Chapter 250

Chapter 250 – The Two Ends of the Scale 31

The feud between Night Cicada and You Wang was officially settled.

“Do you not want to know what character my surname is?” asked You Wang on purpose.

“Unnecessary. I saw your nameplate on your nightstand,” replied Night Cicada, holding a grudge, and for several days, he mostly ignored You Wang.

But he kept his attention on You Wang not only because they had this conflict but also due to something You Wang said.

Why shouldn’t one ask or delve deeper into why? Where did the missing children go? Isn’t that where they were adopted?

It seemed like You Wang knew something, but no matter how Night Cicada hinted around, You Wang simply evaded the topic with great skill.

Night Cicada was still young and eventually forgot about this matter. The life in the orphanage was quite busy; every day, they had to diligently learn and do their homework, and the head of the orphanage would forcibly have them engage in exercises to build up good physiques.

This lifestyle continued for some time until the next health examination arrived, combining physical and psychological evaluations. The orphaned children stood in line outside the infirmary’s corridor as usual, proceeding into the psychological testing room to fill out forms one by one.

You Wang came out after his examination and evaluation with a clearly troubled face.

Without understanding his expression, Night Cicada also entered the medical facility.

After all checks were done, the attending doctor in the white coat checked his data and tapped at his electronic tablet’s screen.

Before leaving, Night Cicada turned back, stretching his neck, wanting to know if his result was marked with a check or an X; his past results were always checks, but this…it was an X!

A chill went through Night Cicada. The hair on his body almost stood up.

With his shallow knowledge and intuition—a bad sign!

Yet he couldn’t explain what specifically was wrong.

The children’s tests were over. The doctor handed the electronic records to the headmistress, whose finger slid across the screen before she addressed the doctor with a nod. Another nod came from the doctor, smiling.

Night Cicada, watching from afar, felt a shiver run down his spine.

“We seem to be in trouble,” You Wang told him.

“What happens when someone gets marked with an X?” Night Cicada whispered.

“I don’t know, but it definitely isn’t good news,” You Wang responded.

“Why are you certain it’s not good?”

“Because I can do things others cannot. Those kids weren’t adopted… they were taken somewhere bad.”

“Why keep it a secret if we’re both in trouble?” Night Cicada asked with his arms crossed.

“You know, could we find a way out of this?”

“Yeah… I can possess people like a ghost—I’ve never told anyone. But I found out by possessing someone… They didn’t get adopted, they boarded a black transport vehicle, like in those prison dramas.”

“Amazing ability.” Night Cicada shifted focus slightly and then focused again. “Did they disappear without a trace?”

“The person I possessed passed out,” You Wang recounted. “When I regained consciousness, I was back at the orphanage… Then I developed a fever for three days, nosebleeds nonstop.”

Night Cicada recalled: “I remember… You stayed in the infirmary for days. Why did you get a fever?”

“Perhaps… It’s a side effect? The cost of using my powers?”

Night Cicada trembled. “Can we escape?”

“Where could we go? Do you have money? An independent account? Without an electronic account, we can’t ride an electric tram or even buy food,” You Wang concluded.

Dismayed, Night Cicada slumped.

That afternoon, the headmistress declared to all the children that Night Cicada and You Wang were being placed up for adoption and would never return to the orphanage.

For dinner, the orphanage had extra meat dishes—traditionally provided for adopted children.

Night Cicada ate mechanically, without much taste.

Later, the headmistress called out Night Cicada and You Wang separately with a smile, telling them someone was going to see them, and they needed a comprehensive medical check-up first, which the orphanage’s facilities couldn’t manage.

Strongly grasping their wrists, she led them hurriedly almost dragging them out of the orphanage. Before them, a black transport vehicle waited along with two men in white bio-suits holding mysterious black sticks.

You Wang halted, fear overwhelming him. He struggled fiercely, almost breaking free, but the bio-suited men used their devices, rendering him unconscious.

Watching, Night Cicada froze in terror but couldn’t shake off the headmistress’s grip.

“No!” he shouted in horror.

A deep blue vortex suddenly appeared and vanished into thin air. Both bio-suited individuals exchanged shocked glances before one jabbed Night Cicada with a stun baton, causing him to collapse.

He heard muffled voices before losing consciousness: “What happened to these children? Something seems amiss; otherwise, they wouldn’t react so intensely.”

“He’s awakened at such a young age; the repercussions will be severe… early onset can lead to premature decline.”

“They’re no longer considered ‘scrapped’ now… report it. See how it’s handled.”

When Night Cicada regained consciousness, everything was white.

He leaped up and discovered himself locked in a silver room with seamless walls and no doors.

In a panic, he felt the walls, shouting, “Hello?”

There was a crack, a small gap now appeared in the seamless wall. Night Cicada, startled, fell backward.

He faced an elderly woman with gray hair and glasses.

The old woman’s aged eyes were stern despite her warm appearance. Even at her advanced age, her gaze held unusual clarity and ambition.

Her name tag identified her as Chen Zhiqiu.

“Who… who are you?”

“You are my test subject,” the old woman explained. “Call me Dr. Chen, you will live here from now on, assisting with my research and work.”

Confused yet obedient, Night Cicada followed her into a long, silver corridor. Along the way, Night Cicada heard ghastly screams, muffled as if distant.

Frightened, Night Cicada stopped, his face pale.

“Do I die here?” he asked.

“Absolutely not,” Dr. Chen’s glasses reflected light. “If you obey me and are valuable, you will not.”

“You mean… I’m valuable?” he questioned.

“Yes.”

“You’ll let me go?”

“You chose freedom instead of death. But, there’s a catch.”

She signaled for the door to open, leading him further in.

Years passed in the experimental facility. Night Cicada’s routine involved endless injections of unknown substances and wearing high-tech restraints to prevent any escape attempts.

Every few days, an electric shock treatment would be administered.

Night Cicada contemplated using the spatial vortex to escape, only finding several security measures in place: mechanical implants in his spine, brain, heart, and wrists with specialized restraints and an electronic collar.

One wrong move meant death.

Occasionally, Night Cicada would ponder regret, questioning if revealing You Wang’s ability to Dr. Chen was a mistake.

On his third year, Dr. Chen informed Night Cicada of You Wang’s transfer.

“Why?”

“You’re close in age, similar in condition. We’ve tested drugs intended for you on him first; he can no longer survive.”

Staring blankly, Night Cicada processed this new information.

The experimental facility, a place filled with fear and hate, fueled the fire within him, unspoken.

The researchers here were cruel, treating subjects like livestock.

Two more years passed, and just when Night Cicada felt no hope, a turning point emerged.

Dr. Chen, aging but still zealous, proposed a choice one ordinary day.

“Do you wish to escape the confinement?”

“You can let me leave?”

“If you agree, it will happen.”

Night Cicada’s heartbeat quickened.

“You will choose to avoid death and gain freedom, or accept death as the price.”

“Why grant this choice?”

“It’s a choice, isn’t it? Not freedom but a chance to avoid death,” he replied with a smirk.

Dr. Chen injected Night Cicada with a tranquilizer.

Upon waking, Night Cicada beheld an unfamiliar ceiling. No longer cold and silver like the facility, but a simple grided roof he remembered from his time at the orphanage.

Several wounds pained him while various implants seemed removed.

“You are awake,” a voice echoed in the room, male.

Night Cicada turned his head feebly to see a middle-aged man sitting beside him on the sofa.

“Kui Haidong, leader of Mechanical Dawn. I arranged to save your life.”

“So, are you part of Chen Zhiqiu’s people?” Night Cicada asked coolly.

“You will cooperate, and gain significant freedom.”

“The enemy of the Federation uses cruel experiments, like us, against the Federation. Our aim is your unique ability.”

“Yes?”

“A rational researcher. She claims payment was made for your release. What did you offer her?”

“Immortality.”

“Data immortality. Humans decay, but she will continue as data.”

This revelation shook Night Cicada to the core.