Apocalypse Forecast

"Name?"

Current Circumstances, Yingzhou, Medical Research Center Affiliated to Tanbo University.

The staff behind the window asked.

"Kinai Tomoko."

"Age?"

"17 years old."

"Please sign here, thank you." The staff handed a form through the window below, pointing to several places where signatures were required.

After retrieving the form, from beside them they picked up a paper bag and handed it over.

Inside the bag were five boxes of injection potions with the Ivory Tower’s logo, along with a needle-free injector.

"According to the instructions, inject once a week during the acute phase. After one course, it’s enough to inject once a month. Next, it’s recommended to recuperate for another week, and if symptoms like dizziness or irregular heartbeat occur, please contact medical staff promptly.

Also, please sign here."

"Okay."

The teenage girl put down the pen and submitted the final document.

"Then, congratulations on your recovery and discharge."

The staff stamped it and solemnly bid farewell, "Also, thank you for your sacrifice and contribution."

"Not at all, I am the one who was taken care of."

The girl had not yet finished speaking when the girl beside her, overwhelmed with emotion, had already thrown herself at her, hugging her tightly, "Waaah, that’s great, Tomoko, that’s great... waaah... I’m so happy..."

Tears and snot were all over the new clothes.

"Zhenxi, Zhenxi... calm down."

Tomoko struggled to push a little, trying to break free, "I just cooperated with some research, it’s not that scary, I’m almost out of breath..."

"Waaah, I’m fine now."

Zhenxi rubbed her twice hard, finally reluctantly letting go, then sniffed and grabbed her hand, heading out the door, "Let’s go for barbecue! Celebrate! I just got paid!"

"But Zhenxi, aren’t you still owing a lot on loans? And you’ve been quite unlucky lately?"

"It’s okay, I’ve owed them for so long, missing one or two payments..."

Bang!

Outside the hospital, an old dilapidated lightbox fell without warning, precisely and subtly covering the elated teenage girl.

Dust flew up.

Beside her, Tomoko was dumbfounded.

Instinctively, she turned back to look in the direction of the hospital’s emergency room.

"Ah, we better go register first..."

.

"Name?"

When the speeding vehicle suddenly halted, the young man bound in darkness heard the trunk being opened, and then a stranger’s voice questioning him.

The person with the hood instinctively struggled a bit, uneasily raising his head: "Where is this? Who are you?"

"I asked you, name."

The questioning man flicked the ashes from his cigarette, "Didn’t you hear? Kid—never mind, I’m Yamashita, from the Huaizhi Gang. You’ve probably heard of it, right? After all, not many people are bold enough to attack our trucks..."

"I have nothing to say to you lackeys of evil!"

The young man couldn’t suppress his anger, roaring, "If you’re going to kill, just kill! Do you think I would submit just because you pulled me out of prison? Dream on!"

"Hey, I say..." Yamashita sighed helplessly, cigarette in mouth, then... out of nowhere, punched him in the face.

A muffled grunt, blood vaguely oozing through the mask.

"We’re the ones who suffered losses, you bastard..." Yamashita complained, raising his fist to strike again, when he heard a sound from the chair behind him.

"Forget it, forget it, Mr. Yamashita." The Wood Cottage propped his chin, speaking listlessly, "When dealing with a stubborn person, you can’t use brute force. Perhaps I’ll talk to him."

Yamashita nodded, reached out to remove the young man’s hood, and silently moved to the side.

The bound young man finally raised his head, straining his neck to try to see the surrounding scene clearly.

But he couldn’t see anything.

Only an overwhelming spotlight, vaguely seeing a blurry silhouette beside the light, and behind him... the waves rolling beyond the beach.

He was actually brought here by the Huaizhi Gang!

He took a sharp breath.

"You’re Outsider Courage, right?"

A young voice was heard next to the light, seemingly bending over the chair, leaning in and questioning: "Nineteen years old, born on Huangquan Slope, also a Beastified Characteristic Being... It’s unexpected that you committed such a major attack on Huaizhi Corporation. Remarkable youth, truly remarkable youth."

"Spit!"

Outsider Courage spat a mouthful of blood foam, indifferently turning his gaze away.

"Two days ago, you and your accomplices attacked our truck."

The Wood Cottage flipped through the document in hand, clicking his tongue in admiration: "Because of you, over hundreds of meters of railway were blown up, six carriages derailed, twelve staff members injured, and our shipping schedule delayed... hmm, four hours, resulting in enormous economic loss.

Over a thousand special-effect medicines were damaged, not to mention the ones you stole... Each one is priced at $160,000 in the market. Wow, it’s a tremendous loss. You can calculate how much trouble you’ve caused."

"What? Even scum like you feel heartache?" Outsider Courage laughed disdainfully. "My favorite sight is seeing you bastards grieving like bereaved parents!"

"Suddenly being labeled a scumbag, I’m quite helpless. Well, indeed, I am a scumbag."

The Wood Cottage scratched his head: "What I’m curious about is why you didn’t attack earlier or later, but chose to attack our delivery truck? You should know that the truck before had a load of US Dollars... Or were your intelligence wrong?"

"Do I give a damn about your filthy money!"

Outsider Courage fumed, glaring at the person under the blinding light: "It’s because of scoundrels like you that special medicines are monopolized! Used as tools for profiteering, so many innocent individuals who can’t afford them suffer, letting you exploit them!"

He yelled: "Karma will get you all!"

"..."

An eerie silence, Wood Cottage and the person beside this mountain exchanged glances, shrugged after a long moment: "Seems like there’s no external force involved."

He sighed, looking at the furious ’young man’, though the opposite seemed older than him: "You’re a Sublimator, aren’t you?"

"So what if I am?"

Outsider Courage tilted his head, "Do you think only you can wield power? As long as the Huaizhi Gang exists, there will always be people like me standing up! Until the day you scoundrels are burnt to ashes!"

"Ah, perhaps that day might come,"

Wood Cottage laughed joyfully, "But, I finally figured it out."

Pointing at the person in front of him, he resolutely said: "You’re the legendary middle-school syndrome, aren’t you!"

"..."

An awkward silence suddenly emerged.

Outsider remained speechless, simply glaring at the guy, trembling with anger.

"I know, I understand, in this country, young people like you, with delusions of grandeur, often hang justice and the eradication of villains on their lips, thinking they’re special, thinking they hold righteousness and truth... really hard to deal with.

Talking won’t get through, listening won’t understand, even if understood, they won’t act, and even if acted, they might not do it willingly..."

Wood Cottage thought for a moment, seriously said: "So, why don’t we speak candidly."

Outsider sneered, disdaining.

Yet he still seriously raised both hands: "You have two choices—First, considering you still have value, work for us starting today until you’ve paid back the loss you caused, principal and interest—Let’s mention, the interest follows our corporation’s rules."

"Kill me if you want! Do you think I would..."

Outsider scoffed, ready to raise his head in ridicule, but the voice was interrupted, by the young man rising before him.

"And the second choice, which is my favorite—"

The dazzling light disappeared, as endless darkness rose, with the silhouette’s steps forward, transformed into ink-like shadows, covering his face.

The darkness, almost tangible, became layer upon layer of cold snake shadows, spreading across his skin, as though piercing through convulsing features, sinking inside, stabbing into his soul.

Then, a cold palm pressed against his forehead.

"Don’t think you can die, tying up your loose ends, okay?"

Wood Cottage leaned over, overlooking the ignorant one in front, eyes blood-red: "Sublimators are quite valuable, Outsider, even more than you can imagine...

Bone marrow for matching with critically ill patients, organs for medical experiments, skin for precious charms, blood is a material for many Alchemy Potions, even hair sells at a good price in the wig market.

Your eyes, nose, ears, organs, down to bones, soon they’ll leave you, remodeled in South America, Russian Federation, Rome, I can assure you, at that time you can continue living, even your soul can continuously extract Source Substance, gradually repaying the debt.

Until one day, a long, long, long prison term finished in unseen-end Hell, your Source Substance drained to the last drop, you finally die in despair, and your soul’s ashes blend into the Border Relic.

Just like pigs on the assembly line, not a single part wasted."

Speaking, Wood Cottage gently stroked his hair, telling him: "Outsider, you will create new value."

That gaze... that gaze...

Outsider’s expression contorted, unable to describe the sight he glimpsed at that moment, it was practically like, the butcher lovingly watching the fresh meat on the cutting board, filled with deep greed and malice.

Full of expectations.

"Now, tell me."

Wood Cottage touched his hair, looking up at the night sky, casually asked:

"Which choice do you pick?"