Bab 36: Challenges and Changes
"Et tu, Brute?"
"Yeah, Caesar!"
The man in the red hoodie, cat mask, suit, and stylish shoes was quickly covered in blood and sprawled on the floor. The knife that had stabbed him lay in the middle of the pool of blood.
On tables and in cabinets in the lab were containers filled with unidentified liquids. Ru was ready to use them all to clean up the blood.
Ru picked up two three-liter plastic bottles, which he suspected were filled with detergent liquid, and began pouring them over the blood.
"Sodium hypochlorite is a great disinfectant," he said with a maniacal smile.
Detergents were an ideal option for cleaning this dense pool of blood. After a short time, the density of the blood began to decrease, and the pool of blood on the ground began to fade.
Ru glanced around with a grin on his face. As he looked at the containers of obscure liquids in the lab, various plans began to form in his mind. These liquids could become a powerful weapon in his hands if only he had enough knowledge of chemistry. For now, he had to clean the blood. Concentrating on the hygienic-smelling liquids, he mopped the floor with the mixture he had prepared.
"Nwhahaha!"
After a while, he cleaned up the entire pool of blood and wiped the marks from the floor. There was no trace of blood left, and the environment looked more sterile.
With a sigh of relief, Ru stepped back and inspected his handiwork. "Ah, clean!" he exclaimed, feeling a sense of satisfaction wash over him.
As he finished tidying up, Ru began to hum a tune to himself.
"Dust bunnies dance, a sad sight to see.
But order's calling with all its might.
The vacuum's humming a steady beat,
Sweeping shadows, making things neat."
He chuckled softly, finding solace in the simple act of cleaning. "Alright, Ru," he muttered to himself, "Time to focus, time to move forward."
With renewed determination, Ru set out to explore the rest of the lab, his mind already racing with possibilities and plans. But first, he needed to change out of these bloody clothes and dispose of them properly.
He was preparing for this when the mysterious voice called out to him, "Lirui, are you there?"
"Yes, I'm here," Ru replied.
"What are you doing?" the mysterious voice asked.
"I've sterilized a laboratory, and created a demon-free, fresh environment," Ru said, standing proudly.
"It's relieving to see you've overcome your fears," said the mysterious voice, as if becoming somewhat familiar.
"My fears? Nah! What I've experienced is plain real. I just defeated a boss. Cleaned the lab on top of it," Ru said confidently.
"When I snap my fingers, you'll wake up," said the now quite familiar voice.
"I'm not going to wake up until I've looted the boss," Ru said, crossing his arms over his chest and quickly turning his head to the right.
"I'm counting. Three," said the voice - which, of course, belonged to the noob doctor.
"Don't count, I'm awake. Ah, damn! Where are my exp points," Ru grumbled.
"Is that so? Open your eyes so I can believe you," the doctor chirped.
When Ru cracked open his eyes, he saw his favorite doctor. However, there was something peculiar about him. Wasn't Dr. Claude Lablanc's eye color previously violet and blue? Why did they now seem pink and yellow? Ru continued to scrutinize Claude's face, puzzled by the contradictions.
"Are you okay," Dr. Claude asked.
"Where are your glasses? Don't tell me you've dropped and broken them again," Ru said, continuing to scrutinize him with suspicion.
Yes, Claude always did that. But as far as Claude remembered, Ru had neither witnessed such an incident nor had such a dialogue with him before. So, he was surprised.
"How did you know?" he asked.
"Just a guess. Wearing glasses for decoration or something," Ru said, casually smiling.
"You're quite the observer, Lirui," Claude said.
"Take notes," Ru said, adopting a knowing expression.
Claude smiled. "Of course, I've already taken notes."
Ru released his arms and sat up in bed. "By the way, I don't like you calling me 'Lirui,' Claude."
Claude nodded slightly. "Understood, Ru. My apologies, it's just a habit."
"When I say I don't like it, I mean I like it. Keep calling me Lirui," Ru said, grinning and looking into Claude's eyes.
"Okay, Lirui," Claude said, turning his head sheepishly.
Ru noticed the colors in Claude's eyes had changed. Now his irises were yellow and orange. He asked, "Why does your eye color keep changing?"
Claude paused for a moment, "I don't understand?"
Ru leaned towards him and said solemnly, "You're not a human."
Claude's expression shifted slightly. "What? What am I?"
"You don't seem like a demon," Ru said, now looking at Claude's hands and feet.
Claude nodded. "Of course, Ru. I'm not a demon."
"Could they be contact lenses?" Ru asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, they're not. These are my eyes," Claude said innocently.
"I think you're not human," Ru reiterated.
"Maybe I'm a unicorn," Claude said, pretending to tap Ru with his forehead as if he had a single horn there.
"Could be," Ru said, grinning. Then, he acted according to his plan. "I saw the seal of the genie in my dream," he said suddenly.
"Genie? What's that?" Claude asked, prompting Ru to take a deep breath.
"Oh! You're still innocent," Ru remarked.
"Haha, me?" Claude asked, looking embarrassed.
"Of course, you. You're quite peculiar, to be honest," Ru said, squinting at him. Then, with a mystical tone, he added, "And you have such a strange aura, Doctor. There's something about you, but what?"
"What do you mean? Don't scare me, Lirui," Claude said, pulling back a little.
"Call me Ru or whatever. Keep calling me Lirui. It'll make it easier for me to sense your interference during my astral travels," Ru said seriously.
"Okay. It's probably best for you to rest a bit now. I'll bring you everything you need," Claude said, smiling.
Ru nodded slowly and lay back on the bed. This time, he wanted to rest. The peace of mind knowing Claude was by his side had relaxed him.
As he drifted into a dark slumber, the image of the man in the red hood covered in blood still lingered in his mind. But this time, it was not scary at all; it was entirely hygienic.
"Hehehe!" chuckled Ru in his sleep.
The next day, when he woke up, he found Vaelan waiting by his side. His eyes were Vaelan's blue, not red. That meant he wasn't Ru's daughter but simply a bumpkin Vaelan.
"Are you okay, bro?" Vaelan asked.
Judging by Vaelan's appearance: He must have plundered Ru's breakfast and eaten it.
"I'm fine, but I'm hungry," Ru said, furrowing his brows.
"I got you some stuff," Vaelan said excitedly. He was about to get up, but his excitement faded as he realized he had already eaten the snacks he brought. He burped and said, "Oops, sorry."
Ru sat up in bed. "You know, Vaelan, you're like a naughty little girl," he said, with a sly grin.
"Where did that come from? Are you running a fever or something?" Vaelan asked, placing his hand on Ru's forehead to check his temperature.
"How's the Clockmaker? Can she move freely? Once, she was tiny enough to find a place in a tiny brain. I hope she is still," Ru teased.
Vaelan just raised an eyebrow and said, "Huh?"
"Anyway, I'm still hungry," Ru said, changing the subject.
"Listen, Rui," Vaelan said, signaling that he was about to delve into a completely different topic as he sat on the edge of the bed.
"What will you say?"
"Our stepfather died," Vaelan said joyfully.
"I know," Ru said, devoid of any excitement in his expression.
"How? How do you know?" Vaelan asked, utterly surprised.
"I performed a karmic exchange," Ru said, adopting a medium-like demeanor.
"Our mother also passed away, unfortunately," Vaelan said sadly and then he added, "She slipped on a banana peel and fell down the stairs."
"Well, it is what it is," Ru shrugged, not feeling the need to dramatize the situation.
"And I haven't even turned eighteen yet. Plus, we're not even stepbrothers anymore," Vaelan stated, lowering his head in sorrow.
"What happened happened. What can we do," Ru said, genuinely unaffected.
"You've inherited nothing," Vaelan said.
At that moment, Ru's whole world came crashing down around him.
"That can't be," Ru said, deeply saddened.
"I think you're going back to the orphanage, Rui," Vaelan said, putting his hand on Rui's shoulder to show he cared.
"Oh, fuck! I'm poor again," Ru cried.
"Don't be sad, Rui. I'll take you in when I'm eighteen, I promise," Vaelan said, squeezing his shoulder gently.
"No thanks," Ru hissed. After a moment, he shrugged and pushed Vaelan's hand away.
"But I will be there for you, always, bro," Vaelan said, trying to calm him down.
"Poor me," Ru said, lying on the bed and burying his face on the pillow.
Vaelan asked, his voice full of concern, "You wouldn't smother yourself with a pillow, would you?"
"Don't be silly," Ru said, his voice choking under the pillow. "Now get out of here and leave me alone. I'm getting depressed," he added.
"Okay," Vaelan said and reluctantly left the room.
A week later, Ru was finally discharged from the hospital. He was disappointed to be going back to the orphanage, but he quickly got over it. He could reach Dr. Claude Leblanc via phone. His daughter, Clockmaker, and his best friend, Vaelan, were still in his life as support characters.
In the early days, Ru refused psychiatric treatment, arguing that he did not want his brain programmed like a computer. Claude persuaded him to use a mental upgrade to gain some musical skills.
According to Ru, 'Life was shitty.' It was a little less shitty thanks to the music. Thus, he set an ambitious goal: to pass the music conservatory preparatory program entrance exam.
He studied hard to pass the exam. When that day came, his world would be painted red once again. But not the red of blood, but the red of lipstick!
"Oh honey, you can't have forgotten me," a sexy and attractive woman said, her eyes twinkling.
Hadiah
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