"What? Repeat what you just said?!"
Yuan Tianzhu grabbed the doctor's robe tightly.
"Please, calm down."
The doctor looked at Yuan Tianzhu calmly while trying to remove his hands from him, but to no avail.
Yuan Tianzhu was gripping him too tightly for his old body.
"How do you expect me to stay calm after hearing that I'm going to die today?!"
However, Yuan Tianzhu did not cooperate.
His hands clenched even tighter, his red eyes nearly shedding tears.
"I told you to calm down," the doctor repeated, still serene, allowing Yuan Tianzhu to pour his fury onto him. It wasn't the first time he had encountered such situations. After all, this was the life of a doctor.
Observing the doctor's calmness, a flicker of hesitation passed through Yuan Tianzhu's reddened eyes. After a moment, he released him and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm himself.
'I'm dying… It's not fair. Why me?' Yuan Tianzhu thought, clenching his fists tightly. He felt something pressing against his chest, making his breathing difficult and labored.
However, it also wasn't fair of him to unleash his anger on the doctor. The latter was not to blame for anything; he was just an innocent man, like anyone else born into this world.
"I'm sorry, Doctor Yang…"
Yuan Tianzhu sat down and lowered his head, his body trembling slightly.
"You don't need to apologize… I can more or less understand your suffering."
Doctor Yang patted his shoulder, trying to console him, his hand resting there for a long time. However, his gaze was complicated. It was never easy to tell a patient they were dying or about to die.
"But, doctor…"
Yuan Tianzhu opened his mouth to protest.
"It's okay, there's no need to dwell on the details. Do you feel better now that you've released your anger?"
Doctor Yang shook and straightened his robe, wrinkled by Yuan Tianzhu.
"Yes… a little, I guess."
Yuan Tianzhu nodded in agreement.
"At this moment, you shouldn't succumb to anger, but instead try to fulfill your last wishes. Besides, you don't need to take those pain-relieving injections anymore. Since we've reached this point, they won't be of much use. Don't you have anyone to spend the day with? Family? Friends?" Doctor Yang sat down in his chair after seeing that his robe was back to normal.
"Regarding the injections, I took one this morning. And no… I haven't had family or friends for as long as I can remember."
Yuan Tianzhu shook his head, his gaze downcast.
"…"
A suffocating silence filled the office.
After a while, Doctor Yang finally said:
"I'm sorry."
"It's nothing serious, I'm already used to it."
Yuan Tianzhu smiled slightly as he scratched his head.
He looked at Doctor Yang. The old doctor had a kind face, was bald, and had a large goatee that extended to his chest. He wore a white robe and was sitting in a black chair.
Swoosh!
The wind blew through the open window of the office, making Yuan Tianzhu shift his gaze outside. The sky was covered with dark clouds moving slowly with the wind. The surrounding buildings seemed covered in ash and a gloomy aura, which truly reflected what Yuan Tianzhu felt: a premonition that something bad was about to happen.
He turned his gaze back to the office while gripping the handle of his chair.
It was a simple room, with a large window to the right and a small one to the left, which was open. In the center, there was a desk where he and Doctor Yang were seated. On it, there was a pile of papers, and to the left, a mug filled with pens of different colors.
And behind the doctor, a giant poster with the words: The Trial Is About to Begin. Yuan Tianzhu stared at the poster attentively for a few minutes, feeling strange, as if something was calling to him. But he ignored the feeling, thinking it was just his imagination…
Doctor Yang observed Yuan Tianzhu with pity in his aged eyes. So young… and already leaving so prematurely. Sigh… How cruel the heavens are.
"Perhaps we could try an alternative treatment. Of course, it wouldn't cure you completely, but it could make you live longer."
Doctor Yang spoke after thinking for a long time. He knew it was unlikely, but he couldn't help giving Yuan Tianzhu a spark of hope. Because when he looked at the young man, he was reminded of his late son, who had also been taken by cancer.
"Oh, doctor, you're talking about the experimental method? Heh… it's not worth it."
Yuan Tianzhu laughed self-deprecatingly, gripping the armrests of his chair so tightly he nearly crushed them.
Suddenly, his blue eyes half-closed, his vision becoming blurry.
At that exact moment, he inadvertently glanced at the poster again. The words A Trial Is About to Begin suddenly twisted, as if being sucked into a black hole.
Yuan Tianzhu rubbed his eyes.
'What is happening to me?'
Soon after, new words appeared on the poster, this time written in blood:
Trial participant #900. Universe #90. Trial participant in this universe #9.
Yuan Tianzhu felt his scalp go cold. A chilling breeze whistled through the open window, the air thickening.
He hastily rubbed his eyes again. When he opened them, the poster was back to normal.
'Was it just my imagination?' Yuan Tianzhu's heart skipped a beat. No, impossible. I may be sick, but I'm not crazy! What´s happening to me?
Yuan Tianzhu held his head as it throbbed in pain. His vision blurred even more, as if he were inside a dense fog.
"Tianzhu, are you okay?"
He only snapped out of his stupor when Doctor Yang's gentle voice resonated.
Yuan Tianzhu looked at Doctor Yang. He didn't notice anything? Was it just me? The more he thought about it, the more his head ached. So he had no choice but to stop for his own well-being.
"I'm fine. No need to worry, Doctor Yang."
Yuan Tianzhu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Are you sure?"
Doctor Yang still had doubts.
"Yes. Don't worry."
Yuan Tianzhu nodded stiffly.
"Okay. What do you think about the experimental method?"
The doctor looked at his pale face for few seconds but said no more. Momentarily observing the dazed Yuan Tianzhu, with a strange and imperceptible smile on his old face…
"This method is only available to the rich, which I am definitely not. Not to mention that the government would never fund such treatment for someone from the slums like me. It would be a waste of time."
Yuan Tianzhu scratched his head.
The experimental method had been developed not long ago by Doctor Laozi.
Obviously, it didn't perform miracles like curing stage 4 cancer, but it could extend the patient's life expectancy. However, strangely, he had never seen anyone giving feedback after undergoing the treatment. Not even on television. Which was inconceivable, considering the fame of this treatment.
"Are you sure you don't want to apply for the treatment?"
Doctor Yang looked at Yuan Tianzhu seriously, as he pulled a sheet of paper from the desk, titled Official Application for the Experimental Treatment.
His eyes narrowed slightly as a cold gleam passed through them, but Yuan Tianzhu didn't notice.
"You just need to sign here. Don't worry, I've already arranged everything for your request. All that's left is your signature."
Yuan Tianzhu looked at Doctor Yang, surprised. He never imagined that there were people who truly cared about him in this rotten and cruel world. He averted his gaze to the sheet in the middle of the desk. There were his full name and personal information, such as age, weight, and address…
His eyes filled with tears, but none fell. He did not allow them to. His hands lifted slightly, trembling as he tried to reach for the paper, but it seemed unreachable, as if it were in another dimension.
It's no use…
It was pointless. He was already a dead man.
If dying could ease the pain he felt every day, maybe… maybe that was the best choice.
Without saying a word, Yuan Tianzhu stood up from his chair and walked toward the door. There was no need to speak. Sometimes, actions meant more than a thousand words.
Doctor Yang's expression grew complicated as he witnessed Yuan Tianzhu's decision.
He closed his eyes while tapping his fingers on his desk.
Alas… He tried everything.
But there was no way to help someone who did not want to be helped.
Yet, a subtle, unreadable smile grew on his face the moment he opened his eyes again.
However, the rabbit had already taken the bait… now all that was left was to wait for the rabbit to fall into the trap…
That experimental method… Yuan Tianzhu had refused it…
Thunder howled outside the office.
But it wasn't up to him!
As he walked, Yuan Tianzhu noticed that his already blurry vision became even more hazy and narrow.
He could no longer see beyond the door ahead, as if, by crossing it, everything in his life would change.
He could hear faint murmurs in his ear, as if wraiths were whispering to him.
However, he didn't care much, thinking it was just fatigue. After all, he was already about to die—why worry about something beyond his control?
'Hehehe. Yuan Tianzhu, you are so naïve.'
A languid, mocking voice echoed in his mind.
"Shut up, Mo Xie Zhe."
Yuan Tianzhu kept walking.
'Hehehe. How cold, shitty brat. You still haven't noticed? Or are you just playing dumb? Hehehe.'
Mo Xie Zhe continued to sneer.
"What do you mean?"
'You really haven't realized? Even after taking that thing every day? Hahahaha. Stupid brat. Hahahahaha.'
Mo Xie Zhe did not answer further, only his malicious laughter reverberated in his mind.
Yuan Tianzhu's expression darkened.
Ever since Mo Xie Zhe, his other personality, appeared in his already bleak life, nothing had gone well. His life became subjected to a dark and gloomy mood. He was like a curse—no, like a parasite! A parasite that gnawed at his sanity, one snide comment at a time.
He tried to talk to psychologists, but they also couldn't help him, apart from diagnosing him with severe DID. From then on, his life became a nightmare, having to live with someone he didn't know anything about. And the worst part: he could control his body.
Swoosh!
The wind blew strongly inside the office.
Sharp gusts of wind slicing through the air.
His steps became slower and slower, his body heavier, as if something were pressing against him.
Yet, he managed to reach the door. Yuan Tianzhu raised his hand to the doorknob and turned it, but he did not open the door.
He stood there for a moment.
Not because he was contemplating Doctor Yang's offer, but because he simply couldn't move a muscle.
Thump.
Yuan Tianzhu's heart pounded in his chest. He couldn't understand what was happening to his body. The only person who could have done something to him was Doctor Yang…
But that was impossible.
Doctor Yang had always been kind to him, always helped him. Why would he do anything against him?
Nothing made sense. His vision darkened, his body shut down, no longer responding to his commands.
Just before closing his eyes forever, he heard Doctor Yang's voice echoing in the darkness:
"Another new participant. Let the trial begin."