Chapter 122: Examination
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Ye Chong sat opposite the table where Doctor Lu occupied it. On the table was a thumb-sized silver-ish metallic pyramid, marked with an aperture in the center. The protrusion was embedded in the composite material that made up the table. Above the aperture, suspended in midair, was a seemingly illogical mesh of colorful threads, intertwined with each other like long, vividly colored thread-worms playfully chasing each other.
Doctor Lu studied the colors through tightly knitted brows, with his unblinking eyes. The more he studied it, the more he frowned, until he finally bowed his head, deep in thought. These threads held the results of the many tests endured by Ye Chong, and the basis for Doctor Lu’s diagnosis.
Ye Chong did not disturb him, knowing that the doctor must be in a quandary. Ye Chong himself was a stranger to medicine, and since he could not lend a hand, he chatted with Mu instead.
After a quarter of an hour, Doctor Lu coughed softly, and brought Ye Chong back from his discussions with Mu.
Ye Chong looked at Doctor Lu calmly, but was in fact anxious inside. This strange illness was a bane for him. Even with his tough character, he had occasionally pondered on ending his own life!
Doctor Lu spoke in all seriousness, "Alright, let us discuss this problem of yours!"
Ye Chong nodded almost imperceptibly, and his face did not betray his feelings. "Okay, let’s have it!" Doctor Lu recognised the indifference found only in patients who understood that their conditions were incurable and fatal. However, with current medical advancements, such diseases were getting rarer, and Doctor Lu himself had only seen a few cases of them thus far. This was why their indifferent demeanor left a strong impression on him.
"Of course, this is only a preliminary examination. Those threads are only for reference, and do not have the final say in things! Besides, we should also consider the exact nature of your request." Doctor Lu spoke with great delicacy.
"Understood!" Ye Chong nodded and said.
Doctor Lu’s expression was a little uncertain, and he spoke after some hesitation, "Your condition is peculiar!"
"Oh?"
"From the holographic threads display, your body is physically healthy, with quite a few qualities that are a few times, or perhaps a dozen times augmented from the average person’s. Take for example, the power of your muscles and the general durability of your body muscle tissue. One can say that you’re almost superhuman! This is also something I find quite strange. Your body is, in many ways, far superior to any human born in the current age. However, I am not an expert in this matter, or I’ll definitely keep you here as my favourite experiment." Doctor Lu smiled congenially.
Ye Chong affected a look of attention to his words.
"There are many parts of your threads that are very different from the average person’s, hence the diagnosis is difficult! I can only deduce your condition based on my own professional point of view. While many aspects look odd, what struck me odd the most was your Sima curves from points one to four. I believe that this may hold the key to explaining your body’s condition! Of course, this is only one possibility. After all, the human body is extremely complicated. Even tiny changes can lead to oddities in the threads. Moreover, your body is already quite unique in many ways."
"Sima curves?" The terminology was unknown to Ye Chong.
"Yes, Sima curves are a little complicated to explain, but they’re mostly related to the body’s endocrine system and hormones and so on. From the curves, I believe you may be reacting adversely to some kind of hormones that you’ve taken. As a doctor, this term may not be very accurate, but I can’t find a better word for it" Doctor Lu’s face with tinted with some embarrassment.
"Hormones?" Ye Chong felt his chest tightened.
"Yes. While I may not understand the whole picture, I am quite certain that you must have taken some kind of hormones, or something similar to it." He explained further, "You should know that this is actually my specialty, and my teacher was a forefront expert in this field!"
"It’s possible!" Ye Chong recalled the silver liquid on Black Cove, and described it in great detail. He also talked about what he felt after being immersed in it, and the details of his episodes in the past. Doctor Lu listened intently and posed some questions along the way.
The doctor pondered over the situation for long moments, but turned apologetic in the end. "Sir, I am certain that your physical condition is related to that silver liquid you described. However, I had never heard of any hormones that can block a person’s brainwaves. I’m not even entirely sure now if this silver liquid is anything like hormones. However, I can recommend my teacher to you, I believe he would probably be able to enlighten you on your condition."
"Your teacher?"
"Yes!" Doctor Lu’s expression turned to one of admiration. "His surname is Wang, and he is a leading expert in the field. Besides that, he is also very knowledgeable in other areas related to the human body. I believe that he would be extremely helpful in understanding your condition."
"Alright, how can I find your teacher?"
"Hmm, I have not seen my teacher for years. If nothing unexpected occurred, he should still be at the Windstar Hospital, you can try there. His name is Wang Weixing, a prominent character, you should be able to look him up easily in the virtual world. However, first, you must be able to pass at least five of the local sanctuary’s tests to be able to leave the Orbits. As far as I know, the Orbits does not have any experts in this field. Of course, it is possible that there may be lesser known recluses in the Orbits who fit the criteria!" Doctor Lu explained, but his tone implied that he did not really believe in the existence of such recluses.
"The sanctuary’s tests? Five of them?" This was the first time Ye Chong had heard of them.
Doctor Lu looked at Ye Chong with surprise. "Yes! Don't you know about them?"
"Hmm, I’m quite new here!"
"I see!" Doctor Lu realized his situation and explained, "To leave the Orbits, you’ll need starships, but all the starships are controlled by the mentalist sanctuary. For those who wish to leave the Orbits, the sanctuary had set the rule that, if one can pass five of their tests, they will issue their starship to send the successful person away from the Orbits and back to the Five Galaxies."
"Right!" Ye Chong began to understand, and asked, "What do they test you on?"
"Anything you’re good at. But not many passed the tests, only a few are able to every year. Well, at least I’ve never seen any of them!"
"I see, if that’s the case, then farewell!" Ye Chong turned to leave.
"Oh, farewell!" Doctor Lu paused for a moment before replying in kind. Looking at Ye Chong’s lonely, receding figure, Doctor Lu was once again reminded of his merciless nature, and shuddered as cold sweat rolled down his back. Seeing Ye Chong’s figure becoming smaller and smaller, unlikely to return, Docor Lu couldn't help but exhale in relief, rejoicing in the fact that he had not offended the murderer.
"Mu, do you think the doctor’s right?" Ye Chong asked.
"I have very little information in this respect and cannot determine that. However, he was not lying, that’s for sure!" Mu replied.
"Not lying?" Ye Chong grew curious. "How’d you know he’s not?"
"Based on Shang’s curated information in psychology, if a person is lying, there will be obvious changes in the person’s pulse rate, rate of blood flow and brain wave intensity. He was normal in these respects just now. That is the basis of my deduction that he was not lying!" Mu explained at his own steady pace.
"Is that a reliable way?" Ye Chong was skeptical.
"Only if Shang’s curated information is accurate!" Mu continued further, "Of course, with some training, these signs can be minimized, but they cannot be entirely eliminated. This is widely agreed upon in the field of psychology, I believe it’s highly reliable."
"Hmm, if that’s the case, then this way of deduction is quite useful!" Ye Chong seemed to be absorbed in thought, before smiling and say, "I didn’t think Shang would collect some information, it’s really unexpected!"
"That last comment of yours, Shang has a few words to say about them, wanna hear it?" It seemed that Mu was very interested in what Shang had to say under his hood, and had turned to a more human-like way of speaking.
The thought of Shang’s incessant blabbering brought an instant headache to Ye Chong. He immediately protested for mercy, "Please no! There’s a high chance that he’ll trigger another episode, I am not blacking out here!"
"Ye, you forgot to pay for the doctor’s services!" Mu prompted Ye Chong.
"Er, payment, that’s a big problem! You got any suggestions?"
"None!" Mu replied in his clear-cut manner.
"Oh well!" Ye Chong shrugged carelessly, and walked on without turning back. On Blue ocean, life was peaceful, and Ye Chong had tried desperately to fit in with the normal way of life. However, a series of battles had ensued, and Ye Chong realized that power was the most important factor for survival. The so-called societal norms were useless to him. On the Orbits, life was a mess of struggles, and people fought to survive. It was as if he was back on the trash planet. However, his opponents were no longer mutants, but humans just like him.
The so-called social norms never did have a deep hold on Ye Chong, and now, they were carelessly cast away.
Ye Chong deployed Yu Di and slipped into the pilot’s cabin. Since the door was too small, Ye Chong exited through the wide opening in the wall that he created earlier.
Just as he was on the other side of the wall, something caught him off guard!
Suddenly, his vision was filled with numerous bright spots, and Ye Chong, unable to react in time, could only see white everywhere, blinded by the light!
Not good!
Pow! A loud bang, and Ye Chong felt like he was flying through the clouds!
The sensation was familiar to him - Yu Di was hit, and was now flying off due to the attack!
"I am being ambushed!" Ye Chong finally realised!