24: Chapter 24 Waste Disposal

"Boss Liu, it seems my intuition was quite good tonight."

When this was said, Liu Kun had absolutely no intention of paying him any mind.

The situation inside the iron cage had completely spiraled out of control.

Three fighters who had injected adrenaline enhancers were kicking and beating the boy on the ground like three mad dogs, their soles repeatedly crushing his back and ribs, and with every kick that landed, one could hear the dull thud of bones shattering.

The Silent One curled up in the center of the cage, clutching his head with both hands, his whole body convulsing as blood gushed from the corners of his mouth, his nostrils, and his brow bone all at once.

But he did not recover.

One second, two seconds, five seconds, ten seconds.

That miracle of regeneration which used to make the audience cheer wildly had not appeared even once tonight.

Liu Kun stood in the first row of the VIP section, not even noticing when his cigarette fell to the ground, the jade ring on his thumb digging painfully into his fist.

"Damn it, what is going on?"

Yan Zheng: ( ˘ ꒳ ˘ )

Gao Wenxiong's loudspeaker blared, announcing the end of the match.

The three fighters were pulled away, retreating to the corners of the iron cage while panting heavily, their fists covered in blood.

The Silent One lay on the ground, motionless, with only his chest rising and falling weakly.

Two subordinates wearing blue work uniforms opened the side door of the iron cage and dragged the boy out, leaving a long trail of blood along the path where he was dragged.

Some of the gamblers in the audience were cheering, while others were cursing.

Yan Zheng sat quietly in his seat, pulled the betting slip from his breast pocket, and gave it a gentle shake.

"Liu Kun, who should I go to for the payout on my ticket, which has odds of one to eight?"

Liu Kun didn't turn his head, his voice squeezed out from between his teeth.

"We'll talk about it later; I'm going to check the backstage first."

Yan Zheng stood up and straightened the hem of his suit.

"I'll go too; it's a good opportunity to check on that contestant's condition."

Liu Kun did not refuse, striding towards the backstage, while Yan Zheng followed at a leisurely pace.

The damp-proof lights in the corridor stretched their shadows out long.

In a storage room backstage, The Silent One was thrown onto an iron-frame bed lined with a plastic sheet, which had already been stained deep red by blood.

A bald, middle-aged man knelt by the bed, holding a stethoscope and a small flashlight, checking the boy's pupillary reflex.

Liu Kun pushed the door open and walked in.

"How is it?"

The bald man shook his head, hung the stethoscope back around his neck, stood up, and wiped the blood from his hands.

"Fractures to the fourth, fifth, and seventh ribs on the left side, a hairline fracture to the right clavicle, a collapsed nasal bone, and suspected internal bleeding caused by a ruptured spleen."

"Normally, these injuries wouldn't be a big deal for him; he'd be fine after a sleep."

He paused for a moment and glanced at Liu Kun.

"But the problem is, his regeneration ability has completely stopped."

Liu Kun: ( ꐦ ° ᷄ ꈊ ° ᷅ )

"What do you mean it completely stopped?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." The bald Doctor pointed to the wound on the boy's ribs. "Look, it's been fifteen minutes since the match ended. Under normal circumstances, it should have closed long ago, but it's still oozing blood."

"Is there something wrong with his inhibitor?"

"I've checked it three times; the inhibitor is running normally, and the parameters haven't changed." The Doctor spread his hands. "I don't know why. This is beyond my area of expertise."

Liu Kun stared at the bloody, mangled body on the iron-frame bed for several seconds, his fists clenching and unclenching.

"Can you fix him?"

"Fix what?" The Doctor gave a bitter smile. "I come from an underground clinic, not a Mutant genetics expert. If his regeneration doesn't recover on its own, there's nothing I can do."

"Observe him for another day. If he's still like this tomorrow…"

"Then he's scrap."

Liu Kun slid the jade ring off his finger and put it back on, repeating this three times while cursing under his breath.

"Damn, two months of raising him for nothing."

Yan Zheng: ( ˵ ᵕ ˗ ᵕ ˵ )

Yan Zheng leaned against the doorframe, hands in his suit pockets, his posture relaxed, his expression carrying just the right amount of sympathy.

"Liu Kun, my condolences."

Liu Kun turned his head, and looking at his refined and gentle appearance just made him angry.

"You, on the other hand, won forty thousand; you must be very happy, right?"

"Just good luck." Yan Zheng straightened up from the doorframe, walked over to the iron-frame bed, and looked down at the boy's blood-stained face. "But Liu Kun, is what you said earlier still valid?"

"What did I say?"

"The waste belongs to me."

Liu Kun was stunned for a moment, then looked at the boy on the bed—who was breathing more out than in—and then at Yan Zheng's eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses, which were as calm as stagnant water.

"You want this?"

"My client isn't picky about quality; dead or alive, they take them all." Yan Zheng's tone was as calm as if he were discussing the ownership of a bag of expired flour. "Let me handle this waste; it'll save you worry and save me trouble."

Boss Liu was silent for two seconds.

Then he waved his hand and turned to walk out the door.

"Take him, take him; looking at him is just annoying."

"Many thanks, Liu Kun."

Yan Zheng: ( ꈍ ꒳ ꈍ )

"Don't thank me; come settle that forty-thousand-dollar betting debt tomorrow."

Liu Kun's voice drifted back from the corridor, carrying a scent of cigarette smoke and irritation.

Yan Zheng smiled slightly and turned his head to look at the boy on the iron-frame bed.

Fifteen minutes later.

The back alley of the Antique Shop.

The Stone Armor Guard lifted a human-shaped object wrapped in a blanket from the back seat of the van, hoisted it onto its shoulder, and walked silently through the back door.

Yan Zheng was waiting in the Underground Room, with a folding chair placed in the very center. The light bulb overhead had just been replaced, and the stark white light illuminated the entire space, revealing every detail.

The Stone Armor Guard placed the boy onto the plastic sheet that had been laid out on the floor in advance, then retreated to the corner and stood still.

Yan Zheng stood up from the chair, walked over, and crouched down.

The boy's eyes were half-open, his pupils dilated, but he was still breathing.

Blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, pooling into a small puddle on the plastic sheet.

His lips moved.

Yan Zheng leaned in a little closer, tilting his head as if listening to a patient's final words.

The boy's voice was as hoarse as sandpaper rubbing together, his breath as thin as a gossamer thread.

"...Don't..."

Yan Zheng: ( ꉺ ꒳ ꉺ )

Yan Zheng looked into those eyes that were about to lose focus, the lenses of his gold-rimmed glasses reflecting the boy's blood-stained face.

He smiled gently, took off his white glove with his right hand, revealing a faint, dark green shimmer on his palm.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt."

He pressed his palm onto the boy's chest.

Dark green black mist spread from the point of contact, like ink dropped into clear water, quickly enveloping the boy's entire body.

The boy's body began to decompose, from the outside in, from skin to muscle to bone, peeling away layer by layer and dissipating into black mist.

The entire process took less than five seconds.

The system panel lit up with golden light in his field of vision.

[Collection complete.]

[Adaptive Regeneration gene material × 1, added to inventory. Quality rating: B+.]

[Bone material quality: Excellent.]

[Mutant gene material inventory updated.]

Yan Zheng withdrew his hand, put the white glove back on, and stood up.

Only an empty plastic sheet remained on the floor, clean and spotless, not even a drop of blood left behind.

He walked back to the folding chair and sat down, picked up the cup of warm water on the checkout counter, and took a sip.

"Mr. The Silent One, thank you for your contribution."

Yan Zheng: ( ✧ ᴗ ✧ )

He set down the water cup, opened the system panel, and scrolled through the list of materials, his eyes filled with the satisfaction of a jeweler taking stock of inventory.

"B+ grade Adaptive Regeneration gene, acquired."

"Next, it's time to do something truly meaningful."

His gaze shifted to the [Stitched Soldier blueprint] icon on the panel, his finger hovering above it.

"The Stone Armor Guard was just an appetizer."

"The real main course starts tonight."