Chapter 146: Li Zhuang’s Surgery
Xu Sen understood what he meant and didn’t press further. Instead, he said, “Ever since he found out absorbing crystal cores to level up might cause self-destruction, he stopped absorbing them.”
“That’s my business. You just provide the resources,” Lu Weiyi replied calmly, setting the terms.
Zhuang Mingxu didn’t absolutely have to rely on Xu Yi. One healing-type user appearing meant others would appear eventually. Worst case, they just wait. If Qingyuan doesn’t have one, Lu Weiyi could take Zhuang Mingxu to another base.
But Xu Sen didn’t have that luxury. The cure was right in front of him—yet he couldn’t take it. It wouldn’t take long for that to wear him down.
Xu Sen thought for a long while. Lu Weiyi also fell silent, and the room went quiet. After a while, Xu Sen finally said in a low voice, “Deal.”
“But I want someone of mine to be with you at all times.” Just in case they tried to sneak away with Xu Yi. In a world this vast, he’d be impossible to find again.
“Fine,” Lu Weiyi said. “I want one thousand crystal cores.”
“Even if he’s willing to absorb them, a thousand would make him explode. Young Master Lu, I’m starting to doubt your intentions,” Xu Sen said, eyes suddenly sharp.
Lu Weiyi, surrounded by assertive people, was unaffected. He slowly pulled out a pure green crystal core from his spatial space. Compared to the dull grayish green of wood-type cores, this one looked like the tender shoots of spring—light, bright, and translucent.
It was clearly larger than a regular zombie crystal core. This was a healing-type core that Lu Weiyi had retrieved from a mutated yellow dog.
He brought it close for Xu Sen to see. “This is a healing-type crystal core. I got it from a mutated animal. Based on energy content, it’s not worth a thousand cores—but someone with the same ability type can absorb it for maximum benefit and minimum side effects.”
“You want to use Xu Yi for a long time, but you’re afraid that absorbing too many crystal cores will kill him. Using the same attribute is the best method. But you should know how rare healing-type ability users are—and finding a healing-type mutated animal is just as rare. You know its value.”
“…Can I take a look?” Xu Sen asked.
Lu Weiyi shook his head. He didn’t know whether Xu Sen had an ability. If he did, there was a chance he could absorb the crystal core just by holding it—and Lu Weiyi didn’t intend to take that risk.
However, he held it in his palm and brought it a little closer, shaking it slightly so Xu Sen could get a good look.
“A thousand is too much. Ever since I got injured, I haven’t been able to manage my subordinates, and I don’t have much I can offer right now,” Xu Sen said. Seeing Lu Weiyi’s expression remain blank and unreadable, he felt a bit frustrated and compromised. “Can I make up the difference with supplies?”
“Sure,” Lu Weiyi was secretly delighted, but then he thought about the current state of his spatial inventory. “You can trade for it with high-quality jade. I’m collecting jade now, and I assume your families have no shortage of that kind of thing.”
That wasn’t too rare, though… Was he trying to exploit a jade-based spatial ability?
Xu Sen figured he’d just give him ones without spatial properties. He nodded. “I’ll have Xu Yi sent over tomorrow.”
“Make it now. He kidnapped my brother,” Lu Weiyi stood up and straightened his clothes like a proper gentleman, then added casually, “He never learns his lesson. Dared to lay hands on a general’s son—just as well he awakened a decent ability.”
Lu Weiyi shook his head in mock exasperation and turned to Xu Father, who had silently listened to their bargaining. “Mr. Xu, let’s take control of the other Xu family members. I’ll be taking him tonight. Please have the crystal cores delivered to Officer Su Yan at the police station before 10 p.m.”
“Goodbye,” he said to Xu Sen.
Three people went in, and five came out. In addition to Xu Father, who accompanied them, there was also the man who had been standing outside Xu Sen’s room—he introduced himself as Xiao Jiu.
He had been assigned by Xu Sen to follow them these past few days. Antonio casually reminded Lu Weiyi that he was a trained fighter and quite skilled.
If he had been chosen to come along, he clearly wasn’t useless. Lu Weiyi was fully aware of that.
*
Xu Yi lived in the Xu family’s main residence, right in the center. The villa was neatly and tastefully decorated.
When Xu Father took them there, Su Yan was inside confronting members of the Xu family. The living room was in complete disarray, with traces of ability damage everywhere.
Lu Xi was being protected behind Su Yan. Apart from his clothes being a bit messy, he wasn’t injured at all. On the other side, Xu Yi’s face was swollen on one side, and blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth.
“Brother, you came to get me!” Lu Xi’s expression immediately changed the moment he saw Lu Weiyi glaring at Xu Yi. His eyes sparkled, and he ran toward him.
“Yes. Are you hurt?” Lu Weiyi helped straighten his clothes.
“Nope, I beat that bastard up,” Lu Xi said proudly, clearly hoping for praise, which made Lu Weiyi chuckle.
“Lu Weiyi!” Xu Yi glared at him, eyes wide.
“Long time no see. Your hand healed?” Lu Weiyi jabbed straight at his sore spot.
“You… good… very good… Finally, you’ve fallen into my hands. Arrest him!” Xu Yi ordered the people standing protectively by his side, his eyes full of malice.
As a few ability users stepped forward, Xu Father also stepped up and ordered, “Stand down.”
These men had been assigned by him to both protect and monitor Xu Yi. After all, healing-type ability users had no combat strength. Given how Xu Yi’s body had been hollowed out by wine and women, even a normal person could take him down.
“We’re entrusting him to Young Master Lu. I hope Young Master Lu will keep his word,” Xu Father said as he glanced at Xiao Jiu. Xiao Jiu nodded.
“What are you doing? I’m a healing-type ability user—don’t forget Xu Sen is still lying in bed!” Xu Yi quickly realized something was wrong and tried to talk his way out.
“Pleasure doing business,” Lu Weiyi replied, unfazed by Xu Yi’s hidden threats. He didn’t plan on doing anything shady. He turned to Antonio and said, “Take him.”
“What are you doing? Stop him! You… You all stop him! I’m a healer—I can save your lives!” Xu Yi shouted as he backed away from Antonio, trying to put distance between them. Annoyed, Antonio quickly moved in and knocked him out with a swift chop.
“Don’t forget the crystal cores,” Lu Weiyi reminded as they left.
*
As they drove away, Su Yan and Lu Weiyi sat in the same car. Antonio was driving. The unconscious Xu Yi was in the back seat, with Xiao Jiu next to him, and Su Yan squeezed in as well.
“How did you convince Xu Sen to hand Xu Yi over to you? He’s the base’s only healing-type ability user. A few families had even tried to compete with the Xu family over this. After the incident, everyone’s been putting the Xu family on a pedestal,” Su Yan asked, genuinely curious about what Lu Weiyi had done.
“No matter how valuable he is, he’s not as important as Xu Sen’s body,” Lu Weiyi replied. Xu Sen had been groomed as the heir since childhood. Unless Xu Yi was powerful enough to single-handedly support the Xu family, a support-type ability user like him could never hold up the family—he was at best the icing on the cake.
“You mentioned earlier that something happened between Xu Yi and the main family—what did you mean?” Antonio was curious about that.
“Just the usual dirty secrets of rich families,” Lu Weiyi replied, clearly uninterested in going into detail. “Corrupting someone on purpose to destroy them isn’t anything new.”
“Xu Sen? He didn’t seem like the type,” Antonio said. He found Xu Sen to be rather upright, still carrying a bit of youthful inexperience—he didn’t think his instincts were wrong.
“It was his father,” Su Yan explained. “Not many people know, since it’s a private matter, but my job gives me access to some inside information. Xu Yi’s father was a playboy. After falling for Xu Yi’s mother and being rejected, he forced and imprisoned her. That’s how Xu Yi was born. Later, he did settle down.”
“Xu Yi was smart from a young age. The Xu family matriarch favored Xu Yi’s father, so naturally she thought highly of Xu Yi too. She even gave him some company shares early on and was waiting for him to come of age and take over. But the main branch of the family had been managing the company for years and wanted their own son to rise. Xu Father bribed people to get close to Xu Yi and slowly led him astray.”
“Did Xu Sen know?” Antonio sighed.
“He probably found out later, but that’s still his father—the one paving the way for him. What could he say?” Su Yan continued. “Xu Yi was a disappointment too. He probably realized it himself eventually. When he couldn’t get revenge, he just let himself fall further, doing anything disgusting he could think of.”
“Still kind of pitiful,” Antonio glanced at Xu Yi in the rearview mirror, then cast a quick look at Xiao Jiu, who sat silently next to him. The man hadn’t said a single word to them the entire time—so low-profile he was easy to overlook altogether.
When they returned to the police station, Lu Weiyi borrowed a solitary confinement room from Su Yan and had all the windows thoroughly sealed. Only then did he throw Xu Yi in, and ordered someone to wake him up.
“Lu Weiyi, where is this? What are you going to do?” Xu Yi, lying on the ground, looked around the moment he opened his eyes, retreating as he questioned.
Lu Weiyi ignored him and pulled a fruit knife from his spatial storage, tossing it to Antonio. “Make a hundred or so wounds—don’t let him die. I want to see how good his healing power really is.”
“Lu Weiyi… you dare… The Xu family won’t let you off…” Xu Yi retreated to the wall, but couldn’t avoid Antonio’s knife. Torturing people wasn’t something Antonio enjoyed, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know how.
The small knife danced in his hand, slicing swiftly across Xu Yi’s body. In moments, Xu Yi’s clothes were in ribbons, blood staining him all over.
“Ahhh… Lu Weiyi, I won’t let you get away with this… You bastard… slut…” Xu Yi screamed.
“One hundred,” Antonio paused and looked at Lu Weiyi.
Lu Weiyi scanned Xu Yi, noticing he had no intention of activating his healing ability.
“Xu Yi, I heard healing-type abilities can reconnect bones. I wonder, if a finger is cut off, can it regenerate?” Lu Weiyi said calmly, his eyes cold as he looked at Antonio.
Even Antonio felt a chill. He was doing something this brutal, yet Lu Weiyi’s expression was utterly emotionless—like eating or drinking water. If he didn’t know that Lu Weiyi used to be a cloistered young noble who never stepped outside, he’d think this was something he did regularly.
“Lu Weiyi… You dare… Stay back… Don’t come near me… Ah—!” Xu Yi didn’t even have the energy to curse anymore. As Antonio grabbed his hand and sliced down hard, his pinky was severed cleanly at the base.
“Continue,” Lu Weiyi ordered.
Antonio hesitated briefly, then proceeded to cut off each finger. Xu Yi’s screams never ceased, and eventually, he wet himself from the pain, a foul smell spreading.
With all five fingers severed, Xu Yi was twitching uncontrollably, no longer able to even curse.
“I’ll leave your fingers here. Heal them or not—it’s up to you. But in this weather, they’ll probably rot soon,” Lu Weiyi said coldly, towering over him.
“Let’s go.” Lu Weiyi and Antonio left the room. He told an earth-type ability user to seal the door and had Su Yan assign guards to ensure no one could approach Xu Yi in secret.
Xiao Jiu, who had been silently waiting at the door, finally looked over.
“He won’t die,” Lu Weiyi said calmly. “If you’re worried, stay and guard him. Don’t let anyone near him.”
On the way back, Antonio remained silent, the scent of blood lingering between them.
Lu Weiyi finally spoke. “From what I know, there were nine people who died directly or indirectly at Xu Yi’s hands—the oldest was under twenty, the youngest only fifteen. He liked to use force, and the more pain involved, the better.”
“In high school, one of his lackeys drugged me and kidnapped me. I’d been sick for years, physically weak, relying on careful treatment every day. He took me to a room…”
Lu Weiyi paused, struggling for the words to describe that place. After a moment, he continued, “A BDSM room filled with all kinds of torture equipment. That’s why Zhuang Mingxu wanted to kill him.”
“??” Antonio frowned.
“I think that’s what it was called,” Lu Weiyi replied. Noticing Antonio examining him up and down, he smiled. “I’m fine. Otherwise, how could he still be alive? But he paid a price—his leg was crippled for good, one hand ruined, and… that part can’t be used anymore.”
“So he hates me. And fears me,” Lu Weiyi said softly, then smiled. In the distance, Lu Xi came running over with a backpack.
“Careful!” he called gently.
“Brother, look! I traded for all of this,” Lu Xi said, opening the backpack and revealing high-quality bracelets, jade pendants, and ornaments.
“Nice eye,” Lu Weiyi praised. “Director Su also said you did a great job.”
“Hehe, but I ran low on supplies. I even borrowed some from Director Su,” Lu Xi said as he clung to Lu Weiyi’s arm like a child, dragging him home.
“I’ll repay him,” Lu Weiyi replied, then turned to Antonio. “Go invite Su Yan over for a meal—to thank him for his help.”
“Su Yan arranged a doctor. They want us to take Li Zhuang over now for examination and surgery,” Li Qing said as he came out of a room, overhearing them. “We were just about to leave and let you know.”
Lu Weiyi’s dinner invitation was, in truth, to get them to prioritize arranging Li Zhuang’s surgery. Seeing it already done, he immediately had them take Li Zhuang over.
