Chapter 14: Why Does This Needle Make Me a Bit Excited?

Ghost Hand’s face changed drastically, subconsciously retreating half a step, a flash of panic in those shrewd little eyes: “You, what nonsense are you talking! This is this old man’s secret formula! If you don’t understand, don’t mess…”

“I don’t understand?”

Gu Chen scoffed, casually picking up a rusty surgical forceps from the table, twirling it into a pretty flourish in his hand.

“Zhang Dehai, male, 62 years old. Former cleaner in the third lab of the Gu Corporation’s biotech medical team.”

These words made Ghost Hand jump like a cat with its tail stepped on, fur standing on end: “Shut up! I was a researcher! Chief researcher!”

“Come on.”

Gu Chen’s eyes were pitying.

“Because you stole discarded lab samples to sell on the black market, Old Master Gu personally ordered your leg broken and expulsion from the Gu family. Later, you changed your name and hid in this sewer pretending to be a mystic, relying on that superficial medical skill to scam underworld drifters.”

Ding, ding.

Gu Chen used the surgical forceps to lightly tap the jar containing the monkey corpse nearby.

“And this monkey.”

Gu Chen pointed at the specimen, “You think it died from rejection? Idiot. It died from neurotoxin accumulation.”

“You only thought of using high-intensity immunosuppressants to suppress rejection, but forgot this monkey’s original nervous system was junk, couldn’t handle that intensity of signals at all.”

Gu Chen glanced at Ghost Hand, tone indifferent:

“You want to run a AAA blockbuster on a Famicom, burn it to ashes, who to blame?”

These words left Ghost Hand dizzy.

If it was a peer questioning, he could argue back.

But this woman, this monster, dug up his ancestors’ dirt! Even pinpointed the core of the experiment failure!

“Who the hell are you?!”

Ghost Hand pointed at Gu Chen with a trembling hand.

These were Gu family top secrets, after Old Master Gu died, no one could know!

Gu Chen ignored him, turning to the surgical table, disdainfully kicking away the trash on the floor with his foot.

“Who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is, though this place is crappy, the equipment can still make do.”

He turned around, those vertical pupils appearing again in the dim light, tone brooking no refusal.

“Bring out your silver needles. The nine-inch Ghost Gate set, don’t fool me with those pig-sticking junk.”

Ghost Hand was oppressed by this aura, gasping, instinctively wanting to resist.

“Stinking bitch! Dare to run wild on my turf!”

He suddenly drew a gleaming boning knife from under his white coat, screeching as he lunged at Gu Chen.

That was a desperado’s final counterattack.

Qin Hongyi’s eyes chilled, about to shoot.

“Don’t move.”

Gu Chen lightly commanded.

He advanced instead of retreating.

Though the body was weak now, dynamic vision was top-tier.

Ghost Hand’s movements in his eyes were slow like 0.5 speed.

Sidestep, raise hand.

Puff.

A soft sound.

The surgical forceps in Gu Chen’s hand precisely clamped Ghost Hand’s wrist at the Daling acupoint.

The vital point controlling palm force.

“Ah!”

Ghost Hand screamed, the boning knife clanging to the floor.

Half his arm instantly numb, dangling like a noodle.

Gu Chen single-handedly grabbed his neck, directly pressing the skinny old man against the dusty wall.

“Giving you face, huh?”

Gu Chen leaned close, voice bone-chilling.

“Didn’t the Gu family teach you rules? Seeing the master, tuck your tail.”

Ghost Hand looked at those demonic eyes, psychological defenses collapsing completely.

This tone, this look, and this ruthless mastery of human acupoints…

Besides that fearsome Young Master Gu, who else?!

Even in new skin, the killing intent in the bones couldn’t hide!

“Young Master Gu?!”

Ghost Hand stammered the title, legs buckling, kneeling straight on the ground.

“Mercy! Young Master Gu have mercy! I had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai!”

Qin Hongyi leaned by the door, slowly holstering the gun.

She watched that canary who was weak and needed her hold moments ago, now stepping on someone’s face, giving orders.

This strong contrast made a strange heat surge in her lower abdomen.

This man.

Damn alluring.

“Silver needles.” Gu Chen released his hand, coldly spitting two words.

“Yes! Yes! Right away!”

Ghost Hand scrambled to the corner safe, trembling as he took out a rosewood box.

Gu Chen took the box, opened it.

A row of cold-glinting silver needles lay on velvet.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the surging heat and sharp pain in his body again, turning to Qin Hongyi.

“Come here.”

“What for?” Qin Hongyi raised a brow.

“Help.”

Gu Chen shoved the needle box into her hands, then right in front of her, without avoidance, undid the men’s suit on him.

Buttons popped.

Hospital gown slipped.

Large expanse of blindingly white skin exposed in the formaldehyde-filled air.

Qin Hongyi’s breath hitched.

“What are you doing?” Her voice a bit hoarse.

“This body’s qi and blood are reversing, the so-called Eden transformation essentially forcibly overdrafts life force for bursts.”

Gu Chen lay prone on the cold surgical table, back lines graceful.

Voice extremely calm now.

“A quack like Ghost Hand only uses drugs, that’s suicide. I need silver needles to seal acupoints, forcibly cut off this reverse flow.”

“A few major points on the back I can’t reach myself.”

Gu Chen turned his head, eyes a bit hazy in the light, yet still dominant.

“President Qin, dare to do it? One inch off, I’m paralyzed. Then you’d only keep a vegetable to play with.”

Qin Hongyi looked at the faintly emerging red patterns on that smooth back, signs of blood vessel rampage.

She took a deep breath, stepped forward, picking a nine-inch silver needle from the box.

Fingertips slightly trembling.

Not fear, excitement.

“Relax.”

Qin Hongyi leaned down, red lips by Gu Chen’s ear.

“Your life is mine. Yama wants it, has to pass me first.”

“Tell me, where to stab?”

“Shenzhu, Xuanshu, Mingmen.”

Gu Chen reported the acupoint names, hands gripping the surgical table edges tightly, veins bulging.

“Do it!”

Puff.

First needle down.

No anesthesia at all.

A marrow-piercing sour pain, hundreds times worse than knife wounds.

“Ng!”

Gu Chen muffled a grunt, whole body muscles tensing instantly.

The heat flow inside like blocked by a dam, madly crashing meridians.

Pain.

Painful enough to want to kill.

But he didn’t make a sound, just bit his lower lip hard, until blood overflowed.

“Continue.”

He squeezed two words through gritted teeth.

Qin Hongyi watched the cold sweat seeping on his back, eyes deepening.

She’d seen countless tough guys cry for parents in interrogation rooms.

But this monster with Gu Chen’s soul, after crash, transformation, pursuit, self-harm, could endure this torture awake.

Second needle.

Third needle.

Until the ninth needle down.

The red patterns on Gu Chen’s back finally faded slowly, that incinerating heat also subsided.

Followed by unprecedented coolness.

The feeling of power settling.

“Hu.”

Gu Chen exhaled long.

He flipped over, lying supine on the surgical table, chest heaving violently.

The green glow in those eyes faded completely, back to bottomless black.

But he could feel, vision changed.

He could see Qin Hongyi’s eyelash flutter frequency, see the spider web in the ceiling corner, even see floating dust in the air.

Eden’s first stage awakening, though with deadly side effects, brought real evolution.

“Looks like the gamble paid off.”

Gu Chen weakly hooked his lips, looking at Qin Hongyi wiping his sweat with tissue.

“President Qin, good skill, if unemployed later, can open an acupuncture clinic.”

Qin Hongyi tossed the tissue, one hand bracing beside Gu Chen, trapping him between her arms.

“Less lip.”

She looked down at this face, eyes complex.

“Gu Chen, what the hell is this body now? That recovery speed earlier, and this freak strength, not what humans should have.”

Gu Chen raised a hand, gently stroking his Adam’s apple-less neck.

“I want to know too.”

He turned to the shivering Ghost Hand in the corner.

“Old thing, stop playing dead. Come, draw my blood.”

“I want you to check this body’s gene sequence, what monster blood is mixed in.”

Ghost Hand heard draw blood, face paling in fright, but seeing Gu Chen’s murderous eyes, could only scalp-tingle crawl up.

“Yes… yes…”

Just then, an urgent phone ring sounded.

Qin Hongyi’s private cell.

Number known to no more than five people.

Qin Hongyi frowned, answered.

“Speak.”