PFC Chapter 526 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (137)
Chapter 526 "Infecting the World" - Male Mother (137)
Just as An Tang was about to urge him again, Zhao Linchuan's voice trembled, and he almost shouted it out.
An Tang was startled and looked around.
The room remained unchanged; in fact, to the naked eye, there was no difference whatsoever. The lighting was still dim, and the furnishings had not been moved at all.
But physically, they don't feel any energy radiation...
Unlike when An Tang first entered, although the feeling wasn't very strong, it definitely filled the space. Now, there's absolutely none of it; it's just like any ordinary place, without any difference.
An Tang paused for a moment, then walked outside.
Zhao Linchuan watched his anxious back, wondering where he had gone. But then he saw An Tang walk past, and after about two minutes, he returned.
"Where did you go?" Zhao Linchuan asked anxiously, still not daring to let go of Liao Tingyuan's hand.
“I went up the stairs and then went down again. The feeling up and down is exactly the same now.”
An Tang, I wanted to verify that my feeling was correct.
"I already said it's over, don't you still believe in my abilities?" Zhao Linchuan puffed out his chest, looking as if his abilities were being questioned.
An Tang shook her head, her voice somewhat unsteady: "It's not that I don't believe you, I just think this is really too strange."
When Zhao Linchuan thought about it, his mind suddenly returned to normal. Just now, he had been fully focused on converting energy and radiating it into Liao Tingyuan's body.
Now that An Tang said that, it felt like a needle pricked his brain nerves, and he even felt pain.
Yes, that's incredible!
He had just transferred all the energy radiation into Liao Tingyuan's body.
Zhao Linchuan suddenly turned his head, almost dislocating his neck.
Because he had been sitting cross-legged on the ground for too long, his legs were now numb, and he practically tumbled and crawled a couple of steps.
With her hands on Liao Tingyuan's knees, she looked up at him, her mouth uttering a very tense and sorrowful cry: "Brother Liao, Brother Liao, Brother Liao! Open your eyes and look at me! Say something!"
"How are you right now? Are you feeling very unwell?"
Seeing that Liao Tingyuan did not react, Zhao Linchuan's eyes welled up with tears.
Turning to look at An Tang, he asked, "Sister Tang, Brother Liao wouldn't... wouldn't he become a vegetable, would he?"
Then, An Tang kicked him, knocking him over again, and he sat down on the ground once more.
"Can you stop holding him down? You're going to drag him to the ground again!" An Tang pulled Liao Tingyuan back onto the chair.
Liao Tingyuan was still feeling weak all over. This weakness was not the kind of weakness one feels after getting sick, where one can't exert any strength and moves very slowly.
He has now completely lost control of his body. His brain sends a command to move his finger, but when the command reaches his fingertip, it feels like several seconds have passed and it doesn't have much effect.
Liao Tingyuan even felt that he could no longer sense any other existence besides his own thoughts.
It was as if, just a moment ago, only his thoughts existed in this world.
It was a very strange and absurd feeling, one that even Liao Tingyuan himself had never experienced before.
Only one's own mind remained to perceive everything, while one's physical body had become nothingness.
He could hear An Tang and Zhao Linchuan's voices beside him. They were very close, but he felt unable to respond, as if he had been separated from them.
His senses of connection with others or with everything happening now are very vague, and his thoughts are chaotic.
As if his mind and body had become two separate entities, Liao Tingyuan couldn't help but have one thought: what exactly can these abilities do, or rather... what can they do through his body, and why can they enter his body?
These inexplicable mysteries filled Liao Tingyuan's mind, making it hard for him to breathe.
Until Zhao Linchuan's large face came into view.
Zhao Linchuan rushed to his side, his expression panicked and worried as he drew closer until he filled Liao Tingyuan's entire field of vision: "Brother Liao! Brother Liao! Can you still hear me?"
The ethereal atmosphere suddenly receded like the tide, and Liao Tingyuan felt himself gradually regaining movement, starting from his fingers.
He regained control of his body, and his mind and body reconnected. He coughed, as if air had suddenly rushed into his previously blocked throat.
"Tingyuan!" Antang quickly supported him, making it easier for him to breathe. She used her body to brace against Liao Tingyuan's back, giving him a solid and reliable support.
"Brother Liao! Thank goodness, I thought you weren't breathing!" Zhao Linchuan breathed a long sigh of relief, then An Tang kicked him in the leg.
As a result, Zhao Linchuan, who was already tense and anxious, stumbled and fell down next to Liao Tingyuan's legs, supporting himself on the dusty ground.
"Get up now!" An Tang didn't know what he was up to and wanted to kick him again. The most important thing now was to check on Liao Tingyuan's condition. No matter what, she had to get him out of here first. It was too dark here to see clearly, so she had to take him back for a thorough examination.
Although Liao Tingyuan's reaction relieved An Tang, she was not complacent. This was the first time such a thing had happened, and who knew how it would develop? What if the person who seemed perfectly fine now might suffer some irreversible aftereffects? These were all incredibly worrying.
Liao Tingyuan seems fine now, but that's only on the surface.
At this moment, An Tang was filled with a thousand thoughts, all tangled together and unable to make sense of them. She didn't fully understand what had happened tonight, but she would put all of that aside for now.
An Tang frowned, about to urge Zhao Linchuan, when she saw his shoulders slump and tremble slightly.
An Tang: ...
She didn't say anything after that and fell silent for a moment. She understood Zhao Linchuan's sudden loss of emotional control.
He wasn't a particularly strong person to begin with, and the immense pressure he faced, whether today or recently, meant that even though no one was demanding anything of him, Zhao Linchuan felt that only he could accomplish what had to be done. However, his limited abilities and repeated failures, coupled with the expectant gazes of others, only amplified his stress.
When this feeling reached its peak, it forced him to gamble with Liao Tingyuan's life to complete this completely insane attempt. How could he not find it unbearable?
No one else could share the burden with him...
"Stop crying." Liao Tingyuan's voice suddenly rang out. Even though he was still distracted, he was still very sharp. His voice was weak and powerless, but it still sounded calm and composed.
"I'm fine, don't worry."
Liao Tingyuan took a breath and said earnestly, "You did very well."
"I..." Zhao Linchuan tried to speak, but his voice broke into a sob: "I don't know if I should do this... What will happen after I do this?"
"Brother Liao, I would rather... I would rather it was myself sitting there!" he said, choking back tears.
“I know, if I were you, I would think the same way,” Liao Tingyuan said calmly.
An Tang understood Zhao Linchuan's meaning. He couldn't bear the unknown consequences, just like none of them knew what the unknown would be.
Today seems like a success, but what will happen next?
What else is there to do? What else is there to face?
Even if they succeed today, a sense of uncertainty still lingers in their hearts...
Perhaps today, we will face an unexpected event; perhaps tomorrow, we will face an unexpected event...
Perhaps one day in the future, we will face the accident of a familiar and close companion, or watch helplessly as they suffer mental trauma and are no longer the same as before.
They've all experienced these things, and they may continue to experience them in the future...
So, when will it end?
No one can answer this question, no one can provide a solution, and no one can be certain.
Even if we encourage each other and say some positive things, it's all in vain.
Because nobody will believe it, because none of this is believable...
So they didn't tell Lu Liruan... If she can continue to live happily for a while longer, then let her continue to live happily, because one day, she will understand these things without needing anyone to tell her.
At this moment, although Lu Liruan did not hear what they were saying, she vaguely understood something as she heard these things and saw everything that was happening in front of her.
She stood in the crowd, yet felt inexplicably helpless.
Perhaps... going to Liao Tingyuan's side would be better? But at this moment, Liao Tingyuan looked pale and thin, and Lu Liruan's feet seemed to be rooted to the spot, unable to move.
At that moment, her biggest thought was: So... Teacher Liao really does need someone to protect her...
Lu Liruan had always felt that Liao Tingyuan was capable of doing anything and could be relied upon at any time, but now... Lu Liruan felt that part of her helplessness came from him.
Liao Tingyuan felt Lu Liruan's gaze, and when they met eyes, the sadness and disappointment in the girl's eyes made Liao Tingyuan's heart clench as if it had been seized.
He wanted to reassure Lu Liruan not to worry or be afraid, but he also felt that the root of Lu Liruan's sadness, heartache, and helplessness might be himself—that he hadn't protected her well enough...
But he might not be able to fully protect her, because he didn't have that ability, nor could he. Liao Tingyuan felt a long-lost sense of defeat, experiencing emotions he hadn't felt in many years.
Zhao Linchuan's thoughts at that time were probably quite similar to those of Lu Liruan at this moment.
He felt he shouldn't have cried at that moment, as it wouldn't have helped and would have only caused trouble, but he couldn't control himself.
An Tang felt terrible inside, but she had to put on a stern face: "Go cry back there... Sit on the sofa and cry comfortably, why are you crying on this dirty floor? Get up right now!"
Zhao Linchuan nodded and tried to get up, but he couldn't. He could only hang his head and mutter, "I'll sit for a bit longer. I'm too tired."
An Tang closed her eyes and turned to look at Liao Tingyuan: "You don't need to pretend nothing's wrong with me anymore!"
Liao Tingyuan raised his eyes and shook his head: "I don't really feel anything special, it's just a bit cold."
An Tang ripped Zhao Linchuan's coat off, nearly tearing his flesh. He hurriedly unzipped it himself, exclaiming, "Hey! Sister Tang!"
The next second, his clothes were draped over Liao Tingyuan's shoulders. The clothes, still warm from his body, made Liao Tingyuan feel a little better. Zhao Linchuan shivered from the cold. The damp chill of the basement made him shrink his neck and regain some strength to stand up.
"Give him a hand and help him up!" An Tang gestured.
"How are we going to get back?" Zhao Linchuan sniffed.
"I drove here...Are you crazy?" An Tang said irritably, grabbing Liao Tingyuan's shoulder and helping him up.
"I can walk by myself." Liao Tingyuan was being supported by the two of them... He didn't feel that he was half-paralyzed. There was no need for such a big fuss about moving him.
But at this moment, Zhao Linchuan regained his bull-like strength, acting as if he wanted to make a contribution for Liao Tingyuan to make up for it, almost as if he was about to lift Liao Tingyuan up and send him there.
Several staff members on the ground rushed over when they saw them coming up.
I was just ordered by An Tang and Liao Tingyuan not to go down without their permission.
Just as they were worrying about what had happened down below, they finally saw several people come up unharmed, and they all breathed a long sigh of relief. They hurriedly went over to ask if anyone needed help.
Two more people then helped Liao Tingyuan. Liao Tingyuan felt as if his feet were barely touching the ground as he was being helped into the car.
Zhao Linchuan had intended to leave the entire back seat for Liao Tingyuan to rest, but as soon as he opened the passenger door, An Tang glared at him: "Don't you have any sense at all? Go to the back and take care of him!"
"Oh!"
Zhao Linchuan sat down next to Liao Tingyuan, nervously scrutinizing him.
Liao Tingyuan's eyelids were closed, with a faint shadow around them. He leaned against the car seat, looking even thinner and more tired, as if he would be hurt if touched.
Zhao Linchuan rubbed his hands together and touched the back of Liao Tingyuan's hand. He found that Liao's hand was still completely cold, so he quickly pulled his clothes up to cover Liao's hand.
Startled by his movement, Liao Tingyuan squinted at him and said, "It's nothing."
"Brother Liao, how about... we go to the hospital to get it checked out?"
After Zhao Linchuan finished speaking, he felt helpless. Going to the hospital would definitely be useless, and there was no definite solution. What should he do?
As the car was driving smoothly on the road, An Tang's phone rang.
It was the boss on the phone...
An Tang glanced at the caller ID, tossed her phone onto the back seat, and gestured for Zhao Linchuan to pick it up.
The boss's voice was as calm and composed as ever, revealing a calm and collected demeanor: "Is it over? How is Tingyuan?" he asked.
"Brother Liao... seems alright?"