Xubai had just stood up when flesh and blood shot out like bullets from a high-pressure water gun, shattering the chains blocking his way and scattering them in the air.

Xie Xubai's eyes sharpened, and his golden spiritual power gathered again, forming a new protective shield.

Beneath his feet, the silent shadows began to churn and surge, as if a harbinger of an approaching storm.

But just as the flesh and blood were about to harm them, a tall figure appeared from the end of the corridor, blocking the attack, then being sent flying, crashing into the wall and creating spiderweb-like cracks before falling heavily to the ground.

"Dean!" Xie Xubai recognized who it was and rushed over.

However, Fu Zong's condition was very wrong. He propped himself up, but then fell back down as if he were in great pain. The veins on his forehead bulged, and he covered his mouth and dry heaved violently.

"vomit!"

First came several streams of clear water, then thick, sticky bloody water.

Then, he vomited a lump of undigested blood!

The blood clot was larger than a fist, wriggling incessantly, its surface covered with thin, root-like tentacles that seemed to be constantly baring their fangs and claws.

Looking at the familiar flesh and blood, Xie Xubai felt as if he were immersed in ice water. He turned his head to look at the "mountain of flesh" in the cast iron door.

—He was not mistaken; the strange power contained in this blood clot was of the same origin as the "mountain of flesh"!

Immediately afterward, Xie Xubai was caught off guard and saw that the "mountain of flesh" seemed to have broken free of some restrictions, and the outline of human facial features was vaguely emerging from the flesh and blood facing the gate.

His face was as if carved by a knife, with distinct features, a high and straight nose, and bold eyebrows and eyes.

...Isn't that the dean's face?

"vomit……!"

Xie Xubai turned around in surprise.

As Fu Zong vomited blood clots, the invisible force that had been supporting and binding him suddenly disappeared.

His entire body seemed to shrink rapidly, like a sponge inflating, and his appearance changed accordingly.

His tall figure vanished, replaced by a gaunt, bony frame. His hands braced against the floor, knuckles protruding, fingertips white from the force. His back, bent uncontrollably, trembled violently, as if it could snap easily.

Director Li struggled to sit up, raised his head, and saw the scene before him; his heart seemed to stop beating.

The gossipers' unrespecting teasing and joking seemed to echo in my ears.

The former dean's name has a rather classical feel to it, it's called—

"Pei Yuheng".

The piece of meat vomited on the ground suddenly jumped up, like a beast pouncing on its prey, and strangled "Fu Zong" by the neck.

The "mountain of flesh" grew arms again, and with a powerful swing, tore off the white chains.

The face gradually took shape, its mouth opening and closing with intense malice: "My dear cousin, even your own dog can bite you back. You've been a complete failure as dean for decades."

Author's Note: