Chapter 3236

Bai Ze tightly hugged Yiqi, feeling the person in his arms curled up, breathing intermittently, his nose touching Bai Ze's neck, the exhaled air damp and hot.

Yiqi stayed calm in his embrace for a moment, then suddenly, in a dazed way, said, "Moreover… your life is the one I saved back, why must you die before me again?"

Bai Ze's pupils contracted sharply, "... What?"

Bai Ze stared blankly at him, as if struck by lightning, "You... saved me?"

Qi Yi lowered his head, curled in his embrace, weary and uneasy, not wanting to open his eyes to face.

Many images flashed through Bai Ze's mind, finally freezing on that night in District Thirteen.

He had planned to say goodbye to Qi Yi, but when parting he suddenly met with an accident; his memories after that became blurred until he woke up in the Didu sanatorium.

From the moment that door closed until he returned to Didu, that period remained shrouded in a hazy fog in his memory.

Later he always thought it was a sequel of his injury, never pondering how he got back to Didu, because after waking he received a caring email from the Dean, leading him to assume that even if he disagreed with the Dean's philosophy, and even if he planned to quit the Mammon Institute after taking this task, the Dean still provided medical treatment.

That was a long time ago.

Now hearing Qi Yi's words, all his assumptions collapsed in an instant.

Qi Yi lowered his head, forcing himself not to recall, but those memories weren't something he could dismiss just by saying he didn't want to; as soon as he closed his eyes, the blood, Bai Ze's pale face, his unmoving chest surged into his mind.

Qi Yi could only keep his eyes open, feeling Bai Ze's beating heart with his palm, before he could barely speak.

"I don't know if those people are your enemies..."

"There were too many of them; I couldn't protect you. By the time I found help, you were already covered in blood, lying in my arms, with no heartbeat."

"If I lower my head, I can see your bones... several broken, sticking out."

His fingers lifted, lightly pressing on Bai Ze's heart spot, palm against his sternum. "I can't feel a heartbeat, no matter how I try."

"I'm in so much pain I can't breathe; I don't know what to do. The doctor told me to give up on you, saying you can't be saved, but..."

A drop of Tears fell unexpectedly onto Bai Ze's hand back, scalding badly.

Qi Yi choked out the rest with his chin tucked: "But... I haven't yet returned to Didu with you; I only just started liking you. How... how can I accept you dying in my arms?"

With each word Qi Yi spoke, Bai Ze's heart sank a little more.

He listened, chilled to the bone, a sharp sourness rising in his throat, his nasal passages clogged painfully; he tried desperately to recall that memory, but his mind remained a murky fog, grasping nothing.

That year Qi Yi was only eighteen... he was just a newly adult child.

A wandering teenager in District Thirteen, covered in scars, unable to speak English well, holding someone who had no heartbeat, at the edge of the war zone—how desperate must he have been?

"Xiao Qi..." Bai Ze's voice hoarse beyond ability. He tightened his arms, pressing Qi Yi into his embrace with force as if trying to knead him into his own body.

Qi Yi yielded to Bai Ze's pressure, burying his face in the crook of his neck; warm Tears streamed down Bai Ze's neck, his breathing hot and ragged, interspersed with sporadic, ugly sobs.

After a long while he lifted his head, tear tracks still on his face, yet gave him a faint smile, eyes wet as he gazed at Bai Ze, his look tender.

"Good thing, I still have the X potion." Qi Yi's voice still trembled with crying, but he tried to sound light: "If you want to return to Didu, I'll bring you back. After you wake, you'll remember nothing, and I think... it's fortunate."

As Qi Yi spoke, his emotions surged again; he suddenly flung his arms tight around Bai Ze, holding him so fiercely as if fearing Bai Ze might vanish at any moment.

He suddenly became incoherent: "But I don't know... I really don't know that Selina killed your parents, brother, you need the X potion, I've already given it to you, I want nothing else, can you... can you..."

Before he could finish, his whole body began to gasp violently, unable to draw in or let out breath.

Qi Yi's face flushed red instantly, his fingers gripping Bai Ze's collar turning white, his throat emitting tiny sounds.

Bai Ze panicked, cupping Qi Yi's face, his palm pressing against his back in a steady rhythm: "Breathe, Xiao Qi... good, follow my breath."

He lowered his gaze to Qi Yi's tear-streaked face, lips twitching, voice trembling: "I'll listen to you..."

Qi Yi looked at him, Tears about to fall again.

Just then, a potion dart flew silently in through the window, embedding itself in Bai Ze's nape.

Bai Ze's body went limp, collapsing into Qi Yi's arms.

Qi Yi held the suddenly fainted Bai Ze, his face still streaked with wet tears, and jerked his head up toward the window.

"Yeah! Direct hit!"

Jin Chen hung one hand on the window frame, at ten stories high; the wind outside rushed in, flapping his shirt tails, while his other hand rose to wave at him.

Qi Yi was so frightened his heart almost leapt out his mouth: "Big brother! This is the tenth floor!"

Jin Chen long-legged stepped through the window; while Qi Yi's attention was wholly on Jin Chen, Chenshu silently walked up behind him, raised a hand, and plunged a needle into his nape.

Qi Yi's body stiffened for a moment, his pupils slowly losing focus, then he slumped limp, falling straight into Jin Chen's outstretched arms.

Jin Chen lowered his head to glance at the tear‑still‑wet little misfit in his arms, leaned forward, and ruffled his hair: "What a mess you've made of yourself crying."

Chenshu helped Bai Ze to his feet, laying him over his shoulder: "Proceed as planned. However... I need you to buy something from the spatial mall."

Jin Chen: "Understood."

He leaned in, quickly brushing a kiss on Chenshu's lip corner: "GoodbyeKiss. Remember to come back soon."

Outside the window, the helicopter had already hovered into position; the gangway lowered from the cabin door, swaying gently as it hung by the window.

Through the cabin door, one could vaguely see inside sat a red‑haired person with curls, arms crossed, face full of unwilling resentment; Chenshu assisted Bai Ze onto the gangway.

Jin Chen watched the helicopter rise, then turned, hoisted the still‑slumped Qi Yi, half‑dragging him onto the sofa.

Qi Yi remained unconscious, brows furrowed, tear traces lingering at the corners of his eyes.

"Tsk... little egg, so gloomy." Jin Chen stood arms crossed before the sofa, stared at him a while, shook his head, went to the bathroom for a wet towel, crouched, and gently wiped Qi Yi's tear‑streaked face.

Next morning, Chenshu brought Bai Ze down to District Nine; at the same time, Jin Chen was also preparing to take Qi Yi back to Didu, and had released word that the X potion on Qi Yi had been seized by the Mammon Institute, and that the X potion about to be auctioned today at the venue was also eyed by the Mammon Institute.

For years, District Four's underground auctions have forbidden anyone to seize items during the sale; no matter which district's faction you belong to, if you break the rules on Four's turf, you are opposing the whole of District Four.

Here, the Qibuman party had just awakened and were about to leave the hotel when a crowd suddenly poured into the hallway, blocking their suite entrance completely.

"The Mammon Institute's people aren't shy—they dare to act even in District Four's territory?"

"Hand over what you snatched last night, or else nobody leaves today."

Qibuman: "?"

——

Next morning.

Nine districts, Ma Men Institute.

Bai Ze woke up in an unfamiliar room, looked around, and saw a pair of black demon wings painted in the corner, the lines Distorted and sharp.

Bai Ze stared at that symbol for two seconds, his memory instantly flooded back, he sat up abruptly, vigilantly scanning the room; the walls bore the Ma Men demon symbol, this place is…… the interior of Ma Men Institute.

Why is he in Ma Men Institute?

Bai Ze suppressed the surging doubts in his heart, his hand felt something odd on his right ear; as soon as he touched the earpiece, Chenshu's voice came out: "This is Ma Men Institute."

If I'm not mistaken, this is also a territory you have never set foot in; the elevator is left turn in the corridor, I'm waiting for you on the top floor.

Bai Ze listened to Chenshu's tone, his heart slightly relaxed, an inexplicable sense of trust rose again.

He adjusted the position of his earpiece, didn't ask further, pushed the door open and walked out.

The corridor was longer than he expected, with a closed metal door every few meters.

Bai Ze suddenly asked, "Where is Ji Qi?"

He and Jin Chen returned to Didu, it's very safe.

For some reason, Bai Ze inexplicably heard a hint of resentment in Chenshu's words.

Bai Ze walked not far down the corridor when he met two men in dark uniforms coming toward him; seeing him, they were first stunned, then their expressions changed, and they threw a punch at his face.

Bai Ze dodged by turning his head, grabbed the opponent's wrist with his backhand and twisted it, while raising his knee to strike the other man's abdomen; both men cried out and fell to the ground.

Bai Ze stepped over him and continued forward; the earpiece carried Chenshu's voice again: "Turn left, pass through the laboratory."

Following the instruction, he turned into the left-side door, which was a fairly large laboratory; the doorplate read "First Generation Research Storage Room".

Bai Ze had never heard of this place in Ma Men Institute; his relationship with the Dean was merely a mutually beneficial cooperation, each taking what they needed, and he never inquired into the institute's internal secrets. Yet he vaguely knew that the Dean's research on X potion went far beyond what was on the surface.

And this door was probably where those things were located.

Pushing the door open, he saw metal cabinets densely packed on all four walls; he quickly glanced over, and his gaze suddenly fixed on the innermost wall.

Behind that wall lay a deeper room, the temperature noticeably lower than outside; the lights automatically turned on, Bai Ze glanced and suddenly froze.

In those rows of transparent containers, specimens of various lifeforms were immersed; some resembled humans, some did not, some were intermediate, retaining only partial organs.

Bai Ze felt a chill rise on his back, yet he saw in the innermost container several brain specimens immersed; a label was attached below, he stepped closer, glanced at the line of text, and his pupils contracted sharply.

: Brain specimens of the original X potion R&D team

Below the label there was also a line of handwriting, which Bai Ze recognized as the Dean's penmanship: "Spare no expense to find all X potion."

Bai Ze stood before those specimens, his fingertips tingling; a thought emerged from his chaotic thoughts: everything might not be as simple as he had assumed.

The matter concerning him and Ji Qi, his parents' death, Selina, the Dean—these seemingly independent events gradually linked together in Bai Ze's mind.

Behind him came hurried footsteps; someone else had discovered him.

Bai Ze turned around, his eyes turned cold, he went forward to meet that person, grabbed him and slammed him against the wall.

A few minutes later, Bai Ze stepped over the last fallen guard, entered the elevator, and pressed the top-floor button.

The elevator doors opened.

In the center of the top-floor lobby stood a long table, atop which lay a thick stack of research record books; Chenshu was seated at the edge of the table flipping through them, and on the chair beside him a man tightly bound was struggling fiercely.

Seeing Bai Ze, the Dean's eyes lit up; he immediately shouted, "Bai Ze! Perfect timing! Quick, kill this intruder! He has infiltrated Ma Men Institute…"

Bai Ze stepped forward a few paces, bent down, grabbed the Dean's hair, pulled his head back; the Dean winced in pain, about to shout, but Bai Ze cut him off with a voice cold enough to almost have no temperature: "Don't forget, we are merely in a cooperative relationship."

"Aren't you in need of X potion for treatment? What are those downstairs?"

The Dean opened his mouth but said nothing.

But it seemed that the mental fog that had been clouding Bai Ze's mind, preventing him from thinking further, had dissipated; why had he never actively pursued those missing memories, why did he always feel an inexplicable avoidance toward Ma Men Institute's internal affairs?

Chenshu closed the record book beside him, the corners of his mouth slightly curved, "I have a little invention here."

Bai Ze and the Dean both turned to look at him; Chenshu took out a micro-needle from his inner coat pocket, looked at Bai Ze, and said, "As long as the micro-needle is implanted in the body and then subjected to precise hypnosis, the observer can share memories through dreams, finding the memories they wish to share."

Bai Ze frowned slightly, speaking somewhat complexly: "Where exactly are you from? Technology has already developed to this extent?"

The Dean also stared at that micro-needle, shocked.

Chenshu smiled, raised his index finger, and shushed Bai Ze: "That doesn't matter, but do you want to take a look?"

Bai Ze: "Yes."

Dean: "…"

He twisted violently in his chair, "You two perverts! That's my memory! I won't give it!"

No one paid him any attention.

Chenshu pushed the micro-needle into the Dean's temple; Bai Ze sat in the chair beside him, applied the sharing patch, and connected the terminal.

Selina also appeared unwillingly, her aura fierce as she stared at Bai Ze, and she inserted the micro-needle into her own brain.

The Dean kept cursing, but the drug's effect quickly took hold; his voice gradually lowered, finally becoming indistinct muttering, his head lolled to one side, and he passed out.

The two ends of memory were linked via the terminal; after Chenshu filtered and integrated them, they were transmitted into Bai Ze's brain through brainwaves, appearing in the form of a dream.

In the dream, Bai Ze saw his parents.

His father Bai Lao and mother Mother Xi Shi, as heads of an overseas pharmaceutical conglomerate, personally went to District Ten for negotiations, discussing cooperation with Selina; the Dean joined the collaboration midway and then betrayed, attempting to annex District Ten.

Selina wanted to get her people out safely, but it was already too late; she suffered equally heavy losses.

The Dean had originally intended to secretly control his parents, thereby gaining command of the entire medical conglomerate; Old Bai, seeing his wife repeatedly attempt suicide to no avail, showed obedience to the Dean during a certain mission, then secretly used X potion as a transaction, having Selina arrange people to create a car accident.

They knew they could no longer escape, nor could they accept being the Dean's puppets; they destroyed all their efforts.

Selina agreed to the deal, took the X potion, arranged the accident, and sent Old Bai and his wife—who had been controlled by the Dean via the X potion—to the crash site.

In the dream, Bai Ze saw the car overturn on the road, flames rose from the vehicle's underside, and it exploded with a boom.

The dream ended.

Selina was the first to stand, pulled out the micro-needle, cursed at Chenshu, "Don't forget our cooperation with me! I'm going to prepare now!"

Chenshu nodded and smiled, "Okay, stepmother."

Selina: "…"

Bai Ze opened his eyes, sat rigidly in the chair; after a long while, he turned toward the Dean.

The Dean had already awakened, looking at him in terror, struggling to shout, "At least… at least I raised you! You can't——"

Ah!

He didn't get to finish the second half of his sentence before Bai Ze's fist smashed into his face.

Chenshu raised an eyebrow, turned away as if seeing nothing, looked out the window for a while, listening to the muffled thuds coming from behind.

He waited and waited, until that sound completely ceased, then leisurely turned back, walked to the Dean's side, lowered his head to look, and then let out an "aiya".

"How did you beat someone to death?"

Bai Ze sat in the chair, head lowered, with a speck of blood on the back of his hand.

Chenshu poured a cup of water, handed it to Bai Ze, sat down beside him, and patted his back, saying, "Calm down, calm down."

Bai Ze took it, took a sip; after a long while, he raised his head to look at the memory-sharing device, his voice hoarse, "Is there a memory-sharing device without side effects?"

Chenshu looked at Bai Ze's expression, seeming to understand something, a pensive arc appearing at the corner of his mouth, "Actually there is."

"But… are you sure you can still chase after Yiqi and bring him back?"

Bai Ze's gaze dropped, landing on his own blood-stained knuckles.

Outside the window, the sky of the Nine Districts was dim and overcast.