The Man Who Couldn't Feel Pain, and the Chosen of Suffering

"Ugh... disgusting."

"So dizzy..."

"What happened to me?"

Lu Ce felt as though he had been spun around in a washing machine for three days. Fighting through the vertigo, he struggled to open his eyes.

But the dazzling white light that met his gaze made him squint them shut again in pain. He had no idea what had happened. His whole body felt awful, his mind was blank, and it seemed as though all his memories had vanished.

As he sat there dazed, a shadow blocked the blinding light. A beautiful blonde woman in a white lab coat looked down at him.

She was stunning, with lips as vividly red as blood. Her full, tempting chest accentuated her curvaceous figure, and paired with a doctor's attire, the contrast made one's blood run hot.

"You're awake? How are you feeling, handsome~?"

She smiled at Lu Ce. Her flirtatious eyes met his confused gaze.

"How... am I?" Lu Ce had no idea what was going on, but he realized this might be a hospital, and that he was strapped to a hospital bed.

Then, instinctively, he checked the state of his body.

All sorts of unfamiliar instruments were connected to him...

His whole body felt terrible, and he was dizzy.

But there did not seem to be any major problem. His arms and legs were intact... Hm? No, wait! Why couldn't he feel his right leg?

After trying and failing to move it, Lu Ce looked up and asked:

"Why can't I feel my right leg? Why am I here?"

The red-lipped doctor narrowed her eyes and smiled, her enchanting voice emerging once more.

"Don't worry, handsome. Your right leg only has a little scratch. It was bandaged and treated ages ago, so don't worry."

"A scratch?" Lu Ce frowned. "How did I get hurt? Let me see my leg."

"See it? You probably can't right now." The doctor's voice remained as gentle as ever.

"Why not?"

"Because your right leg is in the room next door."

"What?!!"

Lu Ce's mind went blank. His already chaotic thoughts suffered another devastating blow.

How was that supposed to make sense?!

Why the hell had they amputated his leg?

His body flopped a few times on the bed like a dead fish. He tried to sit up and inspect his condition.

"Don't be in such a hurry~ A lot has happened. You need to calm down and listen while I explain."

The voluptuous doctor reached out and gently stroked Lu Ce's bare chest, pressing him back onto the bed.

The sensitivity in his chest and the scorching breath by his ear made goosebumps rise all over his body.

Since he had been restrained from the start, Lu Ce could only lie back down, trying to remember while listening to her speak beside him.

"You just underwent a kidney transplant. There's someone else's kidney inside your body now."

"The rejection might make you feel a little uncomfortable. Lie still and don't move around."

Why the fuck did I get both an amputation and a kidney transplant? Was I in a car accident?

Lu Ce was baffled. Some of his memories returned, and he instinctively asked:

"Who donated it to me? I remember... I think I'm an orphan. Is he okay?"

"He's doing fine," the doctor replied.

"Where is he?"

"In the morgue on the first basement level. He'll be cremated tomorrow."

?

Dead?

Lu Ce stared at the doctor in disbelief. "He died because he donated a kidney to me?!"

"No, he died of terminal kidney cancer," the doctor said.

Lu Ce: ?

His head felt itchy. It was like a brain was about to grow in.

"So you transplanted his kidney into me?!" Lu Ce began struggling desperately on the bed again.

"Wait, don't get worked up. He had another healthy kidney."

"Oh..."

"But I transplanted the cancerous one into you~~"

"Are you fucking insane?!" The intense shock finally restored Lu Ce's memories.

Even an idiot could see that something was seriously wrong with his current situation. The woman in front of him clearly was not a proper doctor either.

What kind of doctor dressed like a nightclub hostess?

After struggling a little, he found that the restraints holding him down were extremely secure. Rather than a hospital bed, it felt more like some kind of torture device.

Lu Ce tried to calm himself down and force his mind awake.

He was an orphan. He had grown up without parents, and after leaving the orphanage at fifteen, he could only work while attending school.

Although his miserable childhood had often forced him to fight thugs, those minor scuffles could not possibly have landed him here, with his leg cut off and his kidney replaced.

He had only gone home after school and fallen asleep... Why was he here now...?

"Who exactly are you? How did I offend you?"

"Hehe." The doctor brushed her slender fingers over her lips and smiled. "My, my. You're pretty smart, handsome. You caught on?"

"The game has begun. You're among the first lucky ones selected~ Aren't you excited?"

Lu Ce frowned. "What game?"

The doctor cut him off. "You're pretty popular right now, you know. Lots of people are watching your livestream~"

With a casual wave of her hand, a huge translucent pale-blue screen appeared before Lu Ce. Barrage comments streamed across it one after another.

: Exciting! The other leg! Cut off the other leg too!

: Awesome! This is exactly what I love watching. I finally get to experience it. Where did this screen that suddenly appeared in front of me come from? Can I buy it?

: The kid wasn't awake earlier, so it wasn't satisfying. Now that he's awake, let's see how he reacts! Hahahaha!

: Got any other activities? Hurry it up!

: What kind of livestream is this?

The comments were not particularly dense, but they kept coming without pause. This livestream did not seem especially deserted.

Seeing their contents, Lu Ce's heart skipped a beat.

—The dark web?

Could it be... that he had been abducted?

"Stop thinking about it, handsome. Your world is about to undergo an unprecedented upheaval, something beyond anything you can imagine."

"You only need to enjoy this game~"

"How about you watch this first?"

The female doctor greedily stroked Lu Ce's chest as she opened another video.

The video showed the woman using an electric saw to cut through Lu Ce's right leg. Blood splattered everywhere, making him nauseous just watching it. At the time, he had lain motionless on the bed.

Watching the bloody footage, the doctor could not help licking her scarlet lips. Her face immediately flushed, her watery eyes rippling as she became intensely aroused.

Lu Ce could even feel the hand stroking him trembling faintly.

—This woman is definitely a pervert!

"How is it? Isn't it exciting?"

"Aren't you wondering why you seem unable to feel pain?"

As she spoke, the doctor casually pointed at the machine connected all over Lu Ce's body.

She kept talking to herself. Rather than answering Lu Ce's questions, she seemed more intent on satisfying some twisted desire of her own.

"Do you recognize this? Well, there's no way you would. This thing is at least three hundred years ahead of your planet's technology."

"It can manipulate your nerves. It's currently in pain mode, meaning it controls all of your pain perception."

"Earlier, I blocked it for the sake of easier cutting. But now..."

As she spoke, the doctor finally removed the hand that had been constantly taking advantage of him and placed it on the machine beside them. She gave Lu Ce a thoroughly deranged smile.

"Now that you're awake... make me a little happier."

With that, she closed her eyes and pressed a button blissfully.

All the pain that had been blocked before returned!

!!!

Silence.

Lu Ce: ...

Both the doctor and the livestream viewers seemed as if time had been paused before their eyes. They stood there blankly, while the expected scream never came.

Female doctor: ?

Her expression plainly revealed her confusion. Looking into Lu Ce's clear eyes, she was completely dumbfounded.

"Is... something wrong?" Lu Ce asked weakly.

What manipulation of nerves...

Should I tell her that I was born unable to feel pain...?

"You... don't your legs hurt?" The doctor stared at Lu Ce, who should have "regained his pain sensation," her eyes full of disbelief.

"My legs don't hurt..."

"Why?!"

"My leg's next door. It can't hurt anymore."

Female doctor: ...

After a brief stunned pause, seeing Lu Ce still trying to be "funny," her face instantly twisted. A vein bulged clearly on her forehead in the shape of a "#."

"Fine, fine, fine. You've got guts. I hope you can keep it up!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she cruelly adjusted several controls. The instrument connected to Lu Ce immediately blazed with red light.

In an instant, the most horrifying suffering in the world descended.

Excruciating pain made every muscle in his body spasm. It was level-ten pain far beyond the limits of the human body, enough to shatter even the strongest will in an instant.

Then would come the screaming, the convulsions, the begging. How wonderful...

Of course, all of that existed only in the female doctor's imagination.

In reality, the instant the machine's red light came on, Lu Ce trembled slightly, then continued to show no reaction.

The two continued staring wide-eyed at each other. Lu Ce surveyed his surroundings, still considering his predicament and how to escape.

"Um... theoretically speaking, shouldn't I be reacting a little right now?"

Lu Ce's calm voice was like a spark that ignited the other woman's fury, making her laugh in rage.

"Fine, fine, fine! You brought this on yourself!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she braced one hand on the edge of the bed and launched herself up, straddling Lu Ce.

As she moved nimbly, her white lab coat slipped off, revealing the barely there clothing beneath.

Lu Ce only saw a flash of white before she sat on a position slightly below his waist, dressed in something right on the edge of what could be shown.

He could not feel pain, but his sense of touch was extremely sensitive. Amid the smooth, soft sensation, there was also a little springy "boing, boing" cushioning.

Lu Ce: ?!

"No! Miss, what are you doing?! Don't... this... don't... don't stop!"

The bashful Lu Ce instantly turned "red-faced" and twisted violently like a maggot as he struggled.

He had never experienced anything like this before, so he truly felt too embarrassed to urge her to continue.

The woman, her face twisted, looked at him with warped delight and gritted her teeth.

"I hope you're ready!"

"Make me happy!"

The machine beside them was turned to maximum power. Amid the blazing red light, it emitted an unusual roar.

A strange numb, itchy sensation covered Lu Ce's entire body. At the same time, a voice rang out in his mind.

Critical threshold breached!

Unlocking... Binding... Initializing...

Chosen of Suffering! Pain Value +9!

Initial Gene Lock awaiting activation. Required Pain Value: 11/100!

"Ah?... What?" This time, it was Lu Ce's turn to be confused.