Chapter 123: Instructor's Reward

Walking along the underground river, Yi Chen’s thoughts remained on the recent events and the umbilical cord. Similar to the umbilical cord in the Church, this object seemed like an independent lifeform, which appeared to enjoy clinging to Yi Chen’s body, even considering him as its ‘owner’. Considering how this “Relic” was acquired, which might violate the Gentlemen’s and Zion’s rules, Yi Chen chose to conceal it and cleanly erase the events at the High Wall Base and the girl Lene from the current investigation. After all, Yi Chen was the only one who had come into contact with these matters. Since the “Black Umbilical Cord” preferred to reside in an organic environment, Yi Chen tried to lead the cord wrapped around his arm towards the opening in his chest, to keep it with the plant heart. The umbilical cord seemed to sense Yi Chen’s thoughts and slowly wriggled towards the heart. When it made contact with the plant heart, it detected that the heart was a temporary creation, not the original organ. The umbilical cord actually exuded a black liquid symbolizing rebirth from its end, reshaping the heart. Of course, this complete reconstruction, as opposed to merely repairing his left arm, was dozens, if not hundreds, of times more complex. “Relics are not only used for breakthroughs; they also possess inherent trait effects, similar to ‘accessories’. As long as one carries them, they can exert their corresponding passive effects. This ‘Black Umbilical Cord’ is essentially a physical cheat device; as long as it’s worn, any injuries can slowly heal under its effect. Moreover, it doesn’t require any nourishment for itself. According to records in books, these relics connected to the ancients can, through their special structure, internal engravings, and so on, establish a connection with the old world and directly acquire energy replenishment from there. No wonder Zion does not have openly priced relics; who wouldn’t want such things.” When the two returned to the surface, the flock of chickens was waiting here, Timid Little Pei did not take the opportunity to flee; it seemed to have decided to become Jin’s pet and led the flock to Zion for a pet test. With the withering and collapse of the high walls, the path out of the forest was no longer obstructed. Even outside the treeline, they unexpectedly encountered Mr. Willmer, the temporary person in charge from the “Black Eye Base,” who had come to check on the situation. He was first amazed that the two had truly ended the incident, even bringing back a group of controllable avian Pathological variants, however, when he learned that all team members had perished, his eyes immediately dimmed, and after forcing a smile to congratulate them, he returned to the base alone. In such a world, though death had become commonplace, the loss of former friends would still devastate and torture one’s spirit. The luxurious carriage arrived on schedule to pick up Jin and Yi Chen, with the chicken flock, apart from Little Pei, settled in the carriage’s lower compartment. ℟????NŐꞖΕṨ Lying on the soft bed, Yi Chen did not welcome the comfort he had expected, and he even had some difficulty falling asleep. Suddenly, the voice of Little Grape came through his consciousness: “In such a world, mediocrities will inevitably meet their death early. There’s nothing to care about. As long as we’re alive, that’s enough, enjoy the present. Look at Jin, that guy fell asleep as soon as he got on the carriage.” Indeed, Jin’s snoring could be heard from the adjacent bed, his left leg dangling off the bed, his right leg shifted to one side, and his tilted head continuously drooling from the corner of his mouth; such a sleeping posture indeed matched someone who had gone through a life and death ordeal and had exhausted all energy. Little Pei, on the other hand, was very obediently curled up on the ground, not moving an inch. “No, I’m not overly occupied with thoughts about death. The survival of the fittest, I’m quite clear about that. I’m just pondering the issue between humans and the Patients…” Little Grape seemed to grasp the meaning and cracked a strange smile in response: “What’s there to think about? Don’t you have your own set of criteria? Don’t mind the differences. You only need to use your own criteria to distinguish. I decided to adventure with you precisely because I saw this in you. If you really want to know the answer, wait until you reach a higher Rank, venture into deeper Pathological areas, or when you have discerned the true face of this world, then you’ll naturally know. Break through the ‘Limit of Man’ quickly, so that I can taste more delicious grapes.” As Little Grape spoke, strands of flesh-like threads continued to spill from its mouth as if it had gained some new ability. “Zion City Gate” Bringing back such a group of disease-afflicted animals necessitated a thorough check by the epidemiological staff stationed in the towers at the city gate for pathology, mental health, and potential dangers, among other inspections. After receiving a clearance report, the chickens would still be sent to the Hippocrates Hospital for deeper testing. It would take at least three days of processing to get the final test results. “Cesimani” Senior Instructor – Belli Herta still stood as before, her black stockings planted directly on the floor, cradling the newcomer’s finger she had recently collected, stroking it while listening to Yi Chen’s detailed overview of the entire incident. When she heard that the two of them had worked together to overturn the whole Church and prevent the birth of Open Source, Belli’s expression changed only slightly, and in a casual tone, she said, “The situation actually got this serious, we should have sent more people with you… If you two youngsters had died, the loss would have been too severe. I will report your verbal investigation results to the Gentleman Hall. The guys above will also contact you soon to inquire about the event details, and the corresponding rewards will be issued in a few days. To stop the birth of Open Source, the expansion of the Pathological forest, and to eradicate such a Church organization under the initial conditions of the Grey Zone, I believe they will not be stingy with the rewards. Be prepared to be commended, and then rest well these next few days.” Jin was already getting impatient, eager to return and process and refine the flesh inside her cloth bag. One hand tugging at Yi Chen’s arm, the other waving goodbye to the instructor. But Belli gestured with her hand, “William, stay for a moment, I have something to ask you alone, after all, this is the first time you’ve completed a mission we assigned here. Jin, you wait outside as usual.” A similar situation, a similar scene. When Jin left the office, the toes within the fishnet stockings clamped onto Yi Chen’s tie, and an irresistible force came into play. Snap! Half of Yi Chen’s body was dragged onto the desk. Belli pushed up her glasses, her eyes filled with interest in the young man. “I didn’t expect you to actually come back unharmed, and it seems you get along quite well with Jin… truly worthy of being the First Gentleman’s recipient. Moreover, your physique seems even firmer than before you left on the mission. Has your Physique reached Rank 4?” seaʀᴄh thё ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. “Yes… Oh, and by the way~ I brought back two gifts for you during the mission.” “Oh?” Belli’s interest piqued, she temporarily let go of the tie between her feet, allowing Yi Chen to fetch his suitcase. Two distinct fingers were gently placed by Yi Chen on the desk, one thick and covered with a hard rock layer, emanating the color of steel, the other wrinkled and more akin to a chicken claw than a finger. Following this, Belli swiftly smashed the Village Chief’s finger to pieces, showing no interest in the thick finger with its aesthetic-less rock structure, then delicately picked up the old hen’s finger and brought it to her face, a soft and flexible tongue extended out and lightly licked the surface of the finger, engaging in a Deep Feeling through the sensation on her taste buds. “A fine flavor! It’s been a long time since I’ve encountered a finger of avian hybrid, and this one’s mixed with a heavy scent of Revenge, truly a fine item, I’ll accept it. So tell me, how would you like me to Reward you? This is Cesimani, we can set aside some of the surface-level gentlemen’s Rules for now, speak your true Thought.” Belli reclined in her office chair, one hand propping up her cheek and the other pinching the old hen’s finger. Her feet propped up on the table, conveying hidden meanings to Yi Chen with the curling of her toes. Yi Chen gazed steadily at those impeccably structured toes through the black fishnets, and the perfect junction between the foot and the calf, as he spoke firmly, “Please teach me some movement techniques, Instructor Belli…” “Ah~ that’s it?”