Chapter 808: Shackled by Contamination

It’s precisely because you’ve been burdened by his contamination that you inevitably exhibit many of his traits. You feel it yourself, and everyone else does too. Since human communication, perception, understanding, and memory all connect through mental power, similar energies easily breed misinterpretations, obscuring the truth…

An even graver effect is that you start to feel as though you are him, inheriting his hatred toward us.

On a practical level, you and he are two separate individuals with no actual connection.

The only link, perhaps, is that he once contaminated you…

You must understand that the purpose of contamination is to transform you into someone else—to turn you into his puppet…

…

Listening to the explanation, Lu Xin suddenly shook his head vigorously, overwhelmed by a torrent of internal chaos.

It felt as if a void had opened within him, leaving every breath hollow.

A constant buzzing filled his mind, as if countless voices were saying:

“Don’t believe it, don’t believe it, don’t believe it…”

“Destroy him, destroy him, destroy him…”

…

The mental turmoil made him lose track of time—it seemed both lengthy and yet just a moment had passed…

He lifted his gaze and fixed his eyes on the Old Man. “You all sealed every trace of contamination inside my body?”

…

…

“Hmm…”

Meeting Lu Xin’s furious glare, the Old Man’s expression remained unusually calm. He nodded gently and, just as he was about to speak, a creaking noise sounded beside him. It was the little Black Child, sprouted from the end of a vine, shrieking its discontent. The old man managed a wry smile and said, “We couldn’t capture it all—there was a slight oversight…”

Glancing at the Black Child by his side, he added, “For instance, this child.”

“It too has suffered some contamination yet managed to stabilize…”

“But look—the temper it has is far worse than yours…”

…

“Hiss…”

At the Old Man’s words, the little Black Child suddenly grew excited, baring its teeth at Lu Xin as the surrounding air erupted into chaos.

Faint, hurried whispers could be heard in the background: “Return the bride… return the bride…”

“Shut up!”

In a burst of anger, Lu Xin roared, fixing his glare on the Black Child.

Under his intense stare, the vine encasing the Black Child trembled violently as if overwhelmed by boundless terror.

It tried to cry out at Lu Xin, but in that moment, fear completely silenced it.

After his fierce outburst, Lu Xin turned his steely gaze to the Old Man in the white coat, who spoke in a somber tone:

“You all sealed every trace of contamination inside my body?”

…

…

Repeating the same question twice had already suffused the air with oppressive tension.

Even the Old Man in the white coat fell silent for a moment, then gently shook his head:

“Child, I understand your pain, and I can only imagine the immense pressure you bear…”

“After all, the power of anger is the last to be stripped from him.”

“Or rather, it wasn’t stripped at all—it seeped into reality through his own doing…”

“He was killed in the process of transforming into a god, so the later his power departs, the higher its level…”

“Thus, the force within you surpasses even that of the Ultimate.”

“But it’s also far more brutal, exuding a scent of utter destruction…”

“Growing up burdened by such power, you are destined to endure endless suffering and torment.”

“Yet now, you might finally find relief…”

…

He took a deep breath, offering Lu Xin a gentle smile. “Our experiments are nearing their final phase. Our techniques have advanced immensely. While we couldn’t completely cure you back then, now we can try…”

“Even if we don’t manage to cure you, once our experiments conclude, you will be free.”

“Hand over your Unique Consciousness to us, and we’ll help you break free from his shadow…”

“That pressure, that torment—the endless cycle of agonizing nightmares—will vanish from you forever…”

“Isn’t that a relief?”

…

“Isn’t that a relief?”

Hearing his gentle words, Lu Xin felt a surge of emotion, almost collapsing under its weight.

This old man had captured the very essence of the pain he’d suffered in the past.

Every burst of anger, that overwhelming fury which threatened to destroy not only others but also himself…

to destroy himself forever.

It was the nightmare that had tormented him for countless years.

He had once been willing to surrender everything for but a moment of true peace and comfort…

He asked himself, isn’t that a relief?

Of course it would be.

Had he been approached with such gentle inquiry earlier, he would have agreed without hesitation…

But…

Now, Lu Xin pounded his head in fury and glared fiercely, “Why should I?”

“Why do you have the right to give me this?”

“This is your fault—it’s your retribution. Why should I bear the burden of your mistakes?”

“Why should you treat me as nothing more than a container for this power?”

“…”

“You…”

Staring into Lu Xin’s blazing, almost bloodshot eyes, the robed Old Man frowned slightly.

But the Old Man in the white coat raised his hand to stop him and softly said, “Perhaps you have every right to blame us.”

“But as I told you earlier, we are a pragmatic group.”

“Back then, we exhausted every method, yet we simply couldn’t contain or suppress that power.”

“We couldn’t let it wander freely in reality; we had to choose a way to eliminate the problem.”

“When we found you, you had already been contaminated, though not mutated.”

“After much research and discussion, we concluded that you were the most suitable container.”

“But…”

He sighed softly, then retrieved a card from his pocket, murmuring, “We had always considered freeing you.”

“In fact, we’ve been accelerating our research, trying to successfully contain the power within you. But alas, even though we now possess technology capable of containing ‘Nothingness’, we still couldn’t subdue that raging anger…”

Glancing at the little Black Child beside him, he whispered, “We’ve already experimented on it…”

“However, the experiment is on the brink of success, isn’t it?”

In a gentle tone, he urged Lu Xin, “If you hand over your Unique Consciousness to us, you too can be freed…”

Listening to him, Lu Xin seemed tempted; he bowed his head deeply.

Then, with a sudden, resolute lift of his head, he answered slowly and deliberately:

“I entrust it to your mother…”

…

…

“This…”

The atmosphere instantly grew even more oppressive.

Both of the elderly men across from him…

And even the Mental Monsters nearby—with minds sharp enough to grasp human speech…

Or perhaps Doctor An and the others by the old apartment building below who had overheard every word…

Some of them might already know Lu Xin’s past; others may have just learned it.

But undoubtedly, the revelation struck them with profound shock and even fear.

“Cursing isn’t good.”

The Old Man in the white coat paused, then shook his head with a laugh, “Anger isn’t good either.”

“Especially for you. You should strive to avoid letting anger cloud your state of mind.”

“…”

Amid his almost joking tone, Lu Xin merely glared unyieldingly at him.

“Child, I know that learning these things has caused you pain—you must harbor some resentment towards us…”

The Old Man in the white coat sighed softly and added, “But I still hope you can remain calm.”

“We did indeed seal some of the anger in your body.”

“But that doesn’t mean we are your enemies.”

“Nor does it imply that you were initially chosen by us—it was the abyss’s primordial force.”

“It was that very force that first contaminated you, selecting you above all…”

“You might despise us, but you must not let it affect you—you must stand against our true foes.”

“At this moment, can you clearly distinguish between your genuine anger and the anger he instilled in you?”

“If you cannot, then can you at least try to analyze it with reason?”

“…”

Fixing his cold, angry gaze on Lu Xin, he patiently advised, “Think carefully—what should you do?”

“I’ve always cared about you. I know you’re a good person—kind, responsible, and smart.”

“You wouldn’t want to see our world remain this way.”

“We all deserve a better life.”

“But if you don’t hand it over to us, it’s clear we can’t resolve this issue; the world will only spiral further into chaos.”

“Or do you plan to entrust it to those you trust?”

“The Moon Eclipse Research Institute—really, do they deserve your trust? With their forbidden experiments, hidden top-level data, and ambitions of controlling Central City while pretending to stay out of politics, do you think your Unique Consciousness would be put to righteous use?”

“Or perhaps Qinggang?”

“Is Qinggang really content to stay obedient by the sea forever?”

“Once they acquire great power, do you think they’ll hesitate to attack other High-wall Cities?”

“Handing over your Unique Consciousness to them would only invite further warfare into this world.”

“So, you really have but one choice—us.”

“Give it to us, and we will use it in the right way, to bring everything to an end…”

“…”

As he slowly spread his arms, he whispered, “Including this nightmare of a world, and…”

“Your nightmare!”