Lu Yan rather liked performing surgeries; they were therapeutic.
So, a few minutes later, Chen Shier stared as Lu Yan changed into protective gear and entered the operating room.
Chen Shier wanted to rush in but was stopped by the Detective. "You weren't here earlier, and now that he's about to operate, you show up? Aren't you raising suspicion?"
"That's why I wanted to come earlier!"
"You were within the Disease Prevention and Control Center's surveillance range!"
Not all Harbingers joined the Disease Prevention and Control Center.
Some preferred freedom and avoided joining any organization. Some feared combat; as soon as they saw the Special Operations Department's high mortality rate, they backed off. Others, polluted and mentally unstable, turned into criminals with audacious acts, ending up on the blacklist, treated by headquarters as pollutants.
The Detective said, "It's okay, a surgery takes a few hours at most. Let's wait."
They hadn't expected Dr. Lu to work so tirelessly during surgeries, especially after his body had been enhanced. He used to do two or three surgeries a day; now, he did six in a row, still energetic. Even the anesthesiologist was exhausted.
When Lu Yan finally emerged from the operating room, Chen Shier's gaming account had been penalized by the health system due to the long wait.
Seeing Lu Yan, Chen Shier brightened, approaching with a radiant smile. "Doctor Lu, forgive my intrusion, may I ask for a few minutes of your time? We'd like to invite you for a consultation. We can negotiate the fee."
He was as courteous as an old Taoist telling fortunes under a bridge.
Lu Yan glanced at him indifferently and said directly, "I don't appreciate being followed."
He hadn't anticipated that even using his talent, Concealment, would be discovered. The Detective widened his eyes in surprise.
Chen Shier looked embarrassed. "I'm sincerely sorry, Doctor Lu. It's just that we couldn't approach within the Disease Prevention and Control Center's surveillance range. We heard you're a Healing-type Harbinger. We want you to see our boss... His condition isn't severe; you can trust us. It's just his deformity that's a bit extreme."
"For a visit, the price is negotiable. If you accompany us to see our boss, we'll offer you 300 Contribution Points as compensation. If you can cure him, our boss is willing to offer 5000 Contribution Points!"
Due to his current financial constraints, Lu Yan didn't have a precise concept of Contribution Points' purchasing power. But the Healing-type dagger, Hidden Fang, given to him by the Disease Prevention and Control Center, was valued at around 2000 Contribution Points. Previously browsing forums, he'd seen Healing-type items priced between 800 and 3000 Contribution Points.
A contemplative expression flickered across Lu Yan's face.
The system chimed in: "[Go for it; you're just 90 bucks short of purchasing the talent sequence list. Also, this pollutant source... quite intriguing, shares origins with the Kingfisher.]"
Lu Yan was about to agree when Chen Shier gritted his teeth. "6000, no more."
Lu Yan was taken aback. "Ah... this..."
"6200! Not a penny more!!"
Lu Yan sighed. "...Fine."
The black sedan headed towards the villas in Qujiang Park.
"Our boss originally hailed from Sichuan Province and came all the way to City K just to seek your treatment," Chen Shier chattered incessantly during the journey, making the detective wish he could sew his mouth shut. "The reason we've sought you out isn't just because you specialize in healing abilities. Primarily, it's because of your profession as a doctor. If conventional methods fail, our boss is considering taking a scientific approach."
Lu Yan listened, grasping only half the information. "What do you mean by a scientific approach?"
"Our boss is pregnant," Chen Shier's expression turned mournful. "He's a male. Traditional means won't solve his desire for termination."
Lu Yan's initial response to this news wasn't about the perplexity of a male pregnancy, but rather, he remarked, "I'm not an obstetrician."
"It's all the same, it's all the same. Our boss is particular; he doesn't want to consult other doctors. We, as Harbingers, conduct surgeries without anesthesia. Probably due to contamination, our brains have issues with anesthetics; the effects are poor, and brain death is a risk."
"Why is he pregnant?" Lu Yan asked.
"Our boss took on a mission from a forum, investigating a sudden pollution outbreak in Fuling Province. Despite the limited contamination area, merely a white zone, called Dragon Maiden Lake and the surrounding Dragon Maiden Village. For the past few years, the women in the village have been unable to conceive, while the men have become pregnant," Chen Shier spat out his words. "Ghostly pregnancies."
His expression contorted with anguish. "Their appearances are very, very peculiar. You'll understand once you see them. While trying to resolve this issue, our boss couldn't find the source of the contamination. Instead, he ended up with a growing belly himself, unsure whose offspring it carries. Moreover, he's gradually weakening. He doesn't want to approach the Disease Prevention and Control Center, fearing it would alert his enemies."
Twenty minutes later, the business car arrived at Qujiang Park. Lu Yan lived near the city center, where housing prices were fifty thousand per square meter. Despite being a park, Qujiang Park boasted a pleasant environment, surrounded by numerous villas, driving the prices to a staggering one hundred and fifty thousand per square meter. Clearly, the boss had a substantial income.
The detective utilized his anti-surveillance talent, ensuring no one was tailing them before pulling up in front of a three-story small western-style house.
An imposing-looking man opened the door, sporting a considerably large belly.
One hand rested on his waist while the other supported the massive and discomforting belly. His expression was grim, and his voice sounded feeble. "Are you Doctor Lu? I apologize; I've just had a bout of morning sickness. I'm Zhou Qiming."
As he spoke, he couldn't hold back and dry heaved.
"Poor guy. Ranked 100 on the forum among Harbingers, yet cursed with such a talent."
"Zhou Qiming, a self-made rich second-generation, CEO of a listed gaming company."
"Maximum spiritual threshold of 7600, a registered B-level Harbinger."
"Talent: Virtual World. Similar to hypnosis, ranked 39th on the leaderboard."
"Mutation direction: Virtualization, pixelation."
"Lu Yan glanced at the man before him, strikingly handsome as if he were a male model, and once again felt the suffocating pressure of social norms closing in. 'Is he the one with '1'?' He looks good, why can't he find someone?'
[He's obsessed with appearances. Extremely so. He has a thing for people who look like CGI models.]
[By the way, you seem to fit his aesthetic quite well.]
Lu Yan hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to extend his hand. 'Hello, I'm Lu Yan.'
Their purpose for meeting was related to treatment, so they didn't engage in much small talk.
For this treatment, Zhou Qiming had specially prepared an operating room at home.
As for Chen Shier and the detective, they had been asked to leave.
Supporting his bulging belly, Zhou Qiming slowly settled into the recliner, unbuttoning his shirt: 'Twelve said he already explained things on the way here, so I won't dwell on it. Since this fetus appeared, it has been draining my strength. It's only been a month, but my spiritual threshold has plummeted to around 5500.'
With all the buttons of his oversized shirt undone, the full extent of his belly was revealed.
Lu Yan squinted slightly.
Zhou Qiming's belly was abnormally swollen, perhaps due to its size, the skin turned semi-transparent, tinged with a grayish hue. Thick, bulging blood vessels transported dark, bluish blood continuously to the monstrosity at the center of his abdomen.
It was indeed a monstrosity. The fetus within Zhou Qiming's belly had taken on a human shape, with a long tail trailing behind, coiled within the belly, bearing a face reminiscent of an extraterrestrial creature. Bulging eyeballs hung like goldfish on either side of its cheeks.
Upon seeing Lu Yan, this horrifying visage actually managed a smile in his direction.
The infant extended a hand, a faint outline of a small palm appearing on Zhou Qiming's belly.
Lu Yan silently retrieved a diagnostic device he had just obtained from the Disease Prevention and Control Center. It resembled a stethoscope.
On the device, Zhou Qiming's level of affliction wasn't high, only registering 32. However, when moved to the fetus within the belly, the diagnostic display alarmed. Contamination value: 900, Class D contaminant.
'When my belly started growing, I underwent a cesarean section, but the fetus quickly grew back.' Zhou Qiming's belly bore numerous scars, 'I've had three surgeries in a month. I fear I'll lose control later on. Whenever the contamination value exceeds 1000, I have to resort to a C-section. But it keeps growing faster. If you can't solve it, I'll have to seek help from the research institute.'
Zhou Qiming was grateful for the contributions the research institute made to humanity, provided he wasn't the subject of their study.
Unofficially, every individual seeking the research institute's help supposedly shed a layer of skin.
Expressionless, Lu Yan asked the system, 'Is this something I can cure?'
[Yes. Perform a cesarean section, kill the fetus, and have the kingfisher eat the diseased placenta, then it's feasible.]
In the month he'd been with Lu Yan, the kingfisher had consumed quite an assortment of things. However, most were contaminants, the first time it had consumed organs from a live human.
Sensing his concern, the system remarked, [Why would you think it's normal for a man to have a placenta? That thing is a contaminant. It's no different from the frog-like humans or blood humans you've encountered.]
Their conversation within their minds appeared as a serious examination conducted by Lu Yan, wearing the diagnostic device, to any outsider.
After a while, Lu Yan said, 'It seems it might be treatable. I'll give it a try.'
Zhou Qiming, whose spirits had sunk to the depths, suddenly brightened at these words, sitting up from the chair, causing something to drip onto Lu Yan's hand.
It was a milky-white liquid, carrying a hint of sweetness.
A crack appeared on the palm of his left hand, and the kingfisher seemed curious, attempting to lick it with its tongue, but Lu Yan pressed it down onto the table.
The atmosphere turned awkward. Lu Yan fetched a tissue, wiped his hand dry, then couldn't resist rinsing it with water.
Much of the information obtained from the Disease Prevention and Control Center turned out to be false, but one thing was true.
Lu Yan indeed had a germophobia.
Zhou Qiming felt more desperate than he ever had in his life, 'I'm sorry, doctor. Being pregnant sometimes makes it hard to control...'"
Is there anything specific you'd like to focus on or any particular elements you want highlighted?
Unlock exclusive early access to 100s of Chapters before anyone else by becoming a valued member of my Patreon community.
As a cherished member of our Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For just $5, you'll receive:
- Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public. (You can find all the novels I'm translating HERE.)
- Your name will be prominently featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".
- The power to vote on which novel I translate next.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
If you decide to pledge $10, you'll get all the perks from the $5 tier, plus:
- You get to suggest a Novel for me to translate.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in gold).
And if you're feeling generous with a $20 pledge, you'll unlock all the perks above:
- You get to recommend an abandoned Novel and I will immediately start translating it.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in blue).
Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
