Chapter 107 – Trouble Times
The woman was so hysterical that she couldn’t speak clearly, making it hard for Fu Xi and Bai Kai to get any information.
Seeing that the child’s condition wasn’t good, some of the nearby customers tried to reason with the woman. “Take the child to the hospital first! Crying here won’t help. Boss Lin isn’t a doctor; how can he save your child?”
The woman shook her head frantically, crying loudly and speaking incoherently. “The child… he just came back from his grandpa’s place… Grandpa lives by the sea… he ate mutated seafood… he’s been exposed to radiation, and it’s not enough… Please, Boss Lin, save him…”
Jiang Xiwen seemed to understand and asked, “Are you saying the child was exposed to an unknown energy radiation after eating mutated seafood, and the energy isn’t enough, which is why he’s in this condition? You want our boss to save him?”
The woman nodded desperately, on the verge of losing her mind. “Yes, yes! Please save him, save him!”
Lin Jiu and Vera had already come over.
Vera didn’t know what the effects of unknown energy radiation were, but the child’s condition was indeed serious. She quickly called an ambulance.
Lin Jiu had seen berserk humans before and had heard that strong exposure to unknown energy could cause bodily mutations, with skin ruptures and damage. But this child looked fine on the outside, only pale, with his hair drenched and dripping water. Lin Jiu had no way of knowing if there were internal issues.
Lin Jiu asked, “Are you asking for my ingredients to save him?”
The woman nodded tearfully.
Lin Jiu hesitated. “A little food is fine, but how is he supposed to eat when he’s unconscious?”
Hearing that Boss Lin was willing to help, the woman urgently called to her child, slapping his face and shaking him. The sight was alarming to the onlookers, who feared that if the child’s issue was indeed radiation, such rough treatment might cause further harm, even if there hadn’t been any danger initially.
A customer stepped forward to stop her. “You can’t shake the child like that…”
Before the customer could finish, the child woke up.
Lin Jiu turned to Vera. “Bring some silver carp caviar roe.”
He then said to Jiang Xiwen, “Bring a bowl of fresh shrimp soup.”
Vera and Jiang Xiwen hurried to the kitchen.
The shrimp soup would help the child swallow, and the silver carp caviar roe, already made into a paste, would be easy to eat.
As Lin Jiu waited for the soup and fish roe, he suddenly heard a cry of pain. He turned to see the child biting into a customer’s hand. The people around rushed to help, trying to make the child release his grip by pinching his nose and pulling his ears, but nothing worked. The customer screamed in pain as blood dripped from the bite.
Bai Kai, who had been trained by the Special Security Department, stepped forward and slapped the child on the forehead, nearly knocking him out. The child finally let go.
The customer’s hand was badly bitten, the flesh torn, with a chunk nearly taken out.
The surrounding diners quickly grabbed clean napkins to press against the wound and stop the bleeding.
“What’s wrong with this child? Was he bitten by a dog?”
“Look at his eyes; they’re unsettling. Is he really okay?”
“We should take him to the hospital. Boss Lin, you should keep your distance.”
The woman tried to restrain her struggling child. “He wasn’t bitten by a dog. I’m so sorry, I’ll cover the medical expenses…”
The child struggled like he was mad, scratching wildly with both hands, his gaze fierce. The woman’s face was covered in blood from his scratches as she cried and tried to soothe him.
The child broke free from the woman’s embrace, lying on the ground and scratching everywhere. His fingernails were tearing off, but he didn’t seem to feel any pain. He looked like he was in extreme discomfort.
The woman started sobbing again, “Boss Lin, please give him something to eat!”
Jiang Xiwen was about to bring the soup over, but Lin Jiu stopped her.
His expression was grim. “This clearly isn’t a radiation issue. My ingredients can only block radiation; they can’t cure other illnesses. You need to take him to a hospital.”
The woman cried out, “He’s not sick! We were just out shopping earlier, and he was perfectly fine—no issues at all, I swear he’s not sick…”
Finally, the ambulance arrived, and two nurses rushed in. “Where’s the patient?”
The diners made way, and the nurses immediately saw the child rolling on the ground and the two injured people—one with a bleeding hand and the other with scratch marks all over their face, also bleeding.
The nurses quickly moved in, trying to restrain the child and lift him onto a stretcher. But the woman clung to the child, refusing to let go, looking desperately at Lin Jiu.
Lin Jiu said, “Take him to the hospital first. If it really is radiation, come back, and I’ll prepare the food for you.”
The woman broke down, “It is radiation!”
Lin Jiu lost his patience. “Take your child for a checkup first! It’s not up to you to say whether it’s radiation! If he eats something wrong and it causes more problems, are you going to take responsibility, or am I? Go now!”
The woman was stunned by his outburst.
Without looking at her again, Lin Jiu said to the nurses, “Get him to the hospital, quick!”
The nurses lifted the child onto the stretcher, and a few customers helped the nearly fainting woman onto the ambulance as well.
Once the ambulance left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Lin Jiu turned to the injured customer. “You should go to the hospital too, to clean the wound and maybe get a shot or something. You don’t want an infection.”
The customer glanced at his unfinished meal. “I’ll go after I finish eating.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Alright then, neither blood nor sweat could stop this person from finishing his meal!
Lin Jiu asked the Demon Hunter Chef System to clean and disinfect the floor, then went to the kitchen with Vera.
He felt a vague sense of unease. There was something wrong with that child’s eyes—so fierce and aggressive, with an unusually strong sense of hostility.
Lin Jiu thought about it for a long time but couldn’t come to any conclusions. He decided the child must be seriously ill. Since the system hadn’t jumped out to alert him, it probably wasn’t anything too serious.
Thinking about the system, Lin Jiu realized it hadn’t appeared recently to make its presence felt, as if it had suddenly vanished.
Lin Jiu called out to the system.
The system’s tone was haughty. [Don’t call me if there’s nothing important. I’m busy.]
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu: “Busy with what?”
[I’m keeping an eye on the energy collection system, making sure it speeds up the conversion process and doesn’t pull any tricks.]
Lin Jiu: …
“You’re the one who’s always pulling tricks,” Lin Jiu thought.
Lin Jiu asked, “Did you see what just happened? Do you know what’s wrong with that kid?”
The system was clueless.
[What kid? Where’s there a kid?”]
Lin Jiu: …
He suddenly felt that the system, which used to monitor his every move, had become a little unreliable.
Lin Jiu became suspicious. “That magic energy is mine. Don’t even think about touching it.”
[I know it’s yours. I’m just looking after my future assets.]
Lin Jiu: …
The system seemed to be getting excited.
[Once all that magic energy is mine, I can upgrade!]
Lin Jiu was surprised. “You can upgrade? Where are you planning to upgrade to?”
[After the upgrade, I’ll definitely be more powerful. I’ll be Demon Hunter System 2.0! Haha!]
Lin Jiu: “Unless you can provide everything for free, it won’t matter if you upgrade or not.”
[Dream on! Just running the system takes energy!]
Lin Jiu, intrigued: “So, let’s talk about the ‘other stuff,’ then.”
[The system: … ]
[Can’t talk about it now. It’s locked. System level is too low.]
Lin Jiu rubbed his chin. “So I should look forward to this?”
[Of course! Once I finish upgrading, I won’t be the same system anymore. Get ready for the ‘Niu Hulu System’!]
Lin Jiu: …
The system was now like a cat, eagerly eyeing a roasted fish, completely preoccupied with the five magic crystals.
Without the system jumping out to argue with him, Lin Jiu found his peace restored.
—
Lin Jiu had thought that when Si Xu said he’d be back soon, he meant very soon. But after several days passed with no sign of him, what arrived instead was shocking news: the Cecil family in M Country had been conducting live human experiments.
The world was horrified!
Especially after the research procedures and steps were made public—scenes so gruesome that anyone who saw them would have nightmares.
All over the world, people were demanding that M Country severely punish the Cecil family. While cursing the Cecil family, many also lashed out at M Country, saying that only a place like that could produce such a heartless, monstrous family!
The Elton family, who exposed the information, had a clear target in mind. They wanted the ancient families to see where their lost descendants had gone.
Most of the research subjects who were revealed had died in the experiments. The survivors had been taken in by the Elton family and were waiting for their respective ancient clans to come and claim them—a major favor from the Eltons.
The Cecil family had become the enemy of the world. And it wasn’t just other countries’ citizens; even the people of M Country were furious and difficult to appease.
Especially when the death toll from the experiments was revealed, the entire nation erupted in outrage. The so-called “Death Research Lab” had earned its name, and without severely punishing the Cecil family, the anger of M Country’s citizens couldn’t be calmed.
Regardless of how the M Country authorities felt, they had no choice but to make a public statement, vowing to punish the Cecil family severely in order to quell public anger.
Lin Jiu didn’t care how much trouble M Country was in; as long as the Cecil family suffered, he was satisfied.
One day, while Lin Jiu was at home preparing a magic meal, he received a call from Jiang Xiwen. She said that the family of the customer who had been bitten a few days ago had come to the restaurant, demanding an explanation.
Lin Jiu didn’t immediately remember who had been bitten, but then recalled the customer whose hand had been bitten by a child.
He rushed to the restaurant on his bike and saw a crowd gathered at the entrance. A well-dressed woman was loudly shouting in the main hall, clearly very upset. Two strong young men, probably her relatives, stood behind her.
The child’s mother hadn’t come to the restaurant to pick up a meal, which led Lin Jiu to believe it wasn’t a radiation issue. If it were severe radiation that couldn’t be blocked, the hospital would have diagnosed it, and the woman would have come to him. Since she hadn’t, the problem likely wasn’t radiation-related.
He had thought the matter was over, but now it seemed there was more to the story.
Lin Jiu walked into the restaurant. “What’s going on? If you have something to say, say it to me.”
The well-dressed woman saw Lin Jiu and tried to rein in her temper. Everyone knew about Lin Jiu being a mermaid, and his popularity was immense. Anyone planning to cause trouble had to think twice.
The woman lowered her voice slightly. “Boss Lin, I just want an explanation. My husband came here for a meal, and now he’s been bitten? He’s in critical condition now. What are you going to do about it?”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Lin Jiu: “Does that child have rabies?”
Everyone: “…”
Seeing the odd looks on their faces, Lin Jiu turned to Weng Cheng and Lin Han, silently asking what was going on.
Lin Han, trying to stifle a laugh, whispered, “When I first heard, I also thought the kid had rabies. I asked the same thing, and the woman nearly punched me.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Whether there was rabies or not, why hit someone?
The woman held back her anger and said, “My husband doesn’t have rabies, but he’s infected with something else!”
Lin Jiu was confused. “If he’s sick, go to a doctor. Why are you coming to me? I’m not a doctor.”
The woman, furious and desperate, said, “The doctors can’t help him. He’s tied to a hospital bed, waiting to die. I don’t know what else to do. He got sick at your restaurant, and since you’re a mermaid, can’t you help him?”
Lin Jiu’s expression darkened. “I’m not a mermaid.”
Everyone: “…”
Didn’t you just publicly deny the allegations from Country H? How are you suddenly not a mermaid again?
The woman yelled, “Are you denying you’re a mermaid just to avoid responsibility?!”
Lin Jiu sternly replied, “I’ll say it again. I’m not a mermaid. That’s just a term made up by Country H, and you shouldn’t follow along blindly!”
“And as for your husband, he was injured while helping someone in my restaurant. I didn’t want that to happen either. If you talk to me reasonably, I might try to help. But with your attitude right now, you’re on your own. I don’t owe you anything. If you want someone to take responsibility, it’s not me. Coming to me won’t help!”
Hearing this, one of the burly young men stepped forward, glaring menacingly at Lin Jiu.
Lin Jiu chuckled angrily. “Are you trying to scare me? You should take a look around. Do you see how many powerful people are in this restaurant? Do you think you can threaten anyone here?”
The two young men: “…”
They’d been misled by their aunt. How could they forget that this was the same guy who took on the elites of Country H and Country M with just a fish spear?
The two exchanged glances, looking a bit deflated.
The taller one scratched his head and said politely, “Boss Lin, if you can help, please do. My uncle’s condition is terrifying. He attacks everyone who comes near him, so we had to tie him to the bed. It’s really pitiful.”
Lin Jiu frowned. This situation didn’t seem normal.
Just as Lin Jiu was trying to make sense of it, his phone rang.
It was Si Xu calling.
Si Xu was on a business trip, busy during the day but always calling Lin Jiu at night, reassuring him not to worry, saying everything was fine.
Lin Jiu stepped outside to take the call, but the woman grabbed his arm. “Don’t leave! You’re not going anywhere until this is resolved!”
Weng Cheng pulled the woman aside, allowing Lin Jiu to answer the phone.
The woman, still furious, turned on her two nephews, while the burly men, feeling dejected, tried to calm her down. They advised her to speak to Lin Jiu properly, saying he might be able to help, and that the main responsibility didn’t lie with him.
Lin Jiu answered the phone. “What’s going on? Why are you calling me now?”
Si Xu replied, “If you encounter any customers who are mentally unstable and attacking others, keep your distance. Don’t let them scratch or bite you, or come into contact with their saliva—they could be contagious.”
Lin Jiu’s heart sank. That perfectly described the symptoms of the child and the bitten customer.
“What’s causing this? What’s wrong with them?”
Si Xu explained, “It’s an unknown parasitic organism, very small, that attacks the central nervous system. It’s highly dangerous. So far, we’ve confirmed that this parasite comes from the ocean, and everyone infected had eaten mutant seafood.”
Lin Jiu felt a cold sweat break out. Everything matched. The child must have eaten mutant seafood, which led to his condition. Now, the woman who was scratched and the customer who was bitten were likely infected as well.
Lin Jiu asked, “Is there a cure?”
Si Xu’s tone was serious. “We’re still working on a way to eliminate the parasite.”
Lin Jiu suddenly realized, “Is that why you’re on a business trip to the South Sea?”
Si Xu sighed. “Yes. I thought it was no big deal, but the situation is worse than expected.”
It was indeed severe. This meant that all mutant seafood was now unsafe to eat, and any mutant seafood restaurants would have to shut down. Yet, the radiation from unknown energy sources was pervasive, and mutant seafood was essential for blocking it. Now that the seafood couldn’t be consumed, it was a vicious cycle.
Lin Jiu asked, “When will you be back?”
Si Xu replied, “I won’t be able to return for now. Take care of yourself.”
Si Xu was still busy on his end and couldn’t talk much more with Lin Jiu.
After Lin Jiu hung up the phone and returned, he saw that the previously aggressive woman was now wiping away tears. She wasn’t sobbing loudly but quickly composed herself when she saw Lin Jiu come back, putting on a brave face.
The two young men, who had been intimidated earlier, changed their tone. “Our aunt has a quick temper, Boss Lin. Don’t be upset. We know this isn’t your responsibility, but we’re just worried you won’t help our uncle, so we ended up blaming you.”
Lin Jiu glanced at the three of them coolly before saying, “Take me to see him.”
The woman stopped shouting and immediately hurried outside, leading Lin Jiu to the hospital.
Lin Jiu needed to see the infected person to let the system analyze the parasite and see if there was a way to solve the issue.
Without asking, Lin Jiu already knew that the child’s mother must also be infected.
As they arrived at the hospital, a news alert popped up on Lin Jiu’s phone. The breaking news was about a previously unknown parasite carried by mutant seafood, warning the public to stop consuming it as it could lead to infection. The report detailed the parasite’s origins, transmission routes, and symptoms, highlighting the severity of the situation.
Upon seeing the news, the woman collapsed in despair, barely able to stand with the support of the two young men as they helped her into the elevator.
Lin Jiu felt a growing sense of frustration. Earth seemed to be a place where any kind of danger could arise these days.
He was now keen to find out whether this parasite was a native danger from Earth or something that had come from the Demon Sea dimension.
When they reached the hospital room, Lin Jiu saw the infected customer tied to the bed, struggling violently and yelling. He was thrashing so much that the bed was about to tip over. His strength was enormous.
Two nurses were holding down the bed from both sides, while the man’s hands, feet, and body were strapped down. He couldn’t move, but he was craning his neck aggressively, trying to bite people. His neck was bent almost 90 degrees, which was extremely dangerous. His eyes were bloodshot, bulging out, and his face was pale. Saliva dripped from his mouth, making him look terrifying.
As soon as the woman saw her husband in this state, she broke down, sitting on the floor and sobbing uncontrollably.
The nurses were busy injecting him with a sedative to calm him down.
Lin Jiu called out to his system: [Check his body and see if the parasite he’s infected with comes from the Demon Sea dimension.]
This time, the system didn’t ask Lin Jiu for any points in exchange for information. With so many points already accumulated, it didn’t care for such a small amount anymore.
[I don’t have any record of this in my memory. It’s likely a native species from Earth.]
Lin Jiu was shocked: ‘A species?’
[Yes, his body contains a lot of… what you call parasites. They are living organisms, very tiny, and they reproduce quickly. They are attacking the central nervous system in the brain.]
Lin Jiu: !!!
Lin Jiu felt a wave of discomfort wash over him—this was like something out of a horror story!
He hated small insects more than anything!
