LRAB Chapter 3 Can I Awaken a Corpse?
Chapter 3 Can I Awaken a Corpse?
The address Gao Fei gave was in the northern suburbs of New York City, not far from the Hudson Valley.
Forty minutes later, Chen Yisen's RAV4, which made noise everywhere except for the horn, stopped in front of a dilapidated motel.
Although it looks similar to the scenes in those road movies from the golden age, it seems to be covered with a layer of grayish-white dust, and it is obviously no longer as lively and glorious as it once was.
Even the word "rusted nail" on the signboard is missing half of its original part.
He pushed open the half-broken glass door and went to the front desk.
Inside sat an elderly man with a messy beard, probably the hotel owner, who was engrossed in watching videos of sexy girls dancing on TikTok, blasting music from the volume, completely oblivious to the person who had entered.
This place is so run-down that even gangsters probably wouldn't bother coming here.
It wasn't until Chen Yisen tapped the screen twice that the other person looked up and paused the video.
The shop owner felt a little nervous looking at the young man whose face was mostly covered by a mask.
"Want a room?" The voice rolled out from his chest, as if he were choking on phlegm. "The second floor is $40 a day, the third floor is $30."
For the price level around New York, this is indeed a very cheap price.
"I came from California," Chen Yisen replied, seemingly changing the subject. "Uncle Zechter recommended this place to me, saying the owner is nice and there's hot water."
Upon hearing this, the old man relaxed, and the hunched back returned to its natural curve.
Immediately afterwards, a bunch of keys was tossed onto the table: "It's in room 317 on the third floor. Go quickly."
Like most of its peers, the Rusty Hotel has a U-shaped structure, and the third floor can only be reached via an external staircase at the back.
Chen Yisen spent a few minutes finding the door to room 317.
He even knocked on the door out of habit.
There was naturally no response from inside.
He quickly realized what was happening, chuckled self-deprecatingly, and then inserted the key into the lock.
"Squeak—"
The axle emitted a teeth-grinding sound.
The door opened.
"Holy crap..."
A blast of foul air rushed out from under the door, smelling like urine poured on old, stale excrement. Even through his mask, it almost made Chen Yisen faint.
He didn't dare go in immediately, but reached out and touched the light switch at the door, turning on the light.
The furnishings inside were extremely simple, with a table and chairs by the window, a bathroom in the corner, and a double bed in the center of the room.
A burly man lay on the bed in a contorted position.
Since it was already summer, the man was only wearing a dirty T-shirt whose color was unrecognizable. However, his messy hair covered part of his face, so it was impossible to tell how old he was.
Chen Yisen took out a pair of nitrile gloves, put them on, and pressed down the nose clip on the top of his mask before steeling himself and stepping into the room, quickly walking to the bedside.
The deceased had no obvious external injuries or blood loss, except for a row of needle marks evenly distributed on the veins on the inside of his left arm.
The uppermost ones were already ulcerated and festering, causing the entire patch of rotten skin to stick together, and even several maggots crawling out of the central opening.
Several green syringes were scattered around him.
A typical scene of death due to overdose of fortifiers.
If Chen Yisen, back in his medical school days, had dared to make such a flippant judgment, his mentor would have smashed his head in.
But nowadays, as a corpse collector, being able to see about 80-90% of the truth is enough.
"That's good, that's good..."
Chen Yisen quickly took out his phone to take a picture.
During the day, he specifically went online to look up relevant information.
Bodies that died from excessive use of harsh additives, and for which photos of the scene and even syringe samples can be attached, are among the highest-priced items for recycling.
Ideally, it could even reach $7000-$8000.
Even after deducting the portion given to the elderly noodle shop owner, there's still about 5000 left.
His agreement with Gao Fei was to split the profits 60/40.
Whoever goes to the site to collect the waste is number six.
In other words, this one order alone is enough to cover next month's student loan payments...
Despite constantly telling himself to show basic respect for the deceased, Chen Yisen couldn't suppress the upward curve of his lips.
America can really turn people into monsters—
Poor wretch.
After quickly taking photos from six angles, including pinhole details, Chen Yisen put his phone back in his pocket, then took out a transparent sealed bag and began collecting evidence from the scene.
It's mainly those syringes.
He picked one up and examined it closely, discovering that it was even one of those pre-filled automatic injection pens.
It's important to know that even in 2027, when Chen Yisen was sent away, such expensive high-end products were not widely available to the general public at Dongda University; they were only used in battlefield first aid.
And now, he actually saw quite a few in the hands of a drug addict and homeless man.
One has to admire the advanced state of the fortifier industry in North America.
The manufacturer even considered that users might not be able to complete the process of drawing up the medicine on their own due to hand tremors, so it was pre-filled, so all you have to do is insert the needle.
"That's so damn thoughtful..."
Chen Yisen wrapped up the syringes, then unfolded the body bag, preparing to complete the final transport work.
However, the moment his hands touched the dead man.
A sudden wave of dizziness washed over me.
"Opiate poisoning?"
Chen Yisen instinctively reached into his pocket for naloxone hydrochloride.
But he immediately realized that he did not have any symptoms such as difficulty breathing, and that the skin on his hands was not exposed.
The next instant, a short phrase appeared out of nowhere.
[Humanity Anchor Point: 100 (100)]
[Control capacity: 3 (3)]
It wasn't something I "heard" or "saw," but rather something that appeared directly in my consciousness.
It seems that something hidden deep within the blood has awakened.
Chen Yisen felt as if he had activated some kind of spiritual vision. Although everything in front of him was blurry, he was able to perceive part of his surroundings.
For example, the corpse on the bed, or rather, something hidden in that corpse, is as dazzling as a bonfire burning in the night.
Furthermore, it has already established a certain connection with itself.
There were no sounds in my ears, nor any light screens appearing in front of me.
But he just knew.
I know with absolute certainty.
I can control that "thing".
Four options then appeared abruptly.
【wake】
【disperse】
【evolution】
【edit】
Of these, only the first two options are available.
[Awakening: Parasite]: Humanity Anchor -10. Awakens the deceased into a parasite, a controlled form with only basic biological instincts and simple autonomous abilities. Acquires partial memories of the deceased and has a chance to learn of their [last wishes]. Fulfilling their wishes can reduce the infection level.
[Awakening: Unified Being]: Humanity Anchor -40. Awakens the deceased into an Unified Being, a controlled form with high intelligence and autonomous activity. Gains partial memories of the deceased and has a chance to learn their [last wishes]. Fulfilling their wishes can reduce the infection level.
【Awaken: Imprinted Body】: Humanity Anchor Points -160, awakens the deceased as an Imprinted Body (current Humanity Anchor Points are insufficient to achieve this).
[Dispel: Incubation Period]: Obtain partial memories of the deceased, with a chance to acquire [Characteristic Genes] or [Knowledge].
【Special Gene】: A modified gene corresponding to a certain special ability, which has almost unlimited possibilities. It can be used to evolve itself or infected organisms controlled by itself, at the cost of increasing the infectivity.
[Knowledge]: A particular skill that the deceased was proficient in during their lifetime, extracted from their memories, and can be upgraded into an ability after being practiced.
(It can still be dispelled after being awakened, but any unfinished [Last Wish] will disappear when it is dispelled.)
……
Chen Yisen was a little confused.
Then came the surprise.
He didn't know whether this thing was a system or a supernatural power.
In short, I have gained a skill that promises a bright future.
In my previous life, during the All-Army Military Skills Competition, I heard a retired second-line armed police officer say that at the beginning of the century, as long as a gang leader had four or five henchmen who were willing to risk their lives for him, he could easily control the underground industry of a county.
Because no one dares to challenge him.
Of course, considering that the people in North America are more honest and simple, this standard may need to be raised accordingly.
But the principle remains unchanged.
By 2030, let alone street gangs.
Thanks to the long-standing inhumanity of the Washington gentry, even within the federal army, there may not be many people who are "absolutely loyal."
And he is Chen Yisen.
A community doctor.
It seems there's an opportunity to assemble such a team.