Chapter 71


    At the moment he crushed the rat, it also signified the end of Mr. Lee''s life.


    In Yi Chen''s vision, the name writhing in Old Ancient living Script—[Jesmin Lee (Severe Patient)]—turned from flesh-toned to gray.


    The rats infesting Mr. Lee''s body perished simultaneously, remaining inside him like rotting flesh, resembling human organs more than anything else.


    The rodent-like body lost all vitality; its fur became dull, and the crescent mark on its neckpletely dimmed.


    <em>Sigh…</em>


    Yi Chen copsed to the ground, gasping for air.


    Even Little Grape experienced a momentary weakness, retracting its disguise on Yi Chen''s left hand, partially retreating into its original position at the shoulder.


    Using his other hand, Yi Chen injected a life-restoring serum into his neck, attempting to activate the nts within his body to gradually repair the severe wounds inflicted by rat bites on his right side.


    Although his right side was severely injured, Yi Chen was still in the best condition among the three. He immediately turned to his teammate, Juliana, who had long since fainted, her breathing faint and weak.


    This life-and-death battle beneath the clinic had left Yi Chen in awe—not because of Mr. Lee’s overwhelming strength or the terror of his rodent-like body.


    What astonished Yi Chen most was his teammate, Miss Juliana, who, despite her grievous injuries, had managed to move her body through sheer willpower, forcing thest of her potential awake with an injection and severing Mr. Lee''s arm at the critical moment.


    “Miss Anna, don’t die on me!”


    Yi Chen ignored his own injuries, cing both hands on Juliana''s copsed and severely damaged abdomen.


    New nt sprouts burrowed into her wounds, doing their best to stabilize her injuries.


    Edmund, dragging his useless left arm, knelt on the other side of Anna.


    He produced an orange vial bearing the feather insignia of his family, rather than the organization.


    First, he applied the serum to her wounds, then injected the remaining amount through nt roots into her body.


    The areas treated with the serum visibly began to grow new flesh, halting the spread of decay.


    “This will at least preserve Anna’s life... The effects willst a day, enough for us to reach Zion.”


    “Edmund, what about your arm?”


    “This minor injury is nothing. As long as we get back to Zion, I can ask the family’s doctors to fix it… Well done, William! This operation was far too reckless. I won’t let the team take such risks again in the future.”


    Yi Chen shook his finger, smirking weakly. “No… everything went as nned, without deviation!


    The cost was ounted for from the start. No one dying is already the best oue.


    Hold on, I’ll handle onest thing before we leave.”


    Now that Anna''s condition was rtively stable, Yi Chen had one more critical task toplete.


    He ced both palms on Mr. Lee rodent-like body. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Spreading nt roots as much as possible within, he ensured the tendrils reached all the deceased rats'' brains.


    Most importantly, they had to connect with Mr. Lee’s brain.


    <em>Extracting brain matter.</em>


    ≮Jesmin Lee, severe patient’s brain, damage level: 8%, [Superior].≯


    <em>Consuming brain fluid restores mental energy, revitalizes the spirit, substitutes for sleep, and grants ess to rtivelyplete memory fragments. Small to medium probability of improving intelligence attributes.</em>


    An indescribable surge of exhration swept through Yi Chen’s mind.


    He even straightened his body during the process, his wide-open eyes shing with rat-like shadows. His face broke into an exaggerated, ecstatic grin.


    The book emblem at the back of his head wriggled as brain matter flowed into him.


    『Central processingplete. Brain nutrition replenished. 【Intellect】 increased by 0.5. Effective memory assembly and imntation in progress…』


    Memory fragments were sorted and rearranged, merging into two significant pieces of information:


    1. The Life Story of Jesmin Lee (focused on his time at the clinic)


    2. The Secrets Behind Twilight Clinic


    In the first memory, Mr. Lee was revealed to have been the youngest apprentice at Twilight Clinic and also the most timid.


    His cowardice was innate, but he was exceptionally intelligent and resourceful.


    Despite being looked down upon by Dr. McCoff, he asionally provided effective support for the clinic, such as stabilizing rat swarms for rapid material transport or destroying incriminating secret documents.


    Early on, he discerned the sinister deeds lurking behind the clinic’s operations and anticipated its eventual downfall.


    It was unexpected that, before the organization could uncover anything, problems arose within the clinic itself.


    When the [False Moon Incident] erupted and spread to the clinic, he became inevitably infected due to controlling swarms of rats and having multiple eyes gazing directly at the moon.


    Instead of choosing to stand and fight, he leveraged his identity and familiarity with the clinic to steal a vial of "Twilight Silver Liquid."


    Using his rat-like characteristics, he hid in the clinic''s basement and narrowly avoided disaster.


    Faced with the pathogenic transformation of his body, he reluctantly injected the secret elixir.


    Unexpectedly, the "Twilight Silver Liquid" not only failed to suppress the transformation but amplified its effects exponentially,


    deepening his resonance with the moon mark and turning him into a severe afflicted patient, even allowing him tomunicate with the ''moon'' to some extent.


    Simrly,


    due to his ipatibility with the secret medicine, its potent side effects fused him with the basement walls, rendering him unable to leave.


    To avoid detection by the Gentleman Team tasked with recovering the secret medicine,


    he attempted tomunicate with the moon for power, identally creating a [Co-Spatial Realm] that enveloped the clinic.


    Of course, this also bound him even more tightly, forcing him to absorb more moon essence to break free.


    This led to his encounters with Yi Chen and Edmund.


    "This guy... He couldn''t channel his intelligence and caution in the right direction. Instead, he kept running away.


    The cowardice etched into his heart hastened his demise.


    But the real problem still lies with the clinic."


    Yi Chen chose not to disclose the clinic''s secrets to Edmund for the time being.


    He pulled out a prepared bup sack and professionally packed up Mr. Lee''s corpse.


    If this rtively intact infected patient body could be brought back to Zion, it might yield a high-quality pathogenic crystal.


    Dragging the enormous, rat-like corpse, Yi Chen,


    and carrying Anna on his back, Edmund extinguished the mes at the infirmary door and pushed it open.


    With Mr. Lee''s death, the dangers in the underground area were entirely eliminated...


    However, the theater owner also vanished, likely having returned to the clinic''s surface.


    Riding the elevator slowly upward,


    Yi Chen and Edmund exchanged nces, their facial muscles managing to squeeze out a strained smile.


    At least it was over, and everyone had made it out alive.


    In a low voice, Edmund said:


    "Mr. Lee is dead. The moon above will inevitably fade away too... Once we go up and rendezvous with Dagobert, we just need one night''s sleep to return to the real world."


    "Mm."


    <em>Click!</em>


    When the elevator arrived,


    a towering figure stood like a fortress before them.


    Dagobert, wielding a massive greatsword, guarded the elevator entrance like a war god, the clinic hall strewn with dismembered and abnormal patient.


    Likewise, his body was riddled with wounds, his stamina long since depleted,


    held together only by sheer willpower as he waited for his teammates to arrive.


    "Is it... dealt with below?"


    "Mm."


    Upon receiving the affirmative response, Dagobert''s massive body copsed onto the ground.


    After a brief check and infection treatment, no severe injuries were found—he had merely fainted from exhaustion.


    However,


    at this moment, Yi Chen felt a sense of unease.


    Stepping on the remnants of abnormal infected patient bodies, he felt the lingering warmth within and walked toward the clinic''s exit.


    As he stepped outside, the moonlight, alive as if it were a sentient being, immediately fell upon him.


    It felt like a pale, delicate hand was caressing his skin.


    The moon hanging in the night sky had not disappeared. Instead, it grew rounder andrger,


    resembling a white, living organism.


    At the same time,


    <em>p~ p~ p!</em>


    From the forested hills outside the clinic came a slow apuse, apanied by a voice Yi Chen had heard in the sewers.


    §"Good job."§


    As the apuse grew louder and closer,


    a silver-haired youth gracefully emerged from the hillside.


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