A faint gleam appeared in Lu Xiao's dead-fish eyes.
It had to be said that Dart's words had struck a chord with Lu Xiao.
The others had talked for ages without getting to the point.
He sprang to his feet.
"Sorry, I can't entertain you any longer! I have to go see my friend!"
After Lu Xiao left, Sly patted Liuguang on the shoulder.
"Bro! I've got to say, that speech of yours really got my blood pumping!"
"I hereby dub you the hot-blooded boy!"
Liuguang looked utterly exasperated.
Dart scratched the back of his head.
"I hope the Prison Doctor can guide him toward the right choice!"
Dart had no way of guessing what the Prison Doctor thought.
After all, they were different species. Only a weirdo like Lu Xiao could get along with the Prison Doctor.
"Lu! What brings you here?"
The Prison Doctor was examining an unlucky patient.
"Lu! Wait a moment. Let me examine this poor patient first!"
A man in a yellow vest lay on the operating table.
He was struggling, his face filled with terror.
As an expendable, his purpose was to provide data for the Containment Facility's researchers.
Or to serve as a sacrifice to fulfill some bizarre containment conditions.
"Let me go! I'm not sick! I'm perfectly healthy!"
The Prison Doctor's beak opened and closed, an extremely grating voice emerging from it.
"Patients always say they're not sick! You have to trust my diagnosis!"
"My friend! Believe me, you really are sick!"
As he spoke, the Prison Doctor flicked out a finger and lightly drew it across the expendable's chest.
At once, flesh and clothing alike split open.
Blood slowly seeped from the wound.
The Prison Doctor dabbed a finger in the expendable's blood, then brought it close to his beak and sniffed gently.
"My friend! I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?"
The expendable visibly froze at those words.
"The good news?"
The Prison Doctor nodded, then said,
"The good news is, you really are sick!"
At that, the expendable grew somewhat frantic.
"How is that good news?"
The Prison Doctor did not answer his question, but continued,
"The bad news is, your condition isn't serious. A tiny operation is all it will take to cure you!"
Hearing that, the expendable visibly sighed in relief.
That was the best news he had heard all day.
But Lu Xiao detected a hint of regret in the Prison Doctor's tone.
He moved up to the operating table as well.
"Prison Doctor, what illness does this poor patient have?"
The Prison Doctor said with some distress,
"He just has a bit of kidney deficiency!"
"Oh! Then that really isn't much of a problem!"
Lu Xiao also began to feel a little regretful.
Despite his regret, the Prison Doctor's medical ethics were beyond question.
He soon began operating on the patient.
First, he turned the patient over, then made an incision at his waist.
The Prison Doctor chatted with Lu Xiao as he operated.
"Lu! A minor illness like kidney deficiency can be fixed with a simple little operation!"
As he spoke, Lu Xiao listened with rapt interest.
He even forgot why he had come in the first place.
The expendable on the operating table let out a series of screams like a pig being slaughtered.
The Prison Doctor suddenly stopped.
"Lu! I think I forgot the anesthetic again!"
Hearing that, Lu Xiao felt a little awkward too.
He raised a hand and knocked the expendable unconscious before saying,
"Prison Doctor, where were we?"
The Prison Doctor nodded and resumed their earlier topic.
"A minor illness like kidney deficiency only takes a tiny operation to cure for good!"
Lu Xiao played the straight man.
"What sort of tiny operation?"
As they spoke, the Prison Doctor was already holding a reddish-brown lump.
Lu Xiao looked closely. It was unmistakably a kidney.
The Prison Doctor's shrill laughter rang out.
"Kidney removal surgery!"
At those words, understanding dawned on Lu Xiao.
"Prison Doctor, might his other kidney have the same deficiency problem?"
The Prison Doctor nodded with great satisfaction.
"Lu! You've already learned to apply what you've learned to other cases. If you choose to practice medicine, you'll definitely become a great doctor!"
The two began an academic discussion just like that.
Meanwhile, the poor patient with kidney deficiency had both kidneys removed by the Prison Doctor, without any anesthetic.
After stitching up the poor patient's wounds, Lu Xiao wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"A successful operation! The patient will never be troubled by kidney deficiency again!"
"I'm sure he'll thank you, Prison Doctor!"
The beak on the Prison Doctor's face kept opening and closing. He seemed somewhat excited.
"Lu! Won't you really consider studying medicine? I have a feeling that if you do, you'll soon surpass me!"
Lu Xiao shook his head in refusal.
"No, my friend! Actually, I came to see you because I'm feeling lost!"
Hearing that, the Prison Doctor fell silent for a moment.
"Tell me about it. Perhaps I might be able to help!"
Lu Xiao nodded.
"It's still the problem with my curse!"
"A magical mirror told me that if I want a way to resolve my curse, I need to sacrifice the entire present world in exchange!"
The Prison Doctor seemed unsurprised. He changed the subject and asked,
"Then, my friend, do you want to sacrifice the entire present world?"
Lu Xiao became lost once more.
"I don't know!"
The Prison Doctor reached out and rested his hand on top of Lu Xiao's head.
"Lu! You need to face what's in your heart!"
"Now, please tell me, are you willing to trade the entire present world for the answer you want?"
Lu Xiao instinctively shook his head.
The Prison Doctor sounded somewhat heartened.
"My friend! You've already made your choice, haven't you?"
Lu Xiao froze, then looked up at the Prison Doctor.
Before the three-meter-tall Prison Doctor, he was like a lost little child.
The Prison Doctor withdrew his hand.
"Lu! Deep down, you don't actually want to trade the present world for the answer you seek!"
"You aren't lost!"
"You're just a little afraid of the future!"
"That fear is making you feel lost!"
Hearing the Prison Doctor's words, Lu Xiao sank into thought.
Only after a long while did he speak.
"But I don't want to turn into a mass of rotten flesh with no thoughts, only instincts, either!"
"That disgusts me!"
There was a trace of disappointment in the Prison Doctor's shrill voice.
"My friend! Have you completely forgotten my medical advice?"
"That magical mirror is merely one shortcut to the answer you seek!"
"In the future, there may be more shortcuts like it!"
"But now you're agonizing over this shortcut, wasting what little time you have!"
At those words, Lu Xiao's whole body jolted.
Only then did he fully understand.
The Prison Doctor had told him to go to the present world to find a way to resolve his curse.
But after finding the Omniscient Mirror, Lu Xiao had subconsciously assumed that it was the solution he was looking for.
Everything suddenly became clear to him.
"I'm sorry, my friend! I failed to follow your medical advice!"
Before you continue