Since all these rules and superstitions are outdated, what's wrong with me indulging in some me

Lu Changsheng's pupils contracted sharply, but he forced himself to remain rational.

At this moment, Lu Changsheng stood on the edge of the rooftop, with the howling wind behind him.

In front of him were layers of people in white coats holding various special instruments, and in mid-air, a pale blue cocoon of light was being rapidly dragged down and trapped Aokiji.

He didn't look at the cocoon of light, nor at the researchers and security guards who were closing in.

His gaze, like a cold probe, swept inch by inch across the darkest corner of the rooftop—the direction from which the silver grappling hook had been fired.

anger?

Have.

Feeling anxious?

Have.

But more often than not, it is a cold-blooded calmness forced out under extreme crisis.

"come out."

Lu Changsheng's voice wasn't loud, but it pierced through the sirens and the wind, echoing clearly on the rooftop: "Hiding in the shadows to launch sneak attacks, is this your code of conduct?"

There was no response from the shadows, only silence.

Lu Changsheng stopped wasting words and flipped his left hand, sending out the last talisman—the Explosion Talisman.

"Since you refuse to come out yourself," Lu Changsheng's eyes sharpened, "then I'll 'invite' you out!"

He flicked his wrist, and the talisman flew precisely in a subtle arc towards the corner of the rooftop.

"burst!"

A deep voice fell.

"BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!"

A blinding dark red fireball exploded almost simultaneously! The scorching energy flow, like a precise scalpel, ruthlessly tore through the disguise of that shadowy area!

After a distorted wave of light and shadow, a figure staggered out from the center of the explosion.

It was an old man.

He wore a uniform similar in style to the white lab coats around him, but in a darker color and made of more luxurious fabric. In his hand he held a uniquely shaped silver short staff, the tip of which still retained a faint glow of energy—the very weapon from which he had just launched the grappling hook.

The old man clearly hadn't expected that Lu Changsheng, even with Qingzhi captured and himself surrounded, would be able to calmly locate him and launch a precise counterattack.

Although he managed to pull the researchers next to him to act as human shields, he was still shaken so badly that his blood was churning, a trace of dark red blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and his hand holding the cane trembled slightly.

At this moment, however, his eyes were filled with apprehension as he looked at Lu Changsheng.

The explosion just now turned the three or four researchers in front of him into flesh and blood.

The old man slowly raised his head, and his sinister, snake-like eyes were clearly reflected in Lu Changsheng's eyes under the moonlight and the distant city lights.

Despite his extremely aged face, with deep wrinkles and sparse white hair clinging to his scalp, the contours of his eyebrows and eyes, especially the unique look in his eyes—a blend of fervor, coldness, and an endless desire for control—remained striking.

The portrait of Dr. Chen Jingming, the founder of Jinghu Sanatorium, in his youth, which Lu Changsheng had seen in the archives of the library, bears a striking resemblance to him!

The Chen Jingming in the photo was in his prime, full of vigor and ambition, but the man in front of me seemed to have been drained of all vitality by time, leaving only a withered skin wrapped around an undying ambition.

An absurd yet terrifying thought pierced Lu Changsheng's mind like an ice pick.

Why is Chen Jingming still alive?

According to official records and historical documents of Jinghu City, Chen Jingming passed away hundreds of years ago, but his spirit lives on.

But what if... he didn't die?

What if the person who created this emotional prison city has been hiding behind the scenes, prolonging their life in some way, and perhaps even controlling the true core of this city?

As Lu Changsheng looked at the old man, the outline of a massive conspiracy, spanning hundreds of years and costing the entire city's residents, suddenly became clear in Lu Changsheng's mind!

Is "emotional suppression therapy" really meant to make people "happy"?

Is separating negative emotions into "it" really "treatment"?

Those implanted in highly sensitive bodies as replacement hearts, those "it" that are contained, studied, and may have their energy extracted...

There's also the city's far below-normal average lifespan, and the seemingly peaceful yet actually numb and empty mental state of its citizens...

Could all of this be serving a more secretive and terrifying purpose—to provide nourishment for a certain person in power to prolong their life or even pursue some kind of immortality?

Lu Changsheng recalled the bespectacled man he had just killed with his own hands, who described Aokiji as having "extremely strong activity" and "extremely strong vitality."

This also explains why he could still survive after having his heart removed and an emotional entity implanted, because the emotional entity represents endless vitality.

The stronger and more advanced the life form, the stronger its vitality.

"You…" Lu Changsheng's voice was slightly hoarse with shock as he stared intently at the old man before him. "Are you Chen Jingming?"

Upon hearing this, the old man slowly revealed an extremely strange smile on his aged face.

"I never thought that after so many years, there would still be someone who could recognize me at a glance."

Chen Jingming's voice was hoarse and unpleasant, yet it carried a condescending scrutiny.

He admitted it!

Lu Changsheng's heart pounded. Seeing Chen Jingming admit it so easily, he couldn't help but have a bad feeling.

"GM-087, you remained calm under pressure and accurately located my position. You are truly remarkable. You are indeed the only person in the last few centuries capable of cultivating a high-level emotional entity. In that respect, I must thank you properly!"

Pregnancy/nursing?

Lu Changsheng felt a chill run down his spine. So, the reason why generations of people follow "emotional suppression therapy" is simply to obtain a higher level of emotional entity.

Now that this advanced emotional entity, Aokiji, has been captured, it has become unrestrained.

"What, after sucking so many lives and living for so many years, haven't you had enough?"

Lu Changsheng sneered, looking at the researchers surrounding him, his mind racing, and he reached into his pocket with his left hand.

There was nothing in his pocket except a small pill and a cell phone.

"What do you know?!" Chen Jingming laughed instead of getting angry. "With a higher emotional entity, I can live for at least another hundred years. How much can I contribute to humanity then?!"

Lu Changsheng was too lazy to talk to this madman. He slowly raised his left hand, and a yellow talisman was already between his fingers.

Lu Changsheng's eyes were sharp as knives as he looked at Chen Jingming.

"Chen Jingming," Lu Changsheng's voice wasn't loud, but each word was clear and carried an undeniable resolve, "I don't care whether you live or die. Let us go. Otherwise, I don't mind blowing you up again!"

Chen Jingming's cloudy eyes suddenly narrowed, his gaze fixed on the talisman in Lu Changsheng's hand.

The night was dark, and he couldn't see the talisman in Lu Changsheng's hand clearly. The moonlight shone on the yellow talisman, and there seemed to be red lines on it.