Chapter 19: You... You're That Mysterious Elder

After finishing his meal, Duan Wenxuan removed his disguise mask, but the vine didn’t find it peculiar at all. Initially, Duan Wenxuan had been cautious around the vine, but seeing its consistent behavior, he realized there was nothing unusual from its perspective.

Do plants even distinguish humans based on appearance? It’s akin to how humans differentiate dogs by their size, build, and coat color; can they truly perceive attractiveness or ugliness in dog features? The vine likely identifies him now through the scent left by the white deer or some other means.

Upon going online again, Duan Wenxuan noticed that discussions about certain changes in the world were increasingly prevalent, with dedicated forums and threads emerging.

In terms of censorship, apart from inflammatory or graphic content, surprisingly little else was being deleted. This indicated that Hanming Country’s authorities were intentionally allowing more openness for the public to grasp parts of the truth.

Duan Wenxuan could understand this shift. As the world’s changes grew increasingly significant, Hanming Country lacked sufficient mystical power to effectively control the resulting anomalies.

Rather than futilely trying to suppress information, it was better to allow some openness.

Previously, Hanming Country’s Ministry of Education had urgently implemented school curriculum reforms and relaxed attitudes towards civilian possession of lethal weapons, which already signaled a change in approach.

After extracting some relevant information from the internet, Duan Wenxuan closed his laptop.

He still couldn’t rest; he needed to visit the hospital shortly. Initially, Duan Wenxuan hadn’t taken Liao Yangsu’s injury at Little Peak Mountain seriously, as modern medical means should have easily handled it.

However, if there were parasitic vines involved, that complicated matters.

Moreover, Li Dong and his group, whom Duan Wenxuan encountered that day, had directly confronted the vines. It remained uncertain whether contemporary medical techniques could treat the vines’ parasitic reproductive abilities.

Duan Wenxuan returned to Liyang City and summoned Tang Tianlu.

Inside a room.

Duan Wenxuan approached the small flower pot, reached out, and effortlessly pulled the vine from it. The tiny paper figurine promptly floated onto Duan Wenxuan’s shoulder.

“Follow him later and be obedient.” Duan Wenxuan pointed at the expressionless Tang Tianlu.

The paper figurine, now accustomed to this, nodded repeatedly and patted its chest as if assuring him. Its somewhat grotesque facial features contorted, and slowly, elongating tendrils scooped up the loose soil particles Duan Wenxuan had brought out earlier, placing them back into the small flower pot. There was only a tiny amount left; any more falling would deplete it entirely.

Growth is challenging; cherish every bit of soil.

Duan Wenxuan found this amusing and gently tugged at the vine’s roots. “I’ll get you a larger flower pot with more nutrient-rich soil when we return.”

While the vine didn’t fully comprehend what Duan Wenxuan said, his tone suggested something beneficial for it.

Hmm, hearing that, my vine suddenly isn’t feeling sleepy anymore.

Duan Wenxuan shifted his consciousness into Tang Tianlu, causing the vine to curiously glance at the sleeping Duan Wenxuan lying on the bed. Eventually, it obediently perched on Tang Tianlu’s shoulder. However, with its wooden and slightly distorted facial features, it appeared somewhat eerie rather than cute.

City People’s Hospital, located in An City, boasted the most comprehensive medical facilities, even housing a renowned national healthcare laboratory. Each year, numerous patients with rare and complex illnesses sought treatment here.

But over the past month and a half, significant changes occurred at City People’s Hospital.

Currently, over half of City Hospital’s premises had been strictly isolated. Not only were quarantine barriers set up around its periphery, but individuals entering or exiting required approved official documents.

Simultaneously, without drawing attention, all pedestrian traffic within a hundred-meter radius of City Hospital was covertly relocated. To the outside world, it was announced that City Hospital was undergoing renovation and expansion.

Due to the increasingly severe mystical incidents on Xuanlan Star, the events at City Hospital remained relatively low-profile, resulting in fewer immediate concerns from the public.

At this moment, Duan Wenxuan, using Tang Tianlu’s body, observed the discreetly erected construction barrier outside, along with piles of cement continually accumulating, giving it a convincingly genuine appearance.

“Patients aren’t being accepted here temporarily. Please seek medical care elsewhere.” Seeing Duan Wenxuan standing for quite some time, two police officers patrolling nearby approached and kindly reminded him.

Duan Wenxuan, dressed in black training attire, had his silvery-gray hair neatly combed back. Despite his age, he appeared remarkably spirited.

He glanced at the two officers and asked, “I heard… those injured from Little Peak Mountain were brought here?”

“Sir, do you have family members inside? Visiting is not allowed now, please go back,” one of the officers kindly reminded Duan Wenxuan.

Duan Wenxuan waved his hand dismissively, “They can be considered my family; my apprentice is inside. Let me see him, or else he might die by the time it’s too late.”

“Don’t talk nonsense, sir. The people from Little Peak Mountain are doing fine, no mention of death,” said one officer, while the other had already started making a phone call.

It was evident to anyone that something seemed off with this elderly man.

Duan Wenxuan smiled without responding. Within half a minute, four more heavily armed police officers discreetly surrounded him.

After three or four minutes, the barrier gate near Duan Wenxuan swung open, revealing strict isolation corridors lined beyond and permeated with mixed medicinal odors.

Zhao Mingcai, clad in thick protective gear, struggled to pass documents to the armed personnel outside before swiftly approaching Duan Wenxuan.

“You are…” Zhao Mingcai’s eyes showed some hesitation. Simultaneously, he kept recalling the recently received portrait of Tang Tianlu, comparing it mentally, and confirmed they were indeed the same person.

Tang Tianlu was no stranger to the special forces team.

Previously, Tang Tianlu had appeared in the mysterious incident involving the black paper figurines but subsequently vanished along with them. Li Dong was almost certain that Tang Tianlu was one of those individuals who possessed knowledge of the supernatural.

Later, they tried every possible method at the scene to extract evidence such as Tang Tianlu’s fingerprints, hair, and other identifiers, but found nothing.

They then sought someone to create a portrait of Tang Tianlu based on Li Dong’s description. After completion, facial recognition was attempted, but no matching individual could be found in the public security database. It was as if Tang Tianlu had emerged out of thin air.

Unexpectedly, after a couple of months, Tang Tianlu voluntarily reappeared.

The weather wasn’t particularly hot, but the protective suit was stifling and poorly ventilated. Zhao Mingcai, already in his fifties, didn’t have the same physical stamina he once did, making it quite challenging for him. However, there was no choice. Originally, the captain of An City’s special forces team was Li Dong, but given the dire circumstances surrounding him, Zhao Mingcai had been temporarily appointed as acting leader.

Zhao Mingcai wasn’t entirely pleased with this turn of events. At his age, he simply wanted to endure peacefully until retirement, only for some goddamn twist of fate to throw everything off course.

“Tang Tianlu, I came here to check on my disciple. Earlier, I had someone take him to Little Peak Mountain, intending to test his determination. However, we didn’t anticipate the resurgence of profound spiritual energy there, causing him undue hardship.”

Zhao Mingcai’s eyes widened slightly, and his heart raced with anticipation.

“Profound spiritual energy? Mr. Tang, what do you know about it? Can you share with us? Rest assured, our country never neglects those with abilities. If you have any concerns for your younger generations or personal needs, please feel free to tell us; we will ensure they are taken care of.”

Regardless of Tang Tianlu’s past, even if he had previously broken laws and regulations, at this critical juncture, his potential value to the special forces outweighed any previous transgressions. Thus, despite meeting Tang Tianlu for the first time, Zhao Mingcai respectfully addressed him as “Mr. Tang,” without displaying any bureaucratic airs.

“My only junior is my apprentice. Please take me to see him.”

“Certainly, may I ask who your apprentice is?”

Zhao Mingcai hoped fervently that Tang Tianlu’s apprentice hadn’t passed away. Having familial ties like nieces or nephews would help anchor someone like Tang Tianlu; otherwise, managing him could prove challenging.

“Liao Yangsu, formerly a doctor.”

“Oh, Dr. Liao.” Zhao Mingcai breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ll bring you to meet him.” Noticing Duan Wenxuan dressed in training attire, he asked, “Would you like a protective suit, sir?”

“No need,” replied Duan Wenxuan.

Zhao Mingcai glanced briefly at Duan Wenxuan and didn’t bring it up further.

As they proceeded inside, Duan Wenxuan encountered another person first—Zhao Zhengping. Interestingly, Zhao Zhengping was older than him, already sixty-five this year. However, Zhao Zhengping had maintained his health well; despite his age, his eyes showed no signs of dimness but remained sharp and spirited.

Zhao Zhengping, originally the Vice-President of Shi Tongmin Hospital, was the lead figure behind the artificial heart engineering technology, a lifetime distinguished academician and professor of Hanming Country, and most importantly, a renowned senior expert in infectious diseases within Hanming Country. He was also an internationally acclaimed scholar in infections and parasitic diseases. In this particular field, Zhao Zhengping stood as one of the world’s top-tier talents, second to none.

“This is Dean Zhai.”

Before meeting with Duan Wenxuan, it seemed that someone had likely briefed Zhao Zhengping about Duan Wenxuan’s situation. Consequently, he didn’t comment on Duan Wenxuan not wearing protective gear.

“Dean Zhai, how is the current situation?” Upon seeing Zhao Zhengping, Zhao Mingcai had little inclination for pleasantries. The primary focus now was to resolve the bizarre parasitic incident.

During this period, Zhao Zhengping himself had been under immense pressure.

He gestured, leading Zhao Mingcai and Duan Wenxuan towards a patient room where Li Dong lay inside.

Zhao Mingcai’s face instantly contorted, feeling queasy and almost wanting to vomit.

Originally, Li Dong had been tall and imposing, exuding a robust presence. Now, he resembled little more than a skeleton, with sallow skin tightly clinging to his frame.

Lying naked on the hospital bed, something would rapidly wriggle beneath his waxen skin at intervals, causing Li Dong to desperately scream and struggle each time it occurred.

“He can no longer produce any sound; his voice has completely given out from all the shouting,” Zhao Zhengping explained somberly.

Zhao Mingcai watched, feeling terrified, “Give him medication, any kind of medication. This state is unbearable for him, neither human nor ghost.”

Zhao Zhengping sighed, “Currently, we cannot administer medication to him. When the parasitism was first discovered, we tried conventional drugs, but the parasitic vines showed extreme resistance. Not only did they fail to suppress the vines, but it actually accelerated their growth.

At that time, Li Dong signed a voluntary consent form, allowing us to conduct numerous experiments on him. Consequently, now his vines are growing the fastest among everyone.

From our observations so far, only certain specific anesthetic medications have some effect in reducing the vines’ vitality, albeit briefly. Similar to how humans develop resistance to frequently used medications, these vines also exhibit such resistance over time.”

“Is surgery still not possible?”

“As of now, it seems that surgery is only feasible within the first six hours after parasitization. But beyond this timeframe, the vine’s root system spreads throughout the entire body and organs, simultaneously embedding its tendrils deeply into them. At that point, surgery becomes fundamentally impossible. Currently, we appear to need some special assistance, such as the functionality provided by the pen Mao Qisheng possesses.”

Zhao Mingcai slapped his head, “Right, how is Mao Qisheng doing? We can’t let anything happen to him.”

Zhao Zhengping then took Zhao Mingcai and Duan Wenxuan to visit Mao Qisheng.

Compared to others, Mao Qisheng seemed much better, appearing lively and energetic. In his single-occupancy hospital room, he was engrossed in watching anime on a laptop.

However, upon seeing Zhao Zhengping, Mao Qisheng hastily tossed aside the laptop and rushed over, tears streaming down his face, “Dean Zhai… what’s happening? Can you save me now? I don’t want to die.”

Mao Qisheng couldn’t help but feel immense regret. He had insisted, saying they shouldn’t go to Little Peak Mountain, that there was no need for it; the sky wouldn’t fall. Yet, Li Dong threatened him into joining the expedition anyway, and now here he was—also parasitized.

Fortunately, Mao Qisheng had Grandpa Treasure Pen protecting him. However, the problem arose when they descended from the mountain; they were unaware of being parasitized at that time. It was later discovered by An Yueyu, a girl also rescued from Little Peak Mountain, who noticed changes in her menstrual cycle with excruciating pain. Upon hospital examination, the findings were alarming.

By then, two days had already passed since their descent from Little Peak Mountain, making it too late to intervene effectively.

With the pen’s protection, the parasitic seed within Mao Qisheng grew much slower than in others. Nonetheless, after two days, its roots had spread throughout all his organs, rendering surgery futile.

Despite this, compared to others, Mao Qisheng fared relatively better. The vine, suppressed and cautious, did not dare to grow unchecked or freely roam within his body. Consequently, most of the time, Mao Qisheng appeared almost normal.

However, knowing multiple terrifying parasites resided inside him was still unbearable for anyone.

Duan Wenxuan remained composed, glancing briefly at Zhao Zhengping and Zhao Mingcai. Their delay in taking him to see Liao Yangsu raised suspicion; what were they planning by prioritizing others first?

Mao Qisheng wiped away his tears and snot. After his emotions had somewhat stabilized, he unexpectedly noticed that there were still people not wearing protective suits. Upon taking another look, Mao Qisheng vigorously rubbed his eyes before shakily pointing at Duan Wenxuan after a long moment. “Th-th-that… t-that mysterious old man!”

“Old gentleman, please save me.” After a couple of seconds of bewilderment, Mao Qisheng once again clung to Duan Wenxuan’s thigh.

“The situation is as such: currently, six hundred fifty-two individuals have been parasitized, with one hundred twenty-three already deceased,” Zhao Mingcai said, his tone somewhat somber. “If we cannot resolve the issue of parasitism, we can only watch helplessly as all these people die. Eventually, we’ll need to find a way to disinfect this area before completely burning and burying it.”

It was unavoidable; the vine’s parasitic ability was too terrifying, and it absolutely must not be allowed to spread further.

“We hope that if you truly have a solution, while treating Liao Yangsu, could you also teach us how to address the vine’s parasitism?”

Duan Wenxuan looked at Zhao Mingcai. “First, take me to see Liao Yangsu.”

”…Follow us,” Zhao Zhengping replied without further hesitation, promptly leading Duan Wenxuan to Liao Yangsu’s hospital room.