39: Two hundred sticks, one hundred million!

Lin Yu looked at him, at this young man who, in despair, clutched at the last straw.

His vow was heavy, and very real.

But for Lin Yu, it was meaningless.

What he needed was not someone to die for him, but a living person who could work for him and create value for him.

"You won't die."

Lin Yu spoke calmly, his voice echoing in the unsettlingly empty space.

Zhao Tianyang suddenly looked up.

"But," Lin Yu's next sentence extinguished half of the hope that had just ignited in him, "it will be very painful."

"Thank Old Ghost Hall," Lin Yu added, "the genuine potions he sent will make the pain less intense."

Zhao Tianyang was stunned; he didn't understand at all.

What did he mean?

Lin Yu didn't explain.

He took out a card from his storage ring and activated it.

A syringe glowing with a soft golden light appeared in his hand.

Life Serum Standard Edition.

"Take this," Lin Yu handed over the syringe.

Zhao Tianyang took it with trembling hands.

"Inject it."

Lin Yu only said one word.

Zhao Tianyang didn't dare to hesitate in the slightest; he rolled up his sleeve, revealing his arm, which was bruised and covered in needle marks from abusing inferior potions.

Gritting his teeth, he plunged the needle in.

The golden liquid was slowly pushed into his bloodstream.

A warm sensation instantly spread, nourishing his almost withered body. His internal organs, which had begun to fail, seemed to be infused with a trace of vitality, and the agonizing pain that tormented him constantly lessened by a tiny bit.

Just a tiny bit.

When the injection was complete, the warm current quickly dissipated.

His physical condition had improved slightly, but it was still a world apart from full recovery.

Zhao Tianyang was dumbfounded.

That was... it?

He had previously used fake medicine, poisonous concoctions from unscrupulous workshops, which caused devastating and deeply rooted damage to his body.

A standard Life Serum was a life-saving miracle drug for ordinary people, but for his critical condition, it was merely a drop in the bucket.

Another five hundred thousand!

And just like that... it was gone? For just this little bit of feeling?

Zhao Tianyang's face instantly became even more ashen than before.

So... his previous five hundred thousand couldn't save his life at all!

Lin Yu watched his reaction without any surprise.

He flipped his hand, and another Life Serum card appeared in his hand, which he activated.

An identical golden syringe.

"Inject it."

It was still that one word.

Zhao Tianyang suddenly looked up; he stared at the second potion in Lin Yu's hand, completely bewildered.

Another one?

That was five hundred thousand!

"Boss..." His lips trembled, unable to speak.

"Inject it."

Lin Yu's command carried no emotion, yet it held an irresistible authority.

Zhao Tianyang gritted his teeth, took the second potion, and once again plunged it into his arm.

The same warm current, the same effect.

His body felt a little better, but it still wasn't enough.

Far from enough!

Lin Yu remained expressionless and took out another one.

"Inject it."

The third one.

Zhao Tianyang's breathing became rapid; he mechanically took it and injected it.

The fourth one.

"Inject it."

The fifth one!

"Inject it!"

...The tenth one!

When the tenth Life Serum's effects spread through his body, Zhao Tianyang's body finally showed significant improvement; his complexion regained a trace of color, and his breathing became much steadier.

But he was trembling violently, not because of the potion's effects, but because of extreme fear.

Ten doses!

A full ten doses of Life Serum!

According to Old Ghost Hall's prices, one dose was five hundred thousand, so ten doses were... five million!

Five million!

This number, like a massive mountain, crashed down on his heart, making him almost unable to breathe.

He had never seen so much money in his life!

And now, this five million had just been injected into his body!

How could he repay such a debt of gratitude?

With his life?

Was his life worth five million?

"Boss..." Zhao Tianyang's voice was tearful, "Enough, it's really enough! I..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he was utterly stunned by the scene before him.

Lin Yu waved his hand.

Whoosh—

A large pile of golden glowing potions was casually dumped onto the ground by him.

Life Serum Standard Edition!

One dose, ten doses, fifty doses, a hundred doses!

Hundreds of Life Serum doses piled up into a small mountain; the brilliant golden light almost dyed the entire area gold.

Zhao Tianyang's mind went blank with a buzzing sound.

He was completely dumbfounded.

What was this?

A hallucination?

What did he see?

Mountains of Life Serum?

Each dose represented five hundred thousand!

Here... how much money was here?

Ten million?

Fifty million?

He dared not think; his brain had completely crashed, unable to process any thoughts.

The next second, he made an unconscious movement.

"Thud!"

Zhao Tianyang's knees buckled, and he heavily knelt on the ground, kowtowing frantically to Lin Yu and to the pile of cards.

"Boss! No! Don't use any more!"

"I'm not worthy! I'm really not worthy!"

"Please! Take them back! My worthless life isn't worth this much money! It really isn't!"

Tears streamed down his face; his spirit had completely collapsed.

This was no longer gratitude; it was a terrifying burden that could crush his soul.

He would rather die of his illness than accept even one more dose.

Lin Yu looked at Zhao Tianyang, who was kneeling on the ground in complete disarray, his face still showing no emotion.

Knowing to be grateful, and even knowing to save money for his boss, alas, a truly excellent workhorse.

He bent down and casually picked up a dose from the pile of potions.

He walked to Zhao Tianyang, stuffing the syringe into his hand.

"Inject it."

This time, Zhao Tianyang gripped the syringe tightly, shaking his head desperately.

"No! Boss! I won't inject it! I can't inject any more!"

"Please kill me! I can't repay this! I'll never be able to repay this in my life!"

Lin Yu didn't speak again.

He just reached out and grabbed Zhao Tianyang's arm.

Then, he picked up the syringe, aimed at the needle mark, and plunged it in without any hesitation, pushing all the liquid in.

The eleventh dose.

After doing all this, he picked up another dose and again put it into Zhao Tianyang's hand.

The action was repeated, precise, and cold.

Zhao Tianyang despaired.

He looked at Lin Yu, at this "boss" whom he couldn't see through at all.

Resistance was meaningless.

Refusal was also meaningless.

This was... the boss's command!

He gave up thinking.

He became an emotionless machine.

Pick it up, inject it.

Pick it up again, inject it again.

Twenty doses... fifty doses... a hundred doses... His movements became increasingly numb, and his body's sensation of needle pain had completely disappeared.

The golden warm current washed over his body again and again, gradually clearing, repairing, and reshaping the toxins entrenched deep in his bone marrow.

His skin changed from bruised to rosy, his chapped lips regained color, and his dull hair regained its luster.

When the two hundredth Life Serum was pushed into his bloodstream, an unprecedented surge of immense vitality finally erupted completely within his body!

Boom!

Zhao Tianyang felt like a balloon that had been reinflated; every cell was cheering, exulting.

He stood up and moved his limbs.

Strength!

An unprecedented sense of power!

He was healed.

No, better than healed!

He felt healthier and stronger than before he abused the potions!

But he couldn't be happy at all.

There was no joy of survival on his face, only a dead silence of numbness.

In his mind, only one number spun madly, like an unending curse.

Two hundred doses.

One hundred million!