Chapter 134
“That's right.” The man with the bushy beard took a couple of puffs from his cigarette and said to Zhao Ying, “Sorry to trouble you, Captain Zhao.”
Zhao Ying flicked her lighter to light his cigarette.
The bushy-bearded man took a deep drag, smoke escaping from every pore of his body.
“When that demon dragon crushed me, I didn’t just wait to die. I bit off a piece of flesh and directly used cellular assimilation... Honestly, I didn’t have much hope, but as you can see, I survived.”
“Any side effects?”
“Of course. All my organs are made up of mutated cancer cells. The only difference between me and that demon dragon is that I lack dragon energy. To keep my body functioning, I need to consume a lot of food for energy. Cancer cells are terrifyingly energy-hungry. If one day I run out of energy and all the cancer cells starve to death, I’ll be completely dead…”
Zhao Ying stared blankly at the significantly shrunken figure of the bushy-bearded man and asked, “So what are you relying on to fuel the cancer cells now?”
“Self-consumption.” The bushy-bearded man opened his belly to reveal another mouth, which was busy gnawing at his still-forming torso.
“Damn it, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“I was afraid you’d pull out your gun and empty the magazine.”
Zhao Ying was speechless and quickly contacted her subordinates to send over two hundred pounds of pork to help the bushy-bearded man regain his strength.
“How’s Chen Huai'an doing?” The bushy-bearded man’s voice turned tense, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Zhao Ying. “You guys didn’t kill him, did you?”
“No, we couldn’t take on that demon dragon.” Zhao Ying rolled her eyes.
“So now…”
“A female sword immortal has come out to suppress him. We’ve taken him in, and according to the current timeline, he’s undergoing a medical examination.”
“Oh, that’s good, that’s good, hahaha.” The bushy-bearded man let out a sigh of relief, rubbing his newly grown hand. “He’s a good seed. Even though he has some unstable factors, I was thinking we should avoid killing him. He’s definitely not a bad person at heart… By the way! What’s this female sword immortal?”
“I’m not sure either; maybe she’s part of his abilities?” Zhao Ying rubbed her temples and changed the subject. “What are you planning to do next? Are you going to continue as the head of the Demon-Slaying Division in Tianfu District? Honestly, if you don’t go back, that kid will probably feel guilty and join us. Do you want to go into hiding for a while? I can request a transfer for you.”
The suggestion was tempting.
The bushy-bearded man hesitated for a long time but ultimately shook his head.
“Maybe you’re right, but he should know the truth. I know better than anyone how torturous it is to live with guilt and regret.”
Zhao Ying noticed the darkness in the bushy-bearded man’s eyes.
She knew he was thinking about that broken family.
She remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
“So, I’ll go back and be the division head.” The bushy-bearded man flicked the cigarette butt into the ashtray and smiled. “Even if Chen Huai'an doesn’t join the Demon-Slaying Division, he can still provide us with support. Let’s not morally bind him.”
“Alright then, we’ll do it your way.”
…
…
“Mr. Chen Huai'an, I’m afraid the cancer cells in your body haven’t been eliminated, but they seem to have entered a sort of dormant state.”
Chen Huai'an stood in a heavy metal isolation chamber, wearing a hospital gown.
The voice of a staff member from the Demon-Slaying Division came through the intercom.
There was a small tempered glass window on the isolation chamber, through which he could see soldiers standing guard outside—he was truly being treated like Godzilla.
But that was to be expected.
After all, he was harboring a monster within him.
Chen Huai'an forced a bitter smile. “Okay, I understand. So what do you plan to do?”
【Um… You will continue to be contained in Room 0, along with your pets… Er, and you’ll need to provide us with some blood samples every day.】
“Let me talk to him…”
The voice on the intercom changed.
He could faintly hear a soft, gentle female voice.
【Chen Huai'an, I’m Xiang Xiaoyuan.】
【Please don’t entertain any self-destructive thoughts. Seventy percent of your body is made up of demonized cancer cells. If we were to kill them off violently, it would mean your death as well. I’m the head of the expert team, so please trust us. We will definitely come up with a plan to help you assimilate the cancer cells!】
Hearing Xiang Xiaoyuan’s voice eased some of Chen Huai'an’s anxiety. He looked up at the surveillance camera. “Why are you helping me so much? I’m the one who caused Uncle Bushy Beard’s death…”
【I regret the death of Director Luo.】
In the surveillance room, Xiang Xiaoyuan held the microphone, her eyes filled with an unshakeable sorrow.
But she still mustered her strength to comfort Chen Huai'an.
“This can’t be blamed on you. Every demon slayer who officially joins the Demon-Slaying Division is already prepared for sacrifice.
As for why we’re helping you so much…
To put it hypocritically, saving a life is worth more than building a seven-story pagoda.
But to be honest, a level of control over one’s own power is incredibly important for the Demon-Slaying Division and for the entire world in the fight against monsters and evil forces!”
She emphasized her words.
“So, Chen Huai'an, you are very important! You are important to the whole world!!”
“Please give our expert team some time…”
“We will definitely save you!”
…
…
Qingran Baby
Regarding why the bushy-bearded man can survive, there are hints in Chapters 94 and 137. The original draft of 137 was not clear, so I added some descriptions.
Additionally, some people think it’s a bit crazy that the female lead’s main magical artifact is a power bank, so I added a patch for the 【Qianbian】 function, which can usually be a sword, etc., but the main function remains unchanged. (Changing the function would alter the outline.)
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Chapter 143: Harmonious Neighbors
Room 0.
It appeared to be the largest of all the containment chambers.
Chen Huai'an sat on the sofa, twisting open a can of cola.
His life hadn’t changed much; in fact, he could even enjoy free food and drinks.
Although he said there was no need to interfere with the room’s decor, the Demon-Slaying Division had made his room consistent with a rental apartment. Even the view outside was simulated with holographic projections, complete with fans to mimic a natural breeze coming through the window. At first glance, it looked quite convincing.
Room 0 was located at the end of the corridor, with Rooms 1 and 2 on either side.
Both of those rooms already housed containment objects.
As Chen Huai'an passed by Room 1, he caught a glimpse inside.
Room 1 contained a giant teddy bear, two meters tall, made of pink plush with a white belly. It looked quite cute, sitting motionless in the center of the room, facing the door. However, the walls of this containment chamber were covered in punch marks, showing signs of severe damage.
Room 2 housed something more bizarre—a strangely designed sniper rifle, its body wrapped in dark red shells, with muscle tissue moving between the shells. The scope had a large golden eye that moved around.
Chen Huai'an exchanged a glance with the lobster-like sniper rifle, which let out a sharp laugh.
How should he put it?
On his first day here, he already felt the local customs were simple and neighborly.
As for containment, some objects were beyond the Demon-Slaying Division’s ability to destroy, like that teddy bear, while others were uncontrollable yet deemed useful, like that sniper rifle.
Besides that, he discovered something interesting.
His Room 0 shared two walls with Rooms 1 and 2, featuring a sliding metal door. When opened, it revealed a thick glass barrier, allowing him to see the status of his two neighbors, though he wasn’t particularly curious about it.
The windowsill still had the previous arrangement.
Bajia, the cat, had its water bowl replaced with a luxurious fish tank, and the pot of spiritual grass named Jiu Zhuan Ling Lan was placed on top of the fish tank.
He just didn’t understand why Bajia had become so dazed since moving in, always staring blankly out the window.
Chen Huai'an filled a bowl with cat food for Bajia and gently patted its head, forcing a kind smile. “Eat up, this is a gift from a sister. Not abandoning you is the best I can do right now. You’re still so young; if you wander outside, you won’t last long.”
Bajia glanced at the cat food, then looked up at Chen Huai'an.
After a moment of silence, two streams of tears rolled down its cheeks.
Inside, it was roaring.
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