Body Examination

After returning to his office, Teacher Zed relaxed as casually as if he were back home. The movements of his body grew broad, even exaggerated, as though he were deliberately displaying himself in front of the monitor.

He also enthusiastically introduced his "home."

"The corpse storage room and medicine warehouse are off-limits because there are dangerous things inside. The academy regulations state that only I can handle them.

In addition, you must obtain my permission before going to my room or laboratory.

You may move freely through all other areas."

Zed led Yi Chen to an empty room.

"This room is temporarily unused. Sometimes there are too many corpse materials to fit over there, so the excess gets temporarily piled up here.

If special training runs too late, you can stay here directly."

"Al... all right."

Staring at the pitch-black, cramped temporary corpse-storage room before him, Yi Chen nodded awkwardly.

Just then,

a pair of steady, powerful, yet cold and eerie palms settled onto Yi Chen's shoulders.

"Professor Chamberson is one of the few people in this academy who treats me well.

It was precisely because he cast that 'against' vote back then that I received the school's protection and wasn't dragged away to face Zion's judgment.

So,

since this is his request, I'll treat it as my 'main occupation' and do everything I can to develop and improve your body.

You performed exceptionally well when the course began, but you didn't display any special physical traits.

Therefore, before I create a special training program tailored to you, I have to 'study' your bodily structure in depth... Come along. I'm already almost too eager to wait."

Slap!

A glob of saliva landed on Yi Chen's shoulder.

Zed looked extremely excited at that moment.

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down,

while saliva continued to seep from the corners of his mouth.

Although he had expected something bad to happen, Yi Chen still followed Teacher Zed to his laboratory... More precisely, it should have been called a Human Body Laboratory.

All the living corpses previously used for teaching had been processed here.

The tungsten lamp buzzed,

while several candles had also been lit to add more light.

An operating table that had not yet been cleaned, with stains still clinging to it, stood in the center.

Several "rotting eyeballs" that had been removed lay scattered across the floor. Even Little Grape showed no interest in them.

"Today's class was a little rushed, and I didn't have time to clean up yet. Don't mind it, okay?"

"All right... I guess."

Zed used a large rag to barely wipe away the mucus on the operating table. Then he made a fairly gentlemanly "after you" gesture. "If there's no problem, hurry up and lie down."

"Okay."

Yi Chen had known of Zed's danger for a long time. Looking at the operating table before him, he could practically guess what "studying in depth" meant.

Phew... Take a deep breath.

At the same time, he glanced at the laboratory's surveillance camera, confirming that the eyeball in the corner was watching this place.

He stored all his clothes in his backpack,

then lay flat on the operating table like a corpse.

Click!

Hidden restraints instantly sprang out, locking down his limbs, neck, forehead, waist, and abdomen.

However,

there was not the slightest trace of panic in Yi Chen's eyes. He simply breathed as deeply as possible, regulating the changes in his heart rate.

"You didn't struggle at all. You really are different from the others! The students whose bodies I examined before would always struggle for a while before settling down.

That's more like it~ Only by understanding my methods can we explore the secrets of the human body together.

Next, I'll 'open' your body,

observe and record its internal details for the subsequent 'physical analysis.'

Throughout this process, you'll experience intense, continuous pain.

You absolutely must not resist it. Otherwise, you'll lose consciousness midway, and if you're unlucky, you might even die.

Pain is an important gift bestowed upon higher life-forms by heaven. It is one of the brain's most important evolutionary products. You must learn to understand it, control it, and even fall in love with 'her.'

Once you adapt, she'll become addictive—a beauty you can never forget and can never bring yourself to leave.

Let's begin."

In the time that followed,

the candlelight inside the operating room flickered along with the rise and fall of the screams.

Those "screams of agony" that struggled up from deep within Yi Chen's throat sounded like pleasant musical notes to Zed. They even made him dance gracefully during the operation.

Whenever Yi Chen's body was about to reach its limit,

Teacher Zed would cut open his own body and inject vitality through a "Vascular Connection," sustaining Yi Chen's life... This in-depth examination continued for a full six hours.

Even Ms. Oressa, who was responsible for the Teaching Building's security from the other side of the surveillance system, slightly furrowed her brows and repeatedly considered intervening.

She even began to suspect that Chamberson held a private grudge against this student.

Yi Chen's consciousness did not last until the end of the operation. He reached his limit halfway through and fell into a deep coma.

In his confusion,

he once again saw the black sea. He felt the waves carrying his body before finally sending him ashore.

Buzz! A streak of black swept across his eyeball.

He awoke.

At that moment, he was lying in that cramped, pitch-black empty room—or rather, he had been thrown in there like a corpse.

The backpack containing his Gentleman's Attire had been placed beside him.

The first thing Yi Chen did after waking was examine his body from head to toe, checking whether anything was missing.

The results showed that everything was normal.

There were hardly even any signs of sutures.

The only difference was that thick black lines had been drawn across the surface of his body, just like those on Teacher Zed or the other living corpses. They represented the body's structure, along with certain measurements and proportions.

He had just put his clothes back on

when Teacher Zed pushed open the door and entered.

He was still wearing only a black overcoat, with the buttons undone, his bare feet planted on the floor.

He carried a large basin of food, mostly vegetables, in one hand and a stack of data sheets in the other.

"Hurry up and eat more.

These are 'supplements' those fellows upstairs sent over according to your tastes. They'll help you recover quickly... I know adapting to pain is a fairly lengthy process. We can take it slowly.

Also,

your performance satisfied me immensely.

During the physical examination, you endured for a full four hours and fifty-six minutes. Compared with the New Gentlemen I've taken in before, you did far better.

Most of them lost consciousness before they could last half an hour.

By the way, did you experience similar, prolonged pain stimulation in the past?"

"Mm... I suppose I did when I was little."

Another fragment of sealed memory seeped out slightly before Yi Chen quickly suppressed it again.

"No wonder your adaptability is so good. It turns out you already had a certain foundation.

Through this in-depth examination, I've already determined your physical foundation, potential, direction of development... as well as the best way for you to touch the 'Limit Membrane' through your body.

Overall,

your body is excellent, and it suits my style very well.

If I get the chance, I must thank Professor Chamberson in person for introducing such an excellent student to me."

While swallowing his food, Yi Chen quickly flipped through the data sheets from his physical examination.

The report was detailed—so detailed that it could even be called "exquisite."

The data for every blood vessel and every bone had been recorded, and all kinds of analyses were remarkably thorough.

Although this Teacher Zed really is... a freak,

if I can fully adapt to this, I'll definitely be able to gain something useful here and completely develop the potential of my body.