Chapter 28: Medicine (Repair)

Even the twisted expression on Luo Jinyou's face from pain gradually eased, although he remained unconscious, the bluish-black aura between his brows had already dissipated, replaced by an eerie tranquility.

Everything happened too fast, too contrary to common sense, so much that Qi Hengyu's hand, reaching out to grab Ying Duo, froze midair, and Shen Zexi's rapidly thinking brain briefly stalled.

The alley fell into an eerie silence, save for the lingering stench nearby and the two men's slightly hurried breathing.

Qi Hengyu's outstretched hand still hung in midair, the shock and anger on his face not yet faded, when a vast bewilderment overwhelmed him.

Shen Zexi's gaze locked tightly onto Luo Jinyou, as if trying to confirm whether the scene before him, which defied all his medical knowledge, was merely an illusion.

This, this...... is it fixed?

In just over ten seconds, a person on the brink of mutation out of control, life hanging by a thread, had stabilized just like that?

How is that possible? Is there really a drug capable of this?

Qi Hengyu's Adam's apple rolled once, but he could only manage a dry, hoarse sound; he slowly withdrew his hand, sizing up Ying Duo as if meeting him for the first time, his tone full of disbelief.

"You brat...... what did you just feed him?"

Shen Zexi also finally came to his senses after the extreme shock; he forced himself to calm down and immediately checked Luo Jinyou's condition—his breathing was steady and smooth, his pulse though slightly weaker than average, was stable and strong.

The heat on his skin had also receded, those curse‑like dark red markings vanished without a trace, as if they had never appeared.

Apart from being unconscious and still somewhat pale, Luo Jinyou's condition was practically more stable than many healthy people.

This drug's effect can no longer be described as "instantaneous"; it is simply......

A miracle.

At the very least, it is a miracle far surpassing the medical technology currently disclosed by Mitra Academy, and even by Dome Corporation.

Shen Zexi lifted his head, his gaze complex as he looked at Ying Duo.

Ying Duo's whole person was like a massive phosphorescent‑green meme, constantly challenging his cognition, and his thoughts were quite jumpy.

Does Ying Duo really have a problem with his brain, or is it merely the eccentricity of a genius?

He tried to read something from those golden eyes.

Conspiracy? Goodwill?

But he saw nothing there—only a deep, bottomless void.

"Ying Duo," Shen Zexi said, his voice much softer than before, "where did this medicine come from? Do you know its exact composition?"

He had never seen a drug with such potency, not even during his time at Dome.

Could it be that some institution has already produced a drug ahead of Dome?

Ying Duo was oblivious to the two of them looking at him as if he were an alien; his focus was more on the virtual status bar above Luo Jinyou's head.

【Mutation Value: 25/100 (Stabilized)】

【Current Status: Weak, Unconscious (Natural Recovery)】

Hearing Shen Zexi's question, he simply repeated his previous answer in a flat tone.

"A medicine to lower mutation value."

Isn't that basically nonsense?

His answer obviously failed to satisfy Shen Zexi and Qi Hengyu's curiosity.

Qi Hengyu couldn't help but lean in, lowering his voice to speak to Shen Zexi.

"I say...... his medicine's effect is too eerie! Could it be some kind of contraband?"

Shen Zexi shook his head, his gaze still not leaving Ying Duo.

"No, contraband drugs usually come with violent energy fluctuations or side effects, but this medicine takes effect gently, more like a mature targeted medical product."

Even if there really were side effects, they could stay to observe the situation under the pretense of worrying about a classmate.

"No matter what this medicine actually is," Shen Zexi quickly decided, "it did indeed save Ying Duo's roommate, though the cause of this person's coma remains unclear for now, so we still need professionals to examine them."

He had Qi Hengyu and Ying Duo stay here, even resorting to using Aberrant Arts to sprint to the nearest phone booth, reporting the location and situation to the academy infirmary.

He merely deliberately blurred the details of mutation reversal, only emphasizing that he had found an unconscious freshman, hoping someone would come quickly to take the person away for examination.

Shen Zexi soon returned, informed the two of the progress, and the alley fell silent again.

Qi Hengyu plopped down on the clean gravel beside them, ruffled his hair, gazed at the sleeping Luo Jinyou on the ground, then at Ying Duo standing there like a wooden post, his feelings becoming extremely complex.

He had originally thought of Ying Duo only as a "freak" and a "trouble," but now this freak had solved a major problem in a way he could not comprehend at all.

"Hey," Qi Hengyu finally couldn't hold back speaking to Ying Duo, his tone awkward, but his hostility greatly reduced.

"This time...... I'll give you credit for having skill, but next time before you do anything, give me a heads‑up, okay?"

No sooner had Qi Hengyu's words fallen than a strange sound from the other side cut off all further conversation.

That sound was like heavy military boots stepping on gravel, a oppressive "click‑clack".

The footsteps were not just one; it seemed to be a neat, uniform squad, clearly targeting their position to flank them.

"When did the infirmary become this efficient? Or is it the academy's security patrol?"

Qi Hengyu instinctively muttered, a flash of confusion crossing his face, yet he still instinctively waved his hand toward the source of the sound and shouted:

"Hey! We need help......"

His voice cut off abruptly, and his arm froze in midair.

Because that squad had already slipped in like ghosts, silent, fully exposed in the dappled light filtering through the gaps in the foliage.

They stepped forward, their upright figures etched into the eyes of Shen Zexi and Qi Hengyu.

They were not the white‑clad angels they desperately needed, nor reliable academy security.

It was a squad of about eight, all dressed in crisp dark‑silver uniforms of special material that gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen in the dim light.

Gold trim adorned the cuffs, collar, and hem, symbolizing sanctity and authority.

On their chests and arms they wore the most conspicuous badge—an abstract golden triangle eye that seemed to see all, beneath it a scale representing absolute justice.

This is the Church's insignia.

But what made Shen Zexi's heart gradually sink was the even more unsettling emblem on their left arms.

A long sword tightly entwined with thorny brambles, its tip dripping with flames symbolizing purification.

This symbol often appears in horror stories circulating on the ground, representing the Church's sharpest and most merciless blade——

【Heresy Tribunal】。