"How is the boss?"
Bogner looked anxious. He hadn't been in the mood for training those last few days, visiting Chen Mu a few times a day.
He hadn't shaved for ten days. On top of that, he hadn't had a good rest lately, and his eyes were sunken in. Where was his usual majesty and imposing manner?
If he could scream, the entire base would be able to hear his screams!
But he couldn't!
He couldn't make the slightest sound or move a finger!
How many cards had he actually made?
He didn't know.
He was also curious about how much he had accomplished.
Bogner's words were already a little rude, showing he didn't believe in Sue Lochiro's medical skills.
But, Sue Lochiro didn't mind. Everyone, including herself, hoped someone could save Chen Mu.
Chen Mu raised his head in the dark, feeling a little lost.
After a full ten minutes, his gaze gradually recovered its clarity.
He let out a long sigh and stood up.
He glanced around at the cards scattered everywhere in the room.
If he could pass out then, Chen Mu would certainly choose to do so.
Ten thousand?
Or 100,000?
Darkness. Endless darkness.
Wave after wave of pain kept tearing at his consciousness, and he couldn't keep calm for even a second.
The situation at the base couldn't get any better. There was no need to be so anxious!
Ru Qiu had never seen someone so young who could rely on their own efforts to establish such a foundation.
What else was there to be dissatisfied with?
She didn't think the boss needed to work so hard. If he didn't have any cards, he could just slowly make them. No one was rushing him, and he didn't need to rely on that to live.
Chen Mu hadn't woken up since he'd passed out. The muscles on his face were twisting from time to time, as though he was enduring great pain.
A trace of sadness flashed through Bogner's eyes, but he had been through a lot more storms and waves, so he was able to maintain a trace of calmness. "Miss Sue, what kind of illness does the boss have?
If we send him to a bigger hospital, is there any hope for a cure? "
Wei-ah's expression went cold as he took a step forward, his gaze fixed on Sue Lochiro, waiting for what was to come.
Xi Ping also stood and looked at Sue Lochiro.
Consciousness was more wonderful than perception, which was definitely not a field Chen Mu could get involved in.
But, Chen Mu couldn't care less about that in his desperate situation.
But …
Just at this moment, Ru Qiu came in and quickly said respectfully, "Mister, leave this kind of work to me!"
"If that's the case, the boss probably had it before he came to Pomelo?" Bogner rubbed his chin in thought as he suddenly looked at Wei-ah.
He did not know.
Sue Lochiro couldn't hold back her tears any longer, and they flowed down. She covered her mouth to stop herself from crying out loud.
After a while, she gradually controlled her emotions.
Failure!
Failure!
Still a failure …
However, although there were many scattered cards, a considerable portion of them were failed cards. He had to clear them out now.
However, it was extremely difficult for him to keep calm during that period of peace.
She finally understood why Chen Mu, who wasn't much older than her, could have such accomplishments!
That kind of expression was rarely seen on Chen Mu's face, and Ru Qiu stuck out her tongue mischievously before burying herself in packing up the cards.
This was the only time he could keep his consciousness calm.
Only in this state of tranquility could he turn his attention to something other than the desperate pain.
The only one who had been with Chen Mu before he came to Pomelo was Wei-ah.
His remaining trace of reason told him that if he went on like that, he would soon wither away.
Sue Lochiro pursed her lips tightly. Her skin had dimmed after days of not resting, and her bright red lips had lost their former luster.
She had been trying to give Chen Mu all kinds of treatment without sleep those last few days, but it was of no use.
He didn't know if it was an illusion or if it was just psychological comfort, but it still made him very excited.
No, he couldn't go on like that!
It wasn't just him. Xi Ping also looked worried, and his whole person seemed to have aged quite a bit.
But, he had no other choice. It was the only thing he could do.
As for whether it was right or wrong, he would have to try it to know.
It would be fine as long as he could alleviate the pain a little. Chen Mu, who was about to collapse from the torment of the pain, only had that most basic requirement.
"OK, leave that problem to us, Old Xi.
Let's work it out. I'm not familiar with this stuff, "Bogner said decisively as he pulled Xi Ping out of the room.
Wei-ah took a look at Chen Mu and also walked out.
He didn't know how much time had passed, but in that world without light or sound, time had no meaning.
Chen Mu was still enduring the most horrifying torture in the world.
Xi Ping suddenly slapped his head and said hoarsely, "I remember. When we were in Pomelo, the boss once asked Lord Yang if he could buy the gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus. Lord Yang found it strange at the time that the boss would be interested in it."
"The House of a Hundred Depths?" Bogner asked back in surprise, looking at Xi Ping. That was clearly out of their expectations.
Wei-ah was sitting silently in the corner, his gaze lingering on the unconscious Chen Mu from time to time.
Chen Mu smiled weakly.
He had been making cards nonstop those last few days, and he had been like a string that had been stretched taut. Now that he had suddenly relaxed, his whole person felt a little weak.
Sue Lochiro hesitated a little but still decided to tell him the inside story. "There is a very, very fine green silk thread inside the boss's body.
When we were still in Pomelo, the boss's body had it, and he had come to me specifically to check it out.
The teacher and I studied it for a long time, but we didn't have much of a breakthrough.
It is a very strange plant that can live as a parasite in a person's body. It is thinner than a strand of hair and tens of meters long.
It has already grown into his flesh, and there is no way to pull it out.
I haven't found out where it came from, but I suspect it could very well have come from the House of a Hundred Depths. "
Wei-ah shook his head. "I don't know."
Chen Mu started to tidy up the cards that had been scattered everywhere, on the floor and on the table.
She sometimes wondered how many of those so-called young geniuses she'd seen could have done that.
No one could!
Once they had any success, they would only go around showing off their talents, attending all kinds of salons and banquets, and being complacent with all kinds of beautiful women.
"There's no point in trying to find out when the problem occurred with the boss.
The most important thing is to find a way to wake him up. "Xi Ping hit the nail on the head and got right to the heart of the matter.
But Chen Mu had gradually figured out a pattern.
The pain was like a wave, wave after wave, but in between each wave, there would be a very short period of time when the pain was slightly lighter.
Sue Lochiro hesitated. "I can't guarantee anything, but this is the medicine I've found that is most likely to cure the boss."
Chen Mu hadn't completely lost consciousness in his coma, and he knew he was in a coma. His consciousness was still clear, but that didn't improve his situation at all. He couldn't make any commands to his body.
There was no light, no sound, and what was worse was that he had to endure wave after wave of pain.
Even those card masters known for their diligence wouldn't be like Chen Mu, who would be willing to give up his life.
Wei-ah was taken aback, and he looked at Chen Mu in a daze. No one knew what he was thinking.
"Right."
Bogner nodded in agreement, and his gaze turned back to Sue Lochiro. "Miss Sue, do you need the gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus?"
He started to let himself think about other things, trying to use that to distract his attention and reduce the pain.
But the pain was like raging waves, and it wasn't something his little dinghy could contend with. He had no way to calm his mind.
Pain!
Apart from pain, he couldn't feel anything!
Chen Mu wasn't a weak-willed person, but under the wave after wave of pain, his consciousness had become a little fuzzy!
It was endless, wave after wave, and it made him feel hopeless.
Chen Mu's determination hadn't wavered in the slightest. On the contrary, he was even more resolute than before.
Although he hadn't succeeded once up until then, the benefits were clear.
He could feel that his consciousness seemed to have grown a little stronger!
The sense of danger that had been lingering in his mind seemed to have lessened a little without him realizing it.
Since he didn't have time, Chen Mu didn't know how long he'd been in a coma.
But he felt it had been a very long time.
Wave after wave of pain continued to tear at his consciousness as usual, and the questions he was thinking about were immediately crushed to pieces. Then, there was a shocking sense of pain.
"Not an illness?" Bogner suddenly stood up, glaring. "Could it be that someone did this to you?"
Chen Mu's performance those last few days had completely subdued Ru Qiu. She had never thought anyone would be so desperate.
Shouldn't a card master get a generous salary and live a leisurely life?
As she saw it, even those mad researchers at the school were a far cry from Chen Mu.
So, Chen Mu started to try to control his consciousness.
But the results were minimal. He didn't even know what consciousness was. How could he control it?
But, he had no way out. He might as well do everything he could think of and do.
"What are the two possibilities?" Bogner's voice was hoarse and low.
Making cards like the boss was doing was extremely dangerous.
When perception was consumed too much, a card master would feel fatigued. In serious cases, he would have a splitting headache, chest tightness, and nausea.
But, what if his perception was exhausted?
What kind of situation would that be?
Ru Qiu hadn't experienced it, and she didn't know.
But, every card master would be taught by a teacher when they first entered the profession that they shouldn't exhaust their perception no matter what. That would be very dangerous, and it could even lead to death.
He had to do something!
Whether it was useful or not!
He couldn't just wait to die!
Chen Mu's body suddenly froze. Pain!
It was as though molten iron had been poured into his spine, and the pain drowned him out like a tide without any warning.
Without waiting for him to react — no, he basically couldn't react at all — the scenery in front of him quickly became blurry, and he seemed to hear Ru Qiu's cry of alarm!
His consciousness was showing signs of dismemberment, and it was in imminent danger under the continuous stimulation of the pain.
If the pain continued like that, his consciousness would eventually collapse from being unable to bear it, and the most likely result would be that he would become a vegetable.
Every second was so long!
But, in that hopeless world, Chen Mu didn't give up struggling.
He was doing his best to bear the assault of the pain on his consciousness while quickly thinking of a way.
He didn't have too many extravagant hopes. Under those circumstances, his only hope was to find a way to slightly reduce the pain.
Like a bolt from the blue, there wasn't the slightest sound in the big room.
A wave of dizziness hit him, and he felt his legs go soft. He couldn't stand any longer, and he slumped to the floor, his eyes empty and lifeless.
But, she had seen with her own eyes that the boss was using up his perception every day until there wasn't a drop left!
She didn't understand. Was that necessary?
Chen Mu felt he wasn't far from collapsing. He couldn't say why, but he could feel it strongly.
He felt as though he were tied to a cross and being burned over and over with a soldering iron!
His consciousness was so clear that he could capture every bit of pain with incomparable clarity.
"Mmmm. I didn't find any records of this plant, but I did find its opposite species — the gold-mottled liquid-soft fungus.
Generally speaking, two opposite species live in the same domain, "Sue Lochiro said very clearly.
What Sue Lochiro said left Bogner and Xi Ping dumbfounded.
But, she had always discovered that no matter what, the boss was always going all out!
It was as though he didn't have much time left.
"He has entered a deep coma, and his body and consciousness have most likely been separated.
If … "Her tired voice couldn't help but carry some sadness." If he can't wake up from that deep coma, there are only two possibilities. "
His gaze swept over the snowflake-like cards, and a sense of accomplishment sprang up spontaneously.
He hadn't thought he could actually make so many cards in such a short time!
They were all four-star cards. If they were put on the market, they would certainly fetch a terrifyingly high price.
"One is that his body's mechanism declines until he dies.
The other … "Sue Lochiro bit her lip hard, and two sparkling tears rolled down her pale cheeks uncontrollably.
She tried to make her voice sound steady, but the trembling betrayed her emotions. "The other possibility … is that he is in a vegetative state."
"Actually, the boss isn't really sick."
Having vented, Sue Lochiro had already recovered most of her composure. She was a medical card artisan, after all, and her ability to control her emotions was pretty strong.