9: Laws Infiltrate

"Ugh!"

Intense pain exploded without warning from deep within his spinal cord, like a red-hot iron poker brutally piercing through every nerve in his body.

Chen Feng fell to his knees abruptly, his vision instantly dyed blood-red before quickly fading to gray. He bit down hard on the back of his hand, forcing back the scream that was about to burst from his throat.

He couldn't make a sound.

Outside the door were the "bodyguards" sent by Bachm.

Sweat instantly soaked his thin prison uniform, clinging stickily to his skin. His muscles spasmed and twitched uncontrollably, as if countless invisible insects were frantically gnawing beneath his flesh.

"Damn... inferior product."

Chen Feng's teeth chattered, blood seeping from his gums, his mouth filled with the taste of rust. He knew this was the "interest" on that gene repair fluid. Goods from high-dimensional civilizations, even if they were trash, carried the imprint of laws that low-dimensional life could not withstand.

This was more cruel than any torture he had imagined.

After an unknown amount of time, the tidal wave of intense pain finally receded slowly, leaving behind waves of weakness. Chen Feng slumped on the ground, gasping for breath like a fish thrown onto the shore.

"System," he called out in his mind with all his strength, "analyze... my physical condition."

A cold blue light screen expanded in his consciousness.

[Deep scan in progress...]

[Diagnostic Conclusion: The subject's nervous system is experiencing a rejection reaction with high-dimensional energy, identified as 'Primary Law Contamination'.]

[General Solution: Need to find a 'Law Stabilizing Medium' for neutralization.]

"Law stabilizing med-ium?" Chen Feng repeated the unfamiliar term in his mind. "Search product categories."

The light screen refreshed, and an item popped up.

[Product Name: Law Stabilizer (Standard Edition)]

[Price: 1,000 interstellar credit points.]

Chen Feng's pupils constricted suddenly. A thousand points? He didn't even have a single credit point right now. To him, this price was no different from an astronomical figure.

"The high-dimensional general solution won't work..." He forced himself to calm down. "Every problem has high-end and low-end solutions. I must find a localized... cheap substitute."

A thin, numb figure appeared in his mind.

Old Fourth Tu.

The old Mine Slave who had traded a piece of black bread for his meal of synthetic paste, but also told him the secret of the "undead crystals." He was the mining area's "living dictionary." If such a substitute existed on Ashen Earth Star, he would certainly be one of the few who knew... During the morning meal time, the mining area cafeteria was as noisy as ever.

Chen Feng carried a tray far more bountiful than those of ordinary Mine Slaves—a block of Synthetic Protein, a portion of vegetable paste, and even a small cup of nutrient fluid—and walked toward a corner of the cafeteria under countless gazes mixed with envy and awe.

Old Fourth Tu was hunched over, nibbling on a piece of hard nutrient paste.

As soon as Chen Feng sat down, the two "bodyguards" followed and sat at the table behind him, their eyes locked onto his every move like searchlights.

"Old Fourth," Chen Feng spoke in a low voice.

Old Fourth Tu looked up. His clouded eyes saw Chen Feng and then glanced at the Guards behind him; his gaze immediately became evasive. He didn't speak, just silently lowered his head and continued nibbling on the food in his hand.

"I have something I want to ask you," Chen Feng said.

"I have nothing to say," Old Fourth Tu's voice was dry, filled with a coldness that kept people at a distance. "Chen Feng, you're a favorite in front of the Overseer now. Don't come looking for old geezers like us who are about to die."

"It has nothing to do with them," Chen Feng lowered his voice. "It's about myself."

"I want to know about your business even less," Old Fourth Tu's reply was categorical.

Chen Feng looked at him and didn't push further.

In the cafeteria, no one dared to speak to him. Those who had once bullied him now looked at him as if they were looking at a man-eating beast.

After eating, on the way to the excavation site, the Mine Slaves lined up and moved slowly under the shouts of the Supervisors.

Chen Feng walked in the line, seemingly casually adjusting his posture. At the moment he brushed past Old Fourth Tu, his hand "accidentally" slipped.

*Clatter.*

The tray fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

"Damn it, 734, are you looking for death!" the Supervisor's angry curse came.

"Sorry, sir, my hand slipped," Chen Feng apologized while bending down to pick it up.

In the instant his body blocked the view of the Guards behind him, he gave a gentle kick with his right foot at an extremely precise angle. The block of Synthetic Protein in the tray, which had barely been touched, slid silently across the dusty floor and stopped right by Old Fourth Tu's foot.

Old Fourth Tu's body stiffened for a moment.

Chen Feng looked up, quickly glanced at him, and his lips moved silently.

"Old place, exchange for information."

After speaking, he picked up the tray and followed the line as if nothing had happened.

Old Fourth Tu's foot paused for a full three seconds beside the protein block that emitted a tempting aroma.

Tunnel No. 1, behind the abandoned Ventilation Shaft No. 3.

It was dark and damp here, with only the faint light of mining lamps. Chen Feng used the excuse of checking the excavation machine parameters to temporarily shake off the Guards for a moment.

A dark figure moved out from the darkness; it was Old Fourth Tu.

Chen Feng didn't waste words and handed over the other protein block he had hidden in his sleeve—his last one.

"Take it."

"I..." Old Fourth Tu looked at the food, a struggle flashing in his clouded eyes.

"I might know what you want to know," Chen Feng said calmly, "But what you're asking might be something that gets people killed. A piece of protein isn't worth a life."

"Then why did you come?" Chen Feng asked back.

Old Fourth Tu fell silent. He took the protein block, carefully wrapped it in his greasy clothes, and hid it in his bosom.

"Speak, what are the symptoms?" he asked hoarsely.

"Recently, my body has been experiencing sudden, intense pain," Chen Feng described using the most obscure terms. "It feels like there's a fire burning in my bones and my nerves are snapping one by one. When it happens, I can't do anything."

Old Fourth Tu's expression changed instantly, a complex look mixed with fear and pity.

"You... you touched something you shouldn't have?" he lowered his voice, almost whispering.

"Just tell me if there's a cure," Chen Feng's gaze was as sharp as a blade.

"There is, and there isn't," Old Fourth Tu's lips were a bit dry. "The old-timers call this the 'Madness Sickness.' It's a sign of being haunted by undead souls after coming into contact with those 'ominous objects.' When it flares up, one loses all sense of reason and eventually tortures oneself to death."

"The cure," Chen Feng said only two words.

"Legend says there is a type of grass that can soothe the soul," Old Fourth Tu's voice grew even lower. "It's called 'tranquility grass'."

"tranquility grass?"

"Yes." Old Fourth Tu's gaze drifted toward the depths of the mine tunnel, full of apprehension. "But that thing only grows in one place."

"Where?"

"Abandoned C-13 Mining Area."

Hearing this number, Chen Feng's heart sank. That was an area marked with the highest danger level on the map.

"That place collapsed long ago. The structure is unstable, and..." Old Fourth Tu swallowed hard. "The undead aura inside is thick enough to drive a person mad. Over the years, forget about Mine Slaves, even the Guard Team hasn't dared to enter. No one who goes in has ever come out alive."

"C-13..." Chen Feng muttered the name in his heart.

"Kid, take my advice." Old Fourth Tu looked at him, his tone rarely sincere. "Forget about that grass. You have the Overseer protecting you now. Living well is better than anything. Don't throw your life away in a forbidden zone for some unrealistic hope."

Chen Feng did not answer.

He knew that the "Madness Sickness" Old Fourth Tu spoke of was the "Law Contamination" diagnosed by the system. And that forbidden zone everyone feared had now become the only place where he could seek survival.

But Bachm's eyes were fixed firmly on him. How could he disguise his motives and enter that deadly wasteland, which even the Overseer himself regarded as taboo?