CH 11.1

Second Floor (4)

Translated by boilpoil

Edited by boilpoil

“Rejoice, for I Am Noble And Morally Upstanding.”

Lunatic, his birth name Ning Sha, was part of the Starfleet, and he was incarcerated in the Han Federation Stargaol a month ago, to serve half a year for reckless personal injury. Three days after he was transferred here, he was moved to the second floor of Stargaol for going berserk and injuring another prisoner.

Jiang Yiyi flips through the file, going through the recorded incidents where Lunatic injured someone on the second floor, and goes to the next page.

A messy record of treatments, with keywords repeating themselves – dangerous, uncooperative, mentally unstable.

Jiang Yiyi does not find the reason for this mental instability in the file at all.

Given the cause and time Lunatic is serving for, Starfleet definitely did not give up on him. In fact, it’s likely this is their way of protecting him. The fact that he is mentally unstable can lead to a natural conclusion, that he was the victim of some terrible business, such as the sacrificed pawn in a power struggle between Starfleet and some other power, for example.

Starfleet has not given up on him, which means either they’re actually that honourable, or Lunatic still has something on them.

Jiang Yiyi would like the believe the former, but the latter explanation would be far more logical.

He shakes his head while tearing the file apart and throwing it into the toilet. He watches all of it flush away, before turning around——And bumping into Lunatic.

Jiang Yiyi’s finger twitches, but he suppresses the reflexive urge to leave Lunatic with ‘gifts.’

The man is standing in the doorway of the toilet, dumbfounded as always, blocking the road.

“What? You thought I might send you away?” Jiang Yiyi pushes him a little, and Lunatic moves away obediently.

He leaves the bathroom and goes to sit on the bed.

Lunatic follows him closely, staring as usual.

Jiang Yiyi’s finger is twitching as he stares at Lunatic, curious, “what did they do to you?”

Lunatic blinks, but shows no other reactions.

Jiang Yiyi extends his hand, which Lunatic follows with his gaze, stopping on his own body.

Body warmth emanates from the spot.

Lunatic is still standing in place as Jiang Yiyi has placed his hand on his own throat——With a blade between his fingers, reflecting a dull light that belies its danger.

Jiang Yiyi, after a couple seconds, moves his hand away, “never mind. Even a mental patient has their right to privacy.”

“Rejoice, for I am noble and morally upstanding.”

Lunatic is looking at him again, unresponsive the entire time.

Jiang Yiyi is not sure if the man has truly gone insane or is merely pretending to be——Given he does not actually know anything about that Psychology skill, he does not understand either, why that lethal punch was stopped.

Jiang Yiyi moves on from Lunatic, to think about his own skills.

Surgery levels up with more surgeries, simple enough; but Psychology…?

How is he even supposed to use this? What does this even do?

He lies onto the bed, thinking for a few seconds, and comes up blank. He sits back up, looking at Lunatic next to him this time, and decides to put it to the test.

“What is your name?”

Lunatic stares in silence.

“What is it that you have concealed?”

Lunatic stares in silence.

“What are you afraid of?”

Lunatic stares in silence.

Jiang Yiyi has come to another conclusion from the unchanging response——He must be more insane to be asking Lunatic these questions.

“So, what use are you to me, then?” Jiang Yiyi returns to his bed, mumbling to himself about Lunatic’s value, “if you’re useless, I’d have to do something about it.”

The silence continues. Jiang Yiyi does not seem concerned at all that Lunatic, who can probably kill him with ease in theory, is standing right there in front of him.

“I do not like trouble.” Jiang Yiyi comments.

“K-kill…”

There is some garbled voice coming from the silence, like a child learning to speak for the first time, or someone relearning to speak after a long time.

Jiang Yiyi turns his head to see Lunatic standing against the light, casting a shadow on him. He cannot see his expression.

“You mean, you can help me kill?”

“K-k-k-kill… people.” Lunatic repeats, stuttering.

Jiang Yiyi retracts his gaze and yawns. His mind drifts a little away.

To serve half a year. Given Lunatic’s outbursts and victims this month, he shouldn’t be out in years. The fact that it has remained the same——Proves just how powerful the forces behind him are.

This is likely what Butcher was trying to tell him.

Starfleet…

Jiang Yiyi tries to establish a link between the NPC and Starfleet, and fails.

The NPC’s history is too clean to have been involved with any of the great powers that be. Of course, that is a good thing in this case.

For there is a living example of someone deeply involved with all of them – Jian Si.

Players have died countless times to achieve no endings at all.

“But I do not need you to help me kill.” Jiang Yiyi chuckles, “I have no enemies, you see.”

Lunatic falls silent once more. Although he might also simply have insufficient vocabulary.

“Think about how you can be of use to me, then.”

He receives an answer the next day.

Courtyard time.

Jiang Yiyi would more appropriately call it ‘operation time’——Given the nearly continuous brawling incidents, just as Butcher told him, a physician is a truly welcome addition.

This explains Jiang Yiyi’s booming business——Even if the prisoners and prison officers might beg to differ.

Jiang Yiyi agrees, of course, for he does not work his butt off for simply being saintly and good, or even to level up his skills——Since the skill is no longer levelling up after a few surgeries——He simply enjoys the act.

Enjoys slicing flesh with his scalpel, enjoys the sight of flowing blood, enjoys… the feeling of controlling life and death.

Well, this ‘enjoy’ is quite the problematic word, as it sounds quite psychopathic——But clearly, he is not, so…

Let’s keep that a secret from others.

Jiang Yiyi hides his secret, and continues to rush to the scenes of violence and gore, to save lives.

He is often respected by those around him, who are willing to stop their armed conflicts in recognition of his heroic work to aid, only continuing their daily activities of pummelling and punching after Jiang Yiyi has completed his surgery.

There are, of course, still times when he is not respected, or even interfered when saving lives, or challenged.

Jiang Yiyi is not surprised by the hubris of fools, but he is slightly surprised by what Lunatic has chosen to do.

The blade spins between his fingers, as the body underneath his hands oozes a light trickle that paints the ground a vivid red; Jiang Yiyi stops his art, and, while crouching, looks behind him.

Lunatic is moving with speed and precision between the people in a brawl. He has no weapons, for he himself is the best weapon.

Jiang Yiyi, who knows nothing about fighting, is impressed. He even stops performing his art of saving lives for a moment to admire the aesthetics of violence.

Lunatic’s joints, muscles and even bones are his weapons, used in techniques trained from countless fights to the death.