Chapter 78: The Black Dental Clinic (Part 9)

Chapter 78: The Black Dental Clinic (Part Nine)

Zhu Ning stepped onto the stairs.

The moment she did, the pollutants around her stirred, unleashing an unprecedented force; some of the dentists had already broken free from their metal restraints.

Her metal manipulation ability had a range of only two meters, and she couldn't maintain full suppression for long.

Xu Mei's severed limbs writhed as if trying to revive immediately to serve Gao Zijian once more.

Moreover, the safety exits on each floor opened. The dental clinic was modified, with its structure indicating that each floor had two exits leading to skywalks, just like other rooms.

Now, with the safety gates on each floor open, homeless people surged out from both sides of the safety corridors. They had consumed too much Black Dream, leaving them emaciated, some even without pants. They opened their mouths wide, revealing blackish-yellow teeth, staring at Zhu Ning like wild dogs scenting meat.

The contaminated area was vast, and there were many more pollutants.

Indeed, Zhu Ning had only encountered a portion of the pollutants before. Gao Zijian was far more cautious than she thought, not even allowing these people to show themselves earlier.

Perverts are often afraid of death. He wouldn't give Zhu Ning a chance to talk him down; he would kill her before she could make a move. This made it much harder for Zhu Ning to get close to Gao Zijian.

Her little trick with metal manipulation now seemed somewhat inadequate. She thrust an iron rod into a dentist's throat and used brute force to pin him to the stairs.

Soon, she ran out of iron rods, and the usable metal items around her were dwindling. Meanwhile, Gao Zijian's supply of pollutants seemed endless, mere expendables to him.

On the second floor, Zhu Ning, covered in blood, stepped onto the stairs. The dentist's blood splattered over half her body, dripping from her protective suit onto the ground due to its non-absorbent material.

On the third floor, Zhu Ning slowly closed the distance between herself and Gao Zijian. Her protective suit had been torn, and her helmet was severely damaged, with its internal systems completely paralyzed.

Gao Zijian frowned; he didn't like Zhu Ning being so close, which made him feel instinctively uncomfortable and somewhat annoyed.

As soon as Zhu Ning steadied herself on the third-floor platform, the homeless people, as if responding to a call, suddenly lunged at her en masse.

Was this a human wave tactic?

Zhu Ning fought alone against a crowd. The overwhelming pressure of the group attack was almost unbearable. Indeed, using expendables caused no pain.

The homeless people now resembled zombies, surging forward in a dark mass. It seemed Zhu Ning wouldn't have time to escape, but they only lunged into empty space, colliding with each other as she suddenly vanished.

Gao Zijian's brow furrowed. Did she use invisibility again? He had noticed Zhu Ning's bloody footprints and deduced that her ability was related to invisibility, though it shouldn't be very useful.

In the next second, Zhu Ning appeared on the fourth floor.

"Would you like to use the Rotten Fish Head acceleration function? It will consume three life points."

The system asked again, and Zhu Ning chose yes.

Could she teleport?

Gao Zijian instantly understood. Zhu Ning's speed increased, making her almost a blur.

On the fifth floor, she ascended to the fifth floor.

Closer, even closer, she swiftly moved through the crowd, appearing right before him in the blink of an eye.

By the time Gao Zijian reacted, the black helmet loomed large, and a cold glint flashed before his eyes. Zhu Ning wielded a dagger, moving with incredible speed toward Gao Zijian's neck.

The dagger drew a sharp line in the darkness, a beautiful slash that was aesthetically pleasing from any angle.

But it was useless.

With a snap—

Half of the dagger fell to the ground, and Gao Zijian's neck remained unscathed, instead covered by a layer of hardened material.

Pure white, like armor, its hardness could resist any weapon in the world, deflecting bullets. Even if Zhu Ning used some explosive device, it wouldn't work on him, let alone a mere dagger?

The dagger was ineffective against Gao Zijian, but his weapon was effective against Zhu Ning.

His right hand began to transform, becoming like a drill, spinning at high speed, harder than any existing material, more terrifying than any dagger.

Gao Zijian's right hand sliced toward Zhu Ning's helmet, aiming to cut off half her head. Despite her quick reflexes, a corner of her helmet was sliced off, nearly cutting off her nose.

Zhu Ning was cornered, with all the pollutants converging on her, blocking her retreat.

To break the deadlock, she needed to eliminate the source of contamination. The answer was clear: either kill Gao Zijian or die here.

Gao Zijian's full-body defense was impenetrable, while his spinning right hand could easily breach Zhu Ning's protective suit.

Zhu Ning's helmet was shattered, exposing half her face. Blood streamed down her forehead, flowing over her left eye, like a tear of blood.

Gao Zijian's left hand clamped around Zhu Ning's neck, his grip unexpectedly strong.

Upon closer inspection, it wasn't just strength; his skin hardened immediately upon grabbing her neck, making his palm harder than stone, ensuring his prey couldn't escape.

Gao Zijian gripped Zhu Ning's neck, infuriated by her actions. She was unique, and for a moment, he didn't know how to punish her.

With her helmet disabled, Zhu Ning was fully exposed in the contaminated area. Gao Zijian saw her face, a woman's face. Zhu Ning was younger than he expected, and her eyes were peculiar.

Her gaze had always been calm, even now, cold and detached, as if the one being choked was not her but Gao Zijian.

Gao Zijian asked, "What do you want?"

"I told you," Zhu Ning said, gripping the hand that was choking her, "I'm here to untie your heart's knot."

Gao Zijian frowned. No one had ever said they came to untie his heart's knot, nor had anyone ever spoken to him with such a fierce tone, as if issuing a threat. Zhu Ning must have something planned, but what could she do?

Gao Zijian thought rapidly. Metal manipulation was useless against him, as was invisibility. The guillotine blade couldn't even kill Xu Mei, and Zhu Ning was too weak.

She was so confident, as if Gao Zijian were already a dead man. Why?

Bang—

Suddenly, Gao Zijian’s heart contracted violently. He hadn’t experienced such intense heart palpitations in a long time, so he was momentarily at a loss.

Zhu Ning smiled, “You breathe and bleed, right?”

Zhu Ning heard Gao Zijian’s breathing, which was different from Xu Mei’s strange breathing pattern. His breaths were those of a normal person, and that’s how she identified the real dentist back then.

Zhu Ning used a dagger to test his true capabilities, discovering that Gao Zijian’s ability was skin hardening.

He was only outwardly tough, with his skin reaching an unprecedented level of hardness. No matter what weapon Zhu Ning used, even explosives, she couldn’t break through his exterior.

But what about inside?

Gao Zijian’s body was filled with blood, and when they were close enough, Zhu Ning could sense the flow of blood within him.

Gao Zijian’s abilities were the opposite of Lin Xiaofeng’s. Lin Xiaofeng possessed immense strength and transparency but had poor defensive capabilities. Gao Zijian, on the other hand, had maximized defense, protecting his vulnerable insides.

The system told Zhu Ning to help Gao Zijian resolve his inner conflicts.

The solution had been revealed to her long ago; the most suitable method here was liquid manipulation, and blood is a form of liquid.

Zhu Ning could feel the blood flowing in Gao Zijian’s body as she ascended the stairs, searching for the mechanism to trigger this ability. She found the range within which she could use liquid manipulation.

Now, Gao Zijian was within her range.

Bang!

Gao Zijian felt something was seriously wrong with his heart as all the blood in his body rushed towards it. Though he had never had heart disease, he now felt like he was having a heart attack.

The heart, no larger than a fist, is the central organ of the circulatory system and one of the most vulnerable parts of the human body. It simply couldn’t withstand the return of all the blood in the body.

At this moment, Gao Zijian’s heart was like a balloon, and Zhu Ning kept pouring water into it, aiming to physically untie Gao Zijian’s heart knot.

She consumed fifty points of health to use the liquid manipulation skill, having made up her mind before entering: either kill Gao Zijian at all costs or die trying.

Zhu Ning’s neck loosened.

For a moment, Gao Zijian’s face turned pale, and he released his grip on Zhu Ning’s neck. Gao Zijian stared at her with wide eyes, disbelief written all over his face, but he couldn’t utter a word of accusation.

He began to see black spots and struggle to breathe, his brain deprived of oxygen. In fact, he was already unable to breathe on his own, holding a deep breath without being able to exhale.

He tried to resist the mysterious force but failed, no matter how hard he tried.

It was as if someone had a stranglehold on his throat, and a grim reaper stood behind him, raising a scythe. He was locked in by death, unable to escape.

In the past, he played the role of the grim reaper, always high above others as the master of the B-level contaminated area, wielding the power of life and death.

He watched Xu Mei, the fool, work tirelessly for him until her death, selling Black Dream to all patients without a shred of guilt. He could kill patients without expression, just as he never hesitated to kill the so-called "tooth people."

Despite his small stature, he always felt superior, considering himself a god in his heart.

Now, Zhu Ning was the grim reaper, and Gao Zijian was the lamb being toyed with. Imagine someone forever inhaling, unable to stop, their heart expanding like a balloon, growing larger and larger.

Zhu Ning made him experience the victim's dying moments.

Strangely, he felt this sensation was familiar. He remembered the first defective individual he killed, back when his father’s clinic still accepted patients.

A patient was very ill, and his father prescribed a ventilator. The patient lay on the bed, barely alive, and when Gao Zijian entered, the patient smiled. It was a genuine smile, for the son of his savior, even a defective one, would repay kindness.

That smile was very sincere.

At seven years old, Gao Zijian sat beside the patient, observing him. No one would be wary of a child; children are natural angels who can heal everything, even bring hope to life.

But Gao Zijian’s gaze held no warmth. He looked at the patient as if he were a kitten or a puppy, savoring the scent of death.

The patient’s survival instinct kicked in, sensing something odd about the child beside him. Sometimes, a sixth sense can save lives. The patient weakly reached out, trying to press the call button.

He was a bit afraid of Gao Zijian and wanted someone to carry him away.

But at the same time, Gao Zijian moved, faster than the patient. His hand landed on the ventilator, turning it off.

It turned out that a dying person could burst forth with unimaginable strength. The patient struggled violently, opening his mouth wide to breathe, but he couldn’t draw any air.

The patient was like a fish gasping for breath on land. The process of stopping breathing was long and drawn out, more painful than a quick stab.

Death was prolonged, allowing him to savor its pleasure. Gao Zijian watched for a long time.

Many times, Gao Zijian could have reached out to help, the power of life and death in his hands. He only needed to press a button to restart the machine, but he didn’t move.

Beep—

Gao Zijian heard the alarm indicating the cessation of breathing, then he calmly restarted the ventilator. The patient had already stopped breathing, and the ventilator was useless.

He was dead.

“Dad!” Gao Zijian suddenly burst into tears, “Uncle Li is dead!”

His father rushed over, glanced at the bed, not yet noticing anything amiss, then focused on his son. The father carried Gao Zijian out of the room, showing rare tenderness, comforting him.

It’s okay, it’s okay, don’t be afraid.

His father’s voice was soothing, and at that moment, all his attention was on Gao Zijian, but he couldn’t stop crying. He leaned on his father’s shoulder, looking past him at the dead patient on the bed.

It was strange; that was the first person he killed, and he felt no guilt. He thought he had done a good deed, as his father had taught him to be a good person.

Father.

In the instant of the explosion, he recalled many things, and he thought of his father.

His father was highly respected in the anthill, but his eyes were only for the patients. Even when he had free time, he would only look at his notebook. He rarely paid attention to Gao Zijian; he would endlessly review his past research and then fall into endless regret.

He never looked at himself.

Why didn't he look at him? He was right here, why couldn't anyone see him? What was so fascinating about that notebook?

Even in Gao Zijian's final moments, the father he imagined only had a back view, never once turning around to look at him.

With a pop—

This sound snapped Gao Zijian back to reality from his memories. Balloons can burst, and so can hearts, when they reach their limit. All the blood rushed up, and his heart was under extreme strain.

Have you ever heard the sound of a heart exploding? Gao Zijian had. It sounded as if something was being torn apart, or as if pressure had built up to its peak, and the explosion was sharp and clear.

The last sound Gao Zijian heard was the explosion of his own heart.

Zhu Ning crushed his heart.