Chapter 9

Under the surreal power to rewrite reality, it was as if an eraser had swept away the figure of the black doctor, leaving him to dissolve into nothingness, a mere wisp of mist vanishing into thin air.

*Ding!!*

In a moment of panic, the surgical knife slipped from trembling hands, clattering sharply against the floor.

A single word dictated life or death.

The unfortunate soul vanished without a trace, disappearing from existence.

Su Chen stepped into the shadowy clinic nestled within a narrow alley. Despite his youth, he had heard whispers of organ trafficking, tales of human bodies reduced to commodities.

Selling his own kidney for a new phone was an act of folly beyond reckoning.

But to deceive another for their bodily organs without cause—such deeds were unforgivable, unworthy of pardon.

"Scum like this has no place in our world," Su Chen muttered bitterly.

His gaze swept across the cluttered clinic, its corners piled high with discarded items. In the center stood an operating table, its sterile instruments arranged with chilling precision.

X-ray films and vivid photos adorned the walls.

His keen senses caught a whiff of metallic tang, the unmistakable scent of blood wafting from hidden compartments. Su Chen grimaced; this clandestine clinic had clearly preyed upon others before.

Despicable scum!

In that moment, Su Chen, who had always harbored dreams of the urban landscape since childhood, felt a pang of revulsion.

"Money..."

Su Chen's eyes fixated on a drawer overflowing with cash. He harbored no shame in taking this unjust bounty.

After enduring so much, he had come to understand that beneath the veneer of civility lay a world governed by the law of the jungle.

Without boundless genetic potential for evolution, his divinely granted immortality might become naught but a sample in someone else's experimental arsenal.

Even if he survived this ordeal, without sufficient strength, his youthful naivety could easily succumb to the city's treacherous traps.

The world was treacherous!

The human heart, inscrutable!

Su Chen pocketed a wad of over ten thousand dollars without hesitation.

And then...

He donned a coat to conceal his ragged attire and exited the clinic, disappearing into the bustling streets beyond the alley.

With this newfound wealth, his first stop was a mall on the outskirts of town.

Su Chen was in dire need of new clothes.

Before long, he emerged in a black hoodie and loose-fitting trousers, the ensemble tailored to his exacting standards.

Clean and composed, Su Chen's youthful face bore a striking handsomeness. His long, flowing black hair cascaded effortlessly, lending him an air of youthful maturity. Only his clear, piercing eyes betrayed a hint of detachment, devoid of warmth.

As he passed by, whispers followed:

"So handsome."

"Much better than those awkward boys from our school."

"That focused look, that cold demeanor—so cool."

Under Manhattan's neon-lit streets, where revelers frequented nightclubs, the solitary figure of this cool boy naturally drew the attention of many admirers, earning him more than a few second glances.

"Hey little brother, old enough to drink? Want me to show you around?" A beautiful white-collar worker in a crisp blouse approached, her tone flirtatious.

Su Chen shook his head icily, turned up the volume on his phone, and continued on his way, as if alone in the world.

"What a heartless kid..."

Disappointed, the woman turned and walked away.

Following his nose, Su Chen quickened his pace until he arrived at a shopfront.

"Boss, a bag of doughnuts, please."

His cash promptly secured him a bag of sweet treats. As for the food offered by the malicious individual earlier, it lay discarded on the ground, unwanted.

In the quiet of the restaurant, Su Chen sank into a plush seat, savoring each bite of his doughnuts.

In that moment, it was the happiest he had been in weeks.

Damn it, before now, he couldn't even breathe the air of freedom.

With his hunger sated, Su Chen's top priority was to chart his course forward, setting his goals and organizing his life.

It was a tradition passed down from his mother—a legacy of order and purpose.

Among the many tasks he had to juggle each day, two stood out:

First, his younger sister.

Second, vengeance.

Lost without means of contact, stranded on the East Coast of North America in Manhattan, separated by an entire continent from the West Coast, lacking identification, lacking the rights of an adult, he could not hope to return easily.

And his former residence was undoubtedly unsafe; there was no reason for his sister Susan to be nearby.

But thinking of Susan's eyes blinking, filled with the cleverness of a young fox, a hint of a smile crept onto Su Chen's otherwise impassive face. This troublesome little sibling had never been one to be caught easily.

Deep down, Su Chen couldn't shake the feeling that his sister was in no immediate danger.

It was an intuition—a connection of the soul.

As if he would sense it when trouble loomed over her.

Su Chen recalled the anguish of his mother's passing, the premonition that had left him helpless and distraught, watching his loved one slip away.

He shook his head, burying those painful memories deep within.

"Now, it's time for vengeance," Su Chen declared, his expression hardening once more.

For he remembered vividly the name of the man responsible for his capture and the subsequent transfer to a new base just days after being apprehended.

"General Strick... Even the search bar on my phone could clearly spell out the illustrious career of this man.

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