A Gift (Thanks to Rain Immortal Qitian, the Alliance Leader)

Opening his eyes, he did not see an unfamiliar ceiling.

Instead, he saw the snot-nosed, grinning face of the Lu family's youngest, who bared his teeth and shouted back, "Mom, Second Brother is awake! He's awake!"

The scent of familiar disinfectant drifted through the air, and the hallway was filled with a bustling clamor.

Ji Jue looked around in a daze, realizing he was in a hospital room. On the nightstand right beside him, the Old Third was still tearfully finishing his homework, too busy to cry.

Only then did he see Lu Ma's anxious face; she looked as if she had stayed up all night, having not rested at all.

Ji Jue tried to recall how he had been brought here, only to find his head throbbing with waves of pain. It wasn't just the lack of Spiritual Substance; more importantly, it was from the drinking.

God knows how much he had actually drunk last night.

Recalling that wild night now, it felt like a hazy, distant memory from another life. The only thing he remembered was someone on the drinking table patting his shoulder while he was vomiting his guts out, laughing until they were doubled over:

"This Ji Ji is just too weak."

"Come on, let's go another round. Big Sister will teach you how to be a man~"

"You're still breathing, it's fine. If you're not dead, you can still drink. Come on, show us what you've got!"

Coming back to his senses, Ji Jue couldn't help but feel sluggish.

So, the criminals hadn't managed to kill him, but the people from the Security Bureau had sent him to the hospital instead?

Is there any justice left? Is there any law?!

"Ji Jue, tell me the truth."

Lu Ma's expression was grim. She tugged on his ear and asked coldly, "What were you doing last night? I'm telling you, think clearly before you speak. Little Dog has already confessed everything."

"Ah?!"

Ji Jue was dumbfounded. He looked at Lu Feng, who was standing behind Lu Ma with a bruised face covered in iodine, and tried to play dumb. "Uh, well, it seems I drank a bit too much, and later I... hiss, Lu Ma, I was wrong! I was wrong! Easy, take it easy!"

"You still dare to lie!!!"

Lu Ma let out a lion's roar, deafening him, and slapped the back of his head. "Officer Wen told me everything! That bastard Little Dog, taking you out to drink and getting into a fight!!

If it weren't for the fact that it still counted as a righteous act, I'd be at the police station today, kowtowing to people and begging them to write a letter of leniency! And you're still covering for him!"

"Ah? Oh, oh! That seems to be the case!"

Seeing Lu Feng winking at him, Ji Jue couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. I thought you knew that Feng Ge went on a killing spree in that nightclub last night and wiped out the entire criminal organization.

"Right, right, it was all Feng Ge's doing!"

Tears and snot streaming down his face, he started shifting the blame. "I'm innocent, Lu Ma! You can't blame me!"

Lu Feng had killed everyone, and Lu Feng—that dog—had collected all the heads. At most, he had helped wipe the surveillance footage and stepped on the gas pedal for the truck. Besides, the snake they had killed didn't even look like an endangered species.

Rounding it up, that meant it had nothing to do with him!

Lu Ma was soft-hearted after all, especially toward her "good child" Ji Jue. The rolling pin, mop handle, and broom she usually used to deal with "Little Dog" couldn't be brought out. Even the two slaps to the back of his head were mostly aimed at the base of his neck, lacking any real force. One couldn't even tell she was the same woman who could crush a Vessel with her bare hands.

Seeing that Ji Jue knew he was wrong and promised never to do it again, her attitude softened significantly. After a harsh scolding, she said slowly, "The doctor said that with your condition, you need to stay in the hospital for observation for a few more days. You stay here obediently for these few days and don't go anywhere, you hear me?"

"Ah?" Ji Jue was stunned. "I'm already fine. Look, I'm fit as a fiddle. Wait, Lu Ma, wait a second."

No amount of protest was useful. There is a type of illness in this world called "your mother thinks you're sick," and Lu Ma was a mother—when she got tough, she was even scarier than a mother. She didn't let Ji Jue pay a single cent for the hospital fees or check-ups. Not only that, she was going home to kill a chicken and boil it to help Ji Jue recover. As for "Little Dog," who was drooling nearby... the unfilial son only got chicken bones!

"Quite lively in here."

A tall figure leaned against the doorway, tapping her fingers on the hospital room door. She looked in with a half-smile. Seeing that familiar leather jacket and riding gear, Ji Jue felt his scalp tingle once again.

Wen Wen!

"Excuse me, sorry to bother you," she said with a smile. "I'm here to take a follow-up statement. It won't take long."

Lu Ma grabbed her hands and showered her with thanks. Once everyone else had left, Wen Wen slowly pulled over a chair, sat down with her legs crossed, and pulled a can of beer out like a magic trick.

"Want to sober up?"

Seeing Ji Jue's face turn pale as if he were about to vomit, she shook her head helplessly, cracked it open, and finished half the bottle herself. She let out a burp and sighed, "Little Ji, your alcohol tolerance isn't great. You really need to practice."

I do need to practice, otherwise, who could compare to a booze-vat spirit like you!

Ji Jue grumbled inwardly. Reading the room, he tentatively greeted her, "Wen... Supervisor?"

"Why so formal? It's not convenient to disclose Security Bureau titles in public. Just call me Wen Jie; there aren't that many rules."

Wen Wen leaned back in her chair and waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry, I know what you young people are worried about. The scene report and investigation are already out. It has nothing to do with you two. The Security Bureau has handled it all. You two brothers can just pretend nothing happened and live your lives in peace."

"Oh, thank you so much!"

Ji Jue was overjoyed upon hearing this. He wanted to crawl out of bed and kowtow to the big sister. She was broad-minded and surely wouldn't care about his little bit of inner grumbling just now.

However...

After hesitating for a long time, he couldn't help but ask, "That... I mean, those people... what exactly was going on with them? Were they vampires or..."

"Blood Thirst Syndrome. In the hospital—well, in the classification of a certain hospital—it's a plague virus with a social threat level of 109. Hmm, if I told you about the Supreme Goodness Nine Calamities right now, your brain would definitely get scrambled. Just think of it as a zombie-vampire infectious disease."

Wen Wen said calmly, "Someone is secretly spreading this virus in Yacheng to stir up trouble. The people who attacked you were basically all infected by it.

Most of them go to see a doctor once they get sick, some hide out of fear, and others... think this is a gift from the heavens, even wanting to use it to achieve something. You've seen the results. They degenerate into Beasts, ugly and unaware of it. While alive, they are puppets for others, and after death, they don't even have a whole corpse left, becoming nothing more than sacrifices."

Ji Jue swallowed hard, his entire body breaking out in goosebumps.

Setting aside the question of why such a hellish thing was only ranked 109th—and whether there were 108 even more terrifying monstrosities ahead of it—the mere fact that the Blood Thirst disease had been artificially spread in Yacheng was enough to make him feel like his pants were on fire, desperate to urge Lu Ma and the others to pack up and run.

"Rest easy. Just stay in the hospital, wait to be discharged, and go back to school or work when the time comes. Just live your life as you normally would."

Wen Wen grinned, a sharp, breezy smile on her face. "Although I can't disclose the progress of the investigation, those bastards from the Dragon Offering Society won't be hiding for long. Just give it a few days; once I've ground that scum into dust, everything will be fine."

At this, her smile turned meaningful. "Of course, if you're worried and want to get involved yourself, I wouldn't mind."

"No, no, no! I'm a total, absolute waste of space! I don't have the strength to truss a chicken; if I joined in, I'd just be a drain on the Security Bureau's resources. I won't trouble you," Ji Jue said, shaking his head frantically like a bobblehead.

"Is that so? What a pity."

Though she said it was a pity, Wen Wen didn't seem to care at all. She didn't even press him about the abilities or the strange occurrences he had displayed the previous night, simply patting him on the shoulder.

"Since you're sick, get some good rest... Oh, right. Take this. Consider it a souvenir."

As she spoke, she pulled a sealed bag from her pocket and tossed it casually onto the head of Ji Jue's bed. It landed with a crisp clack, making Ji Jue's eyelids twitch.

He glanced at it, stunned. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, but no matter how he stared, the object inside the transparent bag appeared to be a woman's wristwatch.

And it seemed, perhaps, likely, maybe... to be the exact "Red Wing" model that Zhu Hong had been wearing on her wrist last night.

Five point one million?!

The moment that transaction figure appeared in his mind, Ji Jue felt as if he'd been electrocuted, his ears buzzing. "Is... is this... appropriate?"

He stared blankly at Wen Wen, beginning to wonder if this woman was lusting after his looks, or if his own brain had finally snapped.

But this was five point one million...

That was so much money!

It was enough for a hundred Ji Jues to grow up from orphans; enough for seven Ji Jues to pay off their Tianmen University student loans in one go; enough for one Ji Jue to sell it and buy a large, sea-view apartment in the city, or a Cosmos Mustang he used to only be able to polish. No, forget the car—with this money, he could buy a storefront to rent out and become a noble member of the city's upper class.

So... was it too late to kowtow, offer his life in service, and become a beast of burden for her?

He fell silent, his eyes feeling glued to the watch. For a long time, he just wanted to slap himself twice. He looked away and waved his hand. "I can't take this. Really."

Please, just take it away before I actually change my mind.

Stop talking.

Wen Wen didn't seem surprised or bothered by his refusal.

This was something the police had "offered up" as a tribute after clearing the scene, following "custom." Of course, it wasn't the only thing; they had even kicked in quite a bit extra, hoping she would show mercy and not implicate too many people.

She didn't know what kind of murderous maniac the rumors outside had painted her as, but she had no intention of letting any of the chickens that needed to be slaughtered go. As for the monkeys who hadn't gotten involved in this mess, if they could learn to be obedient, she naturally wouldn't go out of her way to wipe out their entire families.

Don't touch what you shouldn't touch—if they could learn that lesson, all the better.

"Relax. If you don't take it, those pieces of trash will just sell it for money anyway. It's better if it goes to you. Consider it... compensation for the victims. Besides, didn't you fight bravely against the forces of evil?"

Wen Wen patted his shoulder, her smile strange. "Especially that famous line of yours—it was truly deafening. My colleagues heard about it and were quite impressed."

"Stop, I beg you, please stop."

Ji Jue just wanted to bury his head in his hands and dig a hole in the bed to crawl into, preferably all the way to the Earth's core. He cried out in despair, "I was possessed! That wasn't me, really! I'm not usually that chuunibyou!"

"Whether you're chuunibyou or not doesn't matter, but I really liked that line."

Wen Wen's expression turned serious. "Ji Jue—in this day and age, it is incredibly rare to awaken independently without the help of a Secret Rite and be chosen by the heavens. There are very few like you."

"But aside from you, I have seen too many Chosen Ones who think they are above everything."

"Some start out high-spirited, feeling omnipotent once they gain power, only to become radicalized after suffering setbacks. In the end, they spout nonsense about having no choice, about doing it for the sake of others and the future, and then walk down a dark, dead-end path."

"Others start by sprinting toward that dead end from the very beginning. They live well themselves, but won't let others live."

"In the end, they only harm themselves and others, leaving behind endless disaster..."

Wen Wen told him, enunciating every word: "So, they all died."

"..."

Ji Jue wanted to ask more, but looking at her expression, which was calm to the point of indifference, it seemed as if many of his questions already had their answers.

There was no need to ask.

"Don't forget what you said, Ji Jue. And don't use your abilities to do evil."

Wen Wen raised her hand, shaking that delicate-looking fist at him, and told him: "Don't end up like them."

In the silence, Ji Jue looked at her fair palm, her slender fingers, and that "little fist" which seemed to have no lethality whatsoever, and swallowed dryly.

He nodded frantically, as obedient as a chick.

"Very good. Then my trip wasn't in vain."

Wen Wen pushed back her chair and waved goodbye. "See you, student Ji Jue. I hope you become someone who can truly make a difference."

Ji Jue instinctively wanted to get up to see her off, but upon hearing her final words, he froze in place. He nodded earnestly and told her: "I will."

And so, Wen Wen smiled.

She turned and left.

For a moment, in the empty hospital room, only Ji Jue remained, accompanied by the ticking sound coming from the table.

Inside the sealed bag, the gift—already cleaned and tidied by a specialist—continued to tick away at a steady, unhurried pace, its hands moving as usual.

It waited for the mercy and care of a new master.

Yet, as Ji Jue held it in his hand, amidst his joy, he couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

Over five million! Five million!

He had never seen that much money in his entire life. Now, as long as he tucked it into his pocket and took a trip to the Black market, he could have anything... well, that was impossible. Without a purchase record or the original packaging, he would definitely be fleeced by middlemen, and getting even one-third of its value would be a stroke of luck.

If things went south, he might not even get to taste the meat before being targeted by thieves, leading to endless trouble.

He couldn't very well keep it and wear it himself, could he?

Wait, he already had one. If he wore another, would Cousin get jealous? Besides, a poor person like him would just be seen as wearing a knockoff; no one would take it seriously.

Wait... perhaps this wasn't such a bad idea?

Subconsciously, he looked towards the door, in the direction from which heavy footsteps were approaching.

A burly, sturdy woman was walking toward the Hospital room, carrying a full thermos in one hand and a large bag of snacks and supplements in the other.

Even though she still had a bandage on her head, she wore a constant smile, as if no hardship could ever bring her down.

"Lu Ma?"

Ji Jue smiled as well, raising his hand: "Feng Ge and I saved up to buy a little gift for you... Oh, it's not worth much. Look, it's all flashy and gaudy, very cheap. Just wear it, go on, try it out."

"Oh? Finally learned how to butter me up?"

Lu Ma set the Things down and gave Ji Jue's cheek a playful pinch before picking it up casually. "Don't think that acting cute gets you off the hook; you still need to stay in the hospital... Stop wasting money on these things."

She kept grumbling, but as she held it up to her wrist to measure it, she couldn't help but beam with joy.

After fastening it to the slenderest part of her sturdy wrist and moving it around a bit, she felt that such an exquisite item didn't quite suit her: "Do you think it fits?"

"Of course it fits."

Ji Jue leaned In Bed, watching her smiling face and her look of happiness.

"It fits better than anyone else."