Chapter 57: Chapter 57 part 1
“He’s purifying! He’s actually purifying him!”
The observer stationed in front of the screen looked as if he wanted to dive headfirst into the monitor. “Luo Tian’en’s pollution levels are plummeting!”
Everyone’s spirits were jolted.
Deep down, they had all hoped Luo Shizhen could do it. However, no one expected him to succeed so quickly—so quickly that it was almost impossible to process.
“Quick! Record the data! Log every twenty seconds of data immediately!”
“Emergency medical team, on standby.”
“Check Luo Shizhen’s vital signs again.”
Another observer spoke up rapidly. “Vital signs are normal. His heart rate has increased slightly, but only just a bit.”
“Keep a close eye on it regardless. At the first sign of anything wrong, stop the process immediately!”
The officials in charge were already high-ranking individuals, but as they stood there witnessing this scene, they remained rooted to the spot for a dozen seconds before hurriedly contacting their superiors.
Everyone on the scene became a flurry of motion. Some were busy monitoring data, ready to call a halt at any moment; others, though not assigned to data, found themselves constantly glancing between the screen, the logs, and the vitals; still others were reporting to the higher-ups.
Only Chen Heyan remained perfectly still. Behind his lenses, his eyes were fixed intently on Luo Shizhen—his student.
Luo Shizhen was completely oblivious to the chaos his actions had caused in the outside world. He was still fully immersed in his “meal.”
The flavor of this “roasted chicken” was somewhat different from the ones he’d eaten before. It had a certain toughness to it, more chew, and it tasted even more fragrant.
Logically, Luo Shizhen should have been stuffed from his previous meal and unable to eat another bite, yet he wasn’t affected in the slightest.
As he drew out the black mist bit by bit and watched it float in the air, it looked to him like roasted chickens wagging their heads and tails at him.
Luo Shizhen “watched” intently. The white fog surging from his body had transformed into the image of a giant python. Its belly was bulging significantly, a clear sign that the pollution he had devoured earlier hadn’t been fully digested yet.
However, the python formed from the white fog was visibly gluttonous. It had already lunged toward Luo Tian’en, tearing and devouring the black mist clinging to him.
“This is…?”
The staff in front of the screen were shocked once more. “Qi Manifestation?”
“Qi Manifestation is something only a fifth-rank energy user can achieve. He’s only rank three—and he just ranked up! How can he do this?”
“No, that’s not right. This isn’t Qi Manifestation.”
An older researcher quickly noticed something amiss and stepped forward, scrutinizing the 3D structural analysis of the “white python.”
“In the combat simulation these students participated in earlier, the structure of the third-rank Gu insect they fought formed a giant python. The internal analysis of this python is identical to the giant python in that video.”
“Normally, even if one isn’t paying attention, parts of the Qi will manifest during its flow. For instance, the Qi of the Angel Sequence manifests as a pair of wings upon awakening; parts of an Angel Sequence Awakener’s Qi look like feathers.”
“But look. Before Luo Shizhen made direct contact with Luo Tian’en, his Qi was always in a chaotic, scattered state with no fixed shape. His current state of Qi looks more like… imitation.”
“His Qi imitated the form of the python he saw firsthand. It also imitated that python’s offensive capabilities.”
“Incredible. An energy user who should have zero offensive power has gained his own form of aggression by imitating the anomalies he has encountered. Rather than a devouring ability, I believe this is more of an ‘imitation-for-utility’ ability.”
Chen Heyan stared at his student on the screen.
Luo Shizhen’s hand was pressed against Luo Tian’en, unmoving. The giant python behind him bared its fangs, as if letting out a silent roar.
“So, does doing this have any impact on his body?”
The elderly researcher said hurriedly, “Rest assured, as of now, there are no physical side effects. This is the most miraculous part; it seems his purification ability negates the negative effects brought about by the pollution.”
Chen Heyan continued to stare fixedly at the scene.
“Stop! Stop it now!”
He let out a shout. Although the others were confused, they immediately keyed in the stop command.
“What’s wrong, Professor Chen? His vitals and heart rate are all normal.”
Chen Heyan rushed toward the room. “His eyes aren’t right!”
As the teacher who lived and breathed alongside Luo Shizhen, Chen Heyan knew exactly what Luo Shizhen’s eyes were supposed to look like.
They were bright and black, filled with curiosity about everything around him, and entirely devoid of aggression.
But now, Luo Shizhen’s eyes were tinged with a hint of vacant hollowness.
Inside the room, Sui An had also sensed something was wrong and quickly pulled Luo Shizhen’s hand away.
“Shizhen? Luo Shizhen?”
Luo Shizhen snapped back to his senses slightly. He smacked his lips and looked up at Sui An with a somewhat sluggish gaze.
“Professor Sui…”
Sui An replied, “I’m here.”
Luo Shizhen said slowly, “You smell so good…”
Sui An didn’t understand what those words meant before he saw Luo Shizhen bury his face in his chest and close his eyes.
Sui An’s breath hitched, but fortunately, he noticed in the next second that the boy’s vitals remained normal.
Chen Heyan and the others had already run over.
“How is he?”
Sui An answered, “He fell asleep. It’s the same reaction he had after purifying Lu Qiujin. He likely purified too much pollution, and his body automatically entered a protective state.”
“Good, good. As long as he’s okay.”
Chen Heyan was trembling all over. He hurriedly took Luo Shizhen from Sui An’s arms.
He didn’t look particularly sturdy, but he was an Awakener after all. Carrying a person was effortless for him, and it allowed him to carefully check if Luo Shizhen was experiencing any discomfort.
Sui An subconsciously wanted to reach out to stop him, but he held back, allowing Chen Heyan to carry the boy away.
“Strange. His vitals are clearly very stable.”
“Come, check him again. Where exactly is the problem?”
“Professor, look at this.”
The group looked upward and saw the white python.
Even though Luo Shizhen’s hand had left Luo Tian’en’s body and he himself had fallen into a deep sleep, the white python remained unaffected, continuing to devour the pollution.
Luo Tian’en had regained a large portion of his sanity, and his face had returned to a human appearance. He watched the scene and spoke:
“Send me away. Isolate me, quickly. If he continues purifying like this, his ability might overload!”
Luo Shizhen was beginning to feel a bit full.
But while his body was full, his spirit was weirdly not satiated at all. On the contrary, it felt as if another ‘self’ was shouting inside his head, “I want to eat! Eat! Eat it all!”
This “eating it all” didn’t just refer to the black mist in front of him. It seemed to include Luo Tian’en, the iron restraints holding him, and even the pillar supporting the ceiling.
His eyes seemed closed, yet he could see everything. He could see a group of people taking him to the infirmary; he could see Professor Chen carefully stroking his cheek; he could see Professor Sui guarding his bedside with a furrowed brow.
A group of Awakener staff members surrounded him.
And yet, he only felt that they all smelled so good.
They looked… very delicious.
In the next second, Luo Shizhen jolted and woke up—spiritually.
How could he think his teachers looked delicious? He must have been contaminated while purifying the pollution.
Fortunately, the pollution wasn’t complete, so Luo Shizhen didn’t actually find Professor Chen “fragrant” in that way.
He didn’t just want to eat everything he saw before him.
There was also… that lingering aura on Luo Tian’en that seemed to come from far away.
If the fragrance on Luo Tian’en was like a roasted chicken meticulously prepared and displayed at a school gate to tempt parents into buying one, then the aura lingering on him was like a heritage chicken—one that had roamed the mountains eating bugs since it was a chick, never touching feed, growing lean and powerful.
It would be roasted until its skin was golden and glistening with oil, the outer layer crispy while the meat inside remained firm yet tender and succulent. Every fiber would be locked tight with juice, emitting an irresistibly enticing aroma.
Fragrant. So fragrant.
Luo Shizhen wasn’t a picky eater.
He liked the farmed chicken (the pollution on Luo Tian’en).
But he wanted the heritage chicken, too.
It was even more fragrant than fried prawns. Once he caught a whiff of it, it clung to his nose and wouldn’t leave, making him desperate to swallow it in one gulp.
Alas, there was only the scent and no physical object. He couldn’t swallow it even if he wanted to.
As he devoured more and more pollution, Luo Shizhen felt that the scent was becoming increasingly mouth-watering.
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