Chapter 142: Chen Huaiâan, You Are Important!
âSo⦠youâre telling me⦠this is Old Luo?â
Despite triple-checking, Zhao Ying still couldnât believe what she was seeingâa lump of bloody, mashed-flesh floating in a glass tank.
âCaptain Zhao, Iâd never lie to you!â
The pale, visibly shaken subordinate next to her patted his chest, swearing his honesty. âWhen Director Luo was brought in, he was nothing more than a flattened meat pancake. Standard procedure is to perform an autopsy before cremation, but the moment the scalpel touched him, the âpancakeâ suddenly screamed âAOOO!â Scared the forensic girl so bad she peed herself.â
Zhao Ying twitched her nose.
No wonder there was a faint stench in the air.
Someone had actually wet themselves.
Not surprising, though. That pile of mangled flesh was already nightmare fuel. A forensic examinerâwho wasnât even a Demon Slayer, just an ordinary womanâwitnessing it suddenly scream? A total mental breakdown was inevitable.
The mass of flesh had started forming limbsâthings resembling hands and knees were beginning to take shape.
âWe discovered that Director Luo seems to be undergoing reconstruction,â the subordinate quickly explained after noticing Zhao Yingâs confusion.
âExactly!â A toothless mouth suddenly opened within the meat lump and spoke in a muffled voice. âIâm rebuilding myself! Stop stabbing me with scalpels, damn it! You think that doesnât hurt?!â
âAHHH! A GHOST!!â
THUDâ
The moment the meat lump opened its eyes, one of the Demon Slayers shrieked and fainted, smacking into the glass door.
Bearded GuyâLuoârolled his newly formed eyes and clicked his tongue.
âCaptain Zhao, your people need serious training. Their mental fortitude is lacking.â
Zhao Yingâs lips twitched, but a faint smile appeared in her eyes. âIf it were me when I first started, I wouldâve emptied an entire magazine into you.â
âThatâs⦠pretty violent.â
âThanks for the compliment. And⦠welcome back, Old Luo.â
â
âStill remember what my ability is?â
âOf course. Cellular Assimilation.â
In a secluded room within the funeral home, Zhao Ying and the partially reformed Luo sat across from each other.
She handed him a cigarette, lit one for herself, took a deep drag, and relaxed into the sofa, crossing her legs. âI remember you could never find a suitable target to assimilate. So⦠you absorbed the demonic dragon?â
âCorrect.â Luo wiggled his cigarette at her. âThanks for the trouble, Captain Zhao.â
She flicked open a lighter and lit his cigarette.
Luo took a deep inhale, exhaling smoke from countless pores across his barely-formed body.
âWhen that dragon crushed me, I didnât just sit there waiting to die. I bit off a chunk of its flesh and activated my Cellular Assimilation ability. Honestly, I didnât expect much⦠but as you can see, I survived.â
âAny side effects?â
âOf course. Every organ in my body is now composed of mutated cancer cells, just like that dragon. The only difference is that I donât have its dragon aura. And to keep my body functioning, I need an absurd amount of food to generate energy. The energy consumption of these cancer cells is insane. If I ever run out of energy and all the cancer cells starve to death, Iâll die for good.â
Zhao Ying stared at his significantly smaller body. âThen how are you sustaining yourself now?â
âSelf-cannibalization.â Luo lifted his shirt, revealing a second mouth on his stomach, actively gnawing on his still-forming torso.
âF***! You shouldâve said that sooner!â
âI was worried youâd pull out your gun and empty a magazine into me.â
Zhao Ying was speechless.
She quickly contacted her team to deliver 200 pounds of pork for Luoâs recovery.
âHowâs that brat Chen Huaiâan doing?â Luoâs tone was anxious, his bloodshot eyes fixated on Zhao Ying. âYou didnât kill him, did you?â
âNope. We couldnât even beat that dragon.â Zhao Ying rolled her eyes.
âSo nowâ¦â
âA female Sword Immortal appeared and suppressed him. Heâs currently in containment and undergoing medical evaluation.â
âOh, good. Good, good, hahahaha.â Luo sighed in relief, rubbing his newly grown hands together. âThat kidâs got potential. Sure, heâs got some instability, but if thereâs a way to avoid killing him, Iâd rather not. Heâs definitely not a bad person⦠But wait! Whatâs this about a Sword Immortal?â
âI donât know either. Maybe itâs part of his abilities?â Zhao Ying massaged her temples, then shifted the conversation. âWhat are your plans? Are you staying as the Director of the Tianfu Demon Slayer Bureau? Be honest, if you donât go back, that kid will probably join us out of guilt. Do you want to disappear for a while? I can request a transfer for you.â
It was a tempting offer.
Luo hesitated for a long time.
But in the end, he shook his head.
âMaybe youâre right, but he deserves to know the truth. More than anyone, I understand how torturous it is to live with guilt and regret.â
Zhao Ying saw the darkness flicker in Luoâs eyes.
She knew he was thinking about his shattered past.
She stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.
âSo, Iâll go back as Director,â Luo finally said, flicking his cigarette butt into the ashtray with a smile. âEven if Chen Huaiâan doesnât join the Demon Slayer Bureau, he can still be an ally. No need to pressure him into anything.â
âAlright. Weâll go with your plan.â
â
â
âMr. Chen Huaiâan, unfortunately, the cancerous cells inside your body havenât disappeared. However, they seem to have entered a dormant state.â
Dressed in a hospital gown, Chen Huaiâan stood in a metal containment chamber.
A voice came through the intercom from the Demon Slayer Bureauâs medical staff.
A small, reinforced-glass window allowed him to see outsideâfully armed soldiers stood at attention, watching him like he was
Not that he blamed them.
After all, he
carrying a monster inside his body.
Chen Huaiâan let out a bitter chuckle. âGot it. So what happens now?â
[You will remain in Containment Room 0 with your pets⦠Uh, and weâll need daily blood samples from you.]
âLet me talk to him.â
A new voice replaced the intercom speaker.
Soft, warm, and familiar.
[Chen Huaiâan, itâs meâXiang Xiaoyuan.]
[Please, donât have any self-destructive thoughts. Seventy percent of your body is now composed of demonic cancer cells. If we forcefully kill them, you will die too. Iâm leading the research teamâtrust us. We
find a way to help you absorb and control the cancer cells.]
Hearing Xiang Xiaoyuanâs voice, Chen Huaiâan felt a slight weight lift from his chest.
He looked up at the surveillance camera. âWhy are you helping me so much? Bearded Guy⦠died because of me.â
[I mourn Director Luoâs death deeply.]
Inside the monitoring room, Xiang Xiaoyuan held the microphone, her eyes filled with sorrow.
But she forced herself to remain strong.
She spoke with conviction:
âThis isnât your fault. Every Demon Slayer accepts the possibility of sacrifice when they join the Bureau.â
âAs for why weâre helping you?â
âIf I wanted to sound noble, Iâd say saving a life is the greatest virtue.â
âBut to be bluntâsomeone who can control General-class power is
important. Not just to the Demon Slayer Bureau, but to the entire worldâs fight against demons and evil forces!â
Her voice grew firm.
âChen Huaiâan, you are important!â
âTo the world, you are
important!â
âPlease⦠give our team some time.â
âWe
save you!â
â
â