Wan Shou, Mutant

Two days of continuous travel was fully capable of whetting anyone's patience regardless of their mental fortitude and open-mindedness. Add in the never-changing scenery of grasslands and impoverished villages, and the methodical process of manipulating the limousine to drive in a straight line, and the travel could be considered hell.

Tai Zi Hua was completely unresponsive, his raucous behavior fully withdrawn as he blankly gazed at the sky, incessantly muttering to himself. The driver, who Li Mo Shang had discovered to be surnamed Song, was currently unconscious from the accumulated shocks and mental fatigue from previous the natural phenomenon.

Hence, Li Mo Shang was the remaining 'survivor' to pilot the battered limousine to their destination.

Wan Shou Province, formerly a decent-sized kingdom until Tai Zi Hua had accidentally released a plague that decimated a significant proportion of their population. As they drove past abandoned buildings and moss growing on metallic structures, Li Mo Shang could not help but frequently stop, gazing at the ruins of what used to be a prosperous land.

"Just life. Unpredictable, and unstoppable. Who knew back then that such a disaster would occur?"

Tai Zi Hua's garrulous voice could be heard from within the limousine. With a light sigh, the old man opened the dented door to stand alongside of Li Mo Shang, gazing at the ruined and empty city. Shaking his head, the old man released a light puff of air, watching the breath condense into a light vapor under the chilly autumn wind.

"An attempt to create a generic inhibitor that could counteract the majority of mild to severe diseases, at least in theory. Combining both modernized and traditional medicinal products, techniques, and legacies, this project was supposed to have saved millions of lives.

Yet, look at all of that! Forced to emigrate, millions dying within the first week, and all of that because we forgot to accommodate for the unstable humidity reputed in Wan Shou."

"Why complain and grieve so much about a mistake? You, I, and practically every somewhat successful practitioner in medicine has incurred a grievous mistake that caused the deaths of thousands.

Old Tai, you in particular experienced far more than any of us, as one of the senior practitioners. Iron-hearted and callous while decimating tens of millions, but lamenting over the death of a single family. Aren't you a little too compassionate like Te Zi Yuan?"

In contrast to Tai Zi Hua's forlorn expression, Li Mo Shang's countenance was icy as he glared at the grass before him, observing the small deposits of grey, eternal ash. The project back then had invited many medicinal families and practitioners, the Li Family included.

Unfortunately, those who had initially adamantly advocated for its initialization were the first to depart after months of failure, sending the project into a downward spiral into tragedy.

"…You're right, I am indeed getting a little too compassionate and naïve after growing old in age." lamented Tai Zi Hua.

"Receive scorn when you save someone, receive scorn when you kill. What is the point of a doctor's honor? They expect half-hearted praises to sustain our growth and survival, forcing us to forage for the necessary tools and herbs to even practice medicine."

"We are killed much before the actual murderer, and are the first ones to be hated when a problem can't be resolved instantly. What is the point of the doctor's heart and compassion for saving lives?"

Returning to the limousine to withdraw a jar of powerful alcohol, Tai Zi Hua removed the covering before emptying the contents onto the ground.

A stormy light blazing in his aged eyes, the old man slammed the jar against the ground, shattering the luxurious porcelain craft into innumerable shards. Striding towards the limousine and reclining on a couch, his words, though quiet, echoed throughout the empty city.

"I, Tai Zi Hua, have long since cast away the hypocrisy of a doctor. I will kill who I wish to kill, and save who I wish to save. If the people of Wan Shou are to perish without receiving assistance, so be it!"

-

Ever since they had entered the desolate city, it took no more than a few hours to observe signs of human activity nearby. Stopping the limousine, Li Mo Shang and Tai Zi Hua quickly strode towards a large clearing, where several other figures dressed in a wide variety of fashion styles could be seen.

"Oh? Old Tai, why are you so late this time? We were just about to start, don't think you can get the first chance this time."

"Shut up, Tian Yu bastard! This old man got caught up in a natural phenomenon. Go check my limousine if you don't believe, hmph!"

As they noticed Tai Zi Hua and Li Mo Shang's arrival, one of the people quickly greeted them, exchanging rowdy banter with Tai Zi Hua. The elderly man quickly retaliated with a vicious attitude, causing laughter to resound in the originally solemn clearing.

"So? Old Tian, where is the mutant? Everyone was practically hopping from the rumors, don't joke around with me."

Tai Zi Hua's expression became solemn as he gazed at Tian Yu, his eyes flashing with a cold light. Tian Yu flapped his billowing sleeves against the wind, motioning for everyone to follow him. The atmosphere immediately became professional-like, with not a single person daring to exchange frivolous conversation.

"Over here."

Leading the group towards a nearby abandoned building, Tian Yu pointed towards a large cavity in one of the walls. There, amidst concrete rubble, metallic tubing and structures, and copious amounts of settled dust, was a large darksteel cage, and a young male confined within.

"It's really true. The Western Holy Nation indeed succeeded with their genetic manipulation research. Perhaps this mutant is one engineered for advancement in speed?"

"Their vitals appear to be quite unstable. Look at the irregular twitching in both eyes, and the bulging vein at the neck. Perhaps this one isn't a finished product?"

"Those wings seem to be of the same structure as a dove…how is that supposed to enhance speed, really?"

The doctors all began to observe from afar, exchanging information and conjectures with each other regarding the mutant's assumed strength, agility, intelligence, and most importantly, lifespan. Li Mo Shang noticed that although this mutant seemed to be similar to the pair he saw in the auction back in Nan Qing, there were indeed notable differences.

While they all possessed white wings akin to a dove, the two girls seemed to have developed them since birth, while the mutant before them must have had them grafted at a young age. When Li Mo Shang focused his gaze on the joints connecting the wings to the bottom of the shoulder blade, he could see the wings vibrating at unstable frequencies; a clear indicator of grafting.

"Hey, take a look at this guy for a second. That halved sparrow birthmark on his neck, isn't that from Wan Shou's royalty? Could it be that this guy is a member of that diminished Imperial Family?"

Suddenly, one of the doctors cried out, pointing at the left side of the male's neck. There, they could see a slightly deformed birthmark undulating on the skin, with an appearance similar to the Wan Shou Royal Family's birthmarks. Faced with an array of inquisitive glances, the male jerked his head and violently trembled, pursing his lips shut.

"Old Tian, go verify it. If he is indeed from the Wan Shou Royal Family, then the Western Holy Nation would have besmirched their own name. Colonizing a defeated nation is still acceptable, but the Royal Families are not to be touched, wasn't that their own foreign policy?"

Some within the group called out, signaling for Tian Yu to investigate given his extensive knowledge on the birthmarks and distinctions among Royal Families as a rogue Imperial Doctor. Tian Yu stepped forward, but turned around merely three meters away from the cage.

"Well then, everyone, does that mean I am allowed to be the first one to physically inspect the mutant?"

"While you assert the man's identity, go ahead! We won't complain."

The crowd chorused, even Tai Zi Hua joining in. Although being the first allowed for a clean specimen for research, it also meant that he would be experimenting without any prior knowledge. Although the clarity of experiment results was important, it was equally opportune for a careless mistake to occur, and everyone had agreed beforehand for only a single bout of testing, five minutes maximum.

Tian Yu nodded, before approaching the caged male. Walking around the mutant and inspecting the joints connecting the wings to the shoulders, he then produced a long silver needle, of which he jabbed into the middle region of the spine. With a shudder, the male collapsed as his body trembled viciously, broken howls ringing through the clearing.

"No pain blockage," he mused. "Perhaps pain inhibition modules were never the proper method of enhancement taking the genetic manipulation approach."

Continuing to insert needles in various locations in the mutant's limbs, Tian Yu circled the shackled youth, murmuring underneath his breath before withdrawing all of the needles.

Overturning the male's body to examine the birthmark on his neck, Tian Yu released an 'oh?' of surprise before departing the cage. Returning to the group, the elderly man dusted his palms, before calmly speaking.

"Four minutes, thirty seconds. I've confirmed that outside of the external attachment of the wings, there isn't anything special in a positive outlook regarding the mutant. As for the birthmark, it's been branded with a special iron, not inborn. Perhaps it's a political maneuver by the Western Holy Nation, or a servant within the Wan Shou Royal Family?"

Once Tian Yu had returned to the group, people began to step forward, each conducting their respective investigations on the mutant. Many tested the male's abilities to tolerate stress, while others obtained samples from the wings. When Li Mo Shang had neared the darksteel cage, the male youth was reduced to a quivering mass on the ground, trembling from the slightest touch in fear.

Entering the cage, he observed the shackled youth, gazing at the soft white wings. Poking at the joints connecting the wings, Li Mo Shang infused a thin strand of spiritual qi into his finger. As his finger came into contact, the spiritual qi invaded the bound youth's body, ravaging through the bloodstream without a shred of delicacy. The youth howled in pain, blood seeping his orifaces.

"Oh! Little Li, just what testing are you conducting that has to be so violent? Not even Old Wu's pain inhibition examination was this explosive."

"Look at the blood on the ground! Just what is he testing that's causing the blood to change color?"

Ignoring the various comments from the other practitioners, Li Mo Shang continued to command the spiritual qi to analyze the mutant. Disregarding the howls of pain and misery, he continued to carefully observe the genetic composition of the mutant's blood, skin, and bone cells, burning the information into his memory. When he finally finished, the strand of spiritual qi dissipated in a scattering of multicolored light.

"Tch, little brat, you're truly a monster like they always say, never displaying a shred of compassion." Tai Zi Hua was the first to approach, giving Li Mo Shang a hard slap on the shoulder. "So? What did you find after all of that torture?"

Li Mo Shang dismissed his thoughts, gazing directly at Tai Zi Hua. Speaking in an even voice, his words chilled everyone to the core.

"Where should I start? Looking at the composition of the blood and internal skeleton, it's a carbon copy of the generic inhibitor that we attempted to produce. It's just that the dove wings were grafted successfully, yet the only factor maintaining the bare minimum of organic stability is the very product that destroyed this place."