The Seven-Day Life-and-Death Cycle Tribulation

At the center of an ocean of sorrow, surrounded by the crowd, Zhang Shou passed away. Immediately after, his passive skill, "A Healer Never Dies of Injury or Illness," automatically triggered. His withered, aged body rapidly filled out, returning to its original appearance in just a few seconds. His stopped heart instantly began beating powerfully again, and vitality surged to every corner of his body. "..." Yu Xian was holding Zhang Shou, so he was the very first to notice the change. His crying ceased. Sensing something was amiss, the surrounding people turned to look at him one after another, only to discover Zhang Shou's transformation. In truth, Zhang Shou had regained consciousness the very instant he stopped breathing. It was just that, seeing everyone mourning so deeply, he had felt too embarrassed to interrupt. Noticing that the sounds around him had turned strange, he peeked one eye open and found everyone staring blankly at him. An awkward yet polite smile immediately crept across his face. He swallowed hard and asked meekly, "Um... the mood was built up so nicely, so not dying feels kind of disrespectful to everyone. How about... I die one more time?" "Cut the damn nonsense! Come back with me for another checkup, and don't even think about pulling any more stunts!" Yu Xian switched from holding him to grabbing him by the collar, hauling him straight out. The crowd parted on their own to clear a path for the two to leave. Watching their departing figures, the people still had not snapped out of their daze. Having just been immersed in grief, everyone now felt an indescribable sense of absurd comedy. If a few crows had cawed and flown overhead right then, it would have set the mood perfectly. *** Next door to the Nancheng Public Security Bureau. After escorting Zhang Shou back, Yu Xian immediately asked several doctors to check his physical condition once more. He faintly sensed something off. As a vampire, even though he didn't drink blood, he was exceptionally sensitive to the vital blood of living beings. For instance, from the scent of blood alone, he could easily tell whether someone was sick, or even whether a woman was a virgin. The legend that vampires favored virgin blood was probably just an eccentricity born from an oversensitivity to blood's scent combined with a psychological quirk. Fortunately, Yu Xian had no taste for blood, so that had nothing to do with him. Still, he was certain that after Zhang Shou's resurrection, there was definitely something wrong with his vital blood. *** The next day. Yu Xian and Zhang Shou sat side by side in the office. Facing them, Jin Sheng held a freshly printed report and waited a good while before speaking. "The latest report reveals that Zhang Shou's body has completely reverted to his state prior to the examination. This indicates his side effect is immense, yet not quite as catastrophic as we had feared." "Let me see," Yu Xian said at once. Jin Sheng handed the report to Yu Xian, who skimmed through it rapidly. In the report, Zhang Shou's side effect was named the "Seven-Day Life-and-Death Cycle Tribulation." Put simply, without activating any skills, Zhang Shou would undergo a full cycle of birth, aging, illness, and death every seven days. Using his skills would only accelerate the progression. Additionally, the report pointed out that Zhang Shou's passive effect had begun recording his state the moment his system was activated. The first time he died each day, his physical condition would reset to the state recorded at that initial activation. In short, as long as he didn't truly die, Zhang Shou would forever be trapped in a cycle from seventeen to seventy-seven years old. On Monday, he would be seventeen; by Sunday, he would be a little old man of seventy-seven. This was also why Yu Xian had noticed an odd scent in Zhang Shou's vital blood. The blood vitality of a seventeen-year-old and that of a seventy-seven-year-old smelled drastically different. "Take a look." Yu Xian finished reading and handed the report to Zhang Shou. After reading it, Zhang Shou didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He couldn't resist asking, "So, I'm destined to spend the rest of my life bouncing between life and death?" "Not necessarily. For example, if you die four times in a single day, even the gods probably couldn't save you," Jin Sheng said, looking at him. Yu Xian shot Zhang Shou a stern warning glare. "Old Zhang, you hear that? Don't go throwing your weight around just because you've got extra lives. I'm not saying you can't use your skills, but at least have some common sense and stop pushing yourself to the brink without leaving any way out." "Yesterday, I just thought I was going to die anyway, so I figured I'd go out like a hero. Now that I can live, of course I won't do anything reckless," Zhang Shou said with an awkward laugh. The mere thought of yesterday's melodramatic scene made him cringe so hard he could have dug out a five-room apartment with his toes. At that moment, Jin Sheng pulled out a form, placed it before Zhang Shou, and said, "Fill out this form. Also... interested in joining us?" "Captain, really? I can?" Zhang Shou's eyes lit up. He knew Yu Xian had joined some very impressive official organization, but the problem was that he still didn't even know its name. This office didn't even have a nameplate on the door. "You're already calling me Captain, so of course you can," Jin Sheng said with a smile, a little figure already dancing in celebration inside his head. His squad finally had a healer! He then explained the details of Qilin and the Evil-Slaying Squad from start to finish. When he finished, he asked, "So, are you joining?" "I'm in! Absolutely, I'm joining! Can I be on the same team as Salty Fish?" Zhang Shou nodded eagerly. Jin Sheng glanced at Yu Xian and smiled. "You and Salty Fish were already on the same team. Starting now, you are the healer of the Evil-Slaying Squad, ranked 6340, codename Death Medic—Siyi. Your badge will be issued in a few days." "Death Medic. Heh-heh, sounds pretty cool," Zhang Shou said happily. Yu Xian beamed. "Congratulations, Fourth Aunt." "What 'Fourth Aunt'? It's *Siyi*, Death Medic! The tones aren't even the same!" Zhang Shou immediately retorted. Yu Xian nodded repeatedly with a grin. "Uh-huh, got it, Fourth Aunt." "Um, Captain, how about my codename just be Old Zhang instead?" Zhang Shou knew all too well that Yu Xian would keep calling him Fourth Aunt forever. Once it caught on, the whole team would be led astray by him. Rather than letting that happen, he'd better change it now. Jin Sheng sighed helplessly. "Someone's already taken the codename Old Zhang, or else I wouldn't have bothered coming up with a new one. Fourth Aunt is actually pretty good—it can even confuse the enemy. Fourth Aunt it is." "Nooooo!" Hearing that even 'Death Medic' was gone, Zhang Shou wailed, his face crumpling in despair. As expected, true joy was built on the suffering of others. Jin Sheng and Yu Xian exchanged looks, both wearing broad, delighted smiles. *** Three days later, around noon. Yu Xian sat on the balcony basking in the sun, phone in hand as he scrolled through his class group chat. Although many of their classmates had lost their lives, no one had removed their accounts from the group. Chen Ling sent a voice message: "Has everyone heard the news?" "My Queen, just spill it already. How could our information ever compare to yours?" Zhang Shou replied with a voice message. Yu Xian chuckled and sent one too: "Let me guess. School is starting again, right?" "School is starting, but you'll never guess where we're going," Chen Ling said. Yu Xian narrowed his eyes and sent a voice message: "The Superpower Academy?" Almost every school in Silver City had been invaded by the aberrant worms. The reason it was "almost" was because the Superpower Academy had been spared. "How did you know?" Chen Ling asked in astonishment. It had taken her days of digging around to uncover that piece of intel, yet Yu Xian had guessed it in one go. Yu Xian chuckled. "Not only do I know we're going to the Superpower Academy, but I also know that all surviving students across the city will be gathered there." He was an official member of the Evil-Slaying Squad now, after all. There was plenty of information he could learn in advance through Jin Sheng or the Qilin app. There weren't many surviving students left in the entire city. Pooled together, each grade would probably only fill two classes. Still, many students were severely traumatized and terrified of ever returning to their original campuses. On top of that, parents were deeply uneasy about sending their children back. Transferring them to the Superpower Academy—the one school that had suffered no casualties—was the only way to put parents' minds somewhat at ease.