Facing Ruan Mei's statement—one that could practically be classified as a provocation—Wei Qing fell silent for a full three seconds.
Slowly, he turned his head to look at her. The expression on his face was… hard to describe.
"Lady Ruan Mei," he chose his words carefully, "are you saying that… up until now, you've been assuming I wasn't human?"
It wasn't that Wei Qing was being dramatic.
If anyone were told, with a straight face, "After rigorous scientific analysis, we've discovered you're actually a human," they'd probably freeze for a moment too.
But after the initial confusion, Wei Qing's brain finally caught up.
He understood what she meant.
Ruan Mei, for her part, didn't seem to think there was anything inappropriate about what she'd said. She looked focused—almost bright with the thrill of a breakthrough—and nodded with certainty.
"Yes, Dian Dao. This result overturns many of my previous assumptions."
"From what you've revealed, I learned that you are a being personally created by an Aeon."
Her voice was calm, like she was describing an ordinary experimental observation.
She paused briefly, and when Wei Qing didn't interrupt, she continued.
"Your creator—Nanook—is the embodiment of Destruction. Its behavioral pattern trends toward termination and annihilation, not creation."
"Therefore, my initial hypothesis was that your lifeform would be closer to a conceptual manifestation of a Path—something beyond conventional carbon-based or silicon-based structures."
Ruan Mei pointed again to the rotating model on the screen.
"But your cellular structure, at the microscopic level, displays astonishing compatibility and plasticity."
"And more importantly—its underlying encoding is identical to a human genome sequence."
She tilted her head, eyes full of puzzlement and intense curiosity.
"This is contradictory, Dian Dao."
"I want to know: at the moment of your birth, what exactly did you see? If possible, I would like you to share that scene with me."
Wei Qing listened to her analysis, and for the first time, genuine ripples stirred in his mind.
It was a good question.
A very good question.
The problem was—
He was a transmigrator.
After he "arrived," he simply opened his eyes and saw the Aeon of Destruction.
Back then, by his own vague sense of self, he didn't even feel like he had a body.
Then Nanook glanced at him once—and instantly, he had a physical form.
After that, he became an Emanator-level calamity in all but name, a Lord Ravager… and the marks of Destruction and Abundance stamped themselves into his consciousness as if they'd always been there.
How was he supposed to explain that?
Wei Qing fell silent.
The air inside the lab seemed to congeal with the pause. Only the faint hum of machines continued, steady and cold.
Ruan Mei's gaze stayed on his face the whole time. Clear-eyed, patient—there was no coercion in it.
She was waiting.
And she had plenty of patience.
"Sorry," Wei Qing finally said. "I don't know."
"I opened my eyes and Nanook was there. No process. No 'scene.' Just… the result."
He said it plainly, and he didn't care whether she believed him.
It wasn't even a lie—he'd simply omitted the "transmigration" part.
Ruan Mei didn't look disappointed. If anything, she seemed to sink deeper into thought.
"No process… no scene… only the outcome," she murmured, as if tasting the words.
"That does align with how Aeons act."
"They are the embodiment of rules. Creation and destruction may be, to them, phenomena that occur with a single thought—not a process requiring steps, as we understand it."
She didn't press him further. Instead, she nodded, accepting the answer as-is.
But the curiosity in her eyes didn't fade.
If anything, it burned brighter—like a flame fed new fuel.
"Dian Dao," she continued evenly, "your result has opened a new line of thinking for me. However, scientific research requires samples that can be repeatedly observed."
"The current blood sample is precious—but ultimately limited."
"I need tissue that is fresher and more structurally complete for dynamic observation."
She paused, then looked at his arm.
"Would you be willing to provide one arm… for deeper study?"
That was the true point of this visit.
Ruan Mei understood very well that her cooperation with Wei Qing rested largely on his whims. If he decided to leave, he could simply leave.
And based on the level of "trust" Wei Qing once displayed while stationed on the Luofu, she didn't believe he would stay around long enough for her to proceed at a measured academic pace.
So she needed sustainable material.
A few drops of Destruction's "golden blood" were priceless—but she wasn't satisfied.
She had never been the kind of woman who stopped at "good enough."
As for whether asking for an arm was too outrageous?
He was a reserve candidate for Abundance.
Ruan Mei simply didn't believe he would fear this level of injury.
Wei Qing: "…"
"Lady Ruan Mei," the corner of Wei Qing's mouth twitched, "your research methods are… certainly distinctive."
Ruan Mei, apparently missing the sarcasm completely, explained with sincerity, "Please don't worry. If you're concerned about pain, the laboratory conditions can guarantee the procedure is painless."
Wei Qing pressed a hand to his forehead.
"That's not what I'm worried about…"
He sighed. Looking into Ruan Mei's eyes—so pure, so hungry for knowledge—he suddenly felt that trying to discuss the concept of "normal people don't casually agree to lose an arm" with her would be like lecturing a thunderstorm about etiquette.
"…Fine."
"In consideration of how you've treated us these past days, and because I'm not petty—"
"I'll do it."
Ruan Mei's eyes lit up instantly, bright and delighted—like a child receiving a beloved toy.
She immediately reached for a device from the equipment rack, something like a scanner, clearly intending to fasten it to his arm.
Wei Qing raised a hand and stopped her.
"No need for all that. I'll handle it myself."
As he spoke, a short blade appeared in his hand as if summoned from nothing.
Heh.
Back when he worked under Lan, he'd enjoyed cosplaying that "mysterious arrow-slinging guy."
Now he was apparently upgrading to cosplaying the "mysterious guy who cuts his own arm off."
Clicking his tongue internally, Wei Qing thought: Well, I guess I've got protagonist potential too.
Without another word, he lifted the blade.
A cold flash.
One clean motion.
His left arm separated instantly—so fast it looked unreal, like a frame skipped in time.
There was no messy struggle, no hesitation—just a smooth, decisive cut.
And as he moved to hand the arm to Ruan Mei—
The lab door burst open.
A small figure stormed in, hat pointed, aura sharp enough to scrape the air.
"What the hell are you two doing?!"
It was Herta.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 147)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter185)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter105)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter215)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 185
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 170
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/1
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 206
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 190
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/23
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 106
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 125
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 90
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 80
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 86
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 81
Still playing traditional Honk 65
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 65
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 57
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 45
Transmigrated as Sukuna 59
Checking In in Demon Slayer 59
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 73
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 45
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 36
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 40
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 60
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 30
Why did they assign me to Uma 35
MYGO Beauties 43
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 30
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 31
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