Chapter 4

Human vivisection, of course, is not a good term.

However, in contemporary times, the term "wanderer" is even more pejorative.

In 2044, the Third World War broke out, and in just five years, it destroyed 70% of human habitable space. As a result, for the next 50 years, the global population of ten billion was confined to 88 megacities, living in crowded and cramped conditions. It wasn't until the past decade that conditions began to improve.

Beyond the cities lies the wilderness. Vast and desolate, it has been ravaged by nuclear radiation and "mutants," making it completely unsuitable for human habitation. However, there are people who reject modern civilization or are excluded from it, including extremists, fugitives, and ambitious individuals. They bet their lives on the wilderness, wandering through it, forming the concept of "wanderers."

Jungle law, inhumanity, no底线...

Words like these kept popping up in Xie Junping's mind. He instantly had a standard template for Luo Nan's grandfather, whom he had never met:

An evil scientist! The kind that frequently appears in superhero movies.

"Because of this, Luo Yuandao and his son had a falling out. His son, Luo Zhongheng, Luo Nan's father, suddenly left home and disappeared, and there has been no news of him since. Luo Yuandao himself suffered from severe schizophrenia and has been hospitalized for a long time, but his condition has recently worsened, and he doesn't have many days left."

Xie Junping's teeth ached as he listened. He didn't care about the other details; he was only worried that in such an environment, Luo Nan might inherit some bad habits or develop a twisted personality...

At this moment, Yingying's tone changed:

"But the most interesting part isn't here. In the academic world, Luo Yuandao was an unknown figure except for that accusation, but another person related to him is very famous—Yan Hong, you must know him, right?"

Xie Junping nodded subconsciously. Of course, he knew. A few years ago, Yan Hong was a well-known professor at Zhi Xing College and was renowned worldwide. However, due to an "academic misconduct" issue, he fell from grace and disappeared from mainstream society, which was very regrettable.

"Yan Hong's book, 'Research on Prototype Neural Patterns,' led to the emergence of the 'Burners,' undoubtedly a revolutionary achievement. Its significance cannot be overstated. I used to admire him a lot."

Yingying's tone didn't convey any admiration, only excitement: "The problem is, during the 1990 'academic misconduct' incident, someone revealed that his groundbreaking achievement used Luo Yuandao's unpublished first-hand data, which he obtained through human vivisection in the wilderness... What a mess in your circle!"

What a mess in your circle, I'm not even part of the academic circle!

Xie Junping cursed inwardly, but Yingying wasn't gossiping; she was already beginning a more practical analysis:

"In 1983, when Luo Yuandao's incident occurred, Luo Nan was only 3 years old. The scandal involving his grandfather and his father's disappearance must have had a profound impact on his childhood. How would a child understand all this? What kind of personality traits would he develop?

"Now we see that he speaks in a refined manner, acts very aloof, and seems like a moral model. Ignoring the possibility of pretense, there are two possibilities:

"One is moral compensation. He feels ashamed and guilty about his grandfather's actions and subconsciously holds himself to high moral standards, essentially distancing himself from his grandfather."

But then, Yingying negated this: "Of course, if that were the case, Luo Nan wouldn't be so talkative about his grandfather's notes and past. The origin of that soft screen might be problematic; he's clearly avoiding something..."

Yingying didn't elaborate further and moved on to the second possibility: "The other is a moral mission. If his grandfather had a certain charisma, or regardless of his previous thoughts, the 1990 academic scandal could have had a transformative effect, leading him to have certain speculations or fantasies about his grandfather's achievements..."

Xie Junping couldn't help but look up at Luo Nan.

Yingying's description, synchronized with Luo Nan, was delivered with a poetic cadence:

"Perhaps his grandfather was unjustly accused? The 'Burners' should have been his grandfather's achievement? The old man in the mental hospital is actually a misunderstood great man?

"All these thoughts shape his predetermined sense of loneliness into a tragic and mission-driven feeling of being 'at odds with the world.' So he is introverted, aloof, determined, and vigilant, like a dark hero, alone and charging towards the dark curtain of the world... Wow, I'm even moved!"

Xie Junping's mouth twitched as he listened. The beginning was one thing, but the latter part sounded more and more like a script.

However, Luo Nan, a teenager of 15 or 16, is at an age filled with heroic fantasies. Seeing him so serious, could he really think that way?

"Senior Xie?" Luo Nan asked, as if reminding him.

Xie Junping realized he had been so engrossed in Yingying's "script" that he had been very unprofessional in front of Luo Nan. If he were misunderstood, it would be disastrous.

He hurriedly returned the notebook and commented, trying to cover up: "These drawings are very good."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Xie Junping himself felt they sounded dry and stiff, unbearable to hear.

"They're not really drawings, just sketches."

Luo Nan remained polite, but after taking back the notebook, he politely said goodbye: "If Senior Xie has no other business, I'll leave first."

"Uh?"

Before Xie Junping could react, Luo Nan nodded at him, placed the functional drink on the dashboard, and got out of the car, leaving decisively.

This... He's clearly suspicious!

Xie Junping felt genuinely uneasy and asked Yingying for advice: "Uh, should I show some concern?"

"Is my effort wasted then!" Yingying's tone was filled with frustration: "You..."

Suddenly, a faint noise interrupted her, making her voice indistinct and inaudible.

"Hello, hello?"

"Static, static..."

Damn, this is the worst time for this to happen!

Xie Junping broke out in a cold sweat. Seeing Luo Nan already walking away, he couldn't wait any longer and shouted: "Junior, I'll give you a ride!"

Luo Nan turned and responded: "I can run there; isn't it inconvenient for you, Senior Xie?"

"Uh, yes." Xie Junping was embarrassed. Now he was in a bind, and the most urgent thing was to nip the situation in the bud. He even needed Luo Nan to remind him; he was truly stupid.

Embarrassed, he tried to close the distance according to his usual habits: "Then I'll set up a special banquet to thank you. I'll find a place and let you know in the next couple of days."

As he spoke, he walked over to exchange contact information. Luo Nan didn't refuse, and they bumped their wristbands, successfully exchanging information and shaking hands.

Xie Junping was thinking of saying a few more nice words when a sudden flash of light caught his attention. He instinctively turned his head. Under the gray, hazy sky, a bright blue lightning bolt flickered, looking like a bolt of lightning, but its direction clearly indicated it was moving from the ground to the sky, piercing through the cloud layers.

Perhaps due to the stark contrast in light, the buildings around the lightning seemed to be distorting.

Almost simultaneously, the Phantom Car issued an alarm.

"What's happening?" Xie Junping turned and walked towards the car. However, after taking a few steps, a sharp screech suddenly blared from his earpiece, like the feedback from an old microphone, nearly tearing his eardrums.

He screamed and reflexively covered his ears, but before his fingers even touched his earlobes, his eyes stung. The temperature of his "light film" contact lenses suddenly rose, detecting an abnormal state, and the "light film" automatically shut down all functions.

Xie Junping's vision blurred, and the world spun. This wasn't an illusion; it was a real, tangible shaking, undulating, and distorting!

The solid ground beneath his feet instantly turned into a rocking boat on the waves. Within his field of vision, tall buildings and bridges were warping and deforming. In the distance, even sparks could be seen, lighting up the still dark sky.

"Earthquake, a major earthquake!"

For a moment, this was the only thought flashing through Xie Junping's mind. Before he could fully process it, the ground gave way, and his entire body plummeted. Along with him, the greenery, railings, rocks, and his five-billion-yuan Phantom Car fell.

The bridge collapsed!

The bridge, claimed to withstand a magnitude 9 earthquake, crumbled like a kicked-over stack of blocks, with the section near the bridgehead suddenly collapsing.

Xie Junping's mind went blank, and he instinctively screamed, flailing his arms to grab onto something for support.

He did grab something—a piece of rock that was falling with him.

Holding this thing only added weight and had no other significance!

Xie Junping's eyes bulged, and his vision spun.

"Ah..."

The scream barely started when his shoulder joint ached, followed by his wrist, and a powerful force surged through his body. The direction of his fall seemed to reverse, and his body swung violently.

"Ah ah ah!"

Xie Junping screamed, his voice reaching a high pitch and his eyes tearing. At this moment, the falling bridge hit the buildings below, creating a dull boom, sending up dust and debris, and causing screams and cries from passersby. The situation was chaotic.

"Shut up!" A deep voice broke through the noise, reaching his ears.

Xie Junping instinctively screamed a few more times before suddenly realizing what was happening. He shivered, looked up, and saw Luo Nan's face and half of his chest protruding from the bridge.

Most importantly, he saw Luo Nan's arm, thin and not particularly strong, but it had pulled him from the grasp of death... or rather, was still struggling.

Whether it was Xie Junping's luck or misfortune, the impact on the elevated bridge was extreme. Although the bridge had severely deformed, only the edge of the bridgehead had collapsed, trapping Xie Junping inside. Luo Nan, who was only five steps away, was unharmed.

Because of this, Luo Nan was able to rush over and grab his arm, preventing him from being crushed into a pulp.

The situation was far from over. Luo Nan had grabbed him, but his strength was clearly insufficient to pull him up.

Worse still, the collapse of the bridgehead had created a slight incline. Although the angle was small, in this situation, Luo Nan was slowly sliding down, with nothing around to help him gain traction.

The feeling of life and death hanging in the balance was unbearable. Xie Junping struggled to grab onto something, but his movements caused Luo Nan's grip on his wrist to slip dangerously.

Xie Junping's body slid down, and he screamed in terror.

Luo Nan's face was grim as he strained to speak: "Don't move, hold onto my hand."

Xie Junping, overwhelmed by fear, couldn't hear him and continued to struggle.

"Do you want to die!"

The roar pierced his ears, making Xie Junping shiver and look up, directly into Luo Nan's eyes.

Yingying had mentioned that Luo Nan's eyes glowed during training. From Xie Junping's close-up view, Luo Nan's eyes were not clear but filled with dense bloodshot veins and a slight yellowish hue. These mottled colors seemed to form an abstract and eerie image, deeply etched into his mind.

Xie Junping couldn't describe what he saw, but his heart tightened, and his body stiffened.

Luo Nan's roar had cost him a lot of energy. His voice was now lower and hoarse:

"Look at your hand, what are you doing!"

Xie Junping turned to look and saw his right hand, the one Luo Nan was holding, clenched tightly, stiff like a dead piece of wood. In his palm, he was gripping the rock that had fallen with him, its edges piercing his palm, blood flowing, and he hadn't even noticed.

This was likely a stress response, causing him to lose all sensation of pain, as if the flesh and the rock had merged—fear was the adhesive.

"Let go!" Luo Nan commanded.

Xie Junping wanted to let go, but his usually flexible fingers were completely stiff. Despite sweating profusely, he couldn't make them move: "I, I... don't let go! Don't let go!"

Luo Nan took a deep breath and stared intently at Xie Junping: "Don't look at your hand, look at my eyes."

Now, as long as Luo Nan didn't let go, Xie Junping would follow his commands like a puppet. He looked directly into Luo Nan's eyes again, the mottled colors forming a vortex that locked his attention. In the next moment, Luo Nan's voice echoed in his mind:

"Let go!"

Not just his fingers, but his entire body went limp. His fingers relaxed, and the blood-soaked rock fell, hitting his shoulder before dropping further.

The pain snapped Xie Junping out of it. Feeling his body go weak and heavy, he seemed to slide down again, screaming. Reflexively, he grabbed Luo Nan's wrist with his other hand, refusing to let go.

With Xie Junping sharing the load, Luo Nan was finally able to adjust his grip for better leverage.

After some adjustments, the tense situation eased slightly, and Xie Junping's muddled mind began to clear, allowing him to perceive more of his surroundings.

The cold morning breeze blew, and his body swung. The wind carried sounds of explosions, the rumble of collapsing buildings, and the sharp wail of sirens...

Even without seeing, he could understand the chaos around him.

Thank you, "dark hero"—Xie Junping now fully believed Yingying's analysis. Otherwise, he would have become a puddle of flesh in a pile of rubble.

But he hoped the "dark hero" could give it one more push and pull him up...

Just as he opened his mouth, a sudden, powerful sound hit him.