653: 10.48 Eyes Of The Truth

10.48 Eyes Of The Truth

55 was utterly caught off guard when the rough kiss suddenly descended on him and his entire person froze in shock. It was too domineering and forceful, giving off the impression that his entire soul was sucked out every time Lu Yizhou's lips moved over his.0

The long-haired teenager had just been 'born' a few short minutes ago, where would he get the endurance to contend against this kind of toe-curling kiss? Alas, before he could even savor the taste of Lu Yizhou's lips fully, the man suddenly withdrew with a jerk. When 55 opened his eyes again, it was in time to see Lu Yizhou's back disappearing between the closing elevator door.

A loud buzz rang inside 55's mind. For a long moment, he sat there where Lu Yizhou left him, dazed and confused. 

His lips still tingled and felt a little raw, yet the person who had kissed them was no longer here.

Lu Yizhou's departure seemed to have brought all the warmth with him, leaving nothing for 55 except coldness, the kind that seeped into his flesh and bones. 55 shivered and instinctively hugged himself. Slowly, his dazed golden eyes gradually gained focus. He took in the empty space in front of him and just like that, the harsh reality crashed down as if the sky was collapsing on him.

—Lu Yizhou had left. The one who would hug him, caress his hair, talk to him, comfort him with a gentle voice, and kiss him… was no more.

The loss that tore into his heart was too much, it was as if someone had gouged his heart out and left him alone to bleed to death.

Almost immediately, hot tears brimmed in 55's eyes and he cried again, so loud that his face became flushed and he choked on his tears, wheezing. He coughed hard, yet his tears still could not stop falling. Just like a baby, he had no idea how to express his sorrow and grief except crying. 

He scrambled down the bed toward the gate, intending to chase after Lu Yizhou. However, just one second before he touched the metal bar of the cage, he suddenly recalled that Lu Yizhou had told him to stay here and not run around as he pleased.

If Lu Yizhou were to find him outside, would he be displeased?

Even more than his own longing and grief, he was more afraid to see the same anger reflected on Lu Yizhou's face for the second time. 

Still sobbing, he returned to the bed and lifted his legs to his chest, curling up into a tiny shrimp. At least, this place smelled faintly of Lu Yizhou. At least, if he closed his eyes, he could still imagine that Lu Yizhou was here, sitting beside him and never leaving in the first place…

Gradually, 55's cries subsided. However, he had no idea what he should do, so he just stared at the space in front of him blankly.

His psychic power, Pandora's Box, was continuously active and promoted the growth of his brain power. As such, 55 found his senses grew sharper and sharper along with time until he could hear faint ruckus of people fighting upstairs.

There were shrill screams, pleading cries, manic laughter, and the terrifying sound of flesh and bones breaking apart. Terrified, 55 shrunk back into himself and covered his ears. However, it was futile. No matter what he did, those voices still traveled into his ears like a kind of neverending curse, looping around his innocent mind and tainting the blank canvas with splashes of dirty black.

Stop it!

Why… Why was everyone fighting?

Where was Lu Yizhou? Was he… fighting out there too?!

55 gasped as realization dawned on him. No wonder Lu Yizhou told him to stay here! It was all because he was too weak! Even if he went out, he would only become an unnecessary burden to Lu Yizhou!

The long-haired teenager bit on his nails, anxious. Unbeknownst to him, his turbulent emotions had become the amplifier for his brain power to keep developing. His powerful urge to find Lu Yizhou, to see him again and get him back, was akin to a stimulant which forced him to break through his limit.

If his physical body had been connected to the computer, 666 would have been able to monitor this growth. The system would see an astonishing rate of impulses in 55's brain, like cancerous cells that kept multiplying and eating away on the healthy ones. The original 72% brain power was increasing at a steady and rapid pace, 78%... 83%... 90%...

At some point of a time, 55 suddenly froze and his eyes turned unfocused. It was as if he was seeing something through the space in front of him. His fingertips trembled and his complexion turned ashen. The more he saw, the more terrified he was.

Experimental 55's second psychic ability was finally awakened — Eyes Of The Truth.

He saw himself in the near future, standing amidst the ruined city with blood flowing under his feet. Humans were hiding inside their buildings, peering out at him with frightened gazes. He saw himself walking through the lonely path of time, seeking a way to save the world from the brink of destruction. 

He watched the blue sky gradually turn overcast as hope was gradually lost. What remained was all pain, sorrow, hatred and fear.

He saw himself grow from an anxious and frightened person to a callous and cool-headed one. His eyes, which once sparkled in pure curiosity for the world around him, dimmed and lost their luster. His appearance might not change a bit, yet his soul was dying like a wilted flower. He looked exhausted, weary and haggard.

Many images flashed behind 55's eyelids. The humans' distorted face who decided to imprison him for life, the manic greed belonging to the man who betrayed him…

Suddenly, he understood everything.

When he opened his eyes again, two trails of tears slid down his pale cheeks. Those golden eyes no longer held any sign of innocence they did a moment ago. 

In this short time, a lot of things had changed in the surroundings. 

Loud siren blared through the air and the fluorescent lamps above his head flickered on and off. The ceiling shook violently, causing faint dust to sprinkle down like snowflakes. The computers were displaying a string of red colored warnings. It was as if the building was going to collapse at any moment. The sound of fighting upstairs intensified and did not show any signs of stopping at all.

55 let out a shaky exhale and rolled down from the bed, stumbling because his legs were still a bit weak. Instead of laying on the bed, he chose to sit on the floor and lean on the wall instead. This way, he was directly facing the elevator where he could see anyone coming in and out as soon as he lifted his head.

A bittersweet smile curled upon his lips. Then as if making a decision, he decisively bit down on the back of his hand and used his blood to scrawl a message to the wall. It was to himself, and also to the future him.

[You must remember. This is what you have to go through.]

55 had not controlled his strength at all and blood flowed out unstoppably from the huge bite wound on his hand. To be honest, it looked quite terrifying on his pale complexion. 666, who was monitoring this place, should have been alarmed and realized that experimental subject 55's current behavior was abnormal.

Unfortunately, it was currently preoccupied because Lu Yizhou was in a very dire situation.

***

[666: H–H–Host!! Are you okay?!]

Lu Yizhou slid down the wall as he clutched his bleeding chest, a faint groan escaping from his lips. A horrifying hole could be seen on his chest, deep enough that one could see his ribs and inner organ. Blood had almost drenched his clothes crimson, dripping down his body to create a small puddle around him.

It should be extremely painful, yet Lu Yizhou did not even make a sound as he swiftly rolled the bandage — which he had bought from the system's store — around his chest a few times. His movement could be considered very cold-blooded and professional, simply not caring about his own body at all.

It was negligent on his part.

He had been chasing after an experimental subject whose psychic power was 'mimicry' — the ability to disguise themselves into whatever they wanted, whether it was living things or inanimate objects. 

It could be seen in one glance that this power was very troublesome and if left alone, would definitely develop into a terrifying ability. But fortunately, the subject had always been confined in this place and the knowledge taught to them was strictly limited. Hence, the subject still had no idea what their full capability was like. They only knew how to stick themselves to the wall and hide.

They had almost made their way out of the building when Lu Yizhou caught them. Their fighting stance was akin to a clumsy child and it posed no problem to Lu Yizhou at all even if they could disappear at will. However, who would have guessed that the last moment when Lu Yizhou almost killed them by blasting their heart, they would suddenly awaken a second psychic ability?!

Under extreme situations, the subject whose first power was 'mimicry', suddenly developed another defensive ability — Rebound. Every wound that was inflicted on them would also be returned to the attacker.

If he did not have the white witch Irene's healing magic in him, then it was expected that Lu Yizhou would have died under that defensive ability!

[I'm fine…] Lu Yizhou's breathing was ragged as he leaned himself against the wall to take a brief respite. Slowly, his ragged breathing calmed down and he asked, [How is he? After I left… did he cry again?]

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