The supervisor hissed. “This is contamination?!”
Chi Yu reacted, instinctively turning off the watch. “Mine is a trial product. Not as accurate as others.”
He met those very beautiful eyes.
Shi Deng said, “Don’t need it anymore?”
***
The manga wasn’t stingy in its use of color.
The bandages loosely wrapped around the youth’s forearm, soaked through with blood. The deep scars on his palm—considering many underage readers, Baldy had lightly sketched and softened the edges, making it seem not so serious.
But many details were drawn heavily and meticulously. Those deep blue eyes had already lost their highlights, showing some sluggishness and dullness.
Gray-white hair tips hung down at the bedside, circling the nearby medicine bottle and scattered pills—
Only a few pills remained.
In just two short days, the youth didn’t know how many times he’d overdosed.
When he looked up, his face even instinctively lifted a mechanical smile. Eyes slightly squinting with a thin layer of moisture stimulated by light, indicating he hadn’t seen light for a very long time.
Before ‘Yuan’ was freed, the contamination qi invisible to people in the manga flowed from those outside drinking “divine water” down into the ground, then gathered into the youth’s body.
Baldy even drew an image of Shi Deng’s heart.
A vivid, beating heart firmly locked in the middle by time chains. Countless coiling, raging black qi filled it, yet ultimately couldn’t break Shi Deng’s imprisonment.
Following was a split panel.
Outside the tent—crowds greedily drinking the “divine water” they’d received. Inside the tent—a pale youth saturated by contamination qi.
***
[Wuu wuu, sin receives redemption, divinity gradually withers. This sentence suddenly popped into my head.]
[Damn, these two chapters made my lungs explode with rage!]
[Old Chi knows Shi baby is Yuan Guang’s leader now. Save me, the next plot won’t be what I’m thinking, right? Will Old Chi interrogate him?]
[And how to explain Shi baby’s blood?]
[I’m sorry wuu wuu, although Shi baby is miserable, I’m so hungry for how he looks right now, hah hah. Dull expression, poorly wrapped bandages hanging a bit, blood dripping from fingertips…]
[Save me, Sister Le save people. Yuan Ting and Zhi Ze aren’t present at the critical moment. Those pills suppressing episodes are definitely overdosed, right?]
[QAQ Shi baby, mama knows this isn’t right, but baby, after you’re drawn, you’re really so alluring. Allow my XP to activate, sorry wuu wuu (facing wall in reflection)]
[Wuu wuu Shi-ge, where is Shi-ge? Haven’t seen him these two chapters.]
***
That evening.
The wounds on Shi Deng’s arms were found again by Old Chi, who got a doctor to properly treat them.
They weren’t healed because Shi Deng said once healed, he’d have to cut open again—rather troublesome.
The blood-stained bandages changed out weren’t wasted. Together with blood previously dripped into the glass jar, they were soaked together, becoming new “divine water.”
Shi Deng’s blood had already been sent for component testing the first day he said it had therapeutic effects. But test results showed everything normal.
In other words, this therapeutic effect couldn’t be replicated.
Chi Yu absolutely didn’t believe this “blood can heal” nonsense. “What’s going on, Shi Deng? Don’t lie to me.”
In the tent, besides the two of them, there were no outsiders. Shi Deng instinctively wanted to deflect from this topic.
Chi Yu: “Not answering is fine too. What about the contamination on you?”
Shi Deng touched his own arm.
Those successfully cured by divine water moved to the observation zone. Remaining here, along with contaminated people continuously transported from the city, were all outside drinking divine water.
His heart seemed to have grown accustomed to that nausea and pain. But accumulated depressed emotions could never find release.
With his current strength, suppressing the black fog’s origin wasn’t a problem. The difficult part was these unbearable emotions. Each additional thread increased his probability of an episode.
These two days—over a dozen impulses to have episodes were forcibly suppressed by overdosing on pills.
He didn’t want to sleep.
Because once he closed his eyes, he’d remember the day Sister Le collapsed—contaminated people’s ugly faces, and those ice-cold, vicious words.
Even knowing those people had their evil thoughts magnified, he still couldn’t suppress the desire to kill in his heart.
Occasional dark thoughts like “Shi Deng, you’re desperately saving people like this—are they worth it?” would climb along his chain-bound heart to his neck, tempting and murmuring in his ear:
Give up. Kill them.
Let everything return to normal. This world is far uglier than you imagine. You don’t need to pay such a huge price…
That voice said: Shi Deng, don’t you hate them?
You don’t hate—why should you alone bear all this? Why should you experience so many losses and despair while those people enjoy the fruits of your efforts, yet lie on you sucking blood?
You should make the correct choice. After all, you didn’t die in the end, did you?
…
“Shi Deng, Shi Deng?” Chi Yu waved his hand before the youth’s eyes.
“Mm, Coach Chi.” Shi Deng suddenly looked up. “Sorry, spaced out. What did you just say?”
Chi Yu frowned, looking him up and down. “I asked about the contamination on you.”
Shi Deng: “I don’t have—”
“This is the newly developed contamination detection watch.” Chi Yu opened it again. The instant he approached Shi Deng, the watch emitted extremely dangerous red light. “Already exceeded the watch’s highest detectable threshold.”
He’d originally suspected the detector was broken, but after testing a round outside, discovered that wasn’t the case. That meant contamination truly existed on Shi Deng.
But contamination couldn’t infect an ability user. This was an unsolvable proposition.
Shi Deng fell silent.
Chi Yu didn’t wait for him to think up an excuse. A sharp gleam flashed through his eyes. “Your body became a vessel carrying contamination?”
The youth’s fingers curled slightly.
He’d long known Chi Yu’s intuition was accurate to the point of terror—sometimes even more terrifying than Zhi Ze’s prophecy technique. Experiencing it personally again, it was actually under these circumstances.
Two or three seconds later, he heard himself speak almost calmly, “Of course not. I’m not that…”
Chi Yu’s attention concentrated entirely on him, taking in all of Shi Deng’s extremely subtle reactions.
Before he could refute, Chi Yu interrupted. “That blood—it’s your medium for absorbing contamination?”
“…”
Shi Deng’s mind went blank for an instant. “I…”
Just then, the tent flap was lifted by someone. Zhi Ze and Yuan Ting, who’d just returned from hunting exotic beasts with killing intent still lingering on them, entered and heard exactly those words.
Yuan Ting scratched his head. “What blood? What medium? Absorbing contamination?”
His nose twitched, brows furrowing. “There’s such a heavy bloody smell in here.”
Zhi Ze’s gaze fell on Shi Deng’s excessively pale face, looking toward Chi Yu. “Coach, what did you just say?”
“Shi Deng’s injured?”
“…”
Shi Deng covered his face as if escaping. His sleeves slid down, revealing a section of freshly wrapped bandages.
In the time it took to exchange a few words, he’d been stripped bare—this situation had only occurred during the ninth reset, after falling victim to Zhi Ze’s Grand Prophecy.
Now he vaguely touched on that feeling of nearly being completely exposed at that time.
Ten minutes later.
23:55:13
Yuan Ting, Zhi Ze, Cen Le, and Old Chi sat upright and proper. Opposite them, Shi Deng was stuck in a chair with a backrest.
Cen Le had already explained the whole story, completely ignoring Shi Deng’s furtive glances throughout. She emphasized how much blood he’d lost these past two days just to barely supply the “divine water.”
Compared to unverified materials, Chi Yu trusted his own intuition more. He instinctively believed Shi Deng wasn’t an utterly wicked bad person.
Moreover, five years before the elite team was established, Yuan Guang had already changed to a new leader. If the new leader was Shi Deng, counting ages, Shi Deng would have been only eleven or twelve then. No matter how you looked at it, that was impossible.
Chi Yu lifted his eyelids. “My earlier guess—you haven’t answered yet. What about the contamination?”
“…”
Shi Deng was rarely restless.
People outside were still drinking “divine water.” Startled again by Chi Yu, he noticed his current emotions were very unstable. Shi Deng barely suppressed them, planning to muddle through and then go take medicine.
While hesitating, conditions outside suddenly changed dramatically.
***
23:57:19
The hooded young man appeared in F City, on the underground level of the Hot Springs Bar.
Ye Fei tremblingly looked at things on his computer. “These—these are real? Not rumors? Send everything out in a bit?”
A bombshell!
That kid who came to F City holding a cat back then was actually Yuan Guang’s leader?!
This guy later became an external support member of the elite team? Turns out he’s a mole. Giao! This generation of Yuan Guang leaders likes playing Infernal Affairs this much?!
Past Yuan Guang leaders’ reputations were all terrible to the extreme. Unless necessary, no one wanted dealings with those people.
Especially now with contamination rampant, many already suspected whether this contamination outbreak was Yuan Guang’s doing. At this time, instead of hiding at his own base, he ran to Feng City where contamination was worst…
There really might be some conspiracy.
Thinking this, Ye Fei said, “Thank you, brother! When you hung me from the rooftop back then, I thought you were a bad person. Looking now, you’re simply a super-duper-mega good person!”
“Don’t worry. I have extensive connections. Once it hits midnight, this material will absolutely be pushed to the homepage. This Yuan Guang leader is too sinister. What do you think he’s doing in Feng City? Could it be…”
What followed were nothing but malicious speculations.
Shi-ge didn’t listen, standing behind Ye Fei looking at the screen, watching the time in the lower right corner, waiting for midnight to arrive.
***
00:00:59
One minute after landing on the homepage, the bombshell material about #Elite Team External Support Member Shi Deng Is Yuan Guang’s Leader# saw clicks and reads geometrically soaring.
Videos, photos, voice recordings—all present. The earliest could even be traced back three years.
The person in the materials still looked like a youth. Comparing carefully, his appearance hadn’t changed in the slightest.
It even revealed Shi Deng was currently in Feng City.
Tiangu’s top leadership’s phones were blown up.
After confirming the materials’ authenticity, upper echelons urgently held meetings.
“Don’t know who exposed the materials. Exposing that Yuan Guang’s leader is in Feng City at this critical juncture—really don’t know whose side they’re on…”
“Hmph, perhaps it’s all arranged by that Shi Deng. Where are such coincidences?! I knew it—Yuan Guang people, not a single good thing!”
“Don’t say that. Feng City is currently much more stable than before.”
Tiangu upper echelon’s characteristic—whenever meetings were held, they inevitably descended into noisy chaos.
The leadership had a headache. “Enough. What time is it? Stop arguing.”
Shi Deng—this name was very familiar. Elite team external support member, and passed through Chi Yu’s legitimate channels. No matter how busy, leadership would make time to pay attention.
Now things have become like this. I’m afraid the elite team and Old Chi, who’d spent the longest time with him, also couldn’t completely escape involvement.
“Someone is definitely manipulating behind this. Regardless of which side the mastermind stands on, now that public opinion has fermented, we must take measures. First, suppress online news, contact the government, minimize spread as much as possible. Otherwise, with Feng City’s current situation, it might riot…”
No matter what, they needed their own preventive measures.
With one order, Tiangu rapidly operated.
All ability users who could be deployed received the message, quickly rushing toward Feng City’s contamination zone.
Tiangu simultaneously contacted Feng City’s outside contamination zone supervisor, having him temporarily restrain Shi Deng. Now this news had spread everywhere. No reason people still wouldn’t know. They worried what reaction Shi Deng would have after knowing.
Inside and outside Feng City quickly grew restless.
News that “Yuan Guang’s Leader Is in Feng City” spread explosively, tearing through the city like wildfire. People already asleep were shaken awake by those still up. On the verge of cursing, they blearily understood the news and turned pale with fear.
…
Inside the tent, before Shi Deng could speak, Chi Yu received a phone call.
In no more than two seconds, his expression turned exceptionally grim. “…Alright, I understand.”
The half-confession Shi Deng had prepared never left his mouth. He seemed to sense something, quietly watching Old Chi.
The atmosphere instantly became somewhat delicate.
Not long after Chi Yu hung up, Cen Le and the other two’s phones rang. Obviously, they’d been told the same thing.
Yuan Ting even laughed and cursed back, “This joke isn’t funny. Keep this up and don’t contact me again. Who doesn’t know Shi Deng is my brother? Middle of the night—who are you messing with?!”
Zhi Ze and Cen Le’s first reaction was also disbelief. They frowned, clicking open the materials sent over—
Tiangu’s packaged and organized materials about Shi Deng, complete with credibility verification.
The youth sitting opposite them asked calmly, “What’s wrong?”
Yuan Ting laughed heartily. “Nothing much. Someone said you’re Yuan Guang’s leader, told us to restrain you and stay away from you to avoid being misunderstood or something. How’s that possible…”
He laughed for a while, then discovered no one else’s faces showed traces of laughter. The atmosphere was also off. Yuan Ting paused. “What’s wrong? You don’t actually believe it, do you?”
Zhi Ze shook his head. “No. The materials must be fake.”
Cen Le: “I don’t believe it either.”
Rustling sounds came from outside the tent. Shi Deng could make out nearly a hundred ability users surrounding this place, including many advanced and a few special-grade. Calling it an inescapable net wasn’t an exaggeration.
The supervisor’s slightly nervous voice came through. “Shi Deng? Can you come out and talk?”
He was panicking inside. When receiving notice from superiors, he’d been in a half-dazed state. Immediately after, he remembered the matter of Shi Deng’s blood mixed in water…
Now this matter was huge. Who knew whether that blood contained other undetectable things.
How could Yuan Guang’s leader be so kind-hearted to help? He’d given it to so many people to drink. Who knows what chaos might erupt?
Still, he’d already submitted the report to his superiors. Now uncertain how to handle the situation, he hoped they’d be lenient in their judgment.
Inside the tent.
This time, Shi Deng didn’t make eye contact with Yuan Ting and the other two.
He pressed his lips together, silently and slowly standing up, then slowly backing up several steps.
Their shadows, cast by the lamplight on the ground, slowly pulled apart.
A clear line drawn.
***
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152