My Kidney!

Welt Yang sighed and collapsed onto the ground. The cannon barrels and aircraft constructed from blue energy modules dissipated one after another. Suddenly, he began coughing violently, covering his mouth with a handkerchief as traces of blood seeped from the corner of his lips.

"Cough, cough. What is going on with these two Clone Is? They actually developed the awareness to absorb Honkai Energy on their own. And that combat suit on student Li Ming uses some very novel technology, unlike the combat suits and powered armor made by Schicksal in the past. But it seems to carry fluctuations from the Star of Eden. Is that just my imagination?"

Putting away the handkerchief, he raised his right hand. A bead resembling the core of that Code??? Clone I appeared in Welt Yang's hand, except this bead was far more vivid and brilliant red, its luster complementing the golden patterns upon it.

"Using the Star of Eden at less than fifty percent recovery to release a hundredfold gravity field was still too much of a strain. Still, it saved student Li Ming's life. And there is something strange about this matter."

After pondering for a while without figuring out the reason, he decided to return to the base first. Such a huge commotion had happened today; dealing with the aftermath would not be simple.

Mint Candy opened the wormhole door and looked around. Seeing that nothing was wrong, she was not surprised and hurriedly carried Himeko out. After placing Himeko on a sofa in a coffee shop, she immediately slipped away. "Run, run! Good thing Elder Konpeito didn't notice."

"Mint Candy, what are you doing?" A soft, sweet voice came from behind her.

Mint Candy panicked and promptly jumped into the wormhole.

Inside the combat room of the Saint 7308 Research Institute

When Ryusuke Murata pressed the button, everyone in the combat room had gone numb. This was only a research institute; all it could do was command battles and serve as a command center.

Once the missiles had been launched, there was no taking them back. But then they suddenly received word from Base G047 that every missile had been successfully intercepted and had not caused massive casualties.

Moreover, the Honkai Energy fluctuations that had appeared in California vanished at the very instant they reached their peak.

This could be considered the best possible outcome.

Everyone in the combat room thought so silently, but they were even more astonished that their usually refined and mild-mannered director had shown such resolve. Was the director not afraid of being held accountable?

After returning to his room, Ryusuke Murata sat down against the wall with a blank expression. He held a framed photograph showing a young Himeko, Ryusuke, and a gentle woman with long crimson hair. Ryusuke stroked the surface of the frame as though afraid of damaging it.

"Himeko..."

A wormhole suddenly opened, and Mint Candy dropped onto Ryusuke's shoulder. "Hehe, all done!"

"Himeko... is she all right?" Ryusuke asked after remaining silent for a long while.

"With me on the job, nothing could possibly go wrong!" Mint Candy bragged. Though she sounded like she was tooting her own horn, she was not embarrassed in the slightest.

Embarrassed? That was something only humans felt. I, Hughes, would never be like that!

"Why do you look so dejected? I did a great service here, you know. You'd better buy me something tasty!" Mint Candy said, hands on her hips as she looked at the dispirited Ryusuke sitting on the floor.

After putting down the photo frame, Ryusuke slipped his trembling hand into his pocket as though searching for something. "Tell me, humanity clearly already has the ability to explore beyond this world, so why do we remain confined to this tiny corner called Earth, living in constant fear under the threat of Honkai? Why do we keep fighting one another and damaging an already fragile balance? Mint Candy, do you think aliens really exist?"

After searching for a long time, Ryusuke finally pulled out the cigarettes he normally never touched. He awkwardly took one out and held it between his fingers. His trembling hand took two tries before he managed to light it.

"How would I know why humans are like this? I'm not human. But as for aliens, aren't I one?" Mint Candy swung her little feet and looked at Ryusuke in confusion. She felt that something about Ryusuke Murata had changed, but she could not say what it was.

Ryusuke took a deep drag, then exhaled a huge cloud of smoke. The expression on his face eased considerably. "Yeah. You're an alien, aren't you?"

Meanwhile, in California.

Li Ming had just escaped the gravity field and still had not quite figured out what was happening when the system's voice rang continuously in his mind. "Detected Gemini Soul Fragment ×150, Soul Fragment ×300, Anti-Entropy Imaginary Core ×10, Micro Reactor ×3, Reconstruction Mold: Ability Specialization ×1, and Candlelight Armor: First Light Fragment ×10. Collect?"

Only then did Li Ming come to his senses. After confirming collection, he unsteadily got to his feet. Looking at the armor on his body, he gave a bitter smile. He glanced at the core fragments on the ground, hesitated, and ultimately collected them as well.

On the very first battle, Candlelight Armor: First Light had encountered such an absurd enemy. And what exactly was that red, octopus-like thing he had seen?

Li Ming felt that it looked familiar. After thinking for a moment, he said uncertainly, "No way... could it really be that?"

The more he thought about it, the more chills ran down his spine. He looked around at the surrounding people with terror in his eyes. After reorganizing his emotions, Li Ming decided to find Himeko first.

He checked the guards lying on the ground and found that the worst of them were merely unconscious, without any serious injuries. Only then did Li Ming feel relieved.

After getting his bearings, he found the building where he had left Himeko. Although the armor had suffered over thirty percent damage and lost fifty percent of its energy, it had not lost its basic mobility.

Li Ming ran up the wall and reached the rooftop in a few leaps. To his surprise, however, Himeko was not on the roof. Seeing that the stairwell door leading down in the adjacent building was open, Li Ming guessed that Himeko had gone downstairs.

But he did not know whether she had gone down on her own or been taken away. Li Ming hurried down the stairs, yet he did not see Himeko anywhere.

Only after circling the entire street several times did he find Himeko in a coffee shop. Seeing her unconscious on a sofa, Li Ming checked her over. Fortunately, she seemed to be merely normally unconscious and otherwise unharmed, though she still needed to go to the hospital for an examination.

The injuries on his waist and legs did not feel good either, so he needed basic treatment at the hospital. But he had not paid for health insurance yet. Another pile of money was definitely about to fly away.

"Money's just money. If it's gone, I'll earn more!" After quietly setting a flag, Li Ming pulled Himeko into his arms and carried her onto his back.

Seeing that the guards were still resting and had not noticed him, Li Ming hurriedly slipped away with Himeko on his back.

But after leaving the street, Li Ming discovered that because of the Code??? Clone I incident, most people had hidden in their homes or nearby malls. The entire street was completely deserted.

That was not the main issue, though. More importantly, the trams and subway had all stopped running!

This was truly a tragic tale. Left with no choice, Li Ming had to carry Himeko on his back and take Route 11 home—on foot.

Fortunately, he had not dismissed his armor. Otherwise, Li Ming doubted his stamina could have supported him all the way back to the apartment, considering how far away it was.

And he still had to visit the hospital. Otherwise, he had no idea whether his wounds would become infected, especially his precious kidney. Nothing could happen to it!

Luckily, Li Ming remembered that there seemed to be a private hospital near the apartment. By the time he carried Himeko close to the apartment, it was already seven or eight in the evening. Areas farther away were gradually becoming active again as people began asking what had happened.

Li Ming wiped the sweat from his face. "Good, it's still open."

However, since what he was wearing was rather inconvenient, Li Ming found a corner outside and dismissed his armor before going in.

Li Ming lifted his black short-sleeved shirt. The wound around his kidney looked as though it had been twisted, covered in bruises. Especially the purple patch—after dismissing the armor, he touched it with a finger and nearly died from the pain. Li Ming felt certain he had suffered serious internal injuries.

Gritting his teeth, he walked into the hospital. With every step, Li Ming felt a dull ache in his kidney. He glanced at Himeko, who was still sitting peacefully in a chair, then got a form, registered for an examination, and arranged a full-body checkup for her as well. Since he did not know what had happened, he gritted his teeth and carried Himeko inside.

"I wonder what you did to sleep this deeply!" Grumbling aside, Li Ming still carefully placed Himeko on the sofa beside him and drew the curtain.

What, leave the curtain open? Then my pure and innocent kidney would be exposed for everyone to see!

The moment he looked up, he saw a hairstyle that practically screamed expert potential. The reflection from that shiny scalp nearly dazzled Li Ming.

"Mr. Li, what would you like examined?" The doctor looked at Li Ming. Although the doctor wore a mask, Li Ming could still see his curved eyebrows and kindly expression. It was just that his Mediterranean-style blond hair had been curled with gel, which made Li Ming want to laugh.

After taking several deep breaths, he finally suppressed his laughter. He lifted his shirt and said, "Doctor, please take a look at this. What should I do about it?"

After checking several times, the doctor even poked the bruised area around Li Ming's kidney. "This..."

The doctor started to say something, then suddenly stopped, looking quite troubled. Li Ming became anxious. "No, doctor, just say it. What is it? What happened?"

"...Go get an X-ray first," the doctor said slowly.

Come on, can you stop making such dramatic pauses?

Naturally, he only complained inwardly and did not say it aloud. Still, if he needed X-rays, Li Ming figured he could take Himeko to get her examination done first.

After the examination, he watched a female doctor help the half-conscious Himeko out. "There's no major problem. She was frightened and fainted."

"It's good that there's nothing wrong."

After Himeko woke up, Li Ming had her sit in the lobby. Then, after finishing his own X-ray, he went to find that Mediterranean-haired doctor.

Once the doctor looked at the film in his hand, he examined it from left to right and then right to left. Li Ming felt that if the doctor kept staring any longer, he might appear in the next issue of "Great Discoveries of Humanity."

The doctor suddenly put down the film and coughed twice. "You were struck by a blunt object, correct?"

Li Ming nodded. "Yes, yes. Is there anything wrong with my kidney?"

"The bruising on the outside will be fine with some medicine. As for the kidney..."

The doctor suddenly hesitated again, picked up the film, and resumed studying it. Li Ming watched his eyebrows furrow and rise by turns, his heart skipping a beat. "Doctor?"

The doctor seemed to mutter something quietly, but Li Ming could not understand it. It sounded like a local dialect. Then the doctor suddenly raised his head, looked at Li Ming, and lifted an eyebrow. "Your kidney is fine. It's extremely healthy!"

"Really?" Li Ming looked suspicious. He had heard that some doctors told white lies and offered comforting words.

Could his kidney already be beyond saving? Oh, my kidney!

Li Ming immediately felt that his life had gone dark, but the doctor said, "Perhaps your physical condition is quite good, or perhaps the blow avoided your kidney. In any case, your kidney was not damaged at all."

"It's fine, then."

Li Ming finally let out a sigh of relief. This doctor's dramatic pauses had sent his emotions on a roller coaster.

After taking the prescription the doctor gave him and picking up the medicine, Li Ming looked at the still groggy Himeko. Left with no choice, he carried her back to the apartment again.

Fortunately, the hospital was not too far from the apartment, so it was manageable.

With the groggy Himeko on his back, he trudged unevenly toward the apartment.

The armor had blocked everything before, so he had not felt much. Now, Li Ming suddenly felt Himeko pressed against his back. Hmm, she probably still had room to grow.

When Li Ming carried Himeko downstairs, she suddenly spoke. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz; if Li Ming had not been so close, he would not have heard it. "Li Ming, what was that thing today?"

"It was probably some experimental product, or maybe one of the organizations around America. Don't people always talk about bioterrorism and stuff?" Li Ming still told a lie.

Himeko clearly did not know what Honkai was yet. In fact, most people knew nothing about Honkai. If it caused panic, would that not create a thousand artificial Quasi-Herrschers?

Gathering a thousand Quasi-Herrschers?

Other than places like Shenzhou, which had a certain foundation and appropriately conducted drills and public education, most other places kept the majority of knowledge and information in the hands of a small number of people.

Ordinary people generally understood Honkai as natural disasters, infectious diseases, and similar phenomena, but it was usually not called Honkai. Naturally, they knew even less about Honkai Beasts and the Dead.

Himeko had no way of judging whether Li Ming was telling the truth. Right now, she only felt as though her head had been struck by a one-ton hammer, her brain aching terribly. "Then... could we have been infected too?"

"Don't worry, we're definitely fine. Didn't we just get checked at the hospital?" Li Ming could confidently guarantee that. Before the incident erupted, he had noticed it and taken Himeko away from the Code??? Clone I's range early.

He himself might be corroded by Honkai Energy, but Himeko definitely would not be. Moreover, he had received the serum back in Shenzhou, and with the Discipline Aponia had imposed upon him, he did not need to worry about Honkai Energy corrosion for the time being.

Still, Wang Sheng had said that every branch had serum, yet after arriving in California, Li Ming had not seen anything resembling a branch. Instead, ZF took the lead while various departments were separately responsible, much like the situation in the future.

So were branches unique to Shenzhou?

While Li Ming was distracted, Himeko lowered her head and noticed faint reddish patterns on Li Ming's right wrist, though they quickly vanished again.

After taking Himeko back into her room, Li Ming prepared to slip away. It would not be good if Himeko saw the bag of medicine in his hand.