Chapter 00165: Look How Good I Am to You
# Look How Good I Am to You
Chapter 165
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 165: Look How Good I Am to You
The dim lights in the corridor flickered, illuminating the bloodstains.
"How rare," a playful voice came from under Xie Lan's collar.
"You didn't sneak an attack?"
A sneaky little mouse poked its head out from his collar and chuckled.
"Are you really this scared of the Tong family?"
"I've got enough material already. No need to do something that's not worth it," Xie Lan said, walking ahead with his hands behind his back.
"Besides, when dealing with someone who's already on guard, poison and curses lose their effectiveness. Why bother? Let him fight those heretical cultists. I still need to live in Cliff City. Why make enemies with the Safety Bureau and the Tong family?"
He paused, his smile turning strange as he glanced back.
"But he must be really disappointed."
---
"Better to be stolen from than to be constantly watched," Ji Jue sighed as the elevator doors opened, his heart full of caution.
How could he not know Xie Lan? Even if he didn't know Xie Lan, he knew himself.
He had pretended not to care for half a day, but deep down, he was probably already scheming how to get his hands on Ji Jue's stuff!
Besides, treasures of heaven and earth belong to the virtuous, right? So many living Chosen Ones! If he ran them through the Disintegration Technique, just the matrices alone would give him so much experience, not to mention the materials.
What a huge haul that would be!
What a pity, a pearl cast before swine...
He'd secretly report Xie Lan to the Safety Bureau later!
Just like Ji Jue's final probing invitation, the conversation had been full of mutual probing.
It seemed Xie Lan had arrived much earlier and already knew the situation inside the hospital building.
His seemingly kind advice at the end was still testing whether Ji Jue knew the truth.
He was subtly trying to push Ji Jue and his team into a trap.
As for the reason... being busy with research was probably just an excuse, or only part of the reason.
The root cause was likely the undying illness left behind by the Nine Calamities.
As a Vortex-type, Xie Lan would have to be crazy to run into the hospital building.
It was like how a swarm would act calm and composed when encountering a butcher, their eyes as clear as a college student's.
Or how Embers would avoid any trace of the Stagnant Furnace from miles away...
This wasn't the way to deliver yourself to the enemy.
"It seems we can't count on him to help much," Ji Jue sighed, giving up on his original plan.
But if things got bad... if everyone was going to suffer, why not drag Xie Lan down with them?
As his dark little thoughts swirled, he heard Tong Hua sigh beside him, her voice full of worry.
"If those attackers really are from the Heretical Cult, things are going to get bad. If the Time Rift collapses in Cliff City, the consequences will be unpredictable."
"Don't worry, there are still living ones," Ji Jue said, looking down at the bottom of the cart where a Chosen One was curled up, foaming at the mouth and trembling.
Still alive.
Tough life.
What a pity...
Ji Jue flicked his fingers, sighing with pity.
His luck really wasn't great.
---
It felt like a long dream.
A nightmare, or maybe a good dream—it was hard to say.
Unprecedented excitement and deep exhaustion alternated in his brain.
The torment between drowsiness and drowsiness, the joy and excitement as if his soul was ascending, all eventually turned into a despair he had never experienced before.
His will and reason had already dissolved in the spreading hormones.
He had become a pile of mud.
When Kong Yebai finally opened his eyes again, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling, covered in bloodstains.
Crimson spiritual circuits crisscrossed each other, densely covering every inch of the floor, walls, and ceiling.
The air was filled with the pungent smell of blood, and from behind the walls came piercing wails and screams of terror.
It was like he had arrived in hell.
As his scattered consciousness barely came back together, he saw a blood-stained face smiling at him.
"Oh? You're awake?" Ji Jue, still busy at the operating table made of office desks, wiped the blood and sweat from his forehead and smiled at him.
"Sorry, I'm still busy. It'll be your turn soon. Please wait a moment."
His eyes trembled as he struggled to widen them, looking at the table.
The body that had been torn to pieces, and the head tossed to the side—the familiar face was none other than Wang Ximin, who had been his companion not long ago!
And now, right in front of him, his dead teammate had been drained of blood, his spiritual essence extracted until it turned to ash.
Even his shattered matrix had been completely dismantled.
Right in front of him, his bones and ashes had been ground to dust.
And yet, the culprit who had done all this was still smiling the whole time, looking up at him with a gentle voice.
"Eating too much glutinous rice is hard to digest. You should eat less. It's not easy to clean up."
"Help... help me..."
Kong Yebai trembled violently, struggling, but he couldn't break free from the shackles.
He was hung on the wall, unable to summon his spiritual essence in his dazed state.
Even his matrix had been tampered with and wasn't responding.
He could only scream and shout instinctively.
But soon, he couldn't make a sound anymore.
"Shh!" Ji Jue raised a finger.
"Working hours. Keep it quiet."
Flowing mercury, like a living thing, crawled up his legs with a cold, sticky sensation, entering his mouth and nose, blocking all sound.
Yet it forced him to keep his eyes open, to see clearly how his teammate had been drained of all value, how even his bones and flesh weren't spared, thrown into a basin to feed the ghost fetus.
Finally, with a screeching sound, an office chair was dragged in front of him.
Ji Jue sat down, examining him for a long time before clapping his hands.
"First interrogation. I don't have much experience," Ji Jue said, resting his chin on his hand.
"Let's start with the simplest questions, okay?"
Then he asked, "How many of you are there?"
The mercury wriggled, opening a gap, allowing him to breathe.
He coughed violently, tears and snot streaming down his face.
"I... I don't know... Big brother, please, let me go, I..."
"Liar," Ji Jue sighed, shaking his head in disappointment.
"First time lying, huh? You might not be used to it. You should practice first... It's okay, we can get to know each other better. Let's start with your pancreas."
As he spoke, he picked up a scalpel from the cart beside him and smoothly made a small incision in Kong Yebai's stomach.
The cold metal slid into his abdomen amidst his struggles and screams.
Soon, a bloody organ appeared on the hemostat before his eyes.
"See, this is your pancreas. Pancreatic cancer is a deadly and painful disease, with a 100% fatality rate. What's worse, before you die, you'll suffer immensely. But from now on, you don't have to worry about that!"
Ji Jue's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"See how good I am to you?"
"Ugh!!! Ugh!!!" Kong Yebai stared at the approaching organ, feeling no kinship with it.
Instead, he leaned back in terror, but it was useless.
The organ was shoved into his mouth and slid down his throat.
"You are what you eat. Eat more to replenish," Ji Jue comforted him.
"Don't worry, in this Time Rift, losing flesh and organs won't kill you. We can play for a long time. You should calm down first."
He suggested, "Let's start with the simplest questions, okay? Name?"
Kong Yebai's face twitched as he tried to suppress the urge to curse and scream.
Finally, he answered in a trembling voice, "... Li... Li Changchun."
Ji Jue raised an eyebrow.
"How strange. Before your teammate died, he called out 'Old Kong.' Who's that? Doesn't ring a bell? Any impression?"
"I... I don't know... Ahhh!!!"
"This time, it's the liver," Ji Jue said, his finger sliding across the wound, kindly stopping the bleeding.
He lifted the organ and waved it in front of Kong Yebai's eyes.
"You should drink less. It's so brittle. Here, replenish."
Tong Hua, who had been invisibly acting as a lie detector, took another step back, afraid of getting blood on herself.
On the other hand, Ji Jue's demonic aura was getting stronger and stronger.
Had he unleashed his true nature? What kind of cursed place was Cliff City to produce such a potential serial killer?
Clearly, the "you are what you eat" method worked.
After replenishing his liver, Kong Yebai, now with his liver fire reduced, became much more cooperative.
Name, age, gender—he spilled everything, making Ji Jue, who had originally wanted to help him change his gender, feel a bit disappointed.
There was no trace of the tough, unyielding heroism he had hoped for.
But then again, it made sense.
In this day and age, who with any backbone would end up in a cesspool like the Heretical Cult?
After such a good start, Ji Jue didn't even need to ask anymore.
Kong Yebai began to spill everything smoothly.
Kong Yebai, male, 41 years old, from the Federation, an Entropy-type Chosen One.
In search of a cure for his condition, he had joined the Heretical Cult four years ago.
This time, entering the Time Rift was to carry out the cult's mission: to obtain a living specimen of the undying illness and to detonate the Time Rift in Cliff City.
He had followed the High Priest, a group of nine, into the Time Rift.
Since entering, they had been trying to get close to the quarantine zone for the undying illness.
After much effort, the High Priest had infiltrated the hospital building, doing who knows what, while the rest of them stayed in the main building as support and scouts.
On one hand, they lured outside Chosen Ones to join, providing materials for the High Priest.
On the other hand, they eliminated any potential threats to their plan.
Everyone had their roles, charging headlong towards their doom with great enthusiasm.
It was a harmonious scene.
Of course, he knew he probably wouldn't end well, but he had no choice.
Rather than leaving the cult and waiting to die, he might as well gamble.
Once the Time Rift exploded, the cult would have everything arranged, and they could escape from Haizhou...
As a cult that worshipped the Nine Calamities, destruction, and chaos, the Heretical Cult's name alone could stink up the wind for miles.
The Dragon Sacrifice Society, though they pursued the art of dragon transformation and the mutation of calamities, was more high-end.
Even if they caused trouble every day, it wasn't much, and most of their battles were high-level.
But the Heretical Cult loved to disguise themselves as other sects and organizations, spreading their teachings in secret, inciting the worship of calamities or corroding the foundations of good.
Because of their secrecy and disguises, by the time local authorities caught wind of them, they had already literally harvested their followers and fled.
The reason they could thrive despite years of being hunted and denounced was not just because they had the backing of certain celestial beings and things beneath the Vortex, but mainly because the Heretical Cult possessed a unique technique.
—They could alleviate the symptoms of calamity mutation in Chosen Ones.
Severe symptoms became mild, and mild symptoms disappeared.
This was an effect that no legitimate medical practice could achieve.
It was useful, effective, and fast-acting.
As for the side effects and costs... those who had fallen to the point of cooperating with the Heretical Cult wouldn't worry about such things.
Basically, every Chosen One who chose the Heretical Cult's treatment ended up joining the cult, even becoming key members.
Just like Kong Yebai now.
Four years ago, he had developed the side effects of Entropy-type mutation—elementalization.
Without the Heretical Cult, he would have exploded long ago.
How could he still be alive and kicking, serving as a lackey?
"But logically, the ruins of Quan City are surrounded three layers deep. Not even a fly could get out... How did you get in?" Ji Jue敏锐地察觉到了问题所在，再问：“难道说，进去的仅仅只有你们一队人么？”
"I... I..."
This time, Kong Yebai, who had been spilling everything, hesitated, stammering, his face twitching.
"Spare me, big brother, spare me, dad, you're my real dad... If I say it, the High Priest will..."
"How strange," Ji Jue sighed in confusion, looking down at his blood-stained hands, full of doubt.
"You're afraid of a High Priest who can't save you, but not afraid of me?"
He asked curiously, "Is it because I look kinder than your High Priest?"
"He... he... I... I..."
Kong Yebai's face twitched, tears and snot streaming down his face.
Helplessly, he opened his mouth, revealing the mark branded on his palate—a lock placed by the Heart Pivot.
Once it involved critical information, not only could he not speak, he couldn't even form the thought.
If forced, he would probably just turn into an idiot.
"Tsk..."
Ji Jue's expression grew darker—playing bondage games with your Ember daddy? Did you ask my almighty Non-Aggression Principle?
But as he pondered, a strange noise came from outside the door, causing Ji Jue's expression to falter for a moment.
Then it grew even darker.
With a wave of his hand, he released Kong Yebai from his shackles, then forcibly draped a white coat over him and shoved the eager ghost fetus into his arms.
"Patients attacking doctors isn't restricted. You know what to say and what not to say."
Before he could finish, the door was pushed open.
Then, through the crack, a face covered in stitches appeared, its bloodshot black eyes scanning the room.
"It's so late, why aren't you resting? What's all this noise? Huh? Why is he here?"
Kong Yebai's heart raced.
Looking at the usually fierce and cold expression, he felt no fear now.
Instead, it was like seeing a relative, almost bringing him to tears.
"I... I..."
"Oh, he's here to help," Ji Jue cut him off, turning to smile at him.
"He's worried we don't have experience taking care of infants, so he's lending a hand, right?"
In his arms, the infant恰到好处地爬到了他的脖子上，锋锐的大嘴挂在了脖子前面，跃跃欲试。
令他的眼泪真的快掉下来了。
"是……是这样的……"
"同事相亲相爱，真好啊，真好啊。"
钱主任拍手赞叹，旋即吩咐道：“不过，不要耽搁正事，该查房了。”
"这会儿？"季觉迟疑。
"是的，病患不等人，就现在吧。"
钱主任断然的点头，不允许丝毫的迟滞和借口。
孔叶白顿时僵硬的低下头，掩饰着狂喜的神情，只看到季觉冷冷的回头看了自己一眼，示意他乖乖等着，之后，便站起身来。
“……好的。”
他跟着钱主任一同，推门而去。
漫长的死寂里，整个办公室里，居然就只剩下孔叶白一个人，还有一只满地乱爬的鬼胎怪物……
他瞪大眼睛，难以置信的左顾右盼，生怕这是什么陷阱。
可体内传来的阵阵剧痛和焦虑，已经无法再忍耐下去了，下意识的就想要起身，靠近大门。但还没有走进，就看到鬼胎猛然警觉，诡异的笑容和狰狞面孔向着他看了过来。
令他心中一阵冰冷。
此刻的他失去了矩阵和赐福的感应，也没有灵质催动能力，根本不是这一只怪物的对手。可在昏沉之中，他心思电转，却忽然想起这鬼东西啃噬自己队友尸骨时候的贪婪来。
回头，看向手术工具车的时候，表情抽搐了一下，再一下。
终究，还是鼓起勇气，从里面，抽出了一把断骨的锯子。
咬牙。
“……”
他的神情先是扭曲，又是痉挛，几乎无法克制惨叫，但还残留在体内的麻药却一定程度的麻痹了痛觉，到最后，他的面孔彻底失去血色，一片惨白。
半截胳膊，就已经掉在了桌子上。
就这样，试探性的拿起自己的肢体，向着鬼胎晃了晃，察觉到那贪婪饥渴的目光之后，孔叶白就再忍不住笑起来了。
惨笑。
忽然，将半截断臂丢向了身后，趁着鬼胎飞扑而上的时候，咬牙起身，夺门而出。
狂奔着，消失在黑暗里。
只剩下仿佛哽咽一般的喘息声，回荡在哀嚎中。
逃，逃，逃！
快跑！
孔叶白从没有跑的这么快过，甚至顾不上和那些围绕过来的饥渴患者纠缠，踉跄的撞开楼梯走廊的的门，一路向上，就像是逃出地狱。
一直跑到五楼时候，才忍不住，终于松了口气。
脚步越来越踉跄。
眼前阵阵昏沉。
可他不敢停下，像是野兽一样，在地上蠕动着，爬行，惨叫呼喊。
"老孔？"
办公室里，好像有人听见了外面的凄厉哀嚎，出门查看，看清他的脸，顿时愣在原地，赶忙将他扶起，带进办公室里。
黯淡的灯光下，同伴们顿时围拢过来，看到他的惨状，震惊失声。
"怎么变成这个样子？"
"你一个人回来的？西敏和老修呢？"
"快，快，联系主祭……"孔叶白顾不得吃药，死死的拽着同伴的手："我要联系主祭！立刻！快点！"
那个不知道从哪儿跑出来的怪物，已经快要把教团大计给全部挖出来了！
必须，不惜代价的，铲除！
空空荡荡的办公室里，门再度推开。
"果然，跑了吗？"
收到消息的季觉匆匆归来，只看到了空空荡荡的办公室。
角落里的椅子上，童画终于显现出身影来，旁边观看了全程之后，神情已经麻木了："是啊，和你预料的一模一样。"
甚至就连剁手的环节都差不多。
"那就收拾一下吧。"季觉挽起袖子来，开始整理乱七八糟的办公室："东西东一堆西一堆的乱放，看着心烦。"
"嗯？"童画疑惑，"这时候你不赶快跟上去查明白对方的老巢么？"
可就算嘴上说着，身体还是老老实实的起身勤快收拾起来，反正跟在这家伙旁边，大脑感觉都快退化了。
"这几个瓶子是干什么用的？这么放在这里？"她看向桌子上那一堆塑料罐子和容器，没注意什么时候摆上去的。
"用完了，没用了，丢吧。"
季觉看了一眼，无所谓的摆手："不过