A Dedication of Love

The air seemed to freeze. At this moment, following Ji Jue's words, pairs of bloodshot, fanatical eyes seemed to burn with flame. As they turned toward Lian Cheng, all he felt was a suffocating pressure. Those gazes were like executioners' nooses, slipping one by one over his neck. Tightening, inch by inch. Engulfed in a bone-deep chill, he had nowhere to run. The corrupted abominations that he had once manipulated and ordered about like mindless puppets had now, under Ji Jue's orchestration, turned into a blade hanging right over his head... This abrupt reversal made Lian Cheng feel as though he had plummeted straight into hell. He still remembered how, just a few days ago when his plan had been set in motion, the entire Chrono Ruin had seemed brimming with vitality, a grand domain where all things thrived and competed. How had it suddenly turned into what looked to be his burial ground? Sweat drenched his back. Lian Cheng glared fixedly at Ji Jue across the table, panting heavily. He wished desperately that he could transform right now into that calamity beast on the second floor, open his maw, and tear this damned little mongrel to pieces on the spot, chewing his bones, devouring his flesh, leaving him to wail in agony for days on end without release! Yet right now, if he hesitated any longer, he would be the one ground into dust. He had no other choice. "All... right." He forced the words through gritted teeth, straining to keep a smile on his face. Without a mirror, he couldn't see just how strained and grotesque that smile truly looked. Immediately after, he saw Ji Jue, sitting on the other side of the table... slowly raise his hands. With boundless enthusiasm, Ji Jue applauded. Then, one by one, overlapping claps erupted throughout the bizarre conference room, swelling into thunderous applause and a tide of cheers. The Hospital Director and the other physicians could not help but wipe their faces, eyes misted with tears, cheering for this sacred act of sacrifice. Amidst the cheers and applause, the two men stared at each other across the table. They wore the same smile, yet the contrast was stark as day and night—hypocrisy and authenticity reflecting off each other, leaving Lian Cheng looking all the more wretched. As their gazes locked, ferocity and serenity met for an instant. Lian Cheng's eyes widened, searing that revolting smile deep into his memory. Cold sweat poured down his spine. Only now did an uncontrollable dread fill his flesh and soul. He already had one foot over the precipice, and the other was slipping fast... Under the scrutiny and laughter of the corrupted abominations, there was no turning back. He could only move forward. What followed felt just like how he had entered the conference room in the first place—a daze. Crowded by numerous figures, Lian Cheng walked like a living corpse, drawn inexorably toward the deepest part of the Inpatient Building, beneath the hanging fleshy tumor and amidst countless wailing human faces. Like a hall of some sinister cult, grotesque physicians surrounded him, clapping their hands, offering praise and smiles. Watching a brand-new offering stride toward the altar on his own accord. Beneath the pale, sterile illumination stood a restraint apparatus that resembled an electric chair. Layers of crimson stains were caked across it, accumulated over who knew how long, dried and scabbed into a shocking blackish-red. "This is the call of the heart, this is a dedication of love..." At the head of the physicians, the Hospital Director dabbed at the blood-tears that seemed never to stop, clapping and singing in praise: "This is the spring breeze of the mortal world, this is the fountainhead of life..." "Even Death halts in his tracks, flowers of happiness blossom everywhere..." Amidst the wailing of human faces undulating in the sea of flesh, the tearful doctors joined in, "Ah, if only everyone gives a little love, the world will turn into a wonderful place!" Song after song, hymn after hymn, yet not a shred of warmth emanated from them. Only pairs of scarlet eyes remained, glued to the two people about to mount the platform, already unable to wait. Lian Cheng swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Immediately afterward, he heard that voice behind him—the one that had begun giving him instinctive chills—filled with faint mockery: "If you admit defeat and beg for mercy on your knees right now, there's still room to regret, you know." Lian Cheng stiffened, then whipped his head around with a glare, spitting out through his teeth, "In your dreams!" "Forget I said anything, then." Ji Jue kept smiling as he looked forward. "By the way, I was lying just now. Even if you fell to your knees crying and begging me, it wouldn't do any good. "Still, such an obvious lie shouldn't fool you, right?" Visibly, Lian Cheng's body began to tremble. Taking deep, violent breaths, his face rapidly flushed bright red before turning an ashen gray. In his eyes, broken capillaries burst one after another, rendering them increasingly bloodshot. *I will kill you!* *I will kill you, no matter what!* *Even Sovereign Virtue won't save you. Right here in this Chrono Ruin, I will tear you into ten thousand pieces...* "'I'll tear you into ten thousand pieces...'" Ji Jue suddenly asked, "Was that what you were just thinking?" Lian Cheng spoke no further. Amidst his utter shock and bewilderment, he restrained himself from looking back. Yet beneath his fury, a creeping dread spread uncontrollably through him... "After you, senior." Ji Jue took a step forward, gesturing politely. "A glorious sacrifice lies right within your grasp." Lian Cheng raised a stiff hand and shoved him roughly aside. Striding forward amidst the deafening cheers, he took his seat upon the 'electric chair.' Pale surgical lights shone down like shadowless lamps, making his contorted face appear almost sanctified and compassionate. The Hospital Director stepped forward and clamped the freezing shackles shut. Hands, legs, neck. Completely locked in place. All around, the applause never ceased, and the joyful singing went on unabated. The claps echoed again in unison, rhythmic and steady—beat after beat, over and over... That massive tumor pierced with dark blades actually began to throb in rhythm with the applause. Just like a heart. Countless faces surfaced across it. Flesh and blood wriggled like reaching hands, seeping out from the rot and withered fibers, crawling upward along the electric chair in thin strands. Finally, they drove straight into the back of Lian Cheng's neck. In that instant, an unprecedented, shrill scream erupted from the Inpatient Building, so shrill and piercing that it sounded as if every soul denied death was channeling its despairing howl through his lungs and vocal cords. Spasms, convulsions. Bulging veins crept up from his neck, sprawling across his face. Tears, snot, saliva, and other bodily fluids poured out uncontrollably. Lian Cheng twitched violently, and on his face, an additional eye actually opened. The flesh all over his body shifted constantly, as if monsters under his skin were squirming in fury. The Disease of Immortality—inoculation complete! Yet this boon from White Manor was far more terrifying and grave than he had anticipated... In the Evil Transmutation Cult, virtually all core members had received the corruption of a superior abomination. Through long years of coexistence, they had acquired far greater resistance than ordinary Celestial Chosen. It even wrought changes that went deep into their marrow. In essence, they were entirely non-human. After undergoing abomination distortion, their matrices had thoroughly severed ties with Sovereign Virtue, orienting instead toward the Vortex. Their core was the abomination's grace, far more violent, irrational, and cruel than anything granted by Sovereign Virtue. Even between paths of Sovereign Virtue, there were conflicts of compatibility—Tianyuan and White Stag would beat each other's brains out, Heart Pivot and Ascension never saw eye to eye, and Desolate Ruins and Mirror were innately irreconcilable... The repulsion and friction among the Nine Vices was only far more extreme! Having undergone transformation by a different superior vice, now subjected once more to the erosion of the Disease of Immortality, Lian Cheng felt as if his body had become a battlefield between two violent wills, on the verge of being torn apart in an instant. Tendrils of flesh sprouted from his body, nose, and mouth, flailing wildly, while his frame rapidly swelled and mutated. The electric chair rattled violently, nearly torn apart by his thrashing. Yet very quickly, the Hospital Director reached out and received a pitch-black blade pulled from the tumor, thrusting it straight down into Lian Cheng's gaping mouth. Buried to the hilt! Blood gushed like a fountain, the wails growing ever more agonizing. Miraculously, beneath the piercing of that blade, the mutation abruptly halted. Large swathes of flesh withered into ash and vanished, leaving behind only a heavily mutated, unrecognizable body, barely breathing, twitching and convulsing in an unconscious daze. The worsening of the Disease of Immortality... had been contained?! Ji Jue leaned in, examining it closely. He reached into Lian Cheng's mouth, gripped the hilt, and pulled it out a fraction... Instantly, screams erupted again in shrill wailing. Then he shoved the hilt right back in, and the mutation ceased at once, leaving the man half-dead. It actually worked! Ji Jue raised an eyebrow, clicking his tongue in wonder. If not for the crowd of physicians watching, he would have loved to pull it out and push it back in a few more times, treating it like entertainment just to hear the noise. Unfortunately, he didn't have the chance. Yet from that brief contact alone, he could still sense the eerie aura contained within that blade. Without a doubt, just like the Disease of Immortality, it was the mark of corruption! Using another form of corruption from the Nine Vices to forcefully suppress and neutralize the Disease of Immortality. Like drinking poison to quench a thirst, or fighting venom with venom! On the surface, it appeared effective. Yet only to a minor degree... Even if the curse upon that blade temporarily destroyed the vast majority of infected cells, if even a single one remained, it would rapidly revive. Moreover, upon reviving, it would corrode flesh and soul with redoubled fury, driving the condition to even greater severity. The reason it hadn't worsened after all this time was simply that all the infected merged together within the Inpatient Building were already terminally ill, beyond any further deterioration! No, that method of treatment... It looked more like transformation! Relying solely on the fleeting perception and feedback transmitted by Non-Offensive, an ordinary person might have struggled to reach a conclusion, but to Ji Jue, it was thoroughly familiar. It was like using the Disease of Immortality as an incubator, taking this mutated life as a base to transform it into an entirely new form! That approach sounded remarkably familiar. Where had he seen it before? Resting his chin in hand, deep in thought, an old face cackling bizarrely surfaced in his mind! —Lawrence! Using life as a foundation, implanting foreign matter, effecting a transformation, and harvesting the result. This train of thought was an exact replica of Vortex Planting! Even if the specific methodology and form differed, it was merely swapping out the "womb" and "vessel" for a patient with the Disease of Immortality, while the resulting "fruit" had become something even more dangerous! He truly hadn't expected that after so long, Lawrence's technical pedigree would still be gaining value! Still, the Evil Transmutation Cult, the Dragon Cult... Did you bastards have some kind of villain technology symposium going on between you or something?! In that brief lull, the face upon the electric chair, previously smeared with tears and snot, finally regained calm, waking from the agony and torment. Even as he was helped up, he gathered all his strength to raise his head. He glared at Ji Jue with boundless venom. "Next, it's your turn!" In an instant, the eerie gazes of all the physicians turned toward Ji Jue. Yet amidst this malice that felt practically tangible, Ji Jue acted as though it were nothing more than a gentle breeze. He smiled faintly. "Sure." Raising both hands, he adjusted his collar and set aside the miscellaneous items from his pockets—such as a pen, a clipboard, and prayer beads. Just like that, he strode forward toward the electric chair. "Come on, make it quick." He rubbed his hands together eagerly. "I can't wait to dedicate my life to the cause of medicine!" That nonchalant attitude made Lian Cheng's heart clench instead, his eyes widening. Drawing strength from who knew where, he pushed away those supporting him, stumbled forward, and reached out to feel Ji Jue all over. Face, hands, body. When he tried to search further, Ji Jue caught his wrist. "That's enough, that's enough. Any more and it's getting rude!" "..." Lian Cheng stood dumbfounded, unable to understand. It wasn't an illusion? There were no tricks or deception. He could even sense that the person before him was a genuine Celestial Chosen, utterly devoid of any aura of corruption. Then where was the catch? How did he dare? There had to be a catch! There was definitely a catch! Yet time did not permit him to search for new clues. Physicians had already stepped forward, locking the irons and chains onto Ji Jue. Ji Jue calmly let them do as they pleased, even singing along with the other doctors: "In the wasteland where love is absent~ Even Death halts in his tracks~ flowers of happiness blossom everywhere~" Hey, come to think of it, the tune sounded pretty heartwarming! "You..." Right in front of him, Director Qian, who was fastening his shackles personally, paused. The exaggerated smile plastered on his face seemed to waver for a fraction of a second. As if he wanted to say something. He looked at Ji Jue. Yet in the end, without a word, he patted Ji Jue on the shoulder. "You're good," he said. "You're the best resident doctor I've ever mentored." "Anything for the patients, right?" Ji Jue smiled. Director Qian turned and walked away, his figure melting into the crowd of white-coated mutants until he was no longer distinguishable. Only the increasingly fanatical singing echoed, while the grotesque, massive tumor overhead pulsed in rhythmic throbs. Flesh sprawled; tendrils reached. Slithering upward along the electric chair, they plunged straight into Ji Jue's spinal cord in an instant! It was icy cool, carrying an unexpectedly thrilling sensation... Ji Jue blinked. Lian Cheng blinked as well, then blinked again, unconsciously leaning closer—no screams, no wailing, not even the slightest abnormality. Even his breathing rate hadn't shifted... When clearly, the inoculation with the Disease of Immortality had already begun! At this moment, while every eye was fixed on Ji Jue, no one noticed that behind them, among the heap of items Ji Jue had casually tossed aside, a spiritus spider the size of a fingernail crawled out from a pen cap, carrying a slender roll of a record tome as it slipped away unnoticed. And upon the electric chair, Ji Jue's expression finally changed. Lian Cheng's eyes went wide, almost unable to contain a burst of triumphant laughter. Then he heard Ji Jue open his mouth and let out a burp. "Has it started?" Instead of screaming in agony as expected, Ji Jue looked up curiously toward the Hospital Director. "I don't feel a thing. Did the patient skip lunch or something?"