Chapter Twenty-Eight: Cost and Reward

Shi Yu Lianyi.

The name of the young man in the suit was not merely his personal identifier; it also served as proof of his existence as a creation of a certain institution.

The surname Shi Yu carried a weight that any practitioner of the Impermanent Law, seasoned by experience, would recognize instantly. And for Yoshihisa Takizawa, this name bore a significance distinct from all other Shi Yus.

The man before him was one of the first Impermanent Law practitioners cultivated in the earliest days of the Shi Yu Research Institute.

Back then, he had never encountered a dragon in person, only glimpsed their power through scattered words in ancient scrolls and a handful of preserved materials. Once merely an exemplary student, he gradually deepened his research out of personal fascination, and during a quest for materials, he stumbled upon manuscripts preserved by his ancestors that revealed the technique known as the Impermanent Law.

Thus, Takizawa ventured ever further into uncharted territory, and his increasingly anomalous behavior naturally attracted the attention of those above him. Upon graduation, he was recruited and became an official member, driven by curiosity and professional aptitude, though he readily admitted his lack of talent for combat. He was assigned to the recently established Impermanent Law Research Institute—Shi Yu Research Institute.

In retrospect, that was the beginning of everything.

Within Shi Yu Research Institute, a gathering place for geniuses and eccentrics, Yoshihisa Takizawa was little more than a background figure, a jack-of-all-trades. Once proud of his talents, he was suffocated by the presence of so many who possessed even greater gifts.

His disposition darkened, confidence twisted into inferiority, and even his speech grew hesitant and stammering. Fortunately, his life was not entirely devoid of hope, for most of his colleagues held no malice toward this peculiar-talking coworker. They—and he—focused all their attention on the grand endeavor that demanded their utmost devotion: to develop Impermanent Law suited to a new era, to cultivate unrivaled geniuses, to show the world the power of Zero Island!

There were many such slogans, though Takizawa could no longer recall them all. What he remembered was that everyone strove toward this goal, proud to declare it aloud, and so did he. Under a deliberate guidance, the brilliant young minds poured their youth and sweat into an attempt to accomplish something extraordinary.

In the process, they neglected matters that always should have been attended to.

The things one must grasp before pursuing greatness, the truths that humanity must always remember within.

By the time he came to his senses, it was already too late.

They had personally created one of the greatest disasters of Shi Yu Research Institute.

That disaster was the very man now standing before him.

"Ah... you're still alive..."

Takizawa's lips trembled ceaselessly.

In contrast to his terror, the young man in the suit remained exceedingly calm.

"Yes, I'm still alive. I've been through much since leaving the institute, but my life isn't bad now."

Yoshihisa Takizawa struggled fiercely, desperately trying to bend forward, but the strong restraints rendered him immobile. The long-haired man repeated his futile efforts in the chair, fragments of pleading spilling from his lips, "I'm sorry... please...! Don't curse me!"

Shi Yu Lianyi soothed him in a gentle tone, "I'm not here for revenge. I have come merely to ask you two questions. I won't inquire about the details of the plan; instead, I hope you will answer honestly with your own perspective. Is that acceptable, Mr. Takizawa?"

"Ah... you... really..."

"Rest assured, I'm no longer a child."

What he left unsaid was: just as you are no longer the nervous young man who used to laugh maniacally when no one was around.

That sentence seemed to Takizawa like a lifeline.

This man was not afraid of death, nor did he fear interrogation; in his heart were greater goals and a supreme deity, and he believed all that he had done was justified.

But now, the divine radiance of the dragon that had protected his spirit was shattered by the terror imparted by another.

He had witnessed firsthand the miserable fates of his colleagues, seen their hideous deaths. The thought of suffering such agony himself reduced his once-solid defenses to the fragility of a straw hut. Takizawa could not ensure that the other's words were true. All he could do now was believe—only by believing this man could he escape his fear for a few precious minutes, even if it was only enough for a few breaths.

The young man in the suit leaned against the wall, his slender right hand in a white glove raising a single index finger.

"First question. In the recent battle, from the perspective of a former researcher rather than a dragon-worshipper, did you notice anything noteworthy? If nothing comes to mind immediately, you may reconstruct the battle from your viewpoint."

Shi Yu Lianyi added, Or, you may share your impressions of those four individuals.

Takizawa, as if responding to a command, began rummaging through his memories.

He replied in fits and starts, "Things worth noting—those four people. The masked girl must be a psychic; her range is short, but her close-combat skills are terrifying. The kingdom's hunter is a genius of the Impermanent Law; she developed her abilities for multiple uses. While watching, I felt her hand-to-hand combat was not as refined as her Impermanent Law practice."

This seemed to pique Shi Yu Lianyi's interest.

"Her skills don't match her abilities?"

"More accurately, it's a difference in combat philosophy. The hunters I remember were mostly self-taught, regarding Impermanent Law as just one tool among many—hand-to-hand skills, Impermanent Law, firearms, psychic armaments—all used in parallel, fighting with that mindset. But this hunter made Impermanent Law the core of her combat, while arrows and martial arts were merely auxiliary. That way of thinking is more like the orthodox academy, or..."

Yoshihisa Takizawa wracked his brain, searching for a second apt comparison, but under overwhelming psychological pressure, his mind was blank, unable to summon the words hovering at the tip of his tongue.

"I understand. Please continue, Mr. Takizawa."

Takizawa relaxed, continuing his recollection.

"The masked man—his Impermanent Law... I can't decipher it. And lastly, the psychic."

"What is your assessment? Of the psychic called Gong Sun Ce."

He noticed Shi Yu Lianyi smiled.

That meant he had finally touched upon a topic of interest.

"He's too strange."

From the perspective of a rational researcher, not a practitioner obsessed with summoning deities, he judged thus.

"Far too strange. What—what was that, anyway? There was no time for detailed analysis during the fight, but looking back, I can't find a reasonable explanation."

"What do you mean?"

The gloomy man grew uncharacteristically animated. "His psychic power! Invisible force and white matter—how could those belong to the same person? A psychic only ever has one power, that's common knowledge. After encountering divinity, I understood deeper truths, and even by your theories, it should be explicable."

"Yes, please go on."

"A psychic may display several forms in battle—there are cases. Years ago, that one... I recall he was called..."

The nervous blankness returned, and the young man kindly prompted him, "The world's greatest psychic?"

Takizawa nodded vigorously.

"Yes, that's him. In hindsight, he developed his ability for multiple uses, like the kingdom's hunter—transferring himself, transferring weapons, incomplete transfers, all with a common core. But if you use that framework, Gong Sun Ce's behavior makes no sense. The invisible force, commonly called telekinesis, no matter how varied, retains its core trait. It may turn into colored, transparent force, but it cannot become tangible matter with mass."

The former researcher concluded, "That performance was as if one person possessed two abilities, which is impossible... theoretically..."

"That's how it appears from a researcher's perspective. Thank you for your cooperation. Now for the second question; once it's asked, I'll leave."

Shi Yu Lianyi stepped away from the wall, approaching him slowly.

Takizawa, intending to launch into a lengthy discourse, immediately stopped.

He heard the young man say, "Did you have any knowledge of the last research project undertaken by Shi Yu Research Institute before its destruction?"

"I—I don't know!" Takizawa denied in terror. "After the incident you caused, I fled the institute. I regretted, repented, was afraid! I never had any further involvement, never! I truly don't know, please..."

The young man leaned down, gazing into his eyes.

"Let me tell you, then."

Shi Yu Lianyi's next words made him forget to breathe.

"The final research of Shi Yu Research Institute before its downfall was to let humans inhabit the bodies of evil dragons, to have sentient life fill empty shells... thus achieving eternity."

".............................................huh?"

After a long dazed silence came a voice refusing to accept reality.

Incomprehensible, unacceptable, unbelievable, more bizarre than a joke, the ravings of a madman—do you know what you're saying? Stop joking, if you're going to kill me, just do it, why speak such absurd lies, this is, this is...

Then, shock surpassed fear and transformed into rage.

"To dare desecrate the divine—they must be insane! Serves them right, serves them right! That kind of thinking is what destroyed the institute, it's divine punishment!"

Shi Yu Lianyi waited patiently until the man's fury had poured out in words, until terror once again weighed heavily upon his heart.

"I... I..."

"You know nothing of it... that's good. My questions are finished. Thank you for cooperating, Mr. Takizawa. Wait while I make arrangements; we won't meet again."

The young man in the suit placed his hand atop Takizawa's head.

Shi Yu Lianyi spoke gently, "The price is one minute of stinging pain."

Takizawa's body began to tremble violently; he knew what was about to happen.

Before death arrived, the former researcher wept bitterly, uttering his final words.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

"The reward is losing five minutes of memory."

"——"

Yoshihisa Takizawa looked up in disbelief.

The young man grinned as if a prank had succeeded.

"I already told you, I won't kill you, Mr. Takizawa. When I was a child, you gave me candy."

Shi Yu Lianyi turned and left the room.

Takizawa felt his memories growing hazy; he could no longer recall who had spoken to him, or what had been said.

Why was that? A fragment of memory surfaced in his mind.

Long ago, when he was still at Shi Yu Research Institute.

Occasionally—only occasionally.

A frustrated researcher, passing by a dark, filthy room, would toss in a cheap candy.

He watched the small child eat the candy, laughing nervously, much like a visitor amused by watching animals feed.

"Thank you... thank you..."

But for whom he was thanking, why he was thanking them—these things, too, could no longer be remembered.