Chapter 72
After stepping into the elevator, Xie Xubai could clearly feel the temperature drop by more than ten degrees.
The cold air scraped against my skin like ice blades, raising goosebumps. The alternation of cold and warmth created a stark contrast.
He frowned and looked at the indoor thermometer in the upper right corner.
Temperature: 13.1℃
Relative humidity: 38.7%
However, compared to a regular thermometer, this one displays one more item.
[Regional pollution level: 18%]
Xie Xubai can probably understand from the current situation that the pollution value above does not refer to air quality indicators, but rather a distorted value.
Not only can the doctor's mental power take on a tangible form, but the pollution of the patient's consciousness world also seems to transform into an invisible and intangible microscopic substance, infecting and distorting other normal things, and thus affecting the real world.
Like the virus in a malignant contamination disease.
Stepping out of the elevator, the view suddenly opened up before me.
Directly ahead was a straight corridor, the overhead incandescent lights casting a cold, stark white glow throughout. Every ten meters there was a security checkpoint and a medium-sized metal door, requiring identity verification three times in succession.
All four sides, including the ceiling and floor, are made of silver-white alloy walls, seamlessly integrated, with no trace of concrete.
The air recirculation system was running continuously, and a buzzing sound came from above.
The walls in the alienation zone have at most three layers, and the blast walls here start at 50 centimeters.
Laboratory tables, glasswares, various chemical reagents and specimen racks, as well as various ultra-high precision instruments, can be seen everywhere here.
A solemn and rigorous scientific research atmosphere immediately comes into view.
At least Xie Xubai can now confirm that Director Li's statement that the First Hospital was once a secret research base was not unfounded.
—What reputable hospital would set up such a well-equipped and heavily guarded secret location dozens of meters underground?
He looked up and scanned the various faces around him.
Academic conferences are never quiet.
After he and Director Li joined, many younger colleagues who admired Director Li came to ask him for advice on difficult problems that were usually hard to solve.
He was mentioned by the way because he almost broke the highest treatment record at the First Hospital.
The discussions rose and fell, creating a noisy and chaotic atmosphere.
Because of the restrictions of the rules, this is all taboo knowledge for people outside the relevant fields. Let alone learning and memorizing it, even simply trying to understand it could drive them crazy.
They, however, were able to remain calm and composed.
This illustrates the importance of identity in a world of alienation.
The security guard said, "The area ahead is the activity area of the S-level patient [Long Arm], and a full-body disinfection is required. For your safety, please put on protective clothing."
Xie Xubai and the others underwent disinfection.
Director Li had disappeared somewhere, but when he returned, he handed over a set of protective clothing, which was noticeably thicker than the regular style.
Xie Xubai casually touched it; the inside was made of some kind of material, fluffy and soft, and indeed much warmer. He said with delight, "Thank you."
When teaching Jiang Kaile to dance, he trained her physical strength rigorously.
After that, I enrolled in various rock climbing and combat training classes, and I didn't miss any of the different kinds of training.
The result was that although he learned a lot of theoretical skills, his physical fitness remained unchanged, as if it had been fixed. After all this time, he was still a complete weakling.
It's said that the air conditioning here is blasting to reduce biological activity. Xie Xubai, being a pure human, was thoroughly chilled by the cold the whole way.
The hot water bottle was lost during the pursuit by the defense department. Director Li also took out the same type of protective clothing and put it on. He shook his head at him and said, "You are so young, yet your body is so weak. You should find time to exercise in the future."
It was perfectly reasonable for him to say that, after all, he was old enough to be Xie Xubai's grandfather. But when he turned around, the young man was shaking even more dramatically than he was.
Xie Xubai chuckled dryly and agreed. After putting on the protective suit, he did feel much better.
Because he had become much closer to the old man, he could at least tell that Director Li no longer had any suspicion of him, so he boldly asked, "Were you a researcher here before?"
Director Li paused, then looked at him intently: "How did you know?"
"The guard didn't mention it, so I didn't know there were such thick, fleece-lined protective suits. But you didn't ask either; you just borrowed the guard's ID card and got the protective suit from him."
From the moment you enter this secret base, the old man gives the immediate impression that he is very familiar with the place.
Xie Xubai noticed Director Li's expression and stopped the conversation at the right moment: "I'm sorry... perhaps I shouldn't have brought this up."
"There's nothing wrong with mentioning it; anyway, they're all things from the past that can no longer be found."
Director Li spoke decisively, exchanged a glance with Fu Zong who turned his head upon hearing the commotion, and tugged at the corner of his mouth: "Yes, I did work here for a period of time in order to follow the former dean."
After saying that, he stared at Xie Xubai and said earnestly, "Your observation skills are extraordinary, and that is your advantage."
"There's no harm in observing and thinking more. Don't end up like me, always kept in the dark, and ultimately becoming an accomplice to evil."
Fu Zong silently looked away and said in a normal tone, "Are you all wearing protective suits? Everyone, please go in."
Despite being verbally abused by Director Li in front of Xie Xubai, the middle-aged man appeared unmoved, but his fingers clenched silently and then relaxed in an instant.
Xie Xubai did not overlook this detail.
Could it be that Director Li was once Fu Zong's subordinate? Why did things escalate to this point?
With these questions in mind, Xie Xubai and the others stepped into the activity area of the S-level patients and entered the observation room located high in the sky.
To his surprise, he discovered that it was actually a lush and vibrant ecological park!
The area appears to be planted with a few types of cold-resistant plants, and the site is very open, at least the size of a county-level football field. The lighting simulates spring sunlight, warm and comfortable, completely unlike the gloomy atmosphere I had imagined.
The others immediately went to the observation window, visually estimated the distance to the ground, and breathed a sigh of relief.
A higher location is better and safer.
At this moment, someone noticed a long, thick shadow lying on the upper left corner of the observation room glass, which looked a lot like the shadow of a snake.
He felt a chill run down his spine and took a few steps back: "You're going to put living organisms in there? To keep the patients company?"
Fu Zong subtly tugged at his lips: "No..."
Perhaps sensing the arrival of the crowd, the shadow suddenly vanished.
That's right, it's "pull open", not "jump open" or "bounce open"!
The slender black shape resembled a long whip lashed out in mid-air, piercing everyone's vision with its extremely sharp edge!
The bright light illuminated its entirety, revealing the clear texture of its skin, its bronze complexion, and the muscle lines that flowed from thick to thin.
—That was clearly a severed arm.
A section of arm, long enough to run through the entire observation window and spanning a full fifteen meters, with no wrist or elbow exposed!
Xie Xubai's pupils dilated, more astonished than the others.
He reacted faster than the others. At this moment, they were more than 50 meters above the ground of the activity area, which meant that if the arm wanted to reach here, it would have to go at least another 50 meters!
It's hard to imagine how long that arm actually is!
The safe distance was instantly shattered, as if that arm could strike them down in the next second, leaving no trace of their bodies.
Soon, people began to realize this and kept backing away until they reached the main entrance, their backs pressed against the wall, shouting in fear and anger: "Dean Fu! What are you doing in the engineering department? Why did you build the observation room in a place where patients can come into contact with it!"
This is an S-level patient, not some random cat or dog; ordinary protective barriers simply cannot stop them!
Fu Zong calmly said, "This place is only so big. What can the engineering department do? They can't just use all the land as activity rooms for patients."
"Relax, Long Arm is in a pretty good mood this month," he said. "At least the plants are doing well, and our hospital's finance department is barely holding on."
As soon as the words were spoken, everyone suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure, like a huge boulder pressing on their hearts. Their heartbeats almost skipped a beat, and cold sweat poured down their faces.
The floor was shaking, and the whole space was vibrating.
Two burly figures darted from the west to the east of the dense forest in an instant, crossing the entire ecological park in the blink of an eye.
Those seemingly ordinary, thick adult arms simply patted the tree trunks lightly, and swathes of giant trees fell down as if harvested by a scythe, sending dirt flying and creating a deafening roar!
In the blink of an eye, the once lush and verdant ecological park has been transformed into a devastated wasteland.
Those with weak nerves were terrified the moment the oppressive aura hit them, their legs buckling and they knelt on the ground, their faces pale and speechless.
Even though Fu Zong was used to it, he couldn't help but rub his throbbing temples as he watched.
The dean, having seen many big events, quickly recovered from his initial pain, put on a polite smile, and looked at everyone: "Alright, everyone, let's brainstorm. After reviewing his symptoms, does anyone have any effective treatment ideas? Please feel free to speak your mind."
The entire room fell into a deathly silence.
They stood firmly against the door, and only after confirming that the long arm wouldn't attack the observation room did they regain their own heartbeats.
One of them said with a dark face, "The distance is too far to achieve mental resonance. Can we try to calm him down first?"
"Yes, but you can only be quiet for ten seconds at most. After ten seconds, you will immediately enter a berserk state."
The man almost shouted, "Only ten seconds—" He couldn't even run out of his arm span!
"We can't even get within five meters of him, how can we treat him?"
Even with the isolation layer blocking the S-level aura, the lower-level doctors felt their stomachs churning, covered their mouths and vomited repeatedly, their faces ashen, unable to stand up, and had to be helped back to the rest room by the guards.
The number of people present instantly decreased by half.
The remaining people also looked extremely grim, and couldn't help but ask Fu Zong, "Do you really think there's a chance he can be successfully treated?"
"Yes." Unexpectedly, Fu Zong's eyes and tone were quite firm, as if he were stubbornly biting into something and refusing to let go.
The next second, he nonchalantly curled his lips: "But it might not be possible today."
Seeing the smile on the middle-aged man's face, everyone immediately felt annoyed at being looked down upon.
The truth is, they really didn't know where to begin.
One of the experts angrily retorted, "If you think we have no chance of curing him, why did you call us here in the first place?"
“If you don’t witness it with your own eyes, how can you understand how terrifying an S-level patient is?” Fu Zong immediately played the victim, his face filled with sorrow. “You know, the First Hospital is really difficult. Long Arm can only settle down in the lush ecological park, but he can’t suppress his destructive urges.”
"We are currently suffering huge losses and facing financial difficulties. We urgently need your assistance."
Everyone suddenly realized that Fu Zong had called them over to beg for food.
Damn it, sitting in a prime location, treating so many patients every day, and you say you have no money to spend? Who are you trying to fool? Huh?
Fu Zong had already given his explanation, and sighed regretfully, "When the day comes that I really can't control him anymore, I won't be able to do anything but transfer the long-armed man to another hospital."
"The initial plan is to use a sanatorium in the west of the city. If I remember correctly, it seems to be very close to the Second Hospital? Sigh, please forgive me if it causes any inconvenience to everyone."
Damn it, where did these bandits and robbers come from!
The corners of everyone's mouths twitched violently as they listened to these threatening words.
Especially the people from the Second Hospital, who thought they could show off their skills before they came, but who knew it was a trap for them to fall into, and they regretted it instantly.
Seeing Director Li approach the observation window, Xie Xubai followed him over.
The old man stared intently at the source of the two arms, but several trees, half-fallen, blocked his view, making it impossible to see clearly.
"Isn't there any surveillance footage? Could we see what the patient looks like?" Xie Xubai turned and suggested.
Fu Zong paused slightly, looked deeply at Xie Xubai, and said in a low voice, "It can't be faked. No matter where it's installed, it will be removed by the long arm. He's very sensitive to surveillance cameras."
Xie Xubai pursed his lips, wondering what words to use to comfort Director Li, when he heard the old man say, word by word, "I will stay here until I see clearly. If you want to leave, go ahead and do so. Don't worry about me."
The old man's hair was completely white, his skin was wrinkled, and the marks of time were particularly evident on his sorrowful face.
“...Actually, I know.” His face trembled slightly from tension, and his voice was unusually hoarse. “The fact that Fu Zong dared to call so many people here means that the person is definitely not the former dean.”
But he still wanted to confirm it, even if the hope was slim.
"..." Xie Xubai paused for a moment, then said, "Okay."
He didn't leave; he stayed by the old man's side, trying to establish a spiritual resonance with the long arm.
The moment the mental energy fluctuations spread, not only did Fu Zong's expression change, but everyone else present was also shocked.
"What are you doing?" Fu Zong couldn't help but scold, "The transmission of spiritual power has a distance limit. Don't try to do this useless work."
"No." Xie Xubai was completely focused on using his mental power and couldn't answer without being distracted. He spoke concisely, "The patient is speaking."
say?
Everyone listened intently, but heard nothing but the noise of two arms wildly lashing and pounding the ground.
"What are you talking about?" someone asked curiously.
Xie Xubai focused intently, his eyes growing brighter and brighter, as if radiating a sharp edge that made people back away: "He said... Jump down."
Jumping from a height of fifty meters? That's clearly inciting people to commit suicide!
Some people looked surprised: "Could long arms really bewitch people?"
Fu Zong's face turned ashen. He grabbed Xie Xubai's arm, forcibly interrupting the resonance state: "Enough! Stop! I'll find a way to let you see his face."
He gritted his teeth; if it weren't for his long arms blocking the camera, he wouldn't have been unable to take a single photo.
Xie Xubai stared blankly at the location of the [long arm], even though the area was shrouded in trees and the waving arm.
In the instant the mental resonance was interrupted, he seemed to see a thin figure standing on tiptoe, eyes gleaming, seemingly in a trance, desperately opening its arms to the crowd.
Jump down, jump down, don't be afraid—
I will, I will, catch you!
Xie Xubai suddenly snapped out of his daze and grabbed Fu Zong: "Does the hospital have those human models? Could we use a drone to send them over the patients?"
Everyone was completely baffled by these incoherent words.
Only Fu Zong seemed to remember something, looking at Xie Xubai in disbelief, before quickly finding the guards to retrieve the model.
When the mannequin was dropped into the field from a height, everyone noticed that the movement of the "long arm" froze for a moment.
He actually quieted down?
Immediately afterwards, both arms shot into the sky like a storm.
Their softness is almost the same as that of ropes. They are intertwined in layers, instantly weaving into a sturdy net that steadily catches the falling model.
With those obstructive arms no longer blocking their view, the group was finally able to see the long-armed face. Although the distance was a bit far, it wasn't a problem for the mutated group.
That face had no outstanding features; it was just the face of an ordinary middle-aged man, with thick eyebrows, a large nose, a thick stubble on his chin, and empty, lifeless eyes.
Xie Xubai went to see Director Li's reaction. The old man's pupils trembled, and finally dimmed with regret.
"Not the former dean."
After the matter was over, Fu Zong ignored the distraught Director Li and, using Xie Xubai's earlier suggestion as an excuse, called the young man aside.
The middle-aged man said with a forced smile, "It seems you have a good relationship with Old Li. He didn't get what he wanted, so why were you so anxious over there?"
"..." Xie Xubai felt a chill run down his spine for some reason. He coughed lightly and said, "Didn't you say that I should stay by Director Li's side and do whatever I'm supposed to do?"
Fu Zong looked at him with an ambiguous expression for a while, then raised the corners of his mouth: "You've spent the whole day at the hospital today, have you figured out why the former Director Zhou and the new Director Zhao turned out the way they did?"
Xie Xubai did not add Director Zhou's contact information and had no way of knowing the other party's situation before entering the hospital.
But Fu Zong offered him this information on his own initiative.
His expression shifted: "Because of their location."
Although he is the director, he is not capable enough to stand firm in such a competitive environment. He is at risk of being ousted at any time, and his subordinates can give him attitude.
In the end, they can only rely on those who are more powerful, and they are used to flattering and fawning.
Xie Xubai couldn't help but have more questions.
The intern nurses will be manipulated, the head nurse will be manipulated, so what about the hospital director?
Will they be more easily manipulated, or will they wield absolute power and have whatever they desire?
Xie Xubai didn't ask, knowing that Fu Zong didn't trust him enough. It wasn't that their relationship wasn't close enough, but rather that Fu Zong didn't trust him enough to fully reveal the truth and the burdens he carried.
Fu Zong nodded with a satisfied smile and said, "You're not stupid. Come on, let me show you around. Although it's been abandoned for a long time, some of the machines are still working."
Xie Xubai understood his implied meaning and was somewhat surprised: "Do you want me to operate it myself?"
Fu Zong knew what he was worried about: "Don't worry, it's just basic equipment. I won't feel bad if you break it. As for those expensive things, I'm hoping to sell them for a high price to recoup my losses. I can't bear to let you ruin them."
"Besides, your resume says you got perfect scores in practical courses every time and even won competition awards. How can you lack confidence?"
"I'm just flattered, you're so kind to me." Xie Xubai blinked. "Could it be—you are my long-lost biological father?"
Fu Zong froze, sensing his probing, and glanced at him with a half-smile: "With such a penchant for glib talk, it's a real shame that Director Xie isn't in HR. You deserve a place in the hospital's admissions office. How about I introduce you?"
Xie Xubai quickly smiled and begged for forgiveness.
He was behind him and couldn't see Fu Zong's face, so he didn't see the other's upturned lips.
For the rest of the time, except for the dangerous areas marked as off-limits, Fu Zongzhen led Xie Xubai on a tour of the entire base.
It wasn't as they said, that they only let him use cheap instruments. Instead, they wanted Xie Xubai to use all kinds of high-precision, high-cost equipment.
Xie Xubai was initially under some pressure, but after rediscovering his interest in scientific research from his student days, he gradually relaxed a lot.
The historical traces here record some cutting-edge technologies, and his technology is indeed somewhat lagging behind.
But Fu Zong was very patient, teaching and explaining everything step by step, from basic theory to machine debugging and practical operation, leaving no detail untouched.
Xie Xubai could tell that Fu Zong was very relaxed, even a little happy.
It seems that this is a rare moment of leisure for middle-aged men.
Xie Xubai composed himself.
Knowledge is right before his eyes; there's no reason not to embrace it, especially the knowledge he had to miss out on because of his impoverished circumstances.
Next, he completely focused on his work, immersing himself in the various experiments, even though he was likely to make mistakes nine times out of ten.
The disorganized knowledge made it difficult for him to absorb, but fortunately, his memory was quite good. Even if he didn't understand it now, he could find time later to gradually integrate it.
Only Fu Zong would do something like holding an expert consultation in the early hours of the morning.
Inspired by Xie Xubai's suggestion, the experts lingered in the observation room, reluctant to leave. Whether it was solving intractable diseases or achieving significant breakthroughs in treating S-level patients, they were completely captivated.
Most of the night passed in the blink of an eye.
Midway through, Fu Zong saw that Xie Xubai was becoming more and more skilled, so he left him to work on by himself and went out to see the experts off.
Xie Xubai was focused on the drops when he suddenly heard heavy footsteps coming from the doorway.
Turning around, I saw it was Director Li; surprisingly, he wasn't walking with the others.
Before Xie Xubai could speak, Director Li asked, "Director Xie, you just said you could hear voices. What kind of feeling was that?"
Xie Xubai observed the old man's complexion, which seemed to be shrouded in a thick black aura, making him listless, gloomy, and pale.
He immediately put down the drops, walked out of the laboratory and came to Director Li: "It's hard for me to describe exactly what it feels like. It's like someone is calling you subconsciously, until the voice becomes clearer and clearer."
"Then," Director Li said, "can you still hear those voices now?"
Xie Xubai wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Director Li's cloudy eyes had brightened a bit.
Fu Zong hadn't returned yet, and Xie Xubai had a gut feeling that Director Li wasn't quite right. It would be foolish to create any more trouble now, so he simply shook his head and said, "Sorry, I can't hear you."
Director Li gave a bitter smile: "If I were to die from an attack by a long-armed creature, you wouldn't hear a thing, would you?"
Xie Xubai's ominous premonition grew stronger.
In a flash, he reached out to grab Director Li's body, but Director Li slipped through his fingers like a shadow and disappeared from the spot.
Looking at the empty corridor, Xie Xubai's expression changed.
Realizing the old man might do something foolish, he ran without hesitation toward the area where the long arm was.
Then he heard a heart-wrenching roar—not transmitted by simple sound waves, but by mental energy fluctuations, a roar that suddenly resounded throughout the base!
Xie Xubai almost had his heart stop beating.
He desperately needed to determine whether it was the old man's scream or not, and tried to resonate with the owner of the roar.
The location was far away, so he had to spread his mental energy outwards. This process was extremely taxing, and his face gradually turned pale.
Finally, Xie Xubai traced the source of his spiritual power back to the [Long Arm].
The latter, for some unknown reason, is now enraged and throwing a tantrum!
He disregarded everything else and anxiously searched for fluctuations in Director Li's mental energy.
Like a stone shattering a mirror, producing a crisp sound, Xie Xubai caught another sound!
However, the feedback of mental energy fluctuations made him involuntarily widen his pupils—it was another S-rank?!
Does this hospital have two S-level patients? That's impossible!
Just then, a broad, kind hand patted Xie Xubai on the shoulder.
The latter suddenly turned his head and met Director Li's staring gaze.
Although he hadn't spent much time with Xie Xubai, Director Li knew that the young man before him was not as simple as he appeared. He was vigilant, cautious, thoughtful, and observant. If anyone wanted to harm him, they should be prepared to be bitten back.
Kindness became the only flaw.
Director Li then hinted to the young man that he would be going to his death, thus inducing Xie Xubai to focus his attention on the direction of the "long arm" and ignore the back where he was hiding.
Until he saw Xie Xubai's visible panic and anxiety after he thought something had happened to him.
He couldn't resist showing up after all.
"Did you hear other sounds?"
Upon hearing this question, Xie Xubai's heart pounded like a drum.
But Director Li wasn't testing him. He smiled and said, "Even if you didn't hear it, I did. It was the former dean calling me. I was going to ask you to confirm it, but never mind."
“Fu Zong shouldn’t have let me in. He thought that seeing that the S-level patient wasn’t the former dean would make me give up completely. But he can never explain why, if this was the only unknown S-level patient here, he had been so vigilant and dared not let anyone near before?”
“A privileged son like him who likes to swagger around probably never took me seriously,” Director Li chuckled. “So he doesn’t know how deep my obsession is, or what I’ve sacrificed for it.”
As he spoke, the old man's pupils changed color several times, eventually revealing a scarlet blood-red hue unique to the Demon King.
That wasn't just any blood color; it was pure and without impurities, like molten lava flowing within a ruby, etched into the old man's eye sockets, breathtaking and awe-inspiring.
Using this strange and eerie power seemed to devour the old man's life force. In just a moment, the ends of his snow-white hair were stained with an ominous charred black!
"Don't be foolish! If you want to find the former dean, we can—" Xie Xubai shouted angrily.
Director Li ignored him completely, transforming into a shadow and enveloping Xie Xubai's body.
Xie Xubai felt an irresistible pulling force; the other party was clearly trying to take him out of the research base.
Why let him leave? What exactly is Director Li planning to do?
He knew there was no time to hesitate any longer. With a fierce look in his eyes, he used his mental power to attack the shadow that was binding him, wanting only to knock Director Li unconscious and take him away!
Unexpectedly, the latter was cunning and treacherous, leaving behind only a clone, which was turned to ashes and vanished after being slightly impacted by the golden light.
Xie Xubai gritted his teeth and rushed frantically toward the place where the commotion had started.
He could sense that another S-rank aura was growing stronger and stronger, and there was a faint tendency for it to erupt!
On the other side, Fu Zong, who had just reached the main gate and was seeing off the other doctors, hadn't even finished smiling politely when his expression suddenly turned extremely terrifying, and he abruptly turned towards the surveillance area.
Author's Note:
My hand speed only increased exponentially after the update. What's wrong with me? (collapses to the ground)
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