65: Decide

"Make a decision quickly, great hero." Su Yuejin's voice was intermittent due to the lack of oxygen as her neck was gripped, yet it still carried an infuriating mockery.

"Will you choose to believe in my insignificant 'perhaps,' or for the sake of your ridiculous sense of justice, drag all these 'innocents' in the hospital to the grave with me? Your armor can give you power, but can it give you... the courage to make a decision?"

Every mention of "great hero" was like a poisonous thorn stabbing into Lu Jianchuan's heart. He looked at the woman before him; clearly her life was in his hands, yet she seemed to be the one truly in control. The electric light gathering on his right fist flickered violently, reflecting his inner struggle and rage.

Finally, he let out a low growl of suppressed, extreme anger, his raspy metallic voice echoing through the corridor. His clenched right fist swung out suddenly—but at the last moment, it veered off course and slammed heavily into the wall beside Su Yuejin's head!

Boom! Brick and stone fragments flew as a deep crater was smashed into the wall, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading out. The power contained in this punch was enough to shatter stone, yet it ultimately did not land on her.

Just as the mocking smile on Su Yuejin's lips had yet to fully spread—"Swoosh—" an extremely faint, almost negligible sound of something cutting through the air came from the corridor entrance.

Su Yuejin's body jerked violently, and for the first time, a look of genuine, caught-off-guard shock appeared on her face. She subconsciously turned her head toward the source of the sound—only to see a GUPA combatant standing silently at the corridor entrance at some unknown point, a trace of faint white smoke still lingering at the muzzle of the special launcher in his hand.

Her vision blurred rapidly, and a strong sense of dizziness swept over her. "You..." She only managed to spit out those two words before her body went completely limp, falling into a deep coma.

Almost at the same moment she lost consciousness, both inside and outside the corridor, all the controlled individuals who had been aggressive or standing in a daze suddenly froze, like puppets whose signals had been cut. Their movements halted simultaneously, and while the hollowness in their eyes remained, the driven "vitality" vanished. They stood stiffly in place, no longer making any movements.

Lu Jianchuan released his grip on Su Yuejin's neck, letting her slide to the ground, and looked warily at the GUPA member at the entrance.

The member maintained a defensive posture and said in a deep voice, "We've been here for a while; we heard your conversation." He stepped aside to make some space, revealing a middle-aged doctor in a white coat and glasses behind him, looking nervous yet carrying a hint of excitement.

The doctor didn't look at the unconscious Su Yuejin; instead, he stared intently at Lu Jianchuan, stepping forward a few paces and saying urgently, "Mr. Armor! We need your help!"

He explained at a rapid pace: "Our previous research wasn't without progress! We've confirmed that the Parasite, which we've tentatively named 'neuro-weaver,' must rely heavily on the host's bioelectric signals and its own fragile biological neural network to function! They are like... like precise but fragile integrated circuits!"

He pushed up his glasses, his eyes shining with the light of discovering the truth: "For the human body, a low-intensity current shock sufficient to cause a brief coma interferes with the nerves, but its energy intensity is no different from a high-voltage storm for these tiny 'weavers' attached to the nerves! It's enough to instantly overload and destroy their biological structures! Simply put, a current that can knock a person out is just right to kill these bugs!"

Lu Jianchuan immediately caught the key point, his raspy voice carrying a question: "...In that case, wouldn't a defibrillator work? Why do you need me?" He remembered that there was equipment capable of delivering electric shocks in the emergency room.

"No! A defibrillator is not an ideal tool, and it might even be harmful!" Dr. Li immediately countered, explaining rapidly, "A defibrillator releases high-energy electrical pulses designed to instantly pierce through chaotic heart rhythms; its impact on the heart is massive! Using it against fragile neural Parasites is like using a cannon to kill a mosquito; it's very likely that while killing the bugs, it would cause unnecessary damage or even secondary injury to the host's brain and heart!"

He pushed up his glasses and continued, "What we need is precise, controllable low-intensity current, similar in level and principle to the Transcranial Micropulse Current Stimulation or Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation used in neurology or rehabilitation. This kind of current can effectively interfere with and overload the Parasite's miniature biological neural network while being relatively safe for the human body. We've already notified the relevant departments to prepare the equipment, but..."

He pointed at the unconscious Su Yuejin on the floor, his voice carrying an unprecedented gravity: "Equipment is limited, and operation takes time, while the number of infected people far exceeds our estimates! What we lack most is time! We don't know when she will wake up! Nor do we know what extreme actions she'll take if she wakes up and finds herself captured! If she forcibly commands all 'weavers' to self-destruct or manipulates the hosts to commit suicide... it will be a massacre!"

The doctor's gaze was fixed on Lu Jianchuan, full of entreaty: "But you, Mr. Armor! You can directly generate and control bioelectric current of this intensity without equipment, precisely and efficiently! You are the only hope to clear all the Parasites in the hospital before she wakes up in this race against life and death! Please help us!"

Lu Jianchuan looked at the doctor's anxious face, then glanced at the unconscious Su Yuejin on the floor and the innocents standing stiffly inside and outside the corridor, their lives hanging by a thread. He didn't hesitate for a moment, his raspy metallic voice ringing out decisively: "Alright, what do I need to do?"

The situation was urgent and allowed for no delay. The GUPA combatant immediately said, "I'll stay behind to guard and restrain the target, ensuring she doesn't pose a threat after waking up. Regarding the Parasite and the current solution, I've already synchronized with the captain via radio; other team members will assist you."

He looked at the doctor: "Dr. Li, you're familiar with the hospital layout. You lead Mr. Armor to Central Hall No. 3! There's enough space there, and the structure is solid. The captain and the others will do their best to guide or transport all the controlled personnel they've found or encounter along the way to that central location."

He then looked at Lu Jianchuan, his tone serious: "Mr. Armor, we're counting on you! Please follow Dr. Li. If you encounter any controlled individuals along the way, please use your method to make them 'quiet' for a while and bring them to the hall. We must complete the clearance of all known infected before she wakes up!"

When they arrived at Central Hall No. 3, it had already turned into a tense but orderly temporary treatment center. Dozens of controlled individuals were placed side by side on the floor. Several GUPA members were pushing in portable Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation devices from the rehabilitation department, and uninfected doctors and Nurses quickly took over, adjusting parameters under Dr. Li's guidance.

"Set the output intensity to the lowest threshold! Apply the electrode pads to the C7 area at the back of the neck and the lumbar region, as close to the central nervous system as possible!" Dr. Li instructed loudly. The medical staff operated skillfully, attaching electrode pads to the back of the neck and back of one controlled individual.

"Start!" The device emitted a faint hum, the controlled individual's body jerked violently, and then the previously stiff muscles visibly relaxed. The unsettling, minute wriggling under the skin also stopped.

"Vital signs monitoring shows natural changes in heart rate and respiratory fluctuations! This should be effective!" a Nurse staring at the monitor reported. "Good! Next!"

However, the number of devices was limited, and the speed of processing personnel remained a concern.

"Mr. Armor!" Dr. Li pointed to the large number of unprocessed people on the other side of the hall. "I'll have to trouble you over here! Your contact-based electric shock seems more direct and efficient!"

Lu Jianchuan immediately understood and strode forward. He knelt down, his hands precisely pressing onto the back of the necks of two controlled individuals—the position closest to the central nervous system.

Zzzzt! Zzzzt! Faint bioelectric arcs flashed. The two bodies went limp after a sharp tremor, the eerie wriggling under the skin of their necks instantly subsided, and their stiff bodies became soft. Although there were no instruments to confirm it immediately, based on the subsequent test results of the first person shocked and the physiological changes before him, it could be inferred that the Parasites had been cleared.

He didn't stop, acting like an efficient purification node, steadily and rapidly carrying out the process of contact, release, and confirmation.

With his efficient processing and the cooperation of Dr. Li's team using the electrotherapy devices, the number of controlled individuals in the hall rapidly decreased. Finally, when Lu Jianchuan removed his palms from the back of the last controlled individual's neck and watched the stiff body relax, all known infected in the entire hall had been processed.

The tense bustle came to a temporary close. The medical staff began to perform more detailed vital signs checks and preliminary assessments on the unconscious individuals; the true effectiveness of the clearance would still require subsequent precision testing for final confirmation.

But in any case, the most dangerous crisis that could have caused mass deaths seemed to have been temporarily contained.