Deus Ex Machina: Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Everyone left the room. Bai Yunci, after tinkering with something alone, came back with a row of syringes and equipment.

Shi Yixi remained seated at the table, while Yang Jin had changed position, standing and leaning against a wall a bit farther away. Bai Yunci first approached Shi Yixi, gently lifting his arm and speaking with a professional tone about what he was going to do: “This is a muscle relaxant. It will relax your body but won’t induce any pain.” He then inserted the needle into Shi Yixi’s skin.

“This is a high-concentration absorption agent,” Bai Yunci continued, taking out another syringe. “It helps with the breakdown and absorption.”

“Okay.” Shi Yixi nodded.

Bai Yunci administered several different medications to him. Yang Jin asked, “Is it necessary to inject so many drugs? Won’t it cause any problems? Where did you get all this medication?”

“Carried it with me,” Bai Yunci said. “In my lab, there would be even more types available. We have to make do with these for now. The rest, you’ll have to manage on your own.” He then moved to Yang Jin, pulling up his arm and administering a shot. “This is to stabilize hormone levels.” Afterwards, he took out a thin wire, attaching one end to Yang Jin’s wrist and asking, “Fan Fan, are you there?”

“Yes,” Fan Fan replied.

“Yang Jin, once you’re ready to begin, attach the other end to Shi Yixi’s wrist,” Bai Yunci instructed. He connected to Fan Fan’s system and said, “I’ve integrated this wire into your program. Monitor their frequencies, and if the difference exceeds five, notify me immediately.”

“Got it, Doctor,” Fan Fan responded.

Bai Yunci then handed Yang Jin a small syringe, saying, “Administer this at the climax.”

“Me or him?” Yang Jin asked briefly.

Bai Yunci replied tersely, “You both.” He had no hint of jest; his demeanor was as serious as if he were handling a complex engineering project. He patted Yang Jin on the shoulder and said, “I can’t guarantee it will work perfectly, but we have to try. All I can do is maximize the chances; the rest depends on you.”

Yang Jin nodded and said, “I understand.”

“I’ll go out first,” Bai Yunci said. “If anything unusual happens, stop and call me.”

“Okay.”

Bai Yunci was a very indifferent person. For him, a task was just a task, and any sacrifice was merely a part of the mission, a necessity. Even in Qianfan, despite everyone’s different personalities and approaches, the indifference toward “sacrifice” was the same.

Critical decisions often required this kind of cold, decisive, and consequence-blind execution; otherwise, none of them would survive. Even Yang Jin was no exception.

But as Bai Yunci was leaving, this detached figure unexpectedly reached out and patted Shi Yixi on the head, saying, “Don’t be afraid.”

“I’m not afraid,” Shi Yixi replied earnestly.

Bai Yunci smiled slightly. “That’s good.”

Once Bai Yunci left, only Yang Jin and Shi Yixi remained in the room, the two central figures of the mission. For ordinary people, this situation might be anxiety-inducing and awkward, but neither of them seemed affected.

They were simply silent.

Yang Jin straightened up, his hands in his pockets, the wire on his wrist dangling down his side. He slowly moved to the table, clearing everything off and placing the syringe into his chest pocket. He patted the table and said to Shi Yixi, “Sit down.”

Shi Yixi obediently complied. Yang Jin bent down, attaching the other end of the wire to Shi Yixi’s wrist, and his terminal immediately began syncing their physiological data. “Damn Fan Fan,” he said, “can you turn off the voice system for a while?”

“Are you negotiating with me?” Fan Fan asked, somewhat haughtily.

“No,” Yang Jin said coldly. “I’m giving you an order.” His tone was icy, and Fan Fan seemed to recognize this, responding with an “Oh” before setting the most bothersome functions to sleep mode. The room was filled with the steady “beep” sounds, seemingly in sync with Yang Jin and Shi Yixi’s breathing.

Yang Jin leaned forward slightly, resting his hands on Shi Yixi’s legs. He was much taller than Shi Yixi, and this position allowed his gaze to align with Shi Yixi’s.

Shi Yixi looked at Yang Jin with confusion and asked, “What’s wrong?” His gaze met Yang Jin’s, but its simplicity gave Yang Jin the first tinge of uncertainty he’d felt tonight.

But quickly, that thought passed, and Yang Jin smiled, saying, “Nothing, let’s begin.”

It wasn’t a good night. Everyone was bundled up in thick clothes, sitting under the shed outside, staring blankly by the faint moonlight. They all maintained a tacit silence; no one spoke.

Nearby, the hissing sound stopped, releasing the aroma of coffee.

“Anyone want coffee?” Feng Mang asked, holding up a cup. “Staying up all night is tough.”

Dalia, listless, said, “I want to go back to sleep.” She turned to Bai Yunci, “How long will they take?”

Bai Yunci shrugged. As he turned his gaze back, he noticed Ying Si’s fingers tangled together, fidgeting nervously, his leg bouncing up and down. Ying Si seemed extremely anxious. Bai Yunci patted Ying Si on the shoulder and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Huh?” Ying Si was startled, his expression evasive. After a pause, he stood up despondently, saying, “I’m done. I’m taking Xiao Shi away. Why should he have to…”

“He agreed to it himself,” Bai Yunci interrupted.

“But are you sure he understood what he was agreeing to?” Ying Si shouted. “You’re just using him to fulfill your needs. Why should he have to… be subjected to this…” He was visibly agitated, shaking as he tried to push past Bai Yunci and stop everything.

Suddenly, someone’s fingers gripped Ying Si’s neck tightly. The choking sensation hit every nerve, making him widen his eyes, speechless.

“No one is irrelevant,” Bai Yunci’s tone was cold and ruthless. “Every year, the conflicts instigated by the Sanctum result in tens of thousands of deaths and displacements. The peace you see is just an illusion. War and death are the eternal themes of human society. If everyone thought it didn’t concern them, the world would have ended long ago. You wouldn’t even have the chance to become a fertilized egg. Disagree? Where was your disagreement before? What’s the point of jumping up now, as if you’re on the side of freedom and human rights? You’re just a coward who doesn’t even have the courage to face reality.

With a forceful shove, Ying Si’s body was thrown out, and at the same time, a muffled thunder rumbled in the sky.

Feng Mang ran over to help the coughing, stunned Ying Si, and said to Bai Yunci, “He’s still young, he doesn’t understand these things. Don’t be so harsh on him… He’s just…”

“I already knew how to kill at his age,” Bai Yunci sneered.

“You men are so troublesome,” Dalia said, unfazed by the recent events, speaking with a dismissive tone from her chair. “So fussy, it’s just sleeping with each other once. Why act like it’s worse than dying? I really don’t get you guys.”

“Dalia,” Feng Mang said earnestly, “You’re still underage, so watch what you say.”

Dalia snorted.

The distant thunder grew closer.

“It looks like it’s going to rain,” Feng Mang said, pulling out his portable computer and checking the weather. “Sure enough, it’s going to rain. How strange, why would it rain in the desert?”

As they spoke, the rain poured down in torrents.

The four of them huddled under the shed, and Feng Mang exclaimed, “It hasn’t rained here in decades!”

“A cold, rainy night in the desert,” Dalia said. “Isn’t it kind of nice?”

“It’s too cold,” Feng Mang said, making hot coffee for everyone. “Drink something warm. We don’t know how long we’ll have to stay out here. It’s already been half an hour…”

“Wow, you’re so perverted!” Dalia said with a mischievous grin. “You’re actually timing them?”

“I am not!” Feng Mang retorted, blushing a bit as he realized the implication of the timing. “What kind of things are always in your head, you little girl?”

“Dirty stuff,” Dalia said dismissively, picking her nose.

“It shouldn’t take too long,” Bai Yunci suddenly said coldly.

“Perverted doctor, if Yang Jin hears that, won’t he cut ties with you?” Dalia said, eager to stir up trouble. “You’re directly trampling on his self-esteem! Can Yang Jin even do it ah? Are you guys allowed to date in that Qianfan place? Does Yang Jin have a girlfriend? Boyfriends are fine too. Could he still be a virgin ah? Hey, our poor Xixi ah, I should go in and swap out Yang Jin… I’ve got it! Xixi could do Yang Jin ah!”

“I could also make your head explode,” Bai Yunci said. “Can you be quiet?”

Dalia wasn’t pleased with Bai Yunci’s threat, but with her life in his hands, what else could she do?

“This is just a part of the mission,” Bai Yunci said. “Achieving the goal is sufficient; there’s no need to prolong the process.” He smirked and added, “Little girl, you have no idea what kind of creatures men are.”

“Tch,” Dalia finally quieted down.

In this world, it seemed only a doctor could discuss such awkward topics with a straight face. To lighten the mood, Feng Mang walked over to Bai Yunci with a cup of coffee, spread the tails of his coat, and sat down, asking, “Will there be any side effects from what they’re doing?”

“I don’t know,” Bai Yunci replied, shaking his head.

“Ah…” Feng Mang sighed, looking out at the heavy rain. “It’s raining so hard, how can this be? It’s insane.”

Time passed, and Ying Si and Dalia eventually fell asleep out of boredom. The coffee in Feng Mang’s cup had gone cold, and he had lost the interest to make another. He picked up Ying Si’s handheld game console that had fallen to the ground, planning to play for a while. He glanced at Bai Yunci, who remained unchanged, his gaze softly fixed on the rain.

The desert was very dry, and the rain was instantly absorbed as it fell, so gentle, leaving only the sound of raindrops hitting the roof.

Suddenly, a scream echoed from afar.

Bai Yunci stood up alertly and walked towards the spaceship base, with Feng Mang following behind, frowning and asking, “What happened? What’s going on?”

“I don’t know, let’s check it out.” Bai Yunci opened the door, and a rush of warm air flowed out; it was much warmer inside than outside.

Yang Jin was fully dressed and was struggling to control a frantic Shi Yixi on the table.

Shi Yixi was naked, clutching his neck, his eyes rolling back slightly, and his body convulsing violently. Yang Jin held him down and said to Bai Yunci, “Come and take a look.”

Bai Yunci moved quickly. “You two, help me hold him down.”

Feng Mang stepped forward to help. The scene was chaotic, but he couldn’t help glancing at Shi Yixi. Maybe Yang Jin had been gentle; aside from a bit of liquid, there were no obvious marks on Shi Yixi’s body.

“It hurts…” Shi Yixi whimpered. He had been quiet before, but now he struggled desperately as if trying to escape.

“It’s okay,” Yang Jin said softly, pressing Shi Yixi’s head. Then he asked Bai Yunci, “I gave him that injection, and he immediately reacted like this. Is it a side effect?”

“No,” Bai Yunci replied, calmly staring at the data on the screen, the bytes flashing before his eyes. “You two are merging well, but…” A DNA model appeared on the screen, and he exclaimed, “No way… his genes are recombining and developing!”

“Cut the bullsh*t!” Yang Jin’s tone was harsh. “What’s happening to him?”

Bai Yunci’s gaze lingered on Yang Jin’s face for a few seconds, as if contemplating something. Then he said, “His genes are accelerating development. His body can’t handle such a heavy load. The pain is normal.”

Feng Mang asked, “What do you mean?”

“How should I know? I’ve never seen an eighteen-year-old suddenly start developing,” Bai Yunci said. “Too many things happened simultaneously. I can’t determine which variable affected him. I’ll give him a painkiller to ease his suffering.”

“Are you sure another injection won’t kill him?” Yang Jin asked.

“It won’t,” Bai Yunci assured, shaking his head. Only then did Yang Jin help hold Shi Yixi’s arm.

Dalia and Ying Si also rushed in, seeing the chaotic scene. Ying Si pushed Yang Jin away forcefully. “What are you doing to him?”

Outside, thunder rumbled.

Their companion lay on the table like a test subject, eyes closed, motionless, with only faint breaths proving he was still alive.

“Yixi…” Ying Si leaned over the table, asking in disbelief, “What’s wrong with you?”

“He’s asleep,” Bai Yunci said. “He’s fine now.”

Ying Si carefully carried Shi Yixi to a narrow fold-down bed on the wall, laid him down, covered him with a blanket, and sat silently beside him.

Bai Yunci sighed and said to Yang Jin, “Come outside. I need to ask you something.”

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