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For patients with terminal illness, hospitals often have a special ward called the "Terminal Care Ward."
The name sounds warm-hearted, yet in plain terms, it's nothing but a neglected place for awaiting death.
At this moment, Lu Yao lay on the bed in the Terminal Care Ward, staring blankly at the cup of water on the bedside table, wanting to take a sip.
But he had exhausted all his strength and still couldn't make his body leave the bed. Severe pain and weakness had turned this once simple task into an unattainable luxury.
Lu Yao was in the advanced stages of cancer, surviving on willpower alone until now, but it only meant enduring a few more days of suffering.
Then, a voice tinged with schadenfreude rang out, "Cousin, you really are in a sorry state. You can't even drink water without depending on someone else's charity."
A handsome young man sat leisurely in front of the bed, legs crossed, his eyes crinkling into a smile.
"Beg me and I'll give you a drink, how about that?"
Lu Yao was expressionless, silent. Since losing the ability to take care of himself, he had seen plenty of his relatives' true faces, one more didn't make a difference.
The man stood up, took the cup in his hand and offered it, "Don't be angry, cousin, I was just joking. You've been so good to me, feeding you water is the least I can do."
After speaking, he slowly poured the water from the cup onto Lu Yao's pale and gaunt face.
Choking, Lu Yao coughed weakly a few times, grateful that the small amount of water that passed his throat gave him the strength to speak:
"Zhang Xin, why? I've never wronged you. When you went to study abroad in the Star Alliance Country, I was the one who funded you!"
Zhang Xin set down the cup, speaking slowly and calmly, "It's because you're so old-fashioned. It was just some cold medicine, not illegal, and yet you had to block it at every turn."
A flash of comprehension crossed Lu Yao's face. "Zhang Xin, you trash, you can't change your ways. Exporting cold medicine to foreign countries to extract drugs...cough, cough..."
Zhang Xin adjusted his tie, smiling, "Don't slander me. I am an internationally renowned businessman. This time when I came back to the country, the 'Provincial Investment Promotion Bureau' even called to welcome me~"
Lu Yao let out a sigh, knowing he could do nothing now, so he simply closed his eyes and stopped talking, quietly waiting for death to come.
But Zhang Xin didn't intend to make it easy for his cousin on the brink of death, tortured by illness. He leaned in close and whispered:
"Cousin, the truth is, I came back to the country mainly to see you one last time, to tell you—your cancer, I caused it~"
Lu Yao's eyes snapped open. "What did you say!"
With a smile, Zhang Xin took out a lead box and opened it, revealing a bizarre triangular ornament, palm-sized, with a pattern resembling an eye in the center, that looked extremely antique.
"Look familiar? I personally gave this to you, a genuine antique. I mixed in some radioactive material, prolonged exposure would turn you into the ghost you are now."
Lu Yao immediately recognized it as the antique he loved so much, always placed on his desk, played with now and then, never imagining it was a deadly object!
He reached out with an arm as if it were a withered twig, clutching the arm of the person before him fiercely! "You..."
"Don't get worked up~ cousin, my suit is very expensive." Zhang Xin easily removed Lu Yao's hand, carefully pinched the lead box, and stuffed the radioactive ornament into his bosom.
"I have a flight to catch, so I have to leave now. Keep this as a memento, and if I get the chance, I'll dance on your grave~"
After finishing speaking, Zhang Xin composedly got up and left. Before going out, he even turned back and playfully winked. Originally feminine in looks, his gestures at that moment were somewhat coquettish.
The bodyguard was very observant, quickly opening the door to the ward. At the same time, he contacted his colleagues through a wireless earpiece to start the car in advance.
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Lu Yao could only lie powerlessly on the bed, his entire body racked with bone-boring, heart-piercing pain, interspersed with boundless regret and frustration.
But soon, the severe pain gradually faded, leaving only numbness. Lu Yao faintly heard his deceased parents calling for him.
Just as his body felt lighter and he was about to lose consciousness, a sudden warmth burst from his chest, shocking him awake.
He took the triangular ornament out of his bosom and found it to be unbearably hot, even giving off a faint glow!
The next second, the ornament dissolved into firefly-like green spots of light, which entered his head through his facial orifices!
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A voice echoed in Lu Yao's mind: "Star Key charging complete, Dimensional Door opening."
"What is this?"
He thought it might be an auditory hallucination, but immediately after, a green light door appeared beneath him! The light door resembled a vortex and was slowly rotating.
With a shocked expression, Lu Yao fell through the light door and disappeared.
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When he opened his eyes again, he found himself lying on an unfamiliar street, surrounded by green-brick and tile-roof houses, radiating an ancient charm.
The familiar prompt sounded once more: "Command completed, Star Key standing by."
Lu Yao closed his eyes and could clearly sense—there was something named "Star Key" in his mind now.
All he needed to do was to issue a mental command, and the "Dimensional Door" would open!
After repeatedly confirming, he was immensely astonished, "The ornament named 'Star Key' that Zhang Xin gave me, it turns out to be a tool for traveling between worlds!"
At that moment, a rickshaw passed by, with the muscled coolie wearing a sweat towel around his neck, and the female passenger clad in a sexy and colorful cheongsam.
"Is this... the Republic of China!? No, that can't be right, why are there two suns in the sky!"
Although the rickshaw and cheongsam were very characteristic, the presence of two suns was dazzling beyond compare, leading Lu Yao to suspect—he was no longer on Blue Star.
Just then, the sharp pain of bone erosion attacked once again, and Lu Yao clenched his teeth, forcing himself not to lose consciousness.
Having the transportational gate to travel between worlds should have been an opportunity to display his prowess, but standing was a luxury he couldn't afford; he was powerless despite having a treasure trove at his disposal.
At that moment, the sound of firecrackers crackling came through!
Not far away, a festively decorated mansion was celebrating its grand opening, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers.
Several young men dresssed in black practice clothes were stuffing flyers everywhere. A few swept up to his feet by the wind, bearing barely legible block characters.
Lu Yao glanced at them—traditional Chinese characters—Liao's Martial Arts School grand opening sale, 20% off martial arts lessons!
"Martial arts school?"
Lu Yao looked up and saw a woman in black martial attire with a proud posture, greeting people around her with a cupped-fist salute.
The onlookers marvelled, "A new martial arts school? Wow, the master is a woman!"
"It's quite unusual, let's see how she performs the 'Standing Stake'."
Among the expectant gazes of the people, several young men carried a wooden stake two meters long and as thick as a thigh, erecting and steadying it.
The female martial master took a deep breath, leapt up to the height of a three-story building, and descended from the sky, striking the wooden stake with a fierce punch!
With a resounding "bang," the stake hammered into the ground a meter deep like a nail!
Witnessing such a splendid scene, the crowd cheered loudly:
"The Standing Stake at three feet and two inches, what impressive Kung Fu!"
"Her punch is so powerful; the use of energy is exquisite to the peak, truly worthy of being a martial master!"
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Lu Yao's mouth hung open in astonishment! He even momentarily forgot the intense pain coursing through his body!
Leaping 10 meters high and pushing a thick, long wooden stake into the ground as if it were grass, that was definitely supernatural strength!
"The passersby just now said this is 'Standing Stake'? It's a custom when opening a martial arts school, a display of power."
"Heaven doesn't seal off all exits! In a world filled with supernatural strength, could there be a cure for my cancer!!!"