157: Mumenyuanyi's fear

An autumn night is somewhat cool and quiet.

In such a desolate season, emotional people always feel a sense of pessimism.

Especially in hospitals.

Patients with various incurable diseases often die in autumn and winter.

According to relevant research, the emotional state of terminally ill patients greatly affects their condition.

The more depressed the patient's mood, the faster the lesion tends to spread.

Mu Yuanyi was no exception.

He planned to go for a walk today.

With the Nurse's help, he put on a thick overcoat, had a thick blanket draped over his legs, and sat in a wheelchair.

He also had two oxygen tubes inserted into his nose, and then the Nurse carefully pushed him out of the hospital.

Sitting in a wheelchair, he traveled through the streets.

Mu Yuanyi looked up and saw bare tree branches with a few fallen leaves hanging on them.

"More leaves have fallen than last time I was out."

"Last time I was out, the leaves could still cover some of the tree trunks, but now they can't cover them at all."

Mu Yuanyi said in a low voice.

"Fallen leaves return to their roots, turning into soil that nourishes the trees, allowing them to grow strong and sprout new leaves."

"Isn't this a cycle of eternal life?"

The Nurse smiled and replied while pushing Mu Yuanyi.

"What do new leaves have to do with withered leaves?"

"That's just a new individual."

"Only the tree itself, the cycle of new leaves withering, will provide nutrients to the tree."

"When alive, it provides photosynthesis for the tree."

"After dying, it also turns into nutrients absorbed by the tree roots."

Mu Yuanyi stretched out his hand, and a withered yellow leaf fell onto his dry hand.

"Do you know the story of the Ship of Theseus?"

"The parts of this ship gradually decayed, and people continuously replaced them with new ones, until eventually all parts had been replaced."

"Is this ship still the original ship?"

Mu Yuanyi took out a book, placed the fallen leaf inside it, re-clipped it, and put it on his lap.

Many fallen leaves were also foldered within the book's pages.

They were well-preserved by Mu Yuanyi.

"I believe this ship is still the Ship of Theseus, as long as the ship's soul hasn't been replaced, it's still that ship."

"It's the same with people; memory and soul are their true selves, the body is merely a shell to contain memory and soul."

"...I don't understand."

The Nurse shook her head, indicating she didn't comprehend.

Mu Yuanyi didn't continue speaking, just smiled and shook his head, retracting his hand under the blanket.

"You have something you need to attend to."

Mu Yuanyi's words made the Nurse pause, then the Nurse covered her head and frowned slightly.

After processing the extra information in her mind, the Nurse looked at the great writer in front of her with respectful eyes.

She spoke cautiously.

"Aren't you going?"

After speaking, Mu Yuanyi coughed lightly twice.

"As you can see, I am just a terminally ill patient."

"Remember, don't walk under the light."

"Don't walk under the light" means don't be captured by electronic products.

"Okay."

"What about you?"

The Nurse looked at Mu Yuanyi.

"I'll stay here alone for a while."

Mu Yuanyi took out a notepad and, looking at the withered branches and fallen leaves, began to sketch.

"Yes, as you wish."

Mu Yuanyi operated the wheelchair beneath him with a remote control, continuing forward.

Prison Water is very cautious, while Que Rong is too prone to going berserk.

However, they are indeed very strong individuals; Fire Finch can handle both of them.

He is extremely dangerous.

No one has confirmed the body of Fire Finch yet.

Mu Men Yuan Yi believes he is not as timidly cautious as Prison Water, nor does he think he would go berserk like Que Rong.

Behind Fire Finch, there was a special force assisting him.

Now it seems that force has also begun to assist Sea Spirit.

That's right, this monster was also one of Mu Men Yuan Yi's test questions.

This monster hides within the network like an urban legend.

Once Sea Spirit finds it, it means that the power dominating the network has become an aid to Sea Spirit.

The force that had been assisting Fire Finch has now found Sea Spirit and is providing assistance.

He fears the power of Fire Finch.

He worries that Fire Finch has also come to this island, just waiting for him, Mu Men, to make a move.

Therefore, he must hide himself well.

He will wait for Fire Finch to appear, draw Fire Finch out, then completely kill Fire Finch, and then deal with Sea Spirit.

Of course, he is also constantly having monsters investigate Fire Finch's whereabouts.

The greatest possibility is that Fire Finch is severely injured; if he seizes this opportunity to eliminate him, it would be the best scenario.

Mu Yuanyi continued to control the wheelchair forward.

The power that dominates the entire network world is too dangerous.

Any slight flaw could be caught by that power, which would then follow the trail and uncover clues.

It also kept all information about the Summoner securely hidden.

Just as Mu Yuanyi was about to circle back to the hospital, two figures in the dark night stopped him.

"Hey, old man, can you lend us some money?"

"After all, we're really short on cash. Looking at you, living in such a nice hospital, you shouldn't be short on money, right?"

Mu Yuanyi looked up at the two men in front of him.

The two men wore one red and one blue knitted hat, and silver-shining earrings.

As he spoke, one of the men went around behind Mu Yuanyi and pushed the wheelchair into a nearby alley.

"Old man, looking at you, you won't live much longer anyway, so you won't be able to spend the money you have.

"Why don't you give me the money and let us brothers have some fun?"

The other man leaned close to Mu Yuanyi's ear and whispered.

The hand hidden in his pocket, meanwhile, pulled out a dagger, making a threatening gesture.

Mu Yuanyi's expression remained unchanged as he looked to the side.

"Don't think we're joking."

"There's no surveillance here; if we stab you, no one will know who did it."

"My brother is in charge of this area; even the cops offer him cigarettes respectfully."

Seeing Mu Yuanyi's unchanging expression, the Hoodlum threatened again.

"I had a dream last night."

"Huh?"

"I dreamed of a grassland where a lion chased a herd of wildebeest for a long time. The wildebeest were clearly stronger than the lion and much more numerous, with sharp horns, yet they only thought of fleeing."

"What are you talking about? Are you looking down on me?!"

The Hoodlum listened to Mu Yuanyi's calm tone, and not only did he feel his dignity challenged, but he also felt humiliated by being ignored by a terminally ill man.

With red eyes, he actually stabbed the knife into Mu Yuanyi's stomach.

The blade instantly sank into his stomach, and the Hoodlum began to breathe heavily, looking at Mu Yuanyi.

"How about that, you bastard!"

"Did you really think I wouldn't dare to stab you?! Huh!"

"Give me the money, or I'll make your whole family get stabbed, I'll kill your whole family!"

The Hoodlum looked at Mu Yuanyi, but found that Mu Yuanyi's expression still hadn't changed.

"Why do you think the wildebeest didn't resist the lion?"

"Because they were born as food, their identity is food, they are meant to be eaten by lions."

Mu Yuanyi stretched out his dry hand and placed it on the Hoodlum's head.

"Just like you, you were born to be eaten by me."

Swish.

The Hoodlum instantly vanished.

The other Hoodlum's eyes widened, completely unaware of what had happened.

He quickly realized that he had provoked something extraordinary today.

In his terror, he quickly turned around, his body drenched in sweat, wanting to escape towards the alley entrance.

However, the next second, he suddenly fell to the ground.

Move!

Move, my legs, move!

The Hoodlum desperately tried to move his legs, but found his body didn't respond at all.

When he looked at his lower body, he realized that his entire lower half had disappeared.

Only blood continued to gush out.

"Ah..."

He opened his mouth, about to cry out in pain, but before a single syllable was uttered, his voice abruptly stopped.

His entire jaw and throat vanished in an instant.

Only his exposed gums, upper palate, and the upper half of his trachea remained.

Mu Yuanyi slowly pushed the wheelchair, arriving beside the fallen Hoodlum, and extended his shriveled hand, gently placing it on the other's head.

The Hoodlum could only stare at Mu Yuanyi in terror, unable to make a sound.

Swish.

Mu Yuanyi said no more unnecessary words, and the Hoodlum's remaining body also vanished completely.

The surrounding bloodstains also disappeared with him.