Lu Yan lay on the hospital bed, glancing at the data on the side of the electrocardiogram. As an emergency room doctor, the ability to read ECGs was a basic skill. Judging from the data displayed on the instrument, aside from some minor issues like a slow heart rate, overall, he was quite healthy.
Having performed numerous surgeries throughout his life and enjoying robust health since childhood, Lu Yan couldn't fathom why, despite all his resilience, he found himself in the intensive care unit for the first time.
Feeling awake, Lu Yan was overwhelmed by a jumble of emotions, causing a splitting headache. He called out, "System."
[I'm here, my dear. Your dedicated customer service is fully online.]
A knock sounded at the door. "Come in," Lu Yan said, sitting up. His lips were pale, resembling a fragile piece of art one might display in a cabinet.
Tang Xunan entered, his eyes filled with concern. However, when Lu Yan met his gaze, he instinctively recoiled, covering his neck.
His guarded expression was too apparent, leading Tang Xunan to pause momentarily. The system commented, [Is that step back really necessary? A small gesture, but the impact is significant.]
In the cycle of consciousness space, Lu Yan had died over a hundred times. Due to the body's protective mechanisms, he had forgotten most of the pain of dying. However, among the various deaths, the memory of being embraced and exsanguinated remained vivid.
It wasn't the physical pain that stood out, but the realization that sacrificing one person could save many. If such a situation were to arise for Tang Xunan to decide, it seemed plausible.
[System: No, he wouldn't choose that. Dog Dragon is not that kind of person. He would rather endure a thousand cuts and descend into hell himself than sacrifice someone else.]
Lu Yan remained unfazed, stating, "You're not Tang Xunan."
[System: ... I just feel he's a bit misunderstood.]
It felt akin to the injustice of dreaming about a husband's infidelity, only to wake up and scold him.
Lu Yan lowered his arm, apologizing, "Sorry, I had a nightmare."
Tang Xunan's lips tightened. "I'm glad you're awake. I've been worried about you these past few days."
Tang Xunan wasn't articulate, having witnessed too much death and feeling hesitant to establish connections with others. However, in the face of Lu Yan, he always worried about expressing himself inadequately.
Ji Wen arrived with medical records. "Apologies for the interruption. Mr. Lu, for safety measures, we might need to conduct some routine checks on your body."
Routine checks would include pollution level testing, psychological health surveys, spiritual power threshold, and degree of mutation.
Two researchers with masks entered. Ji Wen said gently, "To test hormones, we may need to draw a vial of your blood."
Lu Yan looked at him firmly, his eyes not quite focusing, appearing silvery-white. Perhaps because Tang Xunan was still outside, Ji Wen didn't insist too much. "Alright. Your will determines everything."
Due to the attack of the No. 23 sub-brain, Lu Yan's pollution level had reached a peak of 772 during the three days of unconsciousness. Fortunately, upon awakening, the value was steadily decreasing.
Spiritual power threshold: 3600. Mental state: normal. Thought process: normal.
While chatting with the psychologist, Lu Yan engaged in a mental conversation with the system. "What's the current situation?"
[You fainted at the airport, and it's been 76 hours since then. Four spiritual-type Harbingers attempted to save you, either causing severe injuries or leading to intellectual disability due to excessive use of talents. Dog Dragon is desperate to change careers to sell grilled brain flowers.]
[Oh, but it's indeed a good time to sell grilled brain flowers now. The True Lord in the consciousness space is at his weakest in the past fifty years.]
The memories of dying over a hundred times were too terrifying for Lu Yan to want to recall. However, some things couldn't be brushed aside casually.
"What happened in the last cycle?" Lu Yan asked.
After retrieving his memories, he had many questions about the last dream that seemed like a prophecy.
His deceased mother claiming to cure his brother Lu Cheng. Unseen, sniper-like figure with dog ears; a snake lying on the ground; a seaweed person resembling a programmer; a burning figure.
The burning figure, lacking facial features, gave him a feeling similar to Lu Jiahe but not entirely.
And there were Shen Qingyang and Tang Xunan in a polluted state.
He was on the back of the Black Dragon, witnessing a world ravaged by disaster, as if it had undergone a baptism of calamity. Tiny, fragile humans hid underground, barely clinging to life. Yet, they stubbornly lit a lamp in the darkness, guiding the survivors wandering outside to find their way home. Most importantly, Lu Yan saw his brother.
According to the doctors, he was the main personality, and the "brother" was a sub-personality that emerged after enduring prolonged abuse from their father. He was sent to a mental hospital at the age of 16. Staff members discovered signs of abuse on his body. The doctors claimed that this sub-personality had a strong protective instinct for the main personality. However, at the same time, the sub-personality had low empathy, a weak moral conscience, and exhibited antisocial personality tendencies, marking it as a pathology that needed to be eliminated.
Only Lu Yan understood that what the doctors called the sub-personality was either the "brother" or himself. "Brother" was the code he assigned to that entity. The doctors failed to grasp the existence of the brother, mistaking it for Lu Yan suffering from dissociative identity disorder, and thus treated it as a case of dual personalities.
In order to be discharged, Lu Yan had to put on a disguise. His learning ability was always strong, and in just three months, he simulated the emotions of a normal person. He learned to be happy at the sight of beautiful things, enjoy delicious food, and express disdain and hatred for immoral actions. A person who disguises themselves as a good person and maintains the façade for a lifetime becomes, in essence, a good person.
Eleven years ago, Lu Yan was discharged, and all the doctors believed that his illness had been cured. For a long time, Lu Yan didn't feel the presence of the brother. Until now.
The system asked, "[What scene?]"
Lu Yan raised an eyebrow. "You don't know?"
[Things in the consciousness space are not my responsibility.] The system forcefully salvaged its dignity.
Lu Yan said, "I saw the brother."
The system hesitated for a moment. [That's terrifying, brother.]
"What exactly is the brother?"
[I know, but it's not convenient to say. We understand it in our hearts. Besides, you already have some answers.]
"What will happen when he wakes up?"
The system replied vaguely, [...Why does the Black Dragon like to nibble on tree roots? The editor is also curious.]
In Norse mythology, the world is destroyed after the Black Dragon nibbles on tree roots. Lu Yan understood, so he couldn't help but feel surprised.
Before him, the recorder arranged by the Prevention and Control Center said, "Would you mind sharing your experiences after encountering the True Lord? We mainly want to know how you escaped as a reference for others."
Recounting the process of each death would be too painful. After a moment of thought, Lu Yan succinctly summarized, "I took out my own brain, and then I woke up. You know, taking out the brain—stab with a knife, pry it open, quite quick. When taken out, the brain even makes a sound."
It wasn't very painful. Probably because it wasn't his own brain, he felt no pressure.
Things in the consciousness space were between existence and non-existence, and Lu Yan wasn't curious about where his brain had gone. As long as it was still there when he woke up, it was fine.
The recorder couldn't help but show respect, "You've been through a lot."
Lu Yan was probably the one who recovered the best among all the Harbingers admitted to the intensive care unit at the Third Research Institute. The four spiritual-type Harbingers who treated him were still lying in bed, and Lu Yan had already met the criteria for discharge.
He specially went to see these four people, making sure they had not appeared in his consciousness space alongside the dog dragon, flame man, and snake woman. Among the four, the only one who was awake was the A-rank Harbinger, the magician. With a spiritual power threshold of 8200, he was still in the mentally handicapped phase due to excessive use of his abilities.
When he saw Lu Yan, he actually screamed and hid under the bed, shivering.
[Look what you've done, scaring him like that.]
"It wasn't me, it was the brother," Lu Yan corrected.
After some contemplation, the system remarked, [The dog is probably 01. The flame man might be 07, perhaps Lu Jiahe, or a combination of two people. The snake woman is likely the butcher shop owner.]
[I can also tell you that the prophet went to see her recently, but unfortunately, they did not reach a consensus on unifying the world.]
Lu Yan squinted slightly, "Where is Lu Cheng now?"
The system lowered its voice, [Near City A.]
This showed that the increase in the spiritual power threshold was somewhat useful. At least, the system could now tell him the approximate location of Lu Cheng without worrying about being discovered by Lu Cheng.
Lu Yan changed the question, "I haven't seen those people. Why do they appear in the subconscious?"
He had seen Lu Jiahe in a pollutant state, but he truly had no idea about 07's current situation, and he had no clue about the little bird.
The system replied, [I've seen them. To be frank, I live in your brain. Is that strange?]
Lu Yan remained noncommittal. When processing the discharge procedures, he encountered a problem.
The staff member in front of him smiled apologetically, "Mr. Lu, it's like this. Considering that you were recently attacked by the True Lord, headquarters believes it's necessary to send someone to protect you and is currently looking for a suitable candidate."
On the surface, Lu Yan was an auxiliary-type Harbinger, but in reality, he was registered as a precious healing-type Harbinger. He was considered a valuable item prone to damage, so it was not unreasonable to send someone to protect him.
Moreover, during the past half year as a Harbinger, Lu Yan's life had been quite perilous.
His contact person, Director Li, was so worried about his safety that he couldn't sleep well every day and had lost 20 pounds in six months.
[Protection or surveillance?] The system sneered, [Clearly, they are worried that you'll be tampered with by the True Lord, bringing unnecessary troubles to City A. They're just making it sound nice.]
Lu Yan thought about it and felt that the system's perspective was sometimes too negative.
During the learning process in the past, Lu Yan had observed many people. His expectations for humans were indeed very low. Most people were foolish, impulsive, greedy, and lustful, with a natural tendency to seek benefits and avoid harm. But sometimes, these same people would also exhibit some shining qualities.
Surveillance was indeed true, and so was protection.
It was like knowing it was very dangerous, but still willing to save the four spiritual-type Harbingers.
The researchers were initially concerned about Lu Yan's reaction because, based on past information, Lu Yan harbored inexplicable negative emotions toward the institute. However, this time, Lu Yan obediently nodded.
He also didn't wait too long at the Third Research Institute.
In the afternoon, the staff brought his guardian.
Ji Wen introduced, "Mr. Lu, headquarters has studied the itinerary of the Harbingers still in City A and finally decided to let Tang Xun'an be your guardian during this time, responsible for ensuring your personal safety."
"Mr. Tang, codenamed 'Tyrant,' is also the current head of the Pollution Disease Control Team in City A. Outstanding business capabilities, has received the First-Class Meritorious Medal from the Special Operations Unit for 80 consecutive years. He owns a car and a house within the Third Ring Road of City A, has local household registration, and a million-yuan annual contribution."
Ji Wen's tone was like introducing a well-qualified blind date candidate.
"May I ask if you are willing to let Mr. Tang be your guardian?"
Lu Yan glanced at Tang Xun'an, whose expressionless face became a bit embarrassed after being stared at for a long time.
[Heh, everything is just a scheme of the Dog Dragon.] The system sneered.
Lu Yan retracted his gaze and said slowly, "I agree."
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