Chapter 27: Taking Heavy Things Lightly

Chapter 27: Taking Heavy Things Lightly

"Comet has been showing good recovery these days without any aftereffects, and his fire-based psychic abilities are getting stronger. He doesn't seem to be experiencing any discomfort."

"My psychic abilities have become more proficient over these days, and I want to try them on you."

Guan Yuanfeng interrupted before he could continue with further explanations, "No need to say so much, I am willing."

He looked at Zhou Yun, "Even if you hadn't mentioned it, I was going to make this request."

"Since Comet's recovery, I've been considering how to approach this," Guan Yuanfeng said. He understood deeply that no doctor would be willing to take such a big risk to conduct such an uncertain experiment.

Especially over these days, he had clearly seen Zhou Yun's cautious nature and kind-heartedness.

He also knew that after getting Comet back to health, Zhou Yun had dragged it out for over half a month, clearly unsure, deliberately fighting zombies to continuously improve his psychic abilities.

Guan Yuanfeng's deeply sculpted face was calm and resolute. He looked at Zhou Yun, "Whether it succeeds or fails, I am grateful that you are willing to try. I can accept any outcome, and I will take full responsibility for my life and death. You don't need to carry any emotional burden."

Zhou Yun looked at him, wanting to tell him there would be no risk. He had experience from his past life, and now his wood-based psychic abilities had reached the peak of the third stage, very close to the fourth stage, making the grafting should be easy.

The only difficulty was the dual-attribute crystal core grafting; he didn't have complete confidence in that.

Guan Yuanfeng had an affinity for wind and lightning attributes. He could have just tried to graft a single crystal core, but there was a bit of stubbornness and persistence in him. He felt that the wind attribute psychic crystal core that had come to him was destiny.

He couldn't let it go to waste.

But he couldn't tell Guan Yuanfeng any of these reasons.

Yet Guan Yuanfeng agreed without hesitation.

Of course, he knew he would agree; after all, in the previous life, he had directly signed a volunteer consent form. He actually hoped this person wouldn't so easily entrust himself like this, treating his own needs too lightly and his life's meaning too seriously.

Zhou Yun looked at Guan Yuanfeng, but in the end, he didn't say the many things on his mind. He only solemnly said, "Guan, I promise nothing will happen to you."

====

The procedure was scheduled for the third day. Zhou Yun had adjusted his physical condition to the best state and used a cactus-mutated wood-based psychic crystal core to tune his abilities to their peak.

Outside, the rain continued to pour endlessly, as if the sun from a while ago had drawn up all the water, turning it into rain clouds to return it.

In the heavy rain, Zhou Yun held an umbrella as he went to the rooftop, standing next to the electric eel pool, staring at the electric eel.

This Emerald Electric Eel, since its mutation, had been fed mutated plant feed and unattributed crystal cores by Zhou Yun every day. Its size had increased significantly, growing from one meter to one meter fifty. Its plump and sturdy body clearly was still growing, and the blue-green patterns on its body emitted a faint fluorescence in the night.

It seemed to sense the crisis and hid motionless under the rockery.

For mutated animals, the deterrence from Zhou Yun, a nearly fourth-stage psychic powerhouse, was immense. It instinctively knew not to provoke him but was also both wary and curious, as Zhou Yun, being a psychic, was also a precious source of energy for them.

It was both curious and hesitant, staying motionless under the rockery.

Zhou Yun extended his finger and dropped an unattributed crystal core into the water.

The electric eel immediately swam over, sniffed it, hesitated, but didn't eat it.

Zhou Yun knew that the unattributed crystal core was of no use to it and couldn't be absorbed.

Its crystal core was at least second-stage.

It should be noted that even an unmutated electric eel could electrocute a cow. Now, as a second-stage mutated electric eel, it was a strong creature in nature, and Zhou Yun didn't take it lightly.

He held his hand over the water, and the electric eel that had swum back was solidly frozen in a block of ice.

It was still writhing slightly within the ice, but Zhou Yun quickly froze it again, rendering it completely immobile.

Many fish can survive for a long time in low temperatures, so Zhou Yun certainly didn’t dare to take any risks.

He placed one hand on the small banyan tree bonsai perched on a nearby rock formation. The banyan tree’s roots came to life, piercing through the ice and impaling the electric eel, securing it firmly within the frozen block.

Guan Yuanfeng had cleaned himself, put on the sterilized hospital gown Zhou Yun had prepared for him, and stepped out of the bathroom. The room smelled strongly of disinfectant, and Zhou Yun had meticulously cleaned and sterilized every surface, leaving the space spotless.

Zhou Yun was dressed in a full surgical gown, with a surgical cap and mask on his head, revealing only his calm and rational eyes. His gloved hand held a glass beaker.

He was intently staring at the two cores soaking in alcohol inside the beaker. These cores were markedly different from the small, dull ones typically found in zombie brains. They were larger, brighter, and shimmered with an almost otherworldly glow.

Guan Yuanfeng asked him, “What are these elemental cores?”

Zhou Yun replied, “One is a wind core, and the other is a lightning core. Both are of exceptional quality, and I plan to test both on you.”

He couldn’t explain the elemental affinity compatibility to Guan Yuanfeng, so he was vague, handing the cores over for Guan Yuanfeng to see.

Guan Yuanfeng picked up the beaker to look. One of the cores inside was from the wind element, with silver crystal threads, from the mutated eagle of that day. The other core had blue-purple crystal threads, both resembling high-quality hair crystals, glowing brightly and mysteriously.

Curiously, he asked, “This lightning core...”

Zhou Yun replied, “It’s from the electric eel.”

Guan Yuanfeng: “……”

He had indeed seen the eel hunting passing birds, but he hadn’t realized it was a mutated electric eel.

Seeing how Zhou Yun diligently fed the eel every day, giving it premium, plump seafood, he had thought Zhou Yun genuinely liked the pet. This seemed very out of character for Zhou Yun, who was usually refined and gentle.

And now he was taking out the core for his use? What if it failed? Wouldn’t he regret sacrificing the pet?

A fleeting doubt crossed Guan Yuanfeng’s mind, but Zhou Yun had already directed him, “Get on the bed. The cores will lose some energy if left for too long; it’s best to use them soon.”

The bed was already covered with a sanitized white sheet. Without his prosthetic, it wasn’t easy for Guan Yuanfeng to get on the bed, but Zhou Yun bent down, scooped him up, and gently placed him on the bed.

He casually undid Guan Yuanfeng’s patient gown and then turned him to his side, pulling two straps over to secure his chest and waist to the hospital bed. He attached a simple blood oxygen monitor to his finger and connected him to an oxygen supply, turning on the oxygen generator. “I’m going to give you a spinal injection of anesthetics. It’ll be quick.”

It was the first time Guan Yuanfeng had faced Zhou Yun while fully awake and undressed, his stump and all his privacy exposed under the bright lights of an operating lamp. Though Zhou Yun was a doctor, it was unusual for a doctor to have a surgical-grade operating light at home.

Though slightly embarrassed, Guan Yuanfeng felt a sense of relief as Zhou Yun remained calm, fully dressed in surgical attire, skillfully preparing a syringe with professional confidence, giving off a sense of detached professionalism.

Strapped to the hospital bed, breathing in fresh oxygen through his nose, the initial discomfort of exposing his body and privacy in front of someone familiar gradually eased.

Zhou Yun comforted him from behind, “You might have some resistance to anesthetics, so I’ll also use acupuncture for anesthesia. You’ll be asleep in no time.”

In truth, before the apocalypse, doing general anesthesia without proper equipment would have been very risky, but with his wood psychic abilities now at the third stage, he had full confidence.

Guan Yuanfeng said, “Thank you for your trouble.”

Zhou Yun’s fingers moved over Guan Yuanfeng’s broad back, locating the injection point along his spine, inserting the needle, and injecting the anesthetic.

He picked up the sterilized silver needles and carefully inserted them into the acupuncture points on Guan Yuanfeng’s ears.

After laying Guan Yuanfeng flat again, he disinfected his abdomen and saw that Guan Yuanfeng’s eyes had closed, sinking into sleep.

He checked the blood oxygen monitor—everything was normal. He felt Guan Yuanfeng’s pulse—all was well. He then took a scalpel and made a precise incision at Guan Yuanfeng’s lower abdomen, where blood began to flow.

Immediately, he activated his rejuvenation ability, and a soft green light emanated from his hand, causing the bleeding to stop almost instantly.

Zhou Yun used tweezers to extract the two crystal cores and swiftly placed them into Guan Yuanfeng's Dan Tian, simultaneously activating his wood psychic abilities and performing the grafting.

Guan Yuanfeng's entire network of veins glowed green, pulsating in rhythm with his heart. Each vein pulsed with a vibrant green light, visible through his skin, surging with energy.

The two crystal cores in the Dan Tian emitted a soft glow, enveloped in the green light, pulsating and merging into a single light core, which pulsed in harmony with the light from the veins, forming a circulating energy loop.

Zhou Yun took out a wound sealant and applied it to the wound, allowing the edges to seal together. Then, he continued using the rejuvenation ability on the abdominal wound.

The rejuvenation ability of the third-order psychic powers quickly healed the deeper layers of the wound, leaving only a faint pink scar that would eventually fade with time.

He inserted silver needles into Guan Yuanfeng's acupuncture points, focusing particularly on the residual limb, and placed his hands over the limb to activate the rejuvenation ability, fully reviving the dead nerves, blood vessels, and veins.

Guan Yuanfeng's pale body trembled; having endured numerous surgeries, he had developed a tolerance to anesthetics. He was likely to wake up soon. Noticing the cold sweat and slight trembling, Zhou Yun ceased the psychic energy infusion.

Having performed several major infusions of psychic abilities himself, Zhou Yun was also feeling somewhat exhausted. He still needed to care for Guan Yuanfeng. The regeneration of his lost limb, with his current abilities, couldn't be fully healed in one go and would require time.

===

When Guan Yuanfeng woke up again, he was already dressed, lying comfortably under the covers, still with an oxygen tube and a blood oxygen clip. The rain was pouring outside.

It took him a while to slowly recall where he was. He moved a little and suddenly felt the pain of a phantom limb, which he hadn't felt in a long time.

It was an intense, dense sensation, like millions of insects gnawing, numbness, itching, soreness, and a burning sensation.

He moaned in discomfort.

A slightly cool hand touched his forehead: "Awake? In a lot of pain?"

Guan Yuanfeng turned to look at Zhou Yun, still a bit dazed from just waking up: "The surgery..."

Zhou Yun said: "The surgery was successful. The pain you feel in the wound is because the psychic abilities have activated the previously atrophied nerves and veins in your legs. It's not phantom limb pain; it's real pain. You need to learn to use your psychic abilities. Perhaps your legs can come back to life."

Guan Yuanfeng was startled. Zhou Yun gently held him, helping him sit up and lean against the headboard of the bed. Zhou Yun placed his hand on Guan Yuanfeng's lower abdomen: "Listen to my instructions. I've taught you the Ba Duan Jin method of circulating energy before. Try it. Press your tongue to the roof of your mouth, focus on your Dan Tian, calm your mind and preserve your energy, and feel the power core in your Dan Tian."

Guan Yuanfeng trembled all over, gritting his teeth against the terrible pain, unable to calm his mind. Zhou Yun's palm on his abdomen was so palpable, the cool hand against his sensitive skin.

A warm current appeared in his abdomen, startling him.

It was a sensation he had never felt before. He felt the warm current travel up his veins to his heart and lungs, then to the outer sides of his elbows, through the middle fingers to his palms, back to his chest through the inner elbows, and then sank back into his abdomen, splitting into his residual limbs, where the blocked veins caused intense numbness and itching.

He trembled as the warm current returned to his Dan Tian.

But Zhou Yun calmly spoke in his ear: "Remember this route of circulating energy, and align your veins. They are coming back to life. You need to practice this every day. There is hope for your lost limb to regenerate."

Guan Yuanfeng opened his eyes, and Zhou Yun took a towel to wipe his sweat: "I'll get some porridge for you to eat, rest well."

After Zhou Yun left, Guan Yuanfeng opened his eyes, lifted the blanket to look at his residual limb, and indeed saw that the previously dark, twisted, and necrotic ugly wound was now a healthy pink. The veins and blood vessels were clearly visible, pulsating with vitality under the thin skin, as if they had come back to life.

He reached out to touch his abdomen, where a layer of gauze had been applied. He felt no pain, and when Zhou Yun's hand was over it, he hadn't felt any discomfort or pain inside.

Was the surgery really successful?

Were the two crystal cores really implanted?

Would he gain psychic abilities?

Zhou Yun had confidently said his legs could grow back. Guan Yuanfeng had trusted him greatly during this time. The same terrible pain didn't seem as hard to bear now.

The smell of fish made him realize how hungry he was, a sensation he hadn't experienced in a long time.

Zhou Yun soon brought in a meal, a bowl of fish porridge, a dish of steamed eels with plum juice, a plate of millet cakes, steamed garlic cabbage hearts, and a square dish of salted duck egg and minced meat cake.

For some reason, the food today smells especially good.

Guan Yuanfeng thanked Zhou Yun and dug in without hesitation.

Zhou Yun walked over to the sliding door, opened it, and stepped out onto the balcony. The heavy rain had stopped, but the temperature had suddenly dropped. It was different from the scorching summer days before; there was a chill in the wind.

There were more zombies outside now.

Zhou Yun knew a very long winter was coming. He needed to get planting done quickly and make sure the greenhouse was properly insulated for the coming winter. There were so many things to do, and he also needed to raise his psychic abilities level quickly.

He turned and noticed Guan Yuanfeng watching him. Zhou Yun asked, "Are you full? Do you want some more?"

Guan Yuanfeng said, "Um... What kind of meat is this?" He pointed to the steamed meatloaf.

Zhou Yun replied, "Mutated eagle meat."

Guan Yuanfeng's eyebrow twitched, and he then pointed to the steamed eel. "Isn't that your electric eel pet?"

Zhou Yun nodded. "Yes, it is. The meat of mutated animals is very beneficial for psychics. A 1.5-meter-long electric eel could provide several meals."

Guan Yuanfeng was speechless, figuring Zhou Yun must have bought it for research or experimentation. "Did you raise it to eat?" It might make sense. The fish in the nearby lotus pond seemed to be common edible fish, but this was an imported pet, not cheap after all.

Zhou Yun couldn't help but laugh. "I was curious about what it would taste like, so I tried it just now. It's quite delicious, thick and tender. It was worth raising for so long.

"Want me to fry up a couple more pieces for dinner? Or maybe steam it with black beans? The preserved plum was good, and black beans would be nice too."

Guan Yuanfeng was speechless and didn't press further. He started tidying up the dishes.

Zhou Yun came over to take over. "Leave it. Don't get out of bed. There's a dishwasher. Rest for a bit and try to circulate your energy again, explore this psychic ability. It's rare that the rain has stopped. I'm going to plant some things. Call me on the intercom if you need anything."

Guan Yuanfeng watched as Zhou Yun lightly carried the tray out. Soon after, he heard the sound of running water and the dishwasher. The young man's agile figure moved quickly, and soon Guan Yuanfeng heard him heading upstairs to the rooftop. He was full of energy and enthusiasm for life.

Guan Yuanfeng felt differently now. If Zhou Yun had stayed by his side, being overly cautious, he would have resented and hated his own incapacity.

However, Zhou Yun's demeanor was relaxed, his words and actions casual, living life as usual. He still cared for his precious medicinal plants and was thinking about planting as soon as the rain stopped. Guan Yuanfeng felt only relief and a sense of liberation.

For such a major event, Zhou Yun had prepared thoroughly. Guan Yuanfeng could sense the seriousness and meticulous preparation when Zhou Yun proposed the idea.

Though he didn’t fully understand psychic abilities, the crystal cores from the mutated electric eel and eagle were clearly different from the ones they usually used. Additionally, after Zhou Yun's successful psychic ability transplant from the comet, instead of immediately proposing to operate on Guan Yuanfeng, he went to fight zombies at risk and trained his psychic abilities before cautiously suggesting the experiment.

From Guan Yuanfeng’s point of view, he had just woken up from a nap, and Zhou Yun casually mentioned that the surgery went well. There was a possibility his legs could regrow, though it was likely just for comfort. Still, this nonchalance gave him three points of confidence for the future.

The chances of his legs recovering were slim, but gaining psychic abilities would mean he wasn’t useless anymore.

He closed his eyes and started focusing on the psychic energy inside him, just as Zhou Yun had shown him. The two crystal cores he had seen with his own eyes—silver threads of brilliance, dazzling, glittering, and mysterious.

His legs still ached unbearably, but he had unknowingly sunk into meditation.

On the rooftop, Zhou Yun gathered the pre-sprouted potato pieces, pumpkin seeds, purslane, and dried dates, placing them in a plastic crate. He sprayed some water on them and grabbed a bag of compound fertilizer and a military shovel. In the livestock pen, Comet, excited, ran over, circling around his feet, eager to go.

Zhou Yun patted its head. "Let's go, let's plant together."

Comet eagerly followed him.

Zhou Yun turned on the elevator power, and the man and dog went down in the elevator. Outside the door, they encountered a few zombies taking shelter from the rain. Comet sprayed fire at them, and they instinctively ran away in fear.

There was still a bit of drizzle outside. Zombies were afraid of light and water and couldn't run fast in the rain. Zhou Yun froze their feet, and Comet sprayed them, burning the zombies to death.

Zhou Yun picked up a few crystal cores, threw an unattributed crystal core to Comet, and it happily opened its mouth and swallowed it.

The man and his dog quickly arrived at Yuexi Number 3. Zhou Yun unlocked the door and went in, heading straight to the backyard where he began to skillfully dig the soil. He applied organic fertilizer and planted the potatoes, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin seeds he had brought with him. To protect against potential heavy rain, he dug the holes a bit deeper.

In the flower beds nearby, he also turned the soil and removed the dead flowers and plants.

He took out several old leek roots—these were mutated leeks with silver veins on the leaves. He divided the leek roots into six or seven sections and evenly planted them in the flower beds, also applying fertilizer.

He covered the newly planted areas with a layer of dry straw and planted rows of cactus roots along the wall around the entire house.

At the front and back iron doors of Yuexi Number 3, he inserted two branches of trumpet vine from upstairs and patted the vine’s leaves, saying, “You’ve found a good spot, feel free to grow.”

He left through the back gate and walked to the lakeside. Due to the recent heavy rains, the lake had risen again.

The murky lake lacked oxygen, and faintly, large fish could be seen leaping out of the water to breathe. At this point, the fish were still lively, most likely mutated fish, Zhou Yun thought, deciding to let them grow for now and figure out a way to catch them later.

He took a hoe and dug eight holes along the lakeside, planting eight pre-germinated coconut dates that had been catalyzed with his psychic abilities. He also planted two agave plants. These were very resilient plants, and as long as there was enough water, they would grow quickly.

A few zombies wandered by during this time, but Zhou Yun and Comet easily dispatched them, obtaining several crystal cores in the process. One of them was an earth-attribute core, which was quite rare.

He kept the crystal core and set aside the non-attributed ones, planning to teach Guan Yuanfeng how to absorb them once he found his psychic abilities.

He looked towards the underground parking entrance not far away, where hordes of zombies were crowded, and more zombies were wandering in the small grove of trees. It was as if he was staring at a treasure trove of crystal cores, and his eyes gleamed with excitement.

He returned home with Comet, who immediately went to his nest to quietly digest the crystal core.

Zhou Yun washed the crystal cores in the sink and rinsed the defrosted cantaloupe, preparing for dinner. Suddenly, he felt a gentle breeze passing through the house.

He turned his head, noticing a small black whirlwind sweeping from the living room into the kitchen, lightly jumping onto the countertop and making its way to the pile of crystal cores on the sink, like a playful, dancing breeze.

Zhou Yun extended his palm, and the little whirlwind gracefully swirled onto it, its vortex-like eye lightly tickling his hand as a gentle breeze brushed his face. He smiled slightly, looking at the little whirlwind.

After all, Guan Yuanfeng had a sharp aptitude.