The Gentleman at the End

Chapter 52: Chapter 51: The Abandoned Clinic

The coach stopped on the highway at the foot of the mountain.

The coachman, wearing a metal mask, cautioned,

“After you complete your mission, walk east along this road for three kilometers, and you will meet me at the fork there.

If it takes more than a week, you’ll need to walk back to Zion.”

“Understood.”

Looking up at the small hill that leaned against the Vinar District,

in the world before Yi Chen’s demise, it would surely have been developed into a tourist spot, perhaps with cable cars, entertainment facilities, or even a temple at the peak.

However, there were no elevators or cable cars here, not even a stone step pathway,

the four could only tread the steep mountain paths and lean on trees, experiencing the most primitive joy of mountain climbing.

During the climb, Yi Chen even nibbled on some bark while using touch to perceive the conditions between the hills.

Nothing happened along the way, not to mention danger; they didn’t even see a small animal.

It was as silent as death.

Climbing the final stretch of the slope, through gaps between the trees,

the clinic’s front door, built with large rough-cut stones and cast in dark steel, gradually emerged.

Gargoyle statues positioned above the wall replicated the style seen in Zion City,

only most had cracks, chips, or were entirely shattered, losing their intended function.

“Finally, we’re here…”

Edmund stretched lazily,

seemingly casual in his actions, but he was actually adjusting the team’s order.

Dagbert, carrying a huge sword, walked to the foremost position,

with Edmund and Juliana side by side behind him, forming a stable triangular formation.

This was entirely habitual behavior for them.

Edmund glanced at the new teammate, “William, your visual senses are better than ours; during the initial exploration phase, why don’t you stick close to Dagbert?”

“Sure.”

The four reached the gate,

Dagbert extended his thick arm stamped with the “Muscle Emblem”,

his fully open palm rested on the iron door,

shifting his weight,

his feet sinking into the ground,

he forcefully moved the door’s gear mechanism with brute force.

Dagbert’s profession—[Warrior]—was chosen from the Blue Letter.

Trait—[Muscle Development]

further activates the individual’s muscle potential, optimizing and rearranging muscle cells, raising the standard upper limit of [Physique] with an additional seventh standard—[7.Transcend].

This allows individuals to break through their physical limits and reach higher levels.

…

The closest, Yi Chen, could clearly see Dagbert’s arm muscles rhythmically moving as he pushed the door, like rolling waves, endowing him with infinite strength.

“Such a powerful physique!

The augmentation brought by the [Profession] is indeed terrifying~ If I had chosen the Blue Letter at the beginning, maybe I could control the various plants on the hillside and even turn roots into spears like zombies, significantly increasing my combat power.”

However, Yi Chen was merely musing, if he had to choose again, he would still pick the Purple Letter.

They stepped through the gate.

A three-story main building came into view,

the front yard was flattened, and there were many footprints left by the recovery team.

The doors and windows of the main building were nearly destroyed,

and there were some cracks on the walls,

but the structure still maintained its integrity with a solid foundation,

looking like an old clinic completely abandoned by time.

Following the stone main road straight ahead, they would arrive at the entrance of the Clinic’s main building.

A metal sign that read [Twilight Clinic] hung vertically beside the front door.

At this moment, Edmund gave the operational instructions:

“The first day’s exploration doesn’t need to be too meticulous, just to understand the clinic’s structure and identify potential hazards… Make sure not to act alone, always move as a team.”

“Mm.”

They lit the kerosene lamp and all stepped into the abandoned Twilight Clinic.

[First Floor Lobby]

As soon as they entered, they saw a large portrait of Doctor Macaul on the ground, its upper area above the mouth completely burnt.

The counter by the door was also in shambles, all drawers were pulled open, and various discarded documents were scattered all over the floor.

Directly opposite the entrance was an elevator that could reach the Second and Third Floors, but its iron cabin was severely deformed, as if a fierce fight had taken place inside, and it was no longer in operation.

Besides,

Seeing the elevator and wall lamps, it was evident that the clinic once operated on electricity.

Due to the lack of electricity, the hallways leading to the left and right were pitch black and their ends invisible.

“Let’s start from the right.”

After some exploration, although the abandoned clinic was eerily gloomy, there was no danger throughout, not even small grape’s “Vision” detected anything unusual.

A simple three-story hospital structure.

Beyond the lobby’s elevator, stairwells were also located at the ends of both sides,

The first floor was the most typical treatment area,

Ordinary gentlemen injured or suffering from surface infections would receive quick treatment here… If they wanted to buy some medicines or even secret medicines, they could also make secret trades here.

The left side of the second floor was the inpatient department, and the right side was the surgery room,

Specifically for some gentlemen with severe injuries, who might be in immediate danger of death.

There were also a set of professional standards here; if the injuries surpassed a certain limit or the degree of pathology reached a standard, the clinic had the right to refuse treatment, or even execute preemptively.

Some gentlemen, realizing they were beyond help, might also come here, seeking ‘euthanasia’ and offering their disease-ridden bodies to the clinic as research material.

The left side of the third floor was for apprentices’ resting area, and the right side was for tools, routine medications, and a storeroom of miscellaneous items.

However, @@novelbin@@

Everyone also discovered a problem; there was no area related to secret medicine in the main building.

“Is it in the back?”

They left the main building through the front door and walked around to the backyard along the walls.

There they found a completely metal-sealed tower, nearly clinging to the edge of the hill.

On the way to the tower, numerous warning signs were inserted into the ground, all in different languages.

[Dangerous Area, No Access to Outsiders]

[Clinic Restricted Area,Trespassers to be Held Accountable]

[Unauthorized Entry to Building, Clinic Has the Right to Execute]

“Is this tower where the secret medicine is produced?”

The tower’s main door had been completely destroyed by a recovery team,

After the crowd passed through a cold and gloomy stone-built passageway,

Inside the tower, a rather nasty area unfolded before their eyes, starkly different from the style of the main clinic building.

[Material Refinement Area]

Even after two months,

The air was still thick with a pungent smell of blood,

The firelight from the kerosene lamps, reflecting off a considerable amount of blood and liquid, presented a deep red scene.

Even though most of the refining equipment had been completely destroyed, only a few remnants of apparatus remained.

Yi Chen could still reconstruct an incredibly brutal and chilling “Torture Arena” in his mind.

The reason he was so sensitive and could reconstruct it to such an extent was due to his intense training over the past six months.

Teacher Zede’s ‘paradise’ had left a deep impression on him; once he encountered factors like torture or pain, he would be the first to notice and recall unpleasant memories.

Besides,

There was also a circular staircase built into the wall, leading to the upper level’s “Secret Medicine Processing Area” and Doctor Macaul’s office.

Spending a long time here,

Yi Chen could even imagine some of the past pain and danger; many patients here endured agonizing pain on the brink of death, which puzzled him greatly,

“Why must they treat ‘patients’ so cruelly?

Isn’t directly extracting and stripping the needed materials enough?

Must they resort to these nearly lethal methods to ‘force out’ the required materials from within the patients?… What exactly is this so-called ‘Dusk thin silver liquid’ made of?”