Try It and Die

Lian Cheng let out a cold sneer. In this world, there was a condition known as refusing to admit defeat. Some people, even if they had sour plum extract shoved in their mouths, an acupressure mat pressed to their chests, a two-hundred-jin woman trampling their backs, fascia scrapers digging into both legs, and labor simulator electrodes cranked to maximum power plastered across their bellies… even when their breath was like a gossamer thread and they hovered on the brink of death, they would still lift their heads, glare with wide eyes, and issue a soul-piercing interrogation: "Haven't you eaten today?!" Even if the physical world exploded, Sovereign Virtue and the Nine Vices vanished, and the universe collapsed into ruin, a mouth stiffer than a boiled duck's beak would still drift through the infinite void, chattering away incessantly. Heh. Bluster, posturing… what use was it?! True torment was yet to come! Lian Cheng looked down in contempt, cast a glance, and then couldn't help… taking another glance, and another, widening his eyes and leaning closer to stare some more. He scrutinized that smiling face—the face he wished he could tear to shreds. From beginning to end, there hadn't been the slightest change. He was faking it! He was fucking faking it, without a doubt! And yet, looking at him… Lian Cheng exhausted every observational method at his disposal, only to discover in despair that it didn't look like an act at all! Expression, heartbeat, muscles—none of them showed the slightest tremor. There was no sign of tension whatsoever. Even his spiritus had remained completely undisturbed from start to finish, placid and serene. It was as if he were lying back listening to pingtan, almost ready to let out a yawn. This wasn't right! This was impossible! A monstrous sense of absurdity surged in Lian Cheng's heart. He wished he could lunge forward and slap Ji Jue twice across the face: *Who the fuck are you trying to fool?!* *Why him?!* *My family has served the Nine Vices for generations, risking life and limb to break through the boundary, only to be tortured half to death, so why don't you have any reaction at all?* It was just like a plot out of some doujinshi where everyone agreed to do a little gig earning pocket money off strange older men: while one person writhed in agony up front, weeping snot and tears, eyes rolling back as they flashed a peace sign, beside them sat a bleached-blonde, dark-skinned bitch calmly tapping on her phone, not budging, not screaming, and when she grew impatient, she'd casually look up: *Huh? Are you in yet?* Instantly, the world's unfairness, the chasm in ability, the disparity in fate, the gap in quality, who was a master and who was small fry—all of it became brutally distinct. A supreme humiliation! An unadulterated, ultimate insult! Bitter hatred and fury roiled endlessly within his chest. He could no longer suppress the foul bile rising in his throat; he even wanted to rush over and pound the massive tumor of the Disease of Immortality with his bare fists. *Haven't you eaten? Put some muscle into it!* *Bring out the same performance you just used to torment me!* *Why did you play so perversely with me, yet treat this nameless stray bastard with such gentle affection?* Right above their heads, the colossal tumor bearing countless wailing human faces abruptly let out a shrill shriek. The wailing persisted. Yet this time, it was exceptionally agonized. Scorched marks appeared on each blurry human face, and sparks began to spew from their open mouths. It was as though they were being incinerated by invisible flames. Trapped inside a blast furnace. Helplessly shrieking… The tendrils wrapped around Ji Jue's body trembled one after another, wholly unable to transmit the abomination's infection or influence. It was as if they were being ripped apart and devoured by unseen monsters. The instant the inoculation began, what surged into violent upheaval first was the matrix inside Ji Jue's body. Non-Offensive. As if enraged. The matrix, ordinarily peaceful and stable, looking down on all things with detached serenity and holding everything in control, now manifested a stark, ferocious savagery—a pure, unfiltered malice directed toward the invading presence! Under the numerous influences brought by Blessing: Primacy of Mind, even the matrix's responses had grown increasingly vibrant, and along with that, its likes and dislikes had become sharply defined. *Ji Jue: good! Blessing: good! Sovereign Virtue: good!* *Vile Folly, abominations, corruption… all of you fucking die for Daddy!!!* Its originally profound, aloof aura abruptly swung toward monstrous savagery, like an engineering designer suddenly pulling two watermelon cleavers from his coat and hacking left and right into full dynasty-warriors slaughter. Pointing at the trembling Disease of Immortality, its malice was razor-sharp: *Come to Ji Jue Street and see what happens! Don't let me catch sight of you—catch you once, and I'll slap your face and rip your damn dog head off!* It wasn't merely the loathing born from having witnessed the previous wielder tormented for centuries by the erosion of the Stagnant Decay Hearth; it was a fury and hatred rooted far deeper, at the very foundation. From the moment of its design and creation, a meticulously laid foundation—absolute malice toward all creations of the Vortex! Now, spurred by the Disease of Immortality, Ji Jue could feel the Non-Offensive matrix flash upon his hands. Immediately afterward, the intricate patterns actually began to grow on their own, spreading beneath his flesh. Finding the spiritus drawn from Ji Jue insufficient, it emptied the greater part of his wristwatch's spiritus reservoir in a single breath, entirely cloaking Ji Jue's body. Right over his flesh, internal organs, and bones, it enveloped everything. It clad his soul in a thick, seamless suit of armor, walling off all inner erosion from the Disease of Immortality. Had his blessing and spiritus not been limited, thousands of invisible hands might have already traced the fleshly connections in reverse, reaching straight back into the fleshy tumor of the Disease of Immortality. There had not even been any need for Cousin to step in. The tiny trace of the Disease of Immortality's infection that managed to slip into Ji Jue's body was thoroughly locked down and quarantined. It had only managed to erode a slight bit of spiritus before being stopped dead, completely unable to touch his soul. The burden wasn't heavy at all. It was roughly equivalent to sustaining one more conscious creation of Deus Ex Machina. Considering the current situation, he didn't immediately have Cousin extract this bit of corruption. Instead, he gathered it over his chest, letting it manifest as the pitch-black emblem of Vile Folly. Aside from that, there was no change whatsoever. Not an extra eye sprouted, nor did he feel the slightest pain or agony. In fact, according to Ji Jue's physical perception, even without the barrier of Non-Offensive, the transformative power this tiny infection exerted on him would have been less than a tenth of what the dragon blood had once inflicted. Looking back now, he finally understood why his teacher had looked at him back then like she wanted to stab him to death… Dragon blood truly was extraordinary stuff. The crystallization of Lawrence's lifelong research had been squandered by him into a little motorcycle. What artisan wouldn't cough up three liters of blood seeing that? One could only say that there were tiers among creations. Dragon blood merely possessed side effects strong enough to cause mutation easily, but mutation was not its goal; whereas the Disease of Immortality was purely a pile of… a pile of shit! Experiencing the aura of the Nine Vices corresponding to the Vortex at such close range made Ji Jue feel almost sick to his stomach. It wasn't a form of life that any normal being could comprehend; rather, its very existence was a subversion and defilement of life from the start. The closer one got, the more one could feel that terrifying erosiveness and contagiousness. Likely not just blood—even respiratory droplets would be enough to spread it. Yet that raised another question… Over such a long time and through such extensive research, why hadn't the Disease of Immortality infected the physicians in the Chrono Ruin? He lifted his head, looking at the distorted figures laughing, singing, and clapping. The Hospital Director, rotten and swollen like a corpse; the attending physician of infectious diseases, whose four or five bizarre arms twitched nonstop; and Director Qian, stitched together entirely out of severed body parts. Each more grotesque than the last. And yet, none of them displayed any signs of abomination corruption. It was even more absurd than Ji Jue's situation. Ji Jue merely possessed high resistance and immunity, whereas they seemed more like… insulators? He couldn't figure it out, couldn't make sense of it. Still, that didn't stop Ji Jue from enjoying the cheers and praise of the moment. Was this the sheer joy of squatting on the moral high ground and taking a dump wherever one pleased? Loving it, absolutely loving it! He'd do it again next time! Just like that, he rose casually from the chair, serenely smoothing out the collar Lian Cheng had rumpled, then brushed aside the hair hanging over his forehead. "Pretty average, honestly." A passing Embers artisan offered a sharp critique: "Felt alright to me. Why was someone screaming like a rubber chicken earlier?" "…" Lian Cheng gritted his teeth, holding back his rage without a word. In truth, merely suppressing the spread of the Disease of Immortality inside him was consuming nearly all his strength. *Endure. Endure it. Hide your claws and bear it!* *After cultivating this for so long, the time is almost ripe…* In his downcast eyes, a ruthless glint flashed and vanished. *—Once tonight passes, every last one of you is going to fucking die!* Yet beside him, Ji Jue kept chattering away. Only this time, he seemed like an entirely different person. After circling Lian Cheng with a face full of admiration and studying him for a moment, he opened his mouth and began to shower him with praise: "Ah, a single leaf blinded my eye to Mount Tai! To think this treatment method was so effective! Brilliant! Truly brilliant! Absolutely breathtaking!" Lian Cheng couldn't be bothered to waste words on him. More than that, he feared the brat might pull another absurd trick, so he turned to leave in a huff. Yet immediately afterward, he heard an ominous echo from behind that sounded as if it hailed straight from the underworld. "However, I also have a new treatment method to propose…" Before all the physicians, the smiling Ji Jue suddenly spoke up: "I wonder if we might give it a try?" Lian Cheng's footsteps abruptly halted. He froze on the spot. Turning his head with difficulty, he saw Ji Jue draw a box from his pocket. The box, etched with layers of spiritus circuits to seal its interior from the outside, clicked open, revealing a syringe already filled with a liquid formulation… A crimson far more vivid than blood surged endlessly within the syringe, churning like an undulating tide. Merely looking at that wisp of crimson made the soul stir uncontrollably with agitation. Rage, resentment, hatred, loathing—countless strands of malice welled up within the heart. Just this single wisp was enough to plunge any living creature into an irreversible demon realm! In an instant, the corners of Lian Cheng's glaring eyes finally split with fury, a trace of crimson seeping out like a tear, poised to fall in mournful elegance. That was… that was… That was the fucking essence squeezed from corrupted souls, a stain of the Nine Vices purified after who knew how much spiritus had been fed into its cultivation! —The Poison of Frenzied Slaughter! *You little bastard, you fucking…* "No!" Lian Cheng screamed shrilly, scarcely realizing how terrified his own voice sounded. "Absolutely not!!!" Right now, the Sovereign's medium was merging with the Disease of Immortality. If a brand-new poison of the Nine Vices were injected into it, who the hell knew what kind of monstrous mess this fine broth would turn into?! *Dream the fuck on!* *Delusional idiot!* *As long as I have a single breath left, don't even think about it!* "We cannot! We absolutely must not! No one should listen to this newcomer's ravings!" Lian Cheng roared in righteous fury. "The treatment is at a critical stage right now! To use such a dangerous substance without validation—if the condition worsens…" "What if it does worsen?" Ji Jue cut him off, his smile growing ever more mocking. "No matter how bad or deteriorated things become, the ultimate outcome is nothing more than 'death,' isn't it?" The moment the words left his mouth, all the dazed physicians froze, and then a bizarre gleam of excitement ignited in their eyes. As if they were ravenous beyond endurance. Death. To many, death might be the most terrifying thing in the world, but not here. Here, death was the most luxurious grace imaginable! Under the infection of the Disease of Immortality, the patient's soul and flesh mutated and fused, leaving them to wail for eternity until the very final moment before utter annihilation. For endless lifetimes, denied release! Yet now… a shortcut to death had actually appeared before their eyes? It was practically a gospel! Indeed, everyone had already witnessed the newcomer's capability. And this syringe of medicine looked primed for maximum lethality—so why not give it a try? What if? What if the patient actually died?! Why not… give it a shot?! Only by giving it a try could someone finally die— Starting with the Hospital Director, physician after physician crowded around, bowing their heads in reverence, staring with fanatical fervor at the syringe in Ji Jue's hand, almost ready to fall to their knees in worship. "No!" Veins bulged on Lian Cheng's face, his expression shifting erratically as he instinctively continued to argue: "What if the treatment methods clash?! Changing methods rashly without proper verification will only ruin everything at the threshold of success! "I do not ag—" Yet the moment the words left his mouth, a sudden wave of chills gripped his heart. An uncontrollable shudder. It was as if he had just made a crucially catastrophic choice, leaving no road back. His other foot had finally stepped out over the precipice… In that moment, he saw Ji Jue's smile once more. So gentle, so delightful. Like looking at raw material that had walked up to the operating table of its own accord, waiting for grace… "That is precisely why it needs to be verified." He raised the syringe in his hand and pointed it straight at the petrified Lian Cheng. At last, the dagger was revealed: "Before actually applying it to the patient, isn't there a prime clinical test subject right here?" At this very moment, within the Chrono Ruin, apart from the patient, wasn't there another mild case who had received the Disease of Immortality and the exact same therapy? Dead silence fell abruptly. As the syringe in Ji Jue's hand pointed forward, all the physicians turned their heads as stiffly as puppets. The smiles remained on their faces, but their crimson pupils gleamed with light. They looked at the now-vital test subject. The living sacrifice who had voluntarily stepped onto the altar. —Lian Cheng!!! Yes, yes, yes! The physicians were ecstatic; the mutated beings cheered, choked up, weeping tears of relief. Wasn't there another one right here? Wasn't there an unmatched, singular test subject and testing opportunity right before them?! Guided and nudged step by step by Ji Jue onto the altar, having turned himself into a test subject, Lian Cheng realized in despair that he had become, in the most literal sense, *irreplaceable*! From the very beginning, this had been the bastard's goal! From the moment he had nodded his agreement in the conference room, this doom had already been sealed! "Guh…" Lian Cheng's face shifted between green and pale. With great difficulty, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva. When he looked at Ji Jue, he could no longer conceal the flicker of terror and… pleading in his eyes. Yet now, massive dark silhouettes rose beneath the harsh lamps, looming over his face and blocking out every shred of hope and illusory light. "Were you about to ask if there's room for reconciliation?" Ji Jue raised the syringe, flicked it lightly, and pushed out an air bubble. "You can ask. You can hold onto hope. But regrettably, no matter how many times you ask, there will only ever be one answer." *Sorry, no.* *Not a chance!* *It's already too late.* *From the moment you clowns dispatched the Chrono Ruin toward Yacheng… the Hell Express had already departed for your sake!* *And now, this train has arrived right on schedule. All passengers, please gather your luggage and disembark in an orderly fashion to receive the locals' warm welcome—and unending despair and torment for all eternity.* "Let us begin." Amid Ji Jue's smile, the swarming physicians surrounded Lian Cheng from both sides, cheering, praising, and expressing gratitude for his renewed dedication and sacrifice. Ignoring his struggles and resistance, they forcibly strapped him down onto the electric chair once again. Next came the neck, the hands, the feet, and his torso. The former shackles and irons locked shut once more. Finally, the raised syringe squeezed out a tiny mist. It cast a hideous shadow across that twisted face. "Don't worry, don't be afraid," Ji Jue offered a final word of comfort as the icy needle sank into the flesh and vein of the man's wrist. "After this injection, your head will only ever think about dedicating yourself and curing the sick." In that instant, the plunger was pushed all the way to the base. The Poison of Frenzied Slaughter flooded in entirely. And what played out next… was a movement of shrieks that even hell had never heard!