Chapter 236: The Main Event
Xu Zhi hadn’t expected her new examination to take place inside that enormous aircraft. Then again, on second thought, it made sense—the encampment probably didn’t have medical equipment of this level.
After entering the aircraft, her poor eyesight prevented her from seeing everything clearly, but even within her limited field of vision, she could tell how exquisite the interior was. The space was so vast that it didn’t feel like being inside a flying machine at all—it felt more like standing on solid ground.
The soldier who had pushed her inside handed her over to someone else. When that person stepped closer, Xu Zhi noticed a golden lotus embroidered on the chest of their uniform. The previous soldier hadn’t had one.
Unlike the noise and chaos outside, the interior was eerily quiet, as if some kind of soundproofing system were in place. The soldier pushed Xu Zhi for nearly ten minutes, during which they even took an elevator up to the second level. Eventually, they stopped in front of a closed door.
After the soldier rang the doorbell, it opened almost immediately. He didn’t go in, only gestured politely for Xu Zhi to enter.
Looking up, Xu Zhi saw a plaque by the door that read [Treatment Room]. With a hint of curiosity, she maneuvered her wheelchair inside the beige-toned room.
The moment she entered, the first thing she noticed was a refreshing, soothing fragrance. It was faint—something like floral scent, but not overpowering. Just breathing it in seemed to ease her nerves slightly.
“Hello. You must be Xu Zhi?”
A gentle, middle-aged female voice came from nearby. Xu Zhi turned her head and saw a curtain being drawn aside. A doctor in a white coat stepped out.
The first thing Xu Zhi noticed was the woman’s eyes. Their color was ordinary enough, but the moment you met her gaze, it felt like looking into a warm, tranquil ocean—capable of holding any emotion, accepting every flaw. It was the kind of gaze that instinctively made people want to trust its owner.
The instant Xu Zhi realized she was being affected by that feeling, she snapped herself awake and averted her eyes slightly, looking a bit unnatural. She could have pretended not to notice, but she felt it might be better to show a hint of being “different.”
Sure enough, when Xu Zhi quickly looked away, a trace of curiosity flashed across the doctor’s face. She didn’t hide her interest at all and said, “I’ve read your medical records. I didn’t expect someone from the lower levels to survive such severe injuries.”
“I don’t know whether to say you’re lucky or unlucky. Lucky, because you happened to run into Zhuang Xu—probably the only person in the lower levels with a way to save you. Unlucky, because I’ve reviewed the prescriptions he gave you. Many of those drugs have extremely serious side effects. He was practically overdrawing your life force.”
Xu Zhi didn’t look surprised. She simply nodded. “Doctor Zhuang told me about that. I know.”
“You don’t mind?” the doctor asked.
Xu Zhi shook her head. “As long as I can live.”
The doctor paused, then nodded thoughtfully. “That’s true.”
“Let’s run another examination first. The extraordinary ability of that little girl at Zhuang Xu’s place is useful, but it’s not comprehensive. Some injuries might go undetected.”
The female doctor smiled as she spoke, her tone gentle and considerate, as though everything she said was purely for Xu Zhi’s sake.
Xu Zhi wasn’t particularly nervous. After all, she was now a genuine [Lamp]-attribute extraordinary—couldn’t be more real if she tried. The only concern was whether the condition inside her body could be detected. But even if they figured out that her wounds were caused by the [Cup], she was still an “amnesiac victim.”
It wasn’t that she had much faith in the real world’s “laws.” Rather, as a living victim, she would attract attention instead of being executed on the spot—assuming they could detect anything at all.
So Xu Zhi obediently nodded and followed the doctor’s instructions. With the doctor’s support, she lay down on the bed of a machine and allowed it to close over her.
The examination took quite a long time. Xu Zhi could feel beams of light scanning her body, and from time to time, rays carrying extraordinary energy fluctuations passed over her as well. A band that looked like a device for monitoring heart rate and blood pressure was strapped to her wrist, though it clearly did far more than that—and it looked far sleeker than any ordinary medical device.
Only after forty minutes was she finally moved out.
The doctor sat in front of a computer, seemingly reviewing Xu Zhi’s test results. Xu Zhi wasn’t in a hurry. She propped herself up and sat on the bed quietly.
After a long while, the doctor finished reading the report. Her expression had grown heavy. Xu Zhi was already used to that look—ever since she was a child, every doctor who reviewed her test results ended up wearing the same grave expression, as if she were on the brink of death.
Which, to be fair, wasn’t wrong.
“Your condition… isn’t very good,” the doctor said after hesitating for a moment, choosing her words carefully.
Xu Zhi blinked, looking puzzled. “But Doctor Zhuang said I’m getting better.”
“Zhuang Xu.” The doctor repeated the name. “If he had properly graduated and spent a few more years studying, his words might carry some weight. But as he is now, he’s fallen far behind.”
“It sounds like you know him?” Xu Zhi asked.
“More or less.” The doctor didn’t avoid the topic. “Back then, he was a very talented student from the sixth level. Later, I don’t know what happened—he went down the wrong path.”
After that, she didn’t continue the small talk. She helped Xu Zhi into her wheelchair and wheeled her over to the computer.
“He said you’re getting better—and in a sense, yes. Your body does appear to be recovering. But that’s only on the surface.”
She pointed at several CT images on the screen. “Because you took his medication, you overdrawed part of your life force, which lowered your body’s overall strength. To put it simply: something you might have been able to lift after recovering, you won’t be able to lift anymore. Do you understand what I mean?”
Xu Zhi nodded.
“This doesn’t just affect your physical body. You have to understand—life force is extremely important for extraordinary beings. The more powerful the extraordinary, the more abundant their life force tends to be. And this life force isn’t just about physical vitality. It’s more about lifespan—and if we want to be a bit more metaphysical, it also refers to one’s fate, or even luck.”
The doctor’s words grew increasingly abstruse. “Your life force being overdrawn also means the upper limit of your growth as an extraordinary is being consumed. For ordinary people, this might not matter much—at worst, they’ll just be weaker in old age. But for an extraordinary being, it’s absolutely fatal.”
Xu Zhi’s brow twitched slightly, but she didn’t speak right away. It felt strange—she didn’t think her “life force” had been reduced.
After taking Zhuang Xu’s medicine, she had occasionally felt an unfamiliar kind of emptiness inside her, different from her usual weakness. It was like someone had scooped out a spoonful of marrow from between her bones. But ever since the [Lamp] circuit had been established and begun to grow on its own, those hollow parts seemed to be slowly filled in.
In fact, she felt herself growing stronger, as if her body were being constantly rebuilt—new “foundations” forming atop the old, shattered ones, becoming ever more solid and unshakable.
Aside from that, she didn’t feel anything wrong at all.
Still, Xu Zhi didn’t voice any of this. She simply looked at the doctor with a tense, anxious expression.
As expected, the doctor continued in the very next moment. “Fortunately, it’s not without a way to make up for it.”
At those words, Xu Zhi knew—The main event had finally arrived.
