Where's my golden core? Did you think I removed a kidney stone?

Su Ye stood in the rain and slowly withdrew his fist.

He didn't rush to leave.

His spiritual energy returned to his body.

Deep within his lungs, the golden energy had completely fused with his flesh and blood, and now it looked completely different from the previous state of external energy.

In Su Ye's perception, a tiny golden palace seemed to have appeared deep within his lungs, like an inner landscape composed of organs, breath, and spirituality. The palace's doors opened and closed gently with his breath, and each breath brought out a faint yet sharp golden aura.

Like a golden longsword yet to be drawn from its sheath.

Su Ye quietly sensed for a moment, his eyes flickering slightly.

"Indeed, the lungs store the metal breath, or more accurately, the lungs nourish the metal breath."

This golden energy is not simply residing in his lungs, but is changing the structure of his lungs, causing his lung lobes, bronchi, alveoli, and even his breathing rhythm to continuously adapt to this new power.

This change will bring stress.

But for Su Ye, it's also a good thing.

His body continues to evolve.

However, just as this thought crossed his mind, Su Ye suddenly turned his head and coughed twice.

The cough was not severe.

Yet it carried a slight tightness deep in my chest.

Su Ye raised his hand and pressed it against his chest, his brows furrowing slightly before slowly relaxing.

"As expected, evolution itself can cause discomfort."

"If this happened to an ordinary person, it would most likely be mistaken for some kind of lung disease, with symptoms such as coughing, chest tightness, stabbing pain, or even abnormal imaging."

His physical body is now extraordinary, and with the system forcibly pushing the fusion forward, he was able to force this golden energy into his lungs and adapt to it in a very short time.

Even so, the subsequent evolution still caused him to feel slightly uncomfortable.

This shows that "extraordinary" is not a gift without a price.

At least from a human perspective, it's more like a forced transformation.

The ability to withstand it is evolution.

If you can't bear it, you'll get sick, or even die.

Su Ye couldn't help but think of the elderly military officer from that morning.

The golden energy in the old man's lungs was far more surging than the remaining energy he possessed now, but his body was too old; old wounds, scars, metal residue, and aging organs all became a burden.

To bear the extraordinary within a mortal body.

If you can get through this, will you become a superhuman?

Su Ye chuckled and shook his head.

Just then, a beam of car headlights shone from a distance.

The black sedan slowly pulled up to a stop on the side of the road.

Rain pattered against the car body, flowing down the dark doors. When the window was rolled down, an old but serene face was revealed.

Su Ye was slightly taken aback.

It was that elderly military officer.

The elderly man sat in the car, a small portable monitoring patch still visible on his chest. His face was still pale from the surgery, but his eyes were bright, and he seemed even more alert than before the operation.

He waved to the driver.

The driver immediately got out of the car, opened an umbrella, and walked to a distance to wait.

Only the old man and Su Ye remained inside the car.

Su Ye was indeed somewhat surprised.

After all, the surgery was just completed this morning.

It's only evening.

Even with the support of extraordinary golden energy, this recovery speed is still somewhat outrageous.

However, this also shows that his judgment was correct. The remaining gold energy in the old man's lungs did not continue to destroy his body. Instead, it began to improve the aging and damage within a controllable range.

The old man looked at Su Ye and suddenly smiled.

"I thought I was really going to die this time, but I didn't expect to have an opportunity before I die. I owe it all to you, Xiao Ye. You don't mind me calling you that, do you?"

Su Ye shook his head.

The old man leaned back in his chair, feeling a long-lost sense of ease in his chest, a hint of emotion appearing in his eyes.

"The extraordinary is indeed wondrous."

"I feel great right now, much better than someone my age."

Su Ye nodded.

"Your body has not truly recovered yet. Your energy has only stabilized temporarily. You should not overexert yourself or further stimulate your lungs."

The old man didn't refute it, but just laughed and said, "Don't worry, I'm not so confused as to keep messing with myself after just surviving."

The two chatted for a long time.

They talked about the dense fog, the unusual data that the military had sealed away over the years, and the Xuanjing Society, a deformed organization that had been hiding in the shadows. Su Ye didn't tell them everything he knew, only what he could confirm at the moment: the five internal organs and the five elements, the evolution of anchor points, and the predatory nature of mutated creatures.

The old man listened very attentively.

He didn't interrupt frequently, nor did he put on an air of superiority. He only asked a question or two occasionally, and the questions were very precise. Su Ye felt very relaxed chatting with such a person.

Finally, he looked at Su Ye.

"Xiao Ye, you saved me this time."

What do you want?

Su Ye remained silent for a moment, then his expression turned serious.

"The premise that I am a superhuman is that I am a doctor."

"Healing the sick and saving lives is my sacred duty."

The old man looked at him, his eyes now showing genuine appreciation.

These words, coming from Su Ye, certainly carried weight.

He could have chosen not to act today, but he did anyway.

The old man slowly sat up straighter, and his tone became more solemn.

"When I go back this time, I will also face this change squarely."

"You're right. There are too many old people like me in China now, with one foot in the grave. We've seen the storms of the old era and believed in its order, but some things just won't come just because we don't accept them."

His gaze was fixed on the rainy night outside the car window.

"This is the general trend."

"If China doesn't truly take this seriously, it might lead to a major disaster when those things become completely uncontrollable."

Su Ye did not respond.

The old man looked at him again, his voice softening.

"If I have any questions in the future, can I ask you?"

Su Ye remained silent. The old man, observing his expression, suddenly chuckled.

"Don't worry."

"I'm not some kind of ruthless wolf, and I understand your concerns. From your professional perspective, your concerns are valid. Too many people resort to any means to achieve quick success."

His tone became more somber as he said this.

"But China will not sacrifice its own children to gain temporary advantage."

"At least that's how it is in my case."

The car was quiet for a moment.

Su Ye finally nodded slightly.

"That would be perfect."

Su Ye pushed open the door and got out of the car.

The rain was still falling, and the distant thunder had gradually subsided, leaving only dense raindrops falling on the street, splashing up a thin layer of mist.

The old man glanced at the rain outside and was about to ask the driver to hand the umbrella to Su Ye.

But the next moment, his movements paused slightly.

When the rain fell on Su Ye, it did not actually soak through his clothes. Instead, it was gently pushed away by an invisible force at a point very close to his body.

Water droplets slid down along that invisible layer of mist.

He stood in the rain, yet it was as if he were standing within an extremely faint barrier.

The old man's eyes flickered slightly, revealing a hint of surprise.

Then, he smiled with relief.

"Looks like I was meddling."

Su Ye turned to look at him.

The old man sat in the car, his voice calm.

"If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, or if there are any ignorant people in the area who make things difficult for you, just have Old Man Zhou contact me. Although I have just returned from the brink of death, as long as I am still alive, a few words from me will still be effective. You are my savior, so there is no need to be polite with me."

Su Ye nodded.

"it is good."

The black sedan slowly drove away.

The taillights were stretched into two blurry red lines by the rain and quickly disappeared at the street corner.

Su Ye stood there, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

He made the right bet.

The old man's promise was his trump card for surviving under this old order.

Su Ye looked up at the rainy night, and the pressure in his heart finally dissipated a little.

But the next second, his expression suddenly froze.

wrong.

He was so focused on showing off that he suddenly remembered his empty pockets.

Su Ye looked down at his wet trouser legs, and then thought of his pitiful bank balance. His expression became extremely complicated.

It's still raining.

The city lights were quiet and still.

Su Ye stood by the roadside, hesitating for a long time, before finally gritting his teeth and turning to leave.

"Forget it, we men from Jiangcheng have our pride."