Although it was the first time Ji Lin and Tang Yunzhou had met, the excitement the latter displayed made it seem as though they were old friends reuniting rather than strangers.
Ji Lin stood frozen in place, enduring Tang Yunzhou’s incessant, chattering concern. If he hadn’t known for a fact that this was the person Li Sang wanted him to meet, Ji Lin suspected he would have turned and walked away immediately.
After a long silence, Ji Lin finally spoke. “Yes, I am Ji Lin… I don’t feel particularly uncomfortable, so there’s probably no need for an examination…”
Upon hearing this, Tang Yunzhou immediately interjected, “How can that be? An examination is mandatory. If we don’t check, we won’t even know where your specific problem lies.”
He spoke with such logical conviction and a familiar, fanatical glint in his eyes that Tang Yunzhou’s students recognized the look instantly. It was the expression their professor wore only when he encountered a biological subject that piqued his research interests.
So… is this man standing before them—the one who looks perfectly normal—their teacher’s next research subject?
How could this be?
He wasn’t missing any limbs or suffering from obvious injuries. Why would the professor fixate on him? Could there be something wrong internally?
Several students cast inquisitive glances over Ji Lin, trying to spot something unusual about him. Unfortunately, they found nothing.
However, one student reacted quickly. Earlier, the professor had asked the man if there were any other abnormalities besides “not being able to sleep.”
How could a person not want to sleep? It was normal to lose sleep under specific circumstances, but to never want to sleep at all… that was highly abnormal!
Watching Tang Yunzhou look as though he wanted to dissect Ji Lin right then and there, Li Sang couldn’t help but speak up. “Old Tang, rein it in a bit. You’re going to scare him off.”
Something about her words seemed to strike a chord. Tang Yunzhou restrained himself slightly, and his expression and tone returned to a semblance of normalcy.
“Can you tell me specifically what changes you’ve experienced?”
Since Ji Lin was currently in a cooperative relationship with them, Tang Yunzhou’s talk of an “examination” was mostly talk for now; he didn’t intend to strap Ji Lin to a machine for a full-scale checkup immediately. Although Li Sang had told him about Ji Lin’s specific changes, some sensations could only be truly understood when described by the person experiencing them. Tang Yunzhou wanted to hear it from Ji Lin himself.
Li Sang had no objections. She leaned against a metal table nearby, quietly observing the scene. Her gaze eventually settled on Jiang Taian.
Just a moment ago, Li Sang had checked the time. It was already 10:30 PM.
To find and recruit Xu Jiao as early as possible, Li Sang had been awake since 7:00 AM. By 7:30 AM, she had already met up with Jiang Taian. This meant she had been working non-stop for over fifteen hours.
Who said this job was easy? It’s exhausting.
The only bit of solace for Li Sang was knowing that Jiang Taian and his team had also been working for the same fifteen-plus hours.
“Captain Jiang, shouldn’t we head out first?”
It was late, and it was time for sleep. Even though they were in a crisis, people still needed rest. If they messed up tomorrow’s official business because they were sleep-deprived, that would be a true sin.
Jiang Taian had already been planning to leave, and hearing Li Sang’s suggestion gave him the perfect excuse. He stepped forward until he was less than a meter away from Tang Yunzhou. “Uncle Tang, Sang says she’s a bit tired today. We’re going to take her back.”
Li Sang, suddenly used as a shield by Jiang Taian: “…”
Wait, am I the only one who wants to leave?
She clenched her back teeth, exerting a great deal of effort to swallow the curse words that were about to fly out of her mouth. Fine, fine. For the sake of future harmony, I’ll endure it today… like hell I will.
“Captain Jiang must be joking,” Li Sang said with a strained smile. “The country is in such peril—how could I possibly sleep? I’m so worried I’ve lost my appetite. No need to go back; we’ll stay here and keep Academician Tang company tonight.”
It was a “mutually assured destruction” tactic, but it vented her frustration perfectly. Li Sang felt much better.
Hearing her words, Jiang Taian’s hand hanging at his side twitched. After a long pause, he squeezed out a smile. “Alright. That works too.”
His voice was forced, the words squeezed through gritted teeth.
Qi Yan and Ling Lan, witnessing the silent battle between the two, remained quiet. Honestly, they didn’t think they needed to be dragged into this particular contest. They were genuinely sleepy.
Fortunately, Tang Yunzhou wasn’t the type to exploit his workers. He had overheard their exchange and waved a hand dismissively. “If you’re tired, go back and rest.”
He spoke quickly, immediately turning back to Ji Lin to wait for his answer.
Ji Lin, feeling a bit self-conscious under the intense gaze, rubbed his nose. “Ever since my strength increased significantly three days ago, I haven’t slept at all.”
That one sentence grabbed everyone’s attention.
Three days without sleep?
Yet, there were no dark circles under his eyes. Not only that, he looked energetic and alert. If it were anyone else, three days of total insomnia would have led to a mental breakdown.
Before they could process that, Ji Lin added, “And since that time, I haven’t eaten anything either.”
He wasn’t someone with a huge appetite to begin with, usually only eating when he felt hungry. But for the past three days, he hadn’t felt a single pang of hunger. Therefore, he hadn’t touched food.
The only thing that had triggered a desire to “consume” was when he passed by a roadside garbage station. The scent of decay wafted from the piles of trash, stimulating his nostrils. Normally, Ji Lin would have quickened his pace to leave.
But this time, he didn’t. Instead of running away, he felt an urge to get closer—to even eat it.
Ji Lin had been terrified by his own thoughts and fled the scene. Since then, he had visited several hospitals, hoping someone could find the source of his strangeness. Unfortunately, everyone thought he was crazy. They either scolded and evicted him or told him to transfer to the psychiatric ward.
Just as Ji Lin was about to give up, he met Li Sang. This woman knew his background perfectly—even things he had never told anyone else. To Ji Lin, she was somewhat terrifying, yet he couldn’t bring himself to stay away.
He was truly curious about how she knew.
“So,” Tang Yunzhou clarified, “you’re saying the only thing that interests you now is… decaying food?“