Travel through time, and then establish an anomaly management bureau!

Page 19

The entire living room was illuminated by this unnatural light.

"Uh," Mingyuan let out a muffled groan.

He clearly felt a warm and powerful force flowing into his body, a warmth that instinctively made him feel at ease, as if he were soaking in warm water.

But the warmth lasted only three seconds, and then a violent, excruciating pain suddenly exploded deep inside his abdomen!

The feeling was indescribable, as if countless tiny, cold, barbed venomous snakes were frantically crawling, biting, and rolling between his most tender organs!

They were disturbed and enraged by the warm, icy blue light, and were using all their strength to resist that force!

"Ah—!" Mingyuan could no longer hold back and screamed in agony. His body trembled violently as he struggled, his forehead instantly covered with large beads of cold sweat, and his face turned from pale to a terrifying bluish-gray.

"Hold on, Mingyuan! It's Tai Sui resisting! Endure it!" Zhang Su said solemnly, his arm muscles bulging as he steadily suppressed the boy's violent twisting. Cold sweat also beaded on his forehead, and his eyes were grave.

He could also clearly "sense" the resistance in this stripping process!

The power of the Source Pivot is like the most exquisite scalpel, precisely cutting through the countless fine energy tendrils and biological neural links between the embryo and the host tissue.

But in this seemingly smooth process of separation, a spiritual will filled with primal malice and the instinct for survival suddenly erupted from Mingyuan's body.

This force did not attack Zhang Su's consciousness, but instead frantically drove its tentacles to tightly entangle Ming Yuan's internal organs, like a drowning person grasping at a last straw.

It didn't want to leave this warm bed, and even at the cost of tearing apart its host's flesh, it was determined to "nail" itself firmly to that spot!

The intense physical pain intertwined with the primal fear of being forcibly "stripped" of his mind, making Mingyuan's screams even more shrill, and his body convulsed violently like a fish out of water.

Zhang Su gritted his teeth, feeling the astonishing resistance emanating from his palm. Only one thought occupied his mind: "This thing is indeed conscious; it doesn't want to leave. Yuan Shu, give me more force! Forcibly peel it off! Quickly! To prevent its tentacles from penetrating deeper."

Source's response was cold and efficient: [During protocol execution, resistance encountered from the parasite's primal will; traction energy field strength increased to Level 2.]

The icy blue light instantly became dazzling, as if a dark blue lamp had been lit up in the living room!

Om-!

The icy blue light enveloping Mingyuan's upper body suddenly intensified! The light was no longer gentle, but became like a tangible blue flame, burning and compressing violently!

Within the light, countless tiny chains made of pure energy materialized instantly, as if they possessed life, precisely piercing Mingyuan's body, wrapping around and tightening the wildly writhing black Tai Sui embryo!

"Ughh ...

The violent spasms nearly made him jump off the chair, but Zhang Su held him down firmly.

The living room was filled with a tooth-grinding, tearing sound, like muscles and connective tissue being forcibly ripped apart, and a deeper, desperate, and resentful shriek originating from the Black Tai Sui embryo itself!

But the power of containment agreements is absolute!

Under the blue light that reached its peak, the stubborn black Tai Sui embryo was like an ice block thrown into a furnace. Its will to resist was gradually crushed, and it began to collapse and disintegrate!

Its viscous, slippery, and malevolent entity could no longer be maintained, and it dissolved instantly!

It was no longer a solid, nor a semi-liquid, but had completely transformed into a viscous, ink-like, colorless, and odorless black liquid!

This black liquid has the ability to defy gravity and float in the air, like countless tiny black streams flowing out of Mingyuan's nostrils, ears, corners of his eyes, and even his slightly open mouth—that is, his seven orifices!

This scene is bizarre and terrifying!

The black "stream" converged about a foot above Mingyuan's head, quickly gathering and merging, eventually condensing into a fist-sized, irregularly shaped, pitch-black, viscous mass whose surface was still constantly writhing and undulating!

It hovered there, emanating an ominous, unsettling aura.

[Objective: The immature Black Tai Sui embryo has been completely removed, and its activity has been suppressed. Perform final containment.] Yuan Shu's voice rang out.

A flash of blue light appeared in Zhang Su's eyes, and he made a loose grasping motion with his right palm towards the floating black mass!

The space in front of his palm suddenly distorted, opening an invisible pocket.

The still slightly wriggling black Tai Sui embryo was powerless to resist and was sucked into that distorted space with a "whoosh" and disappeared completely!

The blinding blue light in the living room suddenly went out, leaving only the light coming in from the window.

"Phew~" Zhang Su finally released his hand from Mingyuan's shoulder, took a step back, and held onto the table next to him to steady himself. His forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat.

Forcibly suppressing and containing this anomalous creature with its tenacious life instinct actually consumed very little of his physical strength; it was just the intense tension that made him feel ashamed.

"That was a close call." He panted, looking at the unconscious boy on the chair.

"Cough cough cough! Ugh—!"

The next second, Mingyuan Qiu, who was unconscious, suddenly convulsed and coughed violently. Then, he turned to the side in pain and vomited a mouthful of dark red blood with thick foam!

The blood fell to the floor, spreading into a large, shocking dark patch.

"Young man, are you alright?" Upon seeing this, Zhang Su immediately stepped forward to support the boy's sliding body.

Mingyuan's face was ashen, his breathing was weak and rapid, and there was still blood at the corner of his mouth.

"Don't speak yet, let me help you lie down."

Zhang Su hurriedly gave instructions and carefully helped Mingyuan lie down on the cushioned bench in the living room.

"The Tai Sui embryo has been removed, but your internal organs and meridians have been damaged, resulting in internal bleeding."

"Don't do anything now, just lie here and relax. I'll go get your sister to take care of you. Have her go to the pharmacy or hospital and buy some medicine to speed up healing and promote blood clotting for you to take. Remember, you must rest for a while and take your medicine on time to fully recover, otherwise you might have long-term side effects, understand?"

Mingyuan opened his eyes with difficulty, his gaze unfocused for a while before finally settling on Zhang Su's face.

The intense pain and blood loss left him extremely weak, but his eyes were filled with an unprecedented ecstasy and gratitude for surviving such a ordeal.

"Thank you, Your Excellency," he said, his voice hoarse and weak, each word seemingly uttered with all his might, "The Qiu family will never forget your kindness in saving us."

"We can talk about thanking each other later," Zhang Su interrupted him. "Now, lie still and don't move. I'll go get your sister."

He had barely finished speaking when hurried footsteps echoed down the stairs.

“Brother! I’m back!” Yuanyuan Qiu’s clear voice stopped abruptly. She stood at the door of the living room, staring in disbelief at the scene before her—her brother was lying on the bench with a pale face, his mouth and the front of his clothes stained with glaring blood, and there was a dark red bloodstain on the carpet.

The mysterious Lord Zhang Su was standing nearby, his face also solemn.

"Brother!" Her face turned deathly pale instantly. She rushed over, her voice trembling with tears, "Brother, what's wrong? Lord Zhang Su, what, what happened again?!"

She looked at Zhang Su with surprise and doubt, wondering what he had done to cause the situation to turn out this way.

Mingyuan weakly raised his hand to comfort his sister: "Yuanyuan, I'm fine. Lord Zhang Su performed surgery on me and removed the Tai Sui from my body."

"What!" Yuanyuan was struck dumb upon hearing this. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at her brother, then at Zhang Su, her voice trembling. "The Tai Sui... it's really out?! Our family's curse can really be lifted?!"

“Yes.” Mingyuan nodded vigorously, though the movement aggravated his wound and made him frown again. “I feel like there’s a void inside my body, and I feel an unprecedented sense of ease.”

As he spoke, he looked up at Zhang Su and gestured with his eyes.

Zhang Su understood Mingyuan's meaning; he needed to provide evidence to make Yuanyuan completely believe in this miraculous reality.

With a slight thought, he spread his right palm flat.

The space in front of his palm rippled again, revealing the irregular, egg-sized, black, viscous mass whose surface was still slightly wriggling.

The Black Tai Sui embryo, whose activity had been completely suppressed, appeared out of thin air in his palm.

The moment the dark object appeared, Yuanyuan Qiu and Mingyuan Qiu, the siblings, almost simultaneously felt a jolt.

A sense of fear and disgust, originating from the depths of one's blood, rises in one's heart, but at the same time there is a strange, indescribable sense of "familiarity"!

They had never seen the physical form of this thing before, but at this moment, their souls were screaming wildly: This is it! This is the source of the curse that has plagued their family for a hundred years, parasitizing their bloodline like a bone-deep sore—Tai Sui!

"It's really true!" Yuanyuan covered her mouth, tears finally streaming down her face—tears of joy, shock, and disbelief!

Zhang Su flipped his hand, and the terrifying black mass vanished into nothingness once more. He looked at the excited Yuanyuan and explained, "Fortunately, you and your brother are both under twenty years old, and the Black Tai Sui has not yet reached maturity and its integration with your bodies is not deep enough. Otherwise, if it were removed again, the price would be far more than just internal organ damage; it could very well be life-threatening."

Yuanyuan looked at her brother lying on the bench: "Then what about my brother now..."

“There are internal organ lacerations and blood loss. He needs immediate treatment and rest,” Zhang Su said seriously. “I told your brother to lie still so you could go buy medicine. Go to the pharmacy or hospital right now and buy some medicine that can accelerate tissue regeneration and blood clotting. The sooner the better.”

"Okay! Okay! I'll go right away!" Yuanyuan nodded immediately and turned to rush out, but then stopped. She turned back sharply to look at Zhang Su, her eyes filled with a complex light of hope and fear. "Your Excellency, is it because the Tai Sui in my grandfather's body is too mature that it cannot be removed? Then, is there any hope for our father, uncles, and aunts?"

Meeting her expectant yet worried gaze, Zhang Su did not immediately make a promise, saying, "Only after examining your physical condition can I know the specifics. I can only say that removing a mature Tai Sui will be more difficult."

"Yuanyuan".

Then Mingyuan's weak voice rang out, interrupting his sister's attempt to continue asking questions.

"I feel terrible right now. Go to the pharmacy and get me my medicine. Do as you say. I can't wait."

As he spoke, his breathing became rapid again, and his face turned even paler.

Yuanyuan instantly regained her senses.

Yes, my brother's injury is the most urgent matter.

She wiped away her tears and bowed deeply to Zhang Su: "Thank you for your understanding. I'll go to the pharmacy to get the medicine right away! Please keep an eye on my brother!"

After saying that, she didn't linger any longer and rushed down the stairs like a gust of wind, her footsteps quickly fading into the distance.

Mingyuan Qiu then said to Zhang Su, "Your Excellency, I'm sorry, Yuanyuan was too excited just now and asked you some inappropriate questions. Please don't mind."

Zhang Su turned around and said gently, "No need to apologize, young man. It's only human nature. Just like the family members of critically ill patients in the hospital, who always anxiously ask the doctor 'Is there any hope?' 'Can they get better?' Even knowing that the hope is slim, they can't help but want to grasp at that last straw. I can understand her feelings."

"Besides, your family's situation is even more despairing than that of ordinary illnesses."

These words made Mingyuan's eyes dim.

After a few seconds of silence, Mingyuan seemed to have made a great decision and spoke again: "Sir, after my grandfather passes away, could you also remove the Tai Sui from his body? We don't want to see him become that kind of mindless 'warrior' who only knows how to obey orders and fight. We want him to be laid to rest in peace."

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhang Su nodded solemnly: "Of course. This is my promise. I will remove the Black Tai Sui from your grandfather's body, allowing him to rest in peace and return to dust."

Mingyuan's eyes reddened again. He struggled to sit up and bow, but Zhang Su stopped him with a look. "Thank you... really... thank you so much..."

His voice choked with emotion, filled with the deepest gratitude.

"No need to be so polite." Zhang Su gestured for him to lie down.

Then he remembered something important and his tone became serious as he said, "Oh right, I almost forgot to mention something. Removing the Black Tai Sui and breaking the curse also means that the 'extraordinary' part of your family's bloodline will be stripped away. In other words, after you turn twenty, you will no longer awaken as extraordinary beings."

"Furthermore, for family members who have awakened and possess extraordinary abilities, such as your parents, their extraordinary abilities will also disappear with the removal of the Black Tai Sui, and they will return to being pure mortals."

"You probably expected this, right?"

Mingyuan took a deep breath, his brow furrowing as the wound on his abdomen aggravated his pain, but his eyes remained unusually clear. He said with a relieved air, "Yes, Your Excellency. We were prepared for this."

"More than this superhuman ability that comes with the curse, what we yearn for is to have a complete life like an ordinary person, to hold funerals for our loved ones after they pass away, and to let them rest in peace, instead of becoming cold tools of combat, driven by others to harm others. That would make us sadder than death itself."

Zhang Su nodded slightly, acknowledging their choice, and then said, "I understand. Now, another practical issue: without extraordinary abilities, the businesses your family currently operates in Muyun Port, whether they rely on the advantages of extraordinary abilities or the power to deter villains, will all cease to exist."

"It will be difficult for the industry to expand further, and it may even face the risk of being coveted, eroded, or even swallowed up by other forces. Are you prepared for this?"

This is a very sharp and realistic question.

Extraordinary abilities are also a crucial asset for this family; losing them would be tantamount to crippling themselves.

Mingyuan remained silent for a moment, but the determination in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest: "Yes, Your Excellency. This is one of the necessary prices to pay for lifting the curse. We have no regrets."

He looked up at the ceiling, speaking to himself and to his ancestors who might be watching them from above: "Being a mortal is good too. The probability of being caught up in supernatural events and becoming a pawn in supernatural battles is greatly reduced. It's enough to manage the remaining businesses peacefully, even if they are small in scale, as long as we can support our families and live a safe life."

"If we truly encounter a threat at the extraordinary level... although our Qiu family's foundation isn't particularly deep, we've still cultivated some connections and information channels over the years operating in Muyun Port. We haven't lost knowledge, money, or connections."

"If things really get out of hand, we'll seek refuge with the Imperial authorities. Isn't that what their enforcers do? Or... there are always ways to get some supernatural items from less regulated channels that are enough to protect ourselves. That's something we can manage to do."

His words revealed a survival wisdom accumulated over generations of merchant families.

Zhang Su listened quietly, his face showing admiration. He thought to himself that even this seventeen-year-old boy could think so clearly about the family's future. He really didn't know if it was because the family had taught him well or because he was naturally gifted.

He didn't press for the specific details of those "connections." Since the other party was aware of the situation and had a backup plan, there was nothing more he needed to advise them on.

Then Zhang Su relaxed, leaned back in his chair, picked up the teapot on the table, poured himself a cup of lukewarm tea, and slowly sipped it.

Seeing this, Mingyuan immediately remembered the proper way to treat guests and struggled to sit up: "Ah, Your Excellency, the tea has gone cold, I'll go get it for you right away..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sharp pain in his abdomen struck him, causing him to gasp and fall back onto the bench, his face turning deathly pale. He clutched his wound, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Seeing his embarrassed and pained state, Zhang Su couldn't help but chuckle softly and teased, "Alright, wounded soldier, don't push yourself. Lie down and wait for your sister to come back and take care of you."

He picked up his teacup and took another sip with relish.

The living room fell silent for a moment, with only the soft sounds of Zhang Su slowly sipping his tea and Ming Yuan's breathing remaining.

Just as Zhang Su poured himself a second cup of tea, before he even brought the rim to his lips—

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Suddenly, a very heavy and urgent banging came from downstairs! The force was so great that it almost made the entire floor slab tremble slightly.

Then came the sound of the door being yanked open.

Immediately, a chaotic, panicked, and hurried sound of footsteps, like a rapid drumbeat, suddenly erupted from the first-floor entrance hall. Accompanied by suppressed shouts and gasps, they rushed up the stairs at an extremely fast speed and ran wildly toward the second-floor living room!

“Da da da da—!”

Footsteps echoed on the wooden stairs, growing closer and closer, carrying a sense of urgency.