Am I really hallucinating?

Chapter 447 Bad News

Lu Chongming is visiting his mother at the Fourth Branch of Dadu Central Hospital in Jiyun District.

His current situation can be considered a triumphant return home.

There shouldn't be too much of a problem in providing a stable livelihood and using the rest of the money to maintain the mother's health.

"Chongming, you've really had a tough time these past few years." Apart from looking a little thin, Lu Chongming's mother didn't seem to have any serious problems.

But factor deficiency syndrome is the kind of disease that you can't be fooled by its symptoms. Before my mother suddenly developed cardiopulmonary dysfunction, there were absolutely no signs.

"It's alright." Lu Chongming knew that his mother felt guilty for being a burden to him and his father, so he wouldn't talk to her about it. "Dad has just returned to work and is quite busy, so he doesn't have much time to come see you. I'll take care of everything."

He took out an apple, washed it in the hospital bathroom, and gave it to his mother. He told her not to peel it, as she didn't care.

Lu Chongming talked about his recent situation.

My work at Banmoku Office, the appreciation I received from the Bureau of Investigation, the various people I met at work, and a great benefactor named Lin Yilin.

Some strange encounters, aside from the fact that he was almost deceived by hallucinations, were all mentioned in bits and pieces.

The mother listened with a smile, very pleased.

"Now that you've finally settled down, shouldn't you consider finding a girl?" As expected, the mother couldn't avoid this topic after he finished speaking.

"Pfft, I've only just gotten on the right track, what's the rush! It's still early, still early." Lu Chongming couldn't hold back and quickly replied perfunctorily.

“You and Dad don’t need to spend too much time on me. You should save this money and wait until you get citizenship in the White City before settling down and starting a family. That way, I can rest easy,” the mother said gently.

“You can rest now, we have our own plans. I’m doing quite well doing this stable job for now. The Bureau of Civil Affairs asked me if I wanted to help out in Jiangwen Street. They’re in dire need of manpower there. It’s hard work, but the pay is very high,” Lu Chongming said.

The mother was indeed a little worried: "Jiangwen Street is a bit far, and I've heard it's quite chaotic there."

"That's why we're short-staffed, because things are still quite chaotic. But I declined," Lu Chongming said with a smile. "After all, I'm content now. There would definitely be a lot of things to do over there. Besides, it's really too far. If I went, I might not be able to come back for a long time, which would mean I wouldn't be able to visit you."

"You..."

The two chatted and laughed, enjoying a warm and cherished moment together as a family.

Lu Chongming told himself that he was working hard for such a time.

"Mr. Lu, could a family member come in?" At that moment, a nurse came in and gently knocked on the door.

"I'm here." Lu Chongming got up and went over.

In the private family meeting room, Lu Chongming met an elderly doctor.

"Hello, doctor," Lu Chongming greeted politely. "May I ask what your motive is...?"

The doctor, however, looked grave and gently shook his head, saying, "Mr. Lu, about your mother..."

“I’ve been looking at my mother’s recent medical reports, and she seems to be doing quite well…” Lu Chongming nodded, about to thank the doctor, when he heard the doctor say, “Our hospital may soon be unable to provide pure white factor treatment.”

“…Eh?” Lu Chongming’s smile froze, and his eyes slowly widened.

"Why?" His voice trembled. It was a sunny day, and the lights in the room were bright, but his vision was going black and his field of vision was gradually narrowing.

"It's not a problem with you or your mother, it's because of the recent situation."

"situation?"

"Following the earthquake, the Pure White Lighthouse made a decision. Due to the increasingly volatile and unpredictable situation within the capital, and in order to prepare for potential future accidents equivalent to the earthquake, the lighthouse began to reduce unnecessary energy expenditures. The Pure White Factor treatment program was significantly reduced..."

"This isn't right, doctor! This...this...I've just stabilized...I have money..."

“This isn’t about money, Mr. Lu; it’s an arrangement from above.”

"It's all about money! What if we pay more?! Can we keep going with this money?!" Lu Chongming asked excitedly, pressing his hands against the doctor's arms.

The doctor, somewhat fearful but understanding of Lu Chongming's emotions, said, "Please calm down, Mr. Lu. The last remaining portion of the Pure White Factor will be given to your mother, since she's the only one in our hospital who has been continuously receiving treatment until now. This amount is enough for her until about the beginning of next year, which is a year..." "Will there be any change in the situation after a year?"

"To be honest, if you knew the current situation in most places... I can only say it's very difficult." The doctor turned his head away.

Lu Chongming took a deep breath, released his grip on the doctor's hand, and tried to calm himself down.

After a long silence, he finally said, "I'll leave the rest to you, Doctor."

“…Hmm.” The doctor didn’t say much, just nodded slightly: “We will try our best. If you plan to take your mother home for treatment, we can arrange that.”

This implies that Lu Chongming can take his mother to enjoy the last year of her life.

"Let's leave it at that for now... that's it." Lu Chongming shook his head dejectedly, got up and left the meeting room.

……

"Miss Lin Yilin, do you know anything?" Lu Chongming slumped on a bench in a small garden in the hospital and contacted Lin Yilin.

"What the doctor said isn't too wrong. However, the current situation in Beijing is only one cause of your mother's condition; there should be another layer in between. Do you know which force mainly controls Pure White Lighthouse?" Lin Yilin's calm voice came through the phone, which calmed Lu Chongming's heart a little.

"Pure White Society?"

"That's right, the Pure White Society. But the Pure White Society is actually further subdivided. Internally, it's divided into three factions based on ideological differences. One is cosmopolitanism, a pragmatic faction with a conciliatory mindset, which believes that white is an important part of world stability, but still prioritizes the world as a whole. The second is the research faction, or researchers without ideological affiliation, who join only for fame and fortune. And the third is Pure Whiteism. White supremacy, believing that only those born in a white world have full human rights, and that all other colors, even gray neighborhoods, are full of impurities and will be eliminated sooner or later. It's an ideology characterized by extreme pride and severe discrimination."

"Pure Whiteism... I've heard of it." It's not a good reputation. Not just the Pure White Society, but the Pure Whiteists within the Pure White Society are just the leaders, while there are actually quite a few Pure Whiteists in the white world.

They attribute all problems to the unstable external world, hoping that the world could be reduced to only white.

"Pure Whiteism controlled the Society for many years, but after several internal upheavals, it underwent self-reform. In recent years, Pure Whiteism has weakened compared to Cosmopolitanism and has been forced to bow down. Until now, after the earthquake..."

Lu Chongming immediately said, "Because of the earthquake's impact and its aftermath, Pure Whiteism has resurfaced. And they've used this as an excuse to cut off Pure White Factor expenditures, which they themselves don't even approve of for their therapeutic purposes!"

"That seems to be the case." Lin Yilin paused. "What are your plans next?"

"...I need to go to Jiangwen Street."

Lin Yilin remained silent for a while before saying, "I understand. Contact me if you need anything."

After hanging up the phone, Lu Chongming glanced back at the hospital building where his mother was staying, then called his father on his phone before walking out of the hospital.

After discussing it with his father, he slowly put down his phone.

He took the subway back to Shishikoko Street and headed towards Banmu Office.

So he really can't settle down? Maybe it's just fate.

Lu Chongming has stopped complaining. A year is too long; complaining won't save his mother.

Shortly after he exited the subway station, he suddenly froze.

Because he heard a strange, hazy electronic sound, and at the same time, a string of words appeared before his eyes.

[System allocation in progress...]

[System loaded...]

[The Golden Iron Pot system has finished loading. Please claim your newbie gift pack and learn more about what to do next.]

"What is this?" he asked, staring blankly at the words in front of him.

Looking around, I realized that I was the only one who heard and saw these things.

"Hallucination?"