Chapter 155

Chapter 155: You Can’t Wake Someone Who’s Pretending To Sleep

“Damn it, pay up!”  

“Two years ago, their gas company developed weapons that mutated people. Last year, their gas leaks caused city-wide hallucinations. And now they’ve released a new viral gas. Gas company, get out of the Federation!”  

The camera shifted to Officer Chen, who wore a stern expression: “We must strongly condemn and criticize the gas company for such irresponsible behavior.”  

It was noticeable that his phone kept ringing, but he repeatedly hung up.  

On the news, he appeared confident and spirited, happily shifting blame and controlling the narrative.  

But now, he was utterly frustrated.  

“Do you have any idea what you’re doing? I’m already swamped—stop making things harder for me.” Even the usually even-tempered Officer Chen couldn’t keep the anger out of his voice.  

“I’ll pay for the treatment of those who fell ill.”  

Faced with Officer Chen’s reproach, the Chairwoman flaunted her financial power without hesitation.  

“We’ve caught someone,” Officer Chen suddenly changed the subject, his tone stiff. “He’s actually been dead for a long time, but due to certain bacteria in his body, he’s been ‘alive’ under someone else’s control. The same bacteria is present in the girl you took away. You knew full well that girl was sent by the Red Prince.”  

The Chairwoman fell silent for a few seconds. “Don’t worry, I won’t cause you any trouble.”  

She hung up.  

Only after she ended the call did the private doctor standing opposite her in the isolation chamber speak up. “Her condition seems similar to that of an android.”  

Clad in a hazmat suit, he was disinfecting himself. Despite the protective gear and the layer of glass between them, his voice came through clearly.  

“Over thirty years ago, a certain doctor proposed a bold theory: using non-human materials to simulate human structures, preserving only the conscious and memory-retaining brain to circumvent the incurable diseases of the human body.”  

It was akin to the “mechanical transcendence” often joked about online, but fundamentally different.  

“His idea was unique—whether praiseworthy or not, for a civilization like ours, where resources are largely confined to this planet, it was nothing more than an impossible fantasy.”  

Moreover, the human body was already the most complex and precise machinery in the world.  

“Are you saying Misha’s body is some kind of android?” The Chairwoman watched as the elderly doctor, after multiple rounds of disinfection, stepped out of the isolation chamber.  

This private doctor, assigned by the Lasvedo family, was originally meant to assist—and monitor—Heli. But due to the vast gap in knowledge and thinking, Heli had dismissed him outright.  

“In a way, yes. Without dismantling her, I can’t discern much more. Also, she has no brain. Theoretically, she shouldn’t be capable of autonomous movement—let alone rational thought as she displays now. As for the ‘soul’ you mentioned, I’ve never studied it, so I won’t speculate.”  

“Then what about the toxins her body emits?”  

Half the people in the city center had contracted various illnesses due to Misha, some of which had high mortality rates. While adults might withstand it, the elderly and children…  

“Her ‘skin’ continuously emits toxic gas—essentially, it’s her waste. Strictly speaking, this is her excretory function.” The old doctor flicked the report in his hand.  

If the other party could understand the data, why bother explaining?  

“Overall, this android construction is remarkably successful, even replicating human-like energy consumption. Without disassembly, I can’t determine how the creator made her secrete toxins or their motives for designing her this way. But if you want her to keep ‘living,’ you can’t stop her energy consumption, which produces the toxins.”  

The solution was simple: stop feeding her. But whether Misha could be revived afterward remained unknown.  

“As for more details about her, I suggest you ask that Easter girl.” The old doctor’s tone noticeably soured at the mention of Heli. “Ingesting food and excreting toxins—it’s eerily similar to how viral-type ability users function. To engineer an android with such precision, matching an ability user’s physiology… I can’t think of any other possibility besides Easter’s technology.”  

“Hmm…”

Finally, the old doctor left her with a word of caution: “To be modest, my knowledge is indeed shallow compared to that little girl’s. But even with my limited understanding, I believe this android child likely isn’t your daughter—at least, not the real one. Additionally, I’ve noticed one of the toxins she secretes is corrosive. If it accumulates for even a short time, I doubt even a hazmat suit could withstand it.”  

There was no reply—whether she had listened or not was unclear.  

The Chairwoman stared at the little girl sitting obediently on a chair inside the isolation chamber, her feet dangling. A viral-type ability user was helping her into a small hazmat suit—not to protect her from others, but to protect others from her.  

Only after she was fully suited was she carefully brought to the living room.  

The family’s golden retriever, perhaps sensing something amiss, barked incessantly at Misha, even baring its teeth.  

The little girl, frightened, clung tightly to the maid beside her.  

Fortunately, a servant quickly pulled the dog away.  

Normally, it was an extremely well-behaved dog, almost never barking. The last time it had acted like this was when Gloria brought Mi Xiaoliu home in a suitcase. Since then, the retriever had abandoned its cozy dog bed, opting instead to curl up inside the suitcase Mi Xiaoliu had left behind—acting more like a box-loving cat than a dog.  

“Misha, do you still recognize me?” The Chairwoman knelt, carefully placing her hands on the girl’s shoulders to meet her at eye level.  

“Mom.” The girl, wrapped head-to-toe in the hazmat suit, seemed hesitant but didn’t resist.  

That familiar, clear child’s voice—one she hadn’t heard in six years.  

Of course there would be distance. After all, that incident had happened six years ago.  

The Chairwoman gently hugged the little girl, holding her for a long time.  

This moment—she had dreamed of it for so long.  

But alas…  

She let go.  

“Daddy?” The girl tilted her head, peering through the transparent visor of her suit at Okuret, who was leaning against the wall. She stretched out her arms, hoping for a hug.  

Okuret parted his dry lips but said nothing.  

He shook his head and turned away, retreating to his room.  

“Does Daddy not like me?” The girl looked up at her mother with pitiful eyes.  

“He’s just… overwhelmed,” the Chairwoman reassured her.  

The whole scene was unnervingly subdued. The servants, familiar with the family’s history, had expected a tearful, dramatic reunion—the Chairwoman weeping, the family embracing in a flood of emotions.  

But it didn’t happen.  

Oh well. As mere employees, their job was to do their work and stay out of it.  

So they busied themselves with preparing another room.  

Only once everything had settled did Gloria finally get a chance to meet her little sister alone in the newly arranged room.  

The moment she saw Gloria, the girl’s discomfort vanished. She threw herself into her sister’s arms with joy.  

“Big sis!”  

“Misha, Misha, Misha!”  

Compared to their restrained mother and indifferent father, Gloria’s excitement was unrestrained. She grabbed her sister and lifted her into the air, catching her, then tossing her up again and again.  

“I missed you so much…”  

The things we can’t have, the things we’ve lost—those are what we desire most.  

Too bad the hazmat suit kept her from kissing her sister’s cheeks.  

—  

“Woof! Grrr—” The golden retriever, curled up inside the suitcase, bared its teeth at the girl in the hazmat suit.  

“Wah… Sis!”  

“Don’t be scared, that’s just Nuomi! Remember? You used to sleep hugging him when you were little… Ugh, what’s wrong with this stupid dog? It even let kids ride it before… Scram!”  

—  

“Listen, Misha, that old lady I just told you about? She’s got this annoying kid at home named Mi Xiaoliu—total weirdo, pervy too. If you ever meet a boy like that, stay away, okay?”  

“Mmm.”  

—  

That day, the usually restless Gloria stayed home the entire time, glued to her sister’s side. Even when her best friends called to invite her out, she refused.  

It was as if she wanted to pour out all the conversations she’d missed over the past six years in one go. In this moment, she wasn’t the bratty bully who tormented kids—she was the sweet, doting big sister, her smile warm and tender.  

Gloria pressed her thumbs and index fingers together, a faint golden light shimmering between them. She proudly held it up for her sister to see.  

“Cool, right? Big sis can protect you now. If anyone dares bully you, I’ll beat them up. I’ll give you anything you want…”  

“Then… Can I go outside to play?” Misha tugged timidly at her sleeve.  

“Uh…” The light in Gloria’s hands flickered out. “Didn’t the doctor say you shouldn’t go out?”  

Misha lowered her head, fake tears welling in her eyes.  

Gloria’s heart ached with guilt. She’d just promised her anything—and now she couldn’t even grant this tiny request.  

“Can I at least take this off?” Misha fidgeted with the hazmat suit.  

“Uh…”

Gloria awkwardly looked down at her sister. Through the transparent visor of the hazmat suit, she could see a visible layer of discoloration forming—a sign of microbial accumulation.  

“It’s so stuffy. I don’t want to wear this.” Misha pulled off the hood.  

————————  

“Come here.” Heli beckoned to Mi Xiaoliu, who stood at the door with her backpack.  

Mi Xiaoliu obediently walked over.  

“Miracle Doctor, the Black-Clothed One?” Heli lightly chopped her on the head, then picked up the four-leaf clover from the glass dish.  

She had studied it thoroughly—it was just an ordinary plant.  

But when she took a small bite, the toxins that had accumulated in her body due to her ability were instantly purged by more than half.  

Easter’s records on “Mi” had never mentioned such an absurd ability.  

Mi Xiaoliu rubbed her head in confusion, unsure why she had been hit.  

Because of the news report, even though Wei Shi had already known about Mi Xiaoliu randomly feeding people medicine, he grew angrier the more he thought about it. 

He called her over and scolded her harshly—even Hayato Shigenobu, who had arrived early, got chewed out just for breathing too loudly.  

Then, on her way home today, she ran into Uncle Wang San, who not only noticed she was upset from being scolded but also bought her steamed buns to cheer her up.  

Uncle Wang San was a good person.  

“Got any more?” Heli rubbed her fingers together.  

“No.” Mi Xiaoliu shook her head, then covered her head, afraid Heli would hit her again.  

She didn’t have any on her, but she could still get more—the Hermit had already rushed to finish the server helmet and given it to her. Keeping it in her personal space was safer than anywhere else.  

“Don’t worry, I won’t hit you.” Heli patted Mi Xiaoliu’s head. “Where did the antidote herb come from?”  

“Not telling.” Mi Xiaoliu turned her head away.  

Heli raised her hand.  

Mi Xiaoliu shielded her forehead, but Heli—this deceitful adult—swerved and flicked the back of her head instead.  

Heli was a liar too.  

Women were all liars.  

Unhappy.  

“If you can get more of it, don’t just give it to anyone.” Heli rubbed the spot she had just flicked and lowered her voice. “If you hand it out carelessly, I’ll spank you.”  

For a child this naive, the world was far too dark. Even if she genuinely wanted to heal and save people, others would only see the profit she could bring them.  

If Mi Xiaoliu were truly a doctor, and her ability to heal relied on her skills, everyone would revere her as a one-of-a-kind miracle worker.  

But if her method was producing some kind of antidote herb, people would only see her as a drug-making machine—some doctors might even look down on her.  

A mass-produced universal antidote would only collapse the entire medical industry.  

She didn’t understand the layers of schemes in this world. If the antidote herbs were something she alone could obtain, she might get kidnapped and squeezed dry for every ounce of value she had.  

Easter had plenty of scum, but that didn’t mean scum existed only in Easter.  

With little Mi’s level of naivety, someone could offer to “help sell” her antidote herbs, take two million for themselves, hand her two thousand, and she’d just smile, thinking they were being kind.  

There was nothing wrong with being a little selfish—who said having such an ability meant she had to exhaust herself saving the world?  

Having said her piece, Heli didn’t repeat herself.  

At thirteen, even if Mi Xiaoliu didn’t show it outwardly, she was still at that rebellious age. Too much nagging would just annoy her.  

She had Mi Xiaoliu sit down and pull out her homework, continuing to tutor her on her essay:  

“Look at this part—After the police officer arrested the suspect and began searching him, his police dog also successfully arrested the suspect’s dog and conducted a search…”  

Some concepts still hadn’t clicked for her. She seemed to think that, while police officers arrested suspects, police dogs arrested suspects’ dogs.  

“Ahem!”  

A cough sounded from outside the door, followed by impatient knocking.  

“Old lady, open up.”  

Heli motioned for a reluctant Mi Xiaoliu to answer the door.  

“What do you want?”

“I’ve got a bit of a cold. Get me some meds—and have that brat give me one of his miracle herbs.” Gloria’s voice sounded hoarse, so rough it was hard to tell if it was even hers without listening carefully.  

“What miracle herb? That’s just nonsense from clickbait articles—not even dogs would believe that.” Heli nudged Mi Xiaoliu, shooing her into the bedroom, then sat Gloria down across from her for a proper diagnosis.  

After a long pause, Heli delivered the bad news: “This isn’t just a cold. You’ve got a growth in your throat.”  

“Can you treat it? Cough… Please don’t tell me I need surgery.” Gloria frowned.

“I can. It’s not contagious—just one day of treatment.” Heli replied.  

Of course, that was her definition of “one day.”  

Heli began manually grinding up some medicine in a way Gloria couldn’t comprehend. Even if she didn’t understand the process, she did understand that the “Heh—ptui!” Heli spat into the mixture definitely wasn’t something beneficial.  

“Cough… You’re abusing your power, old lady… Cough… All I did was erase your son’s calligraphy with an eraser…”  

“I’m a viral-type ability user. My saliva secretes certain toxins used in medicine.” Heli explained flatly—then spat into it again.  

This time, it was pure spit.  

For revenge.  

“Old lady… my younger sister’s back. Cough.” Gloria suddenly brought it up.  

Heli’s grinding stopped. She turned and gave her an unreadable look. “You sure?”  

“Cough. But her condition’s bad. For some reason… cough cough… she secretes different toxins nonstop, 24/7. Is there any way to fix that without her wearing a hazmat suit?”  

“That might not be your sister.” Heli said. “Did the Chairwoman acknowledge her?”  

“No cough—way!” Gloria lowered her head. “She has to be. Mom didn’t object either.”  

“Try asking her something only the two of you would know.”  

“I did! She knew her old nickname! Cough!” Gloria stopped raising her voice. “Is the medicine ready yet?”  

“What about something more private?” Heli didn’t budge, refusing to let her change the subject.  

“You’re so damn cough—annoying!”  

Heli shook her head and resumed grinding.  

You can’t wake someone who’s pretending to sleep.  

The Chairwoman was no different.  

If she truly believed her daughter had returned, she would’ve called Heli long ago to terminate their arrangement. Yet, she hadn’t even asked Heli to verify whether this “Misha” was real.  

Once the medicine was prepared and packed, with instructions given, Gloria left.  

Normally, even with Heli watching, she’d find a way to bully Mi Xiaoliu before leaving—just like every other time she came here specifically to torment her.  

Heli leaned against the window, watching as Gloria led a small figure in a hazmat suit by the hand. The child hung her head, as if weighed down by guilt.  

Gloria wasn’t angry. Instead, she gently hugged and comforted her. Without that eyesore of a suit, it might’ve been a heartwarming scene.  

“Little Mi.” Heli called out.  

Mi Xiaoliu cracked the door open, confirming Gloria was gone before stepping out and looking at Heli.  

“Go. Play with Gloria.” Heli pointed outside, making an outrageous demand.  

Mi Xiaoliu froze for two seconds—then clutched Heli’s clothes in a death grip, shaking her head.  

“I’ll let you watch an extra hour of cartoons tonight.” Bribery.  

The grip loosened slightly.  

“Another extra hour tomorrow, too.” Heli handed her a medical mask. “Wear this. And this.”  

She returned the four-leaf clover from the dish. “If you start feeling unwell, eat it.”  

Reluctantly, Mi Xiaoliu ran after Gloria.  

When she got close, Gloria didn’t hesitate—she shoved her aside without a second thought.  

We’re having sister time. What the hell are you butting in for, brat?

[Translator’s Note: See the index page for this Novel if you want to see the Amazon Link for the eBooks.]

[https://ko-fi.com/golden_dragon]