NFBE Chapter 164 The Ship of Theseus
Chapter 164 The Ship of Theseus
This is the fifth day.
The withered arm picked up the scattered stone fragments from the ground, and a horizontal line pierced through the four crooked vertical lines on the stone wall.
Then, his arm fell to his side.
The firewood had been extinguished for a long time, and darkness had long since swallowed everything. For the owner of the arm, there was only one way to tell the time.
Last Wednesday was Alberts Jr., the Wednesday before that was Irwin, the Wednesday before that was Hakim, and the Wednesday before that was…
He forgot that, in his hazy memory, all that remained of the person who was taken away was a distorted face, a face filled with fear and sorrow.
The owner of the arm moved, and the sound of ceramic scraping against the rough ground brought him back to his senses.
He reached out and touched the bottom of the bottle, where a withered, blackened flower stem lay. Beneath the stem, the cold, uneven bottom of the bottle formed several crooked characters.
"A Gift to Aiven"
Yes, that girl who loved flowers, whose eyes always sparkled, that child who was so afraid of pain that she would only take her medicine if she ate candy—they will never return to the sunshine of Aru Village.
His past memories had been almost completely shattered by illness and torment. The only thing he could still remember was that he used to work under the blessing of the God-King, holding a hoe in his hand.
His name is Abbas.
Until the day when a dark disease afflicted him—a terminal illness called "Demon Scale Disease."
The farmer, who had toiled his whole life, knew nothing of the Demon Scale Disease and could not afford the expensive medical bills at the Healthy House. So he returned home and sincerely prayed to the God King of the Desert.
"O God-King who protects the people of the desert, please send down your glorious sunlight and burn away the filth of this body."
Perhaps his prayers worked, for a doctor who claimed to be a scholar from the Church approached him, saying that the "House of Vitality" would provide him with free medical care to restore his vitality.
He thought it was the spokesperson of the God-King, descending to earth to save people from suffering, but he never expected that it was a messenger from the deeper hell, who wanted to drag him into a dark and hopeless abyss.
"Do not give up on yourself, stay optimistic, know that all living beings are under the watchful eye of the gods, and you must never give up."
What a ridiculous slogan!
Who knows that behind that "wise doctor's" hypocritical smile lies another face?
That's the face of a demon.
"All samples share common characteristics, with high levels of elements in the body. It is reasonable to speculate that the enrichment of elements in the human body is a dynamic process."
"Sample No. 1's physical indicators returned to normal after early experiments, but hemodialysis could not stabilize the condition, and element levels rebounded, making it unsuitable for recovery as an experimental subject."
Conclusion: Scrapped.
This is Hakim's last record in the world, and his name is not even on the record.
"The experimental mode of sample 23 was changed to reduce the discard rate, but it caused psychological instability."
"An interesting topic: the disease originates from the agnostic 'divine punishment,' while the cure is 'blasphemy.'"
Conclusion: Scrapped.
This is Evan and Alberts, who, amidst their daily ramblings and incoherent ramblings, vanished silently one Wednesday night and never returned.
"Experiments show that organ removal is beneficial to emotional stability, and sample No. 4 currently has great experimental potential."
"If its pathological symptoms can be eliminated through some means, there is reason to believe that it has the potential to be weaponized..."
This is him, the man who lost half of his original body in the experiment. That night, he accidentally saw the doctor's notes, and fear and absurdity overwhelmed him.
"Topic: The Ship of Theseus, when all the planks were replaced, the ship became a new ship."
"Where is that person?"
A dizzying sensation swept over him as he looked at his brand-new left arm. The gruesome stitched scar resembled a crooked rift, as if it had bitten off a corner of the being named Abbas.
He tore at himself frantically, as if two entities within his body were fighting each other.
Then, his attending physician came in.
He had thought he would also disappear silently, but the doctor just gave him a complicated look and forced a bottle of pale green medicine into his mouth.
The doctor handed him the notes and then took out the hoe he had brought with him when he was admitted to the hospital.
He led him to this underground space, where a group of unfamiliar faces lay unconscious.
Then, the rubble sealed the entrance to the cave.
"Escape, if you can escape."
"Don't look back."
In the last glance he made with the doctor, he understood the doctor's eyes.
From that day on, he wielded his hoe with all his might, trying to bring the unconscious people out of this hellhole and to expose the evil doctor's atrocities to the world.
For Evan, for Albertus Jr., for Hakim, and for Abbas, who may or may not even be himself anymore.
Whether he is still himself or not, at this moment, he, or they, have only one purpose.
Escape and survive.
He dug day and night, but he wasn't exactly lucky; his digging was in the wrong direction from the very beginning.
He felt despair the moment the worn-out hoe struck the hard rock and sparked.
They all left, merging into the yellow sand.
How much longer can my broken body and mind hold on?
O God who protects the people of the desert, more majestic than the sandstorm, more radiant than the sun.
Please stop this ordeal, please save me.
Avoid the ruthless doctor's knife, avoid the medicine that causes excruciating pain, and return to the fields of your hometown.
Please, please.
O God, if you are still willing to acknowledge Abbas the believer as your people, please reveal yourself to me.
I don't want to dissolve into the yellow sand.
The dead god-king would not answer his prayers, but with a sound of shattering stones, bright sunlight pierced through the edge of the stone roof and into the dark cave.
……
"A total of 19 people were in a coma, all of whom showed symptoms of scaly disease."
"Three of them had very severe erosion, while one had mild symptoms and had suture marks on his body."
"The rest... none survived."
Farusan's fingers gripped several crumpled pages tightly, and for the first time, anger surfaced in her light green heterochromatic eyes.
Such appalling human experiments, coupled with the scholar's attire that had not yet been taken away from the hospital ward, almost certainly indicate that they are related to the scholars of the Order of the Church.
Has the disciplinary officials of a hundred years later become so incompetent that they allow such heinous acts, which violate the "Six Root Sins," to occur in Sumeru?
"In short, let's take them back to Aru Village first."
"Their bodies can't hold out for long."
Mu Feng squatted on the ground and took out the Demon Scale Disease relief medicine that was prepared in the Eye of God and poured it into their mouths one by one.
Although he had anticipated the human experiments at the House of Vitality, the horrific scenes still exceeded his expectations.
However, this is already considered a good result.
The only thing worth pondering is the "Doctor's" subtle attitude.
Farusan barely suppressed her anger. She used her wind elemental power to slowly support the two unconscious patients and nodded gently.
Now is not the time to track down the culprit; getting the patients back to Aru Village is the top priority.
Afterward, they left the dilapidated Vitality House, crossed the valley they had come from, and headed towards Aru Village.
only……
As she left the House of Vitality, Farusan seemed to sense something and turned back, taking a deep look at the square building hidden behind the valley, her eyes revealing a hint of confusion.
Why...?
It seems familiar.