When the first egg sac was severed, Ning Huai's abdomen convulsed in pain, gushing out a stream of blood.
The severed egg sac resembled a burst plastic bag, with spider eggs spilling out like a torrent, many undeveloped spiderlings dying inside.
"Degeneration rate: 96.4... Very good, you have a bit more time," praised the system.
The second egg sac was sturdier than the first, with some bones connected. For a moment, Lu Yan felt like he wasn't performing surgery but chopping ribs in a kitchen.
"Avoid the spinal nerves and major blood vessels. This egg sac is too close to his mutated heart," the system instructed.
About ten minutes later, Lu Yan, covered in blood, crawled out of Ning Huai's abdomen.
He was sticky with semi-conscious spiders clinging to him, along with transparent mucus from the severed egg sacs. In his hand were four egg sacs resembling egg membranes.
Looking back at the nearly two-meter-long incision, Lu Yan sluggishly removed the spiders adhered to the surface.
It was like plucking grapes.
If the big guy had consciousness, he would probably want to steal one and taste it. Then Lu Yan would realize that these spider eggs growing inside Ning Huai's body not only looked like grapes but also tasted like them.
Despite the gruesome process, fortunately, Ning Huai's degeneration rate had successfully decreased.
"In a few days, Ning Huai will molt again. The new exoskeleton will be even tougher than before. You didn't remove all the egg sacs because these are the source of Ning Huai's talent fission," explained the system.
The tiny spiders jumped on Lu Yan's legs and back, some even attempting to crawl into his sleeves.
Lu Yan shook his arms, then looked at Ning Huai, who was still in the postnatal recovery period, and said, "Can you control your children?"
Ning Huai turned his head, his hair damp with sweat, but his expression much more relaxed. "Can't control them. Pollutants aren't my responsibility... What kind of healing talent is this of yours?"
After a moment of contemplation, Lu Yan replied, "It's not a talent; it's the power of modern medicine."
Perhaps due to the side effects of excessive talent use, his desire to speak was much stronger than usual.
Lu Yan's gaze fell on the ground nearby.
There lay the body of a humanoid Pollutant, its face covered with a uniform jacket issued by the Special Operations Department forty years ago. It was the one Ning Huai had given to him.
"Is this Qingniao?" he asked.
"Yeah," Ning Huai shifted slightly, grimacing in pain as he turned onto his side, "Dead. I thought it was because of my disfigurement; he didn't recognize me. Turns out, he remembered... By the way, Truth Society?"
"Also dead," Lu Yan replied.
Ning Huai let out a sigh of relief, sensing the locations of the two previous fissions, "Tiger Bro is still alive. This outcome is much better than I imagined. It couldn't be a dream, right?"
"No," Lu Yan confirmed.
Then, Ning Huai turned to Lu Yan and said slowly, "Thank you."
The composition of this team could be considered luxurious, at least in terms of maximum combat power, much stronger than the Divine Realm operation decades ago. But without Lu Yan's crucial actions several times, Ning Huai felt his fate wouldn't have been much better than Qingniao's.
The white mist enveloping the Central Divine Court had dissipated. The eastern sky was brightening, hinting at the dawn.
Lu Yan felt like he should sleep, but there was no suitable bed to be found.
The system highly praised his actions: [You're right, beauty shouldn't sleep on the streets; you might get picked up by garbage collectors. Take a stroll if you're too tired. The Holy Pool, where white souls soak, isn't far from here. You might even see Director Hu.]
Ning Huai was still in the recovery period, unable to move lying on the ground. Lu Yan fed him a few doses of potent medicine and painkillers.
After a moment, Tiger, on all fours, dashed over, "Captain Ning! Ning Huai, Xiao Lu! Are you all okay?"
Lu Yan handed Ning Huai over to Tiger, struggling for breath. Like taking a stroll, he walked to the location of the Holy Pool.
In the center of the pool grew a Brain Blossom Tree.
"It wasn't here before, was it?" Lu Yan couldn't be sure if he was experiencing memory disarray due to the intense headache.
"It wasn't. It came on its own. You violently picked off a few Brain Blossoms, injuring it a bit," the system explained.
Probably due to the death of its main body, the Brain Blossoms withered one after another, hanging on the tree like peeled walnuts. Some, because the Brain Blossoms were too small, turned into a black mass and fell to the ground.
"It's edible, a special item dropped by Truth Society. It boosts the immune system against mental attacks by eighty percent, a nightmare for all mental-type pollutants," the system informed.
"Furthermore, it can temporarily restore calmness to Harbingers suffering from aftereffects."
Indeed, it was a good thing.
Lu Yan plucked these walnuts, counted them, and found there were only fifty-two.
He ate one and stuffed the remaining walnuts into his pocket. Remembering the Brain Blossoms he had trampled before, he suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
"Let's cut down this tree too. It's a pollutant. It's also the source of Truth Society becoming Harbingers," he said.
"If you insist, actually, it stands on a path of evolution, producing the 'Brain in a Vat' that represents thoughts. It's both a plant and an animal," the system elaborated.
As Lu Yan drew his knife, the tree also uprooted its roots buried in the ground, seemingly trying to escape.
Lu Yan caught up with it, grabbed the trunk, and cut it in half at the waist.
The cross-section of the tree sprayed red blood, emitting a sharp cry reminiscent of Truth Society's.
The tree quickly charred under the blaze of Hellfire; its verdant leaves withered into a dismal yellow, losing all vitality.
Lu Yan rubbed his temples, once again saying, "I want to sleep."
His voice was already very weak.
Having suffered two mental attacks in one day, his headache felt like it was about to split open. He could even feel the fine blood vessels spreading endlessly inside his head.
"Go to sleep. Do you want me to sing you a lullaby?" the system asked.
Lu Yan held the knife and found a secluded corner, curling up like a kitten. This posture could protect his soft belly.
This area happened to be a triangular zone formed by the collapse of buildings. Because it had just rained, water dripped from the edges of concrete blocks.
"No need," Lu Yan replied softly.
"Then, goodnight, my treasure," the system said.
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