Starting with dissecting ghost stories

The First People's Hospital of the city.

Inside the neurosurgical intensive care unit, various monitoring instruments were lit up, displaying a bunch of incomprehensible data.

The corridor was very quiet, with only Shen Xing and a chief physician accompanying him. Wen Yan was waiting in the corridor outside the intensive care unit, giving Shen Xing plenty of private space.

Shen Xing stood in front of the clear glass window and looked at a girl lying inside.

The girl's head was wrapped in white bandages, and there was a noticeable depression in her forehead and the top of her head, as if there was no skull for support. "Her life has been saved... She suffered an open, severe head injury, losing almost half of her frontal lobe, but fortunately, there were no other bleeding points or infections in her brain."

The neurosurgeon director transferred from the provincial capital spoke. He looked to be in his sixties or seventies, with a full head of white hair, but his eyes were bright and alert, making him look nothing like an old man.

He and Shen Xing looked at the girl inside and he said, "To be honest, I've never seen injuries like this before, with no infection or bleeding points... I wonder who did the emergency treatment."

This surgery probably left even the neurosurgeon, who is used to seeing difficult and complicated cases, somewhat bewildered. He didn't even know how to write a paper about it, because it was so unusual.

Fortunately, the patient's life was saved. ...But sometimes, saving a life like this is cruel to the patient's family. "Will the patient... wake up again?" Shen Xing asked, his voice trembling slightly.

"Well...theoretically, once the cerebral edema subsides and the hole is repaired with new material, I'll have done everything I can." The doctor paused for a moment before speaking, "But I still suggest you don't get your hopes up too high."

"If the prognosis is good, she will most likely wake up, be able to get out of bed and walk, and her speech and eating will not be affected."

"but.."

The chief physician had seen too many scenes like this. It was only because this young man's identity was somewhat special that he spoke the truth so frankly.

He could already imagine how utterly devastated the young man in front of him would be after learning the truth.

"Nearly half of her prefrontal cortex is missing. Even if she wakes up, she might not be the person you know anymore." The doctor looked at the young man in the glass reflection and continued, "Her memories might still be there, but her emotions will be weak, she'll lose her inhibitions, and she'll have difficulty controlling her feelings... You could even say she's a beast with human memories and intelligence; she can't control herself." "If you had deep feelings for her... she probably won't have those feelings anymore. Her empathy might be completely lost." "She still retains a part of her prefrontal cortex, so whatever the outcome after she wakes up is possible... Be prepared." The old doctor reached out and patted Shen Xing's shoulder, seemingly out of sympathy for the young man.

Put yourself in their shoes. If it were your own wife who woke up and completely forgot all the years of relationship you've had, even the old director himself would find it unbearable, let alone a young person with more complex and sensitive emotions.

The young man had his forehead pressed completely against the glass, his hands clenched into fists, resting against his face in a plank position, as if he were regretting or grieving.

His face was obscured by the muscles in his arms, so his expression was not visible; only the drops of tears could be seen falling.

"If you want to go in and talk to me, I'll call a nurse over in a bit to take you to get disinfected. You can go in and talk for a while then." "Thank you so much..." the young man said, his voice slightly choked with emotion.

Shen Xing was taken to a small room for changing clothes by a nurse. After leaving his personal belongings, he washed his hands with disinfectant, changed into a full set of protective clothing and isolation gowns, and put on a hat and mask before being taken into the ICU.

The moment he entered, Shen Xing glanced around the ICU.

Two surveillance cameras covered almost the entire ICU, and a nurse was standing not far away watching over it.

Even Shen Xing couldn't possibly turn off the ventilator without anyone noticing.

Should I put a bundle of abnormal muscle inside? Or use my hand as a cover? But I'm wearing gloves right now. Flesh and blood can heal the other person's wounds and my own wounds, but they can't heal the gloves.

If you crawl out from the outside of the glove...

Shen Xing reached out, pretending to grasp Wang Xinran's hand, but with the back of his hand facing up to cover his palm.

"Young man, don't touch the patient." The head nurse raised her voice slightly and reminded him seriously. At the same time, she took two steps forward, as if she would kick Shen Xing out if he reached out again.

"I'm sorry, sister." Shen Xing nodded to the head nurse with a sorrowful expression on his face.

Perhaps because she had seen the young man's gaunt face and numb expression earlier, the head nurse's heart softened. She stood next to Shen Xing, but didn't shoo him away, and said:

"You can touch her other hand, the one that didn't have the injection, be gentle, and talk to her. She can hear you."

Shen Xing changed his position and went to the arm of Wang Xinran that had not been pricked with needles.

Right now, Shen Xing is probably the only person in the world who doesn't want Wang Xinran to wake up.

Shen Xing slowly placed his right hand on the back of Wang Xinran's hand.

Suddenly, a question flashed through Shen Xing's mind.

Wang Xinran now...

Are we even human?

If she were in the state of 802, Wang Xinran would definitely no longer be considered human.

But what about now?

She showed absolutely no signs of abnormal erosion, and the Ninth Squad found no unusual noises on her. She did not cause any killings, not even to the criminal who imitated her. Shen Xing did not intend to kill him, but only planned to teach him a lesson.

Logically speaking, Wang Xinran is now a human being.

A critically ill human being.

If she were a human, then it seems I wouldn't be able to take action.

The dying wish of Shen Jingwei, the benefactor who raised him and gave him the ability to survive, clashed with the potential danger at hand. The thought of killing or not killing was a battle between the left and right hemispheres of Shen Xing's mind.

Seeing that he had been silent for too long, Shen Xing gently pressed Wang Xinran's hand and slowly began to talk to her about some of their past.

For example, the topics we discussed at our first dinner together, and our last evening walk together...

Although they had only spent a short time together, Shen Xing spoke with such sincerity that even the head nurse standing nearby felt her eyes welling up with tears. What a tragic couple.

Ten minutes later, the head nurse came over to remind Shen Xing that time was up. Shen Xing got up and left with the head nurse.

Even while changing his clothes, Shen Xing kept his head down in thought.

Back in 802, not killing Wang Xinran directly was like planting a time bomb, and I didn't know when it would explode.

Wang Xinran is currently under close surveillance. There are members of the Ninth Detachment patrolling the hospital. They may even be monitoring the nurses' station at all times.

Shen Xing remained rational and did not kill.

Killing them now would mean prematurely breaking ties with the Ninth Detachment, while Shen Xing would have ample time to prepare while Wang Xinran regained consciousness. He could choose to break ties immediately or later.

Moreover, there is a considerable probability that Wang Xinran will not remember anything, or will never wake up.

Moreover, wouldn't it be enough to just gain the ability to protect oneself even if it means falling out with the Ninth Division?

[01-The Wall] There are still many secrets yet to be uncovered.

Shen Xing also coveted the disguise ability of [02-Puppet].

Not to mention that he also possesses the [03-Hive] which allows him to control others.

The research progress needs to be accelerated.

Flesh enhancement, human disguise, mind manipulation...

The Mother Nest, the Ninth Squadron, anomaly aggregation...

Either way, Shen Xing felt dopamine being released.