The Gentleman at the End

Chapter 58: Chapter 57: The Pathological Gentleman

The bandages wrapped around the nurse’s face

achieved the variations in expressions through the amount and location of blood seeping through.

The bloodstains that currently marred the surface of the bandages formed a somewhat distorted blood-red smile, seemingly overjoyed from completing the task given by the “master.”

With a needle that grew out of her fingertip, the nurse poked the flesh blister button engraved with the number [-13].

Pop! The flesh blister burst.

Clang–– Clang––

Accompanied by a rhythmic trembling, the elevator began its descent underground.

With each level it descended, the chances of escape diminished,

Ding-dong! Arriving at sublevel thirteen.

The moment the elevator doors opened,

a flood of white rats surged in, filling the space between the walls of the elevator with their bright fur, their soft bodies melding with the visitors’ leather shoes and trouser legs, causing extreme discomfort.

“Don’t worry, these are all Mr. Li’s ‘pets.’ They absolutely won’t attack any guests.

Come with me, Mr. Li lives in the deepest [Ward].”

The nurse, limping, led the way,

and the thronging rats on the ground actively made way for any approaching objects.

The two promptly followed.

Edmund, who came from a major family and had been professionally trained from childhood, naturally resisted the vermin-infested area, feeling totally uneasy from head to toe.

In contrast, Yi Chen appeared much more relaxed, undisturbed by the situation,

having often spent time with rats during his days in the orphanage, even befriending a few and giving them names.

After all, in such an environment, rats were more trustworthy than humans.

Yi Chen glanced at the swarm below, yet felt a sense of dissonance.

“These rats appear uniform, but in reality, they possess a collective nature… controlled uniformly by some existence or, in other words, they are an entity unto themselves.

These creatures shouldn’t be called rats, but a dangerous group connected to the [Pathological].”

Sublevel thirteen,

this wasn’t a straight passage,

but rather a complex labyrinth of winding paths with numerous forks, akin to a giant rat’s nest.

Mr. Li, who created the Same Space and managed the ‘world inside’ the Clinic, seemed more like hidden within the deepest part of this underground palace.

When they knocked on the iron door covered in rust and built with rat skin, a hoarse voice issued from within.

“Have you brought them? Let them in.”

Pushed by the swarm of rats, the ward’s iron door slowly opened.

The so-called Mr. Li was not as frightful or indescribable as anticipated, and compared to the Non-Normality Patients of the Clinic, he resembled a human more.

Under a mess of silver hair, there was a face about thirty years old, gaunt and hollow-cheeked.

His limbs were intact,

and he lay on a hospital bed looking rather frail,

his forehead, neck, and wrists, as well as his ankles, all connected to infusion bottles, cared for by three bandaged nurses and a voluptuous female doctor.

The bed was custom-made for him; it had a large hole in the center,

from which numerous silver-white blood vessels grew out of his back, dense and interwoven,

penetrating through the hole to merge with the ground of the ward as if they bound him to this room, to this underground space, or perhaps to the entire Clinic.

It seemed he had lain on the bed for so long,

that the flesh on his back was nearly one with it, with no gaps visible, rendering him unable to turn over.

Moreover,

Yi Chen’s sharp gaze noticed another detail—a prominent “Moon Seal” on Mr. Li’s neck, which was the characteristic proof of Moon Transformation infection recorded in the False Moon incident.

It could be roughly inferred.

This Mr. Li was indeed one of the survivors of the “False Moon Incident,” hiding and quietly growing in the deep underground, using the special “Moon Transformation Disease” to create a Same Space similar to the Clinic.

There was another point,

and it was the one that surprised Yi Chen and Edmund the most.

Mr. Li was actually wearing a tattered set of gentleman’s clothes, still exuding the aura of “Gentleman’s Skin.”

Before the two could speak,

Mr. Li turned his head, his silver pupils gazing directly at them.

“The Organization actually sent rookies like you to handle matters here? Short-handed, are they… It seems that the folks at Zion are indeed almost done for. @@novelbin@@

If I’m not wrong, you are here to retrieve this thing, right?”

Mr. Li moved his fingers,

and the rats scurrying on the ground brought the mottled and old empty bottle to their feet.

The label on the bottle read “Twilight Clinic Exclusive Development – Dusk Thin Silver Liquid.”

“I’m truly sorry, but I’ve already used it up! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to live until now, nor establish direct contact with the moon.

Although you two are just novices, your strength is pretty good!

To adapt to the ‘Moonlight Clinic’ I created in no time, to swiftly kill a Non-Normality patient and quickly flee the main building.

Under these circumstances, you might barely be capable of handling a task for me.

If you can do it, I will give you three rewards:

1. No longer confined within the Moonlight Clinic that I created, you will gain Freedom.

2. The empty bottle of secret medicine that I used, which you can take back to complete your task.

3. Antidote.”

Upon hearing the word “Antidote,”

Yi Chen and Edmund already had a reaction,

however,

the nurse standing close behind them had already plunged the needle of her finger into their necks, injecting a special medicine into their bodies.

“Don’t worry, this is a specially formulated ‘Rat Plague Transformation Agent,’ which has a very long incubation period. The tested period is one week, and as long as you inject the serum before this time expires, it can be completely suppressed.

Don’t be too nervous—relax! After all, we are all gentlemen.

Although I have been corrupted by Pathological transformation, my ‘integrity’ as a gentleman has not been lost. As long as you accomplish the task successfully, all three conditions will be fulfilled.”

In such a passive situation, naturally, they could not refuse.

While Edmund was covering the injection site on his neck with his hand, trying his best to contain the invasion of Pathological corruption in his body,

Yi Chen stepped forward, approaching Mr. Li’s bedside, and made a quite standard gentleman’s bow.

“William Behrens, it’s a pleasure to work with Mr. Li. May I ask what task you need us to do?”

Seeing how quickly the young man in front of him had adapted, Mr. Li looked slightly surprised, a look of appreciation also appearing on his face.

“I need you to go to the real Viner City.

There, kill the ‘Moon Transformation Disease sufferers’ hidden among the urban ruins, aiming for the skin with ‘Moon Seal’ on their bodies, requiring whole pieces to be peeled off while ensuring at least a size of 15×15cm.

Collect them and bring them back to me.

Remember, my trade partners are you two only. It should also be you two who return, don’t think about bringing your teammates in.”

“What use are these things to you?”

“That’s not a question you should be asking, just get it done. Remember, the effective period of the medicine is one week, so don’t delay too long, or it might explode before then.”

“Understood.”

“Go now—return to the Clinic building, back to the bedroom you started in, get a good night’s sleep, and when you wake up again, you will be able to return to the Surface.

Oh, and one more thing, if you complete the task efficiently and bring back a good quantity and quality of Moon Skin,

I might also reveal some secrets about the Clinic to you.”