Chapter 2

By the end, Lin Juan's voice noticeably trailed off, as though he'd made an unreasonable request.

Old Mr. Lu took a moment to process this before quickly responding, "What kind of talk is that, my boy? You’ve helped us so much—we should be the ones thanking you. There's no reason for you to pay for damages!"

"Exactly," Lu Mingxuan chimed in, "Uncle Lin, we’re family. Why be so formal?"

"No need to pay?" Lin Juan glanced incredulously at the chaotic state of the room. "But this place is unusable now, isn’t it?"

"Just write it off," said the young man from the Lu family, who had never worried about money in his life, with a dismissive wave. "In my opinion, not only should we not make you pay, but we should also compensate you for protecting Uncle Yanzhou."

"Grandpa, don’t you agree?"

Old Mr. Lu nodded in approval. "Mingxuan is right. If it hadn't been for you today, who knows what would have happened to Yanzhou."

At this, Old Mr. Lu turned to look at the large bed. "Yanzhou, he…"

"He should be fine," Lin Juan said, kicking aside a mutant giant frog blocking his path as he walked toward the bed. "I kept those things from getting near him the entire time."

Old Mr. Lu followed him to the bedside and looked down at his youngest son.

Lu Yanzhou was his child from his later years. He had always been independent-minded and rarely gave his father cause for worry. He went abroad at a young age to study, made a name for himself, and upon returning home, took over the family affairs, leading the Lu Group to even greater heights.

If it weren’t for this strange illness…

Lu Yanzhou lay on the bed, eyes closed, unresponsive to the outside world. Old Mr. Lu patted his hand and sighed.

By now, it was clear to him that the so-called master was a fraud, and the 'propitious marriage' superstition was absolute nonsense. Otherwise, where did all those monsters in the room come from?

It was likely all part of a carefully orchestrated scheme.

If it weren’t for Lin Juan, Old Mr. Lu didn’t even dare imagine what scene would have greeted him the next morning.

Lin Juan was the wild card in this entire affair.

Whether Lu Yanzhou recovered or not, the Lu family would never forget Lin Juan’s kindness.

As for the person behind this, the moisture in Old Mr. Lu’s eyes vanished, replaced by a sharp, ruthless glint. He would never let them get away with this!

His youngest son was not even thirty. Before falling ill, everyone called him a paragon of talent and charisma—a young man in his prime, holding great power, full of ambition and vitality. Now, he lay on the bed, his life force fading away.

They had tried everything, but nothing could save him.

Lu Mingxuan also realized that the so-called master was likely a fraud. Looking at his unconscious uncle, his eyes reddened.

Lin Juan, unable to bear the gloom in the room, broke the silence. "I take it you've realized that master was a fraud. Do you need my help to deal with him?"

Having never been paid for damages before—let alone being paid for his help—Lin Juan didn’t mind offering a bit more assistance.

After all, he had to earn his keep.

"If we can’t handle it, we’ll have to trouble you to step in," Old Mr. Lu said, shaking off his grief.

Lin Juan pointed at the pile of monstrous creatures littering the room. "These things need to be dealt with."

Lin Juan didn’t ask where the monsters came from. It was obvious they were connected to the so-called master, along with the disappearing black liquid. Once they found the master, they would have their answers.

The book didn’t delve much into the antagonist’s past, and Lin Juan hadn’t paid close attention. The story began four years after the main antagonist’s death, and Lin Juan had no idea what had happened during those four years.

Old Mr. Lu made a call to have someone handle the situation. Earlier, fearing it might disrupt the master’s plans, he hadn’t dared to bring anyone over. Now, with no more reservations, he barked orders. Soon, the sound of marching footsteps approached.

The butler, followed by bodyguards hired by the Lu family, entered the room. Lin Juan took the clean clothes offered by the butler, ignoring the shocked expressions on everyone’s faces, and headed to the bathroom.

He couldn’t stand his dirty clothes any longer.

By the time Lin Juan emerged, the bodyguards were already methodically cleaning up the chaotic room.

"Are there other rooms available?" Lin Juan walked straight to the bed, bent down, and scooped up Lu Yanzhou. He remembered the other man had a thing about cleanliness.

He moved so quickly that by the time Old Mr. Lu processed what was happening, his tall, well-built son was being carried bridal-style by his slightly smaller daughter-in-law.

"Xiao Lin, what are you…?" Old Mr. Lu asked, bewildered.

"Oh," Lin Juan realized an explanation was necessary. "I’m taking him to a clean room."

They couldn’t very well leave him here.

Right, the shocks of the night had been so overwhelming that Old Mr. Lu had forgotten his youngest son was somewhat of a neat freak.

After moving Lu Yanzhou to the adjacent room, Lu Mingxuan followed the entire time.

No matter how ill and weak he was, Lu Yanzhou was still a man over 190 cm tall. Watching Lin Juan carry his uncle without so much as a change in breathing, Lu Mingxuan swallowed hard.

Lin Juan seemed to possess extraordinary strength.

The butler, following Old Mr. Lu’s instructions, brought Lin Juan two cards.

"What are these?" Lin Juan took the cards, confused.

Why two?

The butler smiled, wrinkles creasing his face. "This card is for your allowance. All the younger members of the family receive one. The funds are deposited monthly—$70,000 per month. If it’s not enough, you can withdraw more. This other card is your reward, with $1.4 million inside."

"What?" Lin Juan, who had never seen so much money in his life, was stunned. "This much?"

"And an allowance too?" Lin Juan suddenly felt the cards in his hand were burning hot.

Heaven knows, since he was young, he’d never had more than $7 to his name. This was beyond doubling—it was astronomical!

"I can’t accept this," Lin Juan said, handing one of the cards back.

He would take the reward because he had indeed solved a critical problem for Lu Yanzhou. Regardless of what the future held, at least for now, Lu Yanzhou wouldn’t be infected on the night of the wedding.

Infected!

Lin Juan remembered something important. Shoving the cards back into the butler’s hands, he turned and ran out.

Old Mr. Lu was discussing security measures with the head of the bodyguards when he saw Lin Juan rushing over. He paused the conversation.

"Xiao Lin, what’s wrong?"

"Those monsters earlier might be contagious," Lin Juan said, unsure how much this world knew about the supernatural at this point. He chose his words carefully.

Old Mr. Lu didn't bat an eye. "Those creatures look unnatural, so their origins must be unusual. I’ll have everyone take precautions."

When the bodyguards had entered earlier, they were fully equipped with protective gear. In contrast, Old Mr. Lu and Lu Mingxuan had taken no precautions.

"Do you have any leads on where they came from?"

"I have some speculations," Old Mr. Lu spoke slowly. "I previously heard some news about a laboratory leak causing biological mutations. I suspect the creatures that appeared here are those mutated beings."

Otherwise, there was no explanation for the existence of frog-human hybrid creatures.

Lin Juan pondered thoughtfully. It seemed that the authorities had already noticed something unusual, though it was unclear how deeply they understood the anomalies.

Soon, Lin Juan found out.

Early in the morning, before dawn, a group of men in uniforms quietly arrived at the Lu family villa. Lin Juan, along with Old Mr. Lu and others, was discreetly taken to a specialized hospital for examination.

Old Mr. Lu and Lu Mingxuan had only brief exposure to the anomalies, so their infection levels were low, and they were quickly released. Lin Juan, having had longer contact, was taken to a separate office after his examination.

In the office, a young man in a white coat sat before a computer, watching the surveillance footage, utterly perplexed.

Zhuang Yufeng had been a surgeon before the anomalies emerged. After being infected by his family’s parrot, he awakened a purification ability.

His ability was highly valuable, and under official protection, he survived until the final battle.

That battle was too tragic.

Human strong fighters fell one by one, appearing as weak as ants before Annihilation, the strongest anomaly born from the Land of Extinction.

In a world ravaged by pollution, humanity fought with everything they had, yet remained as powerless as an ant trying to shake a tree against the mighty anomalies.

To help his teammates hold on a little longer, Zhuang Yufeng exhausted his superpower and, as his pollution levels peaked, charged into the anomalies and detonated himself.

Then, he was reborn, returning to the time when the anomalies had just appeared.

Heaven knew how ecstatic he was when he opened his eyes. In his previous life, they had learned too late about many things, responding to the anomalies too slowly and paying a heavy price to achieve a precarious balance. Now, reborn, he could provide this information in advance, allowing humanity to prepare early.

But this joy lasted only until dawn.

Just as he collected himself, he received a call from his superiors, informing him that the Lu family in the capital had been attacked by an E-level anomaly, the "Mutant Frogman," and requesting his support.

Zhuang Yufeng’s heart sank.

He knew all too well that in his previous life, they had eventually discovered that the overwhelmingly powerful anomaly "Annihilation," born from the Land of Extinction, was originally a member of the Lu family.

It was hard to say whether the Lu family was fortunate or unfortunate. Before the anomalies emerged, they were one of China’s most prominent wealthy families. But at the beginning of the anomalies, the Lu family was wiped out overnight, spared the despair of the apocalypse.

To find a way to counter "Annihilation," the organization in his previous life investigated many aspects of the Lu family and deduced that the turning point occurred when the family, in a desperate move, arranged a ritual marriage to avert disaster for the critically ill head of the family, Lu Yanzhou.

Upon receiving the notice, Zhuang Yufeng rushed to the hospital in a frenzy, grabbing his assistant and asking, "Where are the Lu family members? Where is the most severely affected person?"

The assistant, startled by Dr. Zhuang’s unusually panicked expression, replied, "They’re over there. None are in serious condition."

"Not serious?" Zhuang Yufeng found it strange.

It shouldn’t be.

He had been reborn shortly after the anomalies first appeared, at a time when human understanding of them was still in its infancy. Zhuang Yufeng was among the first group of individuals with superpowers officially recruited by the organization.

How could they not be serious?

Calming down, Zhuang Yufeng requested permission from his superiors to access the surveillance footage.

Seeing the young man with black hair and eyes, strikingly beautiful, standing beside the Lu family grandfather and grandson, Zhuang Yufeng frowned slightly, puzzled. "Who is this?"

Through his earpiece, his superior’s voice came through: "That’s Lu Yanzhou’s newlywed spouse, Lin Juan. It’s said he resolved the Lu family’s [Mutant Frogman] incident last night."

How could that be?!

Zhuang Yufeng clenched his fist. In his previous life, Lu Yanzhou’s newlywed spouse had died at the hands of the "Mutant Frogman."

Sensing the change in his demeanor, the voice in his earpiece continued, "Xiao Zhuang, is something wrong?"

"Nothing," Zhuang Yufeng steadied himself. The Lu family had been wiped out in his previous life, so perhaps the information he had wasn’t entirely accurate. He needed to observe further.

On the surveillance footage, the Lu family members were exiting the examination room.

The head nurse led the way: "Mr. Lin, you had the longest exposure to the [Mutant Frogman]. For your health, we will conduct a separate, thorough examination for you."

Old Mr. Lu patted Lin Juan’s arm. "Go on, don’t be afraid. We’ll wait for you outside."

Arriving at the office, the head nurse raised her hand and knocked.

"Come in."

A calm male voice came from inside.

The head nurse opened the door. "Mr. Lin, please."

Lin Juan entered the office. It was a large, private office with an iron door on the back wall. A doctor in a white coat sat at the desk, gesturing.

"Mr. Lin, please have a seat."

Lin Juan sat down opposite the desk.

"Dr. Zhuang?" On the desk was a nameplate with the doctor’s name.

"Yes," Zhuang Yufeng smiled. He had a gentle appearance, with slightly long hair tied back in a half-ponytail, and his smile carried a unique charm.

"Don’t be nervous. We’re just doing a simple examination. Please extend your hand?"

Lin Juan complied and extended his hand.

Zhuang Yufeng placed two fingers on his wrist, taking his pulse.

He was observing Lin Juan.

This was a very beautiful young man, with delicate, soft features and long hair flowing down his back. Even in a simple white shirt and black pants, he was breathtakingly captivating.

If he had seen someone like this in his previous life, he would never have forgotten.

But no matter how hard he searched his memories, Zhuang Yufeng found no memory of this young man.

There was only one possibility: this person had never existed in his previous life, from beginning to end.

Sensing Zhuang Yufeng’s scrutiny, Lin Juan frowned imperceptibly. He disliked this kind of scrutinizing gaze.

"Dr. Zhuang, are you a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine?" Lin Juan lowered his eyes.

As warm fingers touched his skin, a soothing energy flowed into his body through the point of contact.

All his fatigue washed away.

Lin Juan raised an eyebrow. Was this a superpower?

"Just a little."

No abilities, and no signs of contamination. Zhuang Yufeng was puzzled internally but kept a neutral expression. He conducted another examination before withdrawing his hand.

"Mr. Lin has a strong pulse and is in excellent health."

"Thank you, Dr. Zhuang."

Zhuang Yufeng typed a few words on the keyboard, then looked up and asked, "Would you mind telling us, Mr. Lin, how you dealt with those mutant frog-men?"

"Mutant frog-men?" Lin Juan feigned ignorance.

"The ones you encountered last night. To be honest, those are escaped specimens from a certain laboratory. We've encountered several cases of people being injured by these subjects. They carry an unknown virus, so it's crucial to take this seriously," Zhuang Yufeng explained.

Zhuang Yufeng asked a few indirect questions, but Lin Juan didn't know much about these matters and answered without any mistakes.

After seeing him off, Zhuang Yufeng massaged his temples in frustration.

He had thought Lin Juan might be an anomaly, but after testing, the other party had no abilities and no knowledge of the unnatural. Unable to come to a conclusion, Zhuang Yufeng decided to let the higher-ups deal with the headache.

After organizing the documents, Zhuang Yufeng reported the information to his superiors.

Lin Juan returned to the villa with the Lu family grandfather and grandson, as there was still some tidying up to be done.

"Once we finish up here, Xiao Lin, why don't you come live with us at the Lu residence? This place was originally meant to be your and Yanzhou's new home, but it's been contaminated now. I have a few other properties—you can take your pick. If none of them suit you, we can always buy another," Old Mr. Lu said in the car, signaling the butler to hand Lin Juan a tablet to make a selection.

"That’s very generous of you. I haven’t earned this, so I can't accept it," Lin Juan repeatedly declined.

"Please take it. My boy will be in your care in the future."

At this, Lin Juan remembered something: "Old Mr. Lu, since the master was a fraud, what about my marriage with Mr. Lu…" Can it be canceled?

Lin Juan had been single all his life and never imagined that, after transmigrating into a book, he'd skip dating and go straight to marriage. If possible, it would be nice not to be tied to the major antagonist.

Unexpectedly, before he could finish, Old Mr. Lu hurriedly interrupted, "You've already exchanged birth charts and completed the Taoist marital rites. If that boy Yanzhou ever treats you poorly in the future, you can come to me, and I'll set things right."

Old Mr. Lu despised the master who had tried to harm his youngest son, but he was utterly satisfied with this marriage.

No matter how Lin Juan tried to argue, Old Mr. Lu refused to annul the marriage.

Lin Juan had to let it go for now, secretly deciding to discuss it directly with Lu Yanzhou once he woke up.

If Lu Yanzhou agreed, surely Old Mr. Lu wouldn't ignore his youngest son's wishes… right?

Author's Note:

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Lu Yanzhou: Darling, don't you dare think about it [pitiful]

Old Mr. Lu (spreading his hands): Don't blame me [smirking]