27 Whereabouts

Once the needle of the syringe entered into his thigh entirely, Long Yu slowly injected the contents into his body.

'Oh, it's not too bad I guess…' he thought to himself as he endured the pain from the stab. However, that was just the beginning.

"Arghh.…mmghh!!" feeling the terrible pain that started to course through his entire left leg, he quickly grabbed the hand towel near the basin and stuffed it into his mouth.

Cold sweat appeared on his forehead as the pain got stronger. Long Yu felt as if millions of ants were gnawing at the bones in his left leg. Although it was not as painful as the time when he first got the system, it was an unpleasant feeling to say the least.

A few minutes later, he finally let go off his left leg which he had been grasping tightly. Long Yu just realised that he was actually lying on the bathroom floor. He must have had dropped to the ground at some point, due to the extreme pain.

Gathering his strength, he tried to stand up using the basin as a support. The mirror in front of him reflected a pale shade on his face.

Long Yu ignored the residual pain and focused on his left leg instead. Willing the exoskeleton armor in his leg to activate, he could feel something seeping out of his bones.Luckily, there was no pain when this happened. Otherwise, he would have regretted the exchange.

Within seconds of the activation, tiny silver specks of nano-machines started to form together and envelope the surface of his entire left limb. The end result was a sleek looking metallic limb, which covered from under his waist all the way to his left foot.

The colour of the armour's surface was matt silver, with a few gleaming turquoise lines running down vertically on the sides. The exoskeleton armor also streamlined the muscles of his thigh and calf, causing no discomfort to his movement.

"This looks sick!" Long Yu admired hisleg in amazement.

He slowly bent his leg inwards and outwards in a swinging motion, to get a feel of the armour's flexibility. Unfortunately, Long Yu miscalculated the strength in his left leg, which was now significantly enhanced by the exoskeleton armor. The tip of his foot lightly kicked the side of the bathtub in front of him.

*Crack*

An extremely large crack formed on the ceramic surface of the tub. There were also multiple areas that were chipped along the crack. Long Yu was shocked at the power generated from such a small movement.

One has to know that the hotel's bathtub was made exceptionally thick, and of high quality material.

If he was to accidentally kick at something or someone with more force, while the armor is activated, the results can only be imagined.

Long Yu gently lowered his feet as hewanted to avoid any further accidental damage. He had to find another place to test out the exoskeleton armor.

Overall, he was very satisfied with the exchange. Now, the weakness in his left leg would be no longer be a problem.

With the armor activated, every movement that can be done by a normal person, can also be done by him, but better. In fact, it could even be said that the armor has overcompensated his weakness.

Long Yu picked up the pieces of broken ceramics on the floor and threw them in the bin, lest Xixi steps on them.

He then deactivated the armor and put on his clothes, deciding to call it a night. Now that he has finally managed to complete the exchange, he can afford relax a bit.

...

The next day.

*Ring ring*

Long Yu was woken up by the ringing sound of his phone. At first, he thought it was the alarm. However, after failing to shut it up with the snooze button, he realised it was a phone call instead.

Seeing the number on the phone screen, he instantly sat up.

'It's the police station's number that the officer gave me… This is the first time they called,' Long Yu recognised the phone number as he had only logged it recently.

Answering the call, he had no idea what to expect. Is it good news, or bad news?

"Hello. Excuse me, is this mister Long? a lady on the phone asked.

"Uh, yes it is. Is this the police station calling?"Long Yu asked back just to make sure.

"That is right. Mister Long, our reports show that you came in a few times to enquire about the news of a missing woman. Is that correct?"she replied professionally in a polite manner.

Hearing what she said, Long Yu felt his heart pumping.

"Does that mean they have found Xixi's mother? Is she still alive?" he asked gingerly, as if unsure that he wanted to know the answer or not.

"If the woman that you are referring to goes by the name Yu Fei, then yes, we have just received news on her whereabouts." the lady answered.

"So she is alive! That's good, that's good. Then, may I ask where she is right now?" a mix of excitement and relief could be heard in Long Yu's voice.

"Mrs Yu's condition is fine at the moment. However, she has been detained and escorted to a quarantine facility a few days ago."

"What do you mean quarantined? Did something happen to her?" Long Yu already guessed the answer, but he still asked anyway.

"Yes. I'm sure mister Long has heard about a recent incident regarding an outbreak at the Nanshan hypermarket? Unfortunately, Mrs Yu was found in the vicinity of the incident, in an unconscious state. Due to safety reasons, she was quarantined to make sure that she was not affected by the outbreak." the female officer explained to him patiently.

"Oh I see… In that case, may I know location of the quarantine facility that she's currently in?" he asked in a hopeful tone.

"I'm sorry, but she has already been transferred under the jurisdiction of a different authority. Thus, we cannot provide you with information of her whereabouts."

"….Alright then, thank's for contacting me. I'll call or make another visit to the station if I have any further enquiries." Long Yu did not sound discouraged. He has the system to rely on after all.

After ending the call, Long Yu heaved a long sigh of relief. He felt as if a heavy burden has been lifted off his shoulders.