This was not just Cheng Shuili's thought, but also Xiong Ji's requirement.
After all, this was a morgue; what did they think they were doing by lighting fires down here?
Xiong Ji had specifically stated that while these fire lizards were not to be harmed, they had to be driven away to restore peace to the morgue!
However... Cheng Shuili's home was quite large.
Their home might be gone, but Cheng Shuili's home was still there.
"How about... you come live at my place?"
Cheng Shuili extended an invitation to a fire lizard that appeared to be the leader.
It was one thing that these little creatures were rather cute, but it was another that Cheng Shuili was the one who had destroyed their home. Setting aside the question of whether she was responsible, the important thing was that with these guys around, wouldn't she never need firewood for the manor again?
Whenever she needed to light a fire, she could just call a fire lizard over...
Just thinking about it made it seem convenient and efficient.
As for whether they would be obedient... once a territory servant card was used, these guys would have to listen whether they wanted to or not.
The lead fire lizard stopped its restless pacing, the firelight between its scales flickering.
It raised its head, its golden-red vertical pupils staring straight at Cheng Shuili, emitting a gurgling sound from its throat as if weighing the pros and cons.
Then, it flicked its tail, splashing a few sparks onto the ground with a patter. It scratched the ground with its front claws, tilted its head, and performed a motion resembling a nod.
Seeing this, the other fire lizards emerged from the corners one after another, scurrying to gather behind their leader. Their eyes were bright, looking like a group of puppies waiting to be fed.
The lead fire lizard approached Cheng Shuili's boots and sniffed with a twitching nose. Suddenly, it sneezed, accidentally puffing out a small cluster of flames that nearly singed her pant leg.
It seemed a bit embarrassed, lowering its head to scratch at the ground with its claws before looking up at her expectantly. Its tail tip wagged back and forth in a fawning manner, causing sparks to shower down.
Hmm... that should be a yes.
Cheng Shuili naturally took out dozens of territory servant cards. She had accidentally bought hundreds of these last time while triggering a bug, so she didn't feel any heartache using them.
However, to her surprise, after she used one on the lead fire lizard, the entire group vanished.
For the territory servant card, did the whole group count as a single individual?
Cheng Shuili was somewhat surprised, but she quickly accepted the result.
While the digging was still ongoing, she took a trip into her territory to find a new place for these fire lizards.
After confirming that it wouldn't affect anyone else, Cheng Shuili immediately exited the territory.
She returned just in time.
"Boom!"
As the final shovel stroke landed, the tool collided with a hard metal object, producing a dull, clanging sound.
The brown bear beastman paused, his eyes widening. He used his thick claws to rake away the soil, revealing an arched dome with a dark red luster underneath.
"Wh-what is this thing?"
He scratched his head, patting the metal surface with his bear paw, which emitted a hollow booming sound.
The surrounding bear-race beastmen immediately crowded around, dropping their shovels with a clatter as they squeezed in to peek inside.
A gray bear beastman was the quickest; he jammed a claw into a gap in the metal and pried with all his might!
Crack!
A corner of the metal shell was pried open, revealing dense layers of pipes and gears inside. The rusted mechanical structure was still vibrating faintly, as if some monster that had slept for years had just been startled awake.
A low mechanical humming sound came from deep underground, like an ancient engine struggling to survive.
Cheng Shuili squinted, seeing three amber crystals embedded at the top of the device. Two of them were already dim, while the last one was fading at a visible rate, as if its life were being drained away.
"Eh?"
Lang Yu squeezed to the front, frowning as he asked, "What is this? Isn't there only an incinerator down here?"
No sooner had he spoken than the last crystal shattered with a pop, turning into fine powder that drifted into the air.
Rumble!
The entire device seemed to have its spine removed, collapsing instantly. Pipes hissed, spraying out scalding white steam, and the smell of sulfur instantly filled the morgue.
The bear-race beastmen were thrown into chaos!
"Ow! Hot, hot, hot!"
"It's on fire?! Where is it on fire?!"
"Stop pushing! My tail is going to get stepped on!"
The veracity of that last statement was questionable. Relying on her own strength, Cheng Shuili silently pushed past the beastmen to reach the front.
She finally saw the device clearly. At its innermost part was a fist-sized indentation, which, judging by its shape, was exactly the size of the gold vial in her hand.
Found it.
This was the special device mentioned in the description.
Cheng Shuili did not act rashly. Instead, she had Lang Yu lead the bear-race beastmen to get some honey first, then checked the description of the gold vial again.
Sure enough, it had refreshed.
【Modification status: Unlocked! Please proceed to the morgue on the basement floor of the Town Central Hospital and use the special device to modify! Note: Each modification consumes 100 energy stones! Please choose whether to modify with caution!】
How many?
100 energy stones??
Cheng Shuili didn't need to check to know she didn't have enough energy stones.
She frowned and opened a private chat to send a message to Xinxue: "Go collect a few dozen energy stones; I need them urgently."
The message had been sent, but Cheng Shuili still felt somewhat indignant.
Why so many?!
But thinking about it, it was reasonable. The positive effect of this item was almost at the level of "bringing the dead back to life."
Good things take time...
Cheng Shuili could only comfort herself with that.
And this time, Xinxue had once again anticipated Cheng Shuili's needs.
【Xinxue Chu Ji】: I already collected them. Since it's a new material, I felt you might need it, Boss.
"You received a gift from Xinxue Chu Ji: energy stones x212!"
Over two hundred!
She was actually this reliable.
This time, Xinxue truly refreshed Cheng Shuili's perception of her. Praise, she must give her plenty of praise!
Cheng Shuili opened the five-person group chat and fired off several messages in one go, not stopping until she had embarrassed Xinxue with all the praise.
She closed the private chat page and turned her gaze back to the device in front of her.
Cheng Shuili took a deep breath and steadily embedded the gold vial into the device's indentation.
The metal and glass collided with a crisp "click," and the patterns on the vial's body suddenly flared with blinding golden light.
【Detected special item "Vial of Eternal Life at Both Ends"】
【Current status: Curse effect】
【Please select modification direction: Activate Fountain of Life effect (Consumes 100 energy stones)】
Cheng Shuili decisively chose to activate the effect!
As one hundred energy stones were fed into the device's gap, the entire morgue suddenly began to tremble violently. The rusted gears began to rotate in reverse, emitting a teeth-grinding sound of metal friction.
The golden vial suddenly levitated into mid-air, and the stopper popped open automatically.
Wisps of black mist surged from the vial's mouth, condensing into ferocious ghostly faces in the air and emitting sharp shrieks.
Cheng Shuili subconsciously stepped back, looking up at the black mist.
They were clearly harmless; when they flew out of the golden vial, they were merely symbols of an end.
When the last trace of black mist dissipated, clear liquid gushed out from the vial, tracing a beautiful arc in the air before falling into the core of the device.
The rusted mechanical structure regained its luster at a visible rate, and three brand-new amber crystals condensed at the top.
【Modification successful!】
【Current status: Positive effect.】
【Current effect details: 3 uses remaining!】
There was a usage limit?
Cheng Shuili raised an eyebrow slightly. This positive effect was far worse than the negative one.
The negative effect had been constantly active!
Not only did modifying the positive effect cost 100 energy stones, but it could only be used three times afterwards!
And... after three times, was it impossible to use again, or did the status need to be modified again?
Cheng Shuili found the answer to this question in the updated description.
It was the latter.
In other words, for every 100 energy stones spent, she would gain three uses of the gold vial.
This...
That was fine, I suppose.
Having it was definitely better than not having it.
Cheng Shuili reached out to catch the vial falling from the air and found that its weight had increased significantly.
Through the glass, she could see three drops of golden liquid settling at the bottom, each emitting a warm glow.
This was the thing that would take effect.
At that moment, the lights throughout the hospital suddenly flared on, and the previously dim lighting became bright and stable.
Surprised shouts erupted one after another from the end of the hallway:
"Director! The equipment in the intensive care unit has suddenly returned to normal! The electrocardiogram for Bed 3 is suddenly fluctuating!"
"Director! The ventilator in the ICU! All parameters are recovering! That firefighter with full-body burns... his blood oxygen saturation has climbed back up on its own!"
"Doctor Xiong! Look at this! The alarm for the negative pressure isolation room has stopped! That patient... that patient! Finally starting to improve!!"
The bear-race beastmen arguing at the morgue entrance fell silent.
All the beastmen had their mouths agape, as if someone had pressed a pause button, and they all turned in unison to look at the gold vial glowing in Cheng Shuili's hand.
Xiong Ji suddenly appeared at the end of the hallway. His hands were trembling slightly, and his eyes, usually steady and sharp, were red and wet. He took off his glasses and wiped his face fiercely with his sleeve, but he couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his wrinkled face.
"Human lady......" His voice was so hoarse it was almost unintelligible, as if something were stuck in his throat.
He took a deep breath, suddenly strode forward, and bent down heavily in front of Cheng Shuili. It was a bow of nearly ninety degrees; his thick, bear-race beastman frame appeared exceptionally solemn at that moment.
"Thank you... really... thank you..." His voice choked, his shoulders shaking slightly, "I... I thought... this hospital was beyond saving..."
He straightened up and wiped his eyes with his rough bear paw, but the tears wouldn't stop.
He simply stopped trying to hide them and let the tears flow, his voice gradually steadying: "All these years... we tried every method... medicine, surgery, even prayer...... but those patients... those children..."
His gaze passed over the crowd to look at the glowing ICU indicator light at the end of the hallway, and his voice finally carried a hint of relief: "Now... finally... there is hope."
Lang Yu stood to the side, rarely keeping quiet, just silently watching the old director who was usually so serious.
The other bear-race beastmen also fell silent, and a few even secretly wiped the corners of their eyes.
Rate on N.U.
