Chapter 101: The Price

It felt as if he were in a universe that had already reached heat death; the endless darkness and the sensation of eternal falling made Ji Ning desperately reach out his hands, hoping to grasp something.

But there was nothing here. Silence was the only answer in the chaos. The sensation of suffocation in his chest grew stronger, as if he were lying naked at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, with pressure mounting from all sides, squeezing the last trace of air from his lungs.

In despair, Ji Ning stood in the empty expanse of space, waiting for the approach of a black hole that would swallow everything. It was like awaiting the final annihilation; he could do nothing but fear, and that quiet sense of extinction snuffed him out bit by bit.

"Ji Ning!" An abrupt voice rang out, echoing through the claustrophobic space. For someone trapped in loneliness and despair, it was the beginning of the world his God had created for him. Feeling returned to his limbs, and the darkness in his vision was dispelled by a hazy light.

He knew that voice all too well; the girl’s face appeared in his mind in an instant. The joy of not being abandoned made him use his last ounce of strength to respond.

"Qin Mo."

"I’m here." The anxious, tense reply was like a hand pulling him completely out of the profound darkness.

Ji Ning opened his eyes. The sunlight stung his long-unused photoreceptors, and tears flowed uncontrollably, but he couldn't bear to close his eyes again.

Standing beside Ji Ning’s hospital bed, Qin Mo had dark circles under her eyes, which were rimmed with red. She clearly wanted to restrain her emotions, but a sudden ache in her nose caused tears to streak down her face once more.

In the past twenty-four hours, she had imagined countless times what she would say when Ji Ning woke up. She had thought about scolding him severely—if being a hero required such a heavy price, she would rather Ji Ning be an ordinary person for the rest of his life.

She had also thought about saying nothing at all and just hugging him tightly, telling him loudly how worried she had been. When Qin Mo received the notification from Catherine that Ji Ning was in the hospital, she had forgotten how she even got there. She only remembered the swaying white lab coats, the flashing red lights of the emergency room, the noisy crowds, and the pungent smell of disinfectant; her world had silently collapsed into silence.

Only when the doctor walked up to her and told her the surgery was a success did her world's mute button get switched off.

"As long as you're okay," Ji Ning’s voice was hoarse, but his bright eyes were filled with relief.

All the speeches Qin Mo had prepared vanished. The first thing the young man before her asked upon waking wasn't why he was lying in a hospital bed, nor was it whether the storm had ended; he only cared if the one he loved was safe.

Qin Mo cried for a long time, only quieting down when Ji Ning tremblingly reached out to pull her into his arms, gently comforting her.

"How long was I unconscious?"

"A day and a night."

"Is it all over?"

"Yes, the SCP Foundation and the GOC have joined forces to control the situation. It’s all over."

"You have dark circles under your eyes. You don't look as pretty anymore."

Qin Mo nudged Ji Ning’s chin. Because she was afraid of hurting him, her movements were gentle—not so much an expression of dissatisfaction as an act of acting coy.

"You should get some rest too. Since I'm awake, there shouldn't be any major problems," Ji Ning’s voice was weak, yet tinged with a hint of pride. He thought to himself that saving a city with that kind of method and not losing an arm or a leg—he truly was something.

Qin Mo’s body stiffened for a moment. She buried herself in Ji Ning’s chest. "Actually, there is a small problem."

Ji Ning paused. When he had first sat up, he had checked himself over; he didn't seem to be missing any parts. If there was a problem, it was probably just the cast on his lower leg.

Wait, why was there a cast?

"It’s just a broken leg, right? I’ll recover in a few months, and I can just ask Deer Academy for some medicine later." Ji Ning felt a bit panicked, but he comforted Qin Mo with his words.

Qin Mo recalled the words she had heard yesterday: "Ms. Qin Mo, we regret to inform you of some bad news. The patient has suffered a primary spinal cord injury, resulting in lower motor neuron paralysis. He has lost sensation in both legs..."

Qin Mo’s silence made Ji Ning realize something was wrong. "Is there really a major problem?" Ji Ning could no longer hold back, his face full of fear.

"It’s okay, no matter what happens, I will always be with you." Qin Mo looked up and stared at Ji Ning earnestly.

But these words didn't calm Ji Ning down; instead, they terrified him even more.

"What are you saying? Am I experiencing a final burst of energy before death? Is this the final moment of my life?"

"No, you’re just... well, you might need to use a certain type of mobility aid in the future." Qin Mo struggled to choose her words.

"Give me the phone, quickly." Ji Ning reacted immediately, his voice growing frantic.

"What are you doing?" Qin Mo was confused.

"Calling Senior Sister Irina! Would Deer Academy just sit by and watch the great hero who saved a city spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair?" Ji Ning’s voice trembled, like a squirrel left to face winter without food.

In a building at Deer Academy that did not exist on any campus map, a meeting was underway.

On the holographic projection was a humanoid creature brimming with the beauty of power, possessing an extreme, ancient solemnity, as if God had hidden all secrets within that frame. It was the body that SCP-CN-655 had catalyzed for Ji Ning to adapt to the energy of the Ame-no-Nuhoko.

"According to spectral detection and the data from the energy analyzer in central Tokyo that day, this biological construct in the projection has reached the pinnacle of organisms. Whether in terms of structural integrity or energy transfer rate, it rivals—or even surpasses—those mythological creatures," said a man in the white uniform of an SCP Foundation researcher, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He spoke calmly as he distributed the detection reports on the construct to everyone present.

"Is it that prophecy?" A beautiful woman in the black uniform of the GOC, sitting closest to the head of the long table, gave the report a cursory glance before setting it aside.

"Yes." Fifth Jue, who had just left Tokyo and arrived on the other side of the ocean, showed no signs of fatigue from his long journey; his voice remained clear and crisp.

"But based on this alone, his chances of completing that task remain zero. He is too young, still a child, and not as powerful as we might imagine." A middle-aged white man who looked like he had just finished feeding pigeons in the square didn't even open the report in his hands. He was sitting opposite the man representing the GOC, clearly representing the SCP Foundation.

"You cannot glimpse a person's entire life in a single day. Although he is weak enough now to inspire no confidence, he still possesses capital that we can leverage. He is young, and most importantly, he has found his own anchor. I know that for people like you, love is like toilet paper—dispensable—but for my young deer, this is the starting point of every responsibility in his life. He will learn from this all the qualities a man ought to possess." The old man sitting at the head of the table finally spoke, adding a sarcastic jab at this group of people who, in his eyes, were nothing but riffraff with no merits other than their strength. He was Abraham Stuart Birmingham, the nominal head of Deer Academy. Although most of the power of Deer Academy rested with the board of directors, he was the one representing the school at this meeting.

"Is it that common shonen trope of the protagonist constantly growing? Defeating one enemy after another, and finally sealing the ultimate boss with the power of love and justice to save the world?" A slightly grating female voice came from the end of the long table. Viewed from above, one would see that this woman, shrouded in black mist, was the one furthest from the man representing the SCP Foundation.

"I still say it: there is no reason for the Chaos Insurgency to participate in this meeting. These lunatics who try to build a utopia using anomalies will be of no help." The middle-aged man put away his casual, pigeon-feeding demeanor, and the majesty of a superior permeated the small conference room.

"Dear O5 Councilor, we are not lunatics; we are just constantly trying to find the right path and striving to practice it." The woman’s voice was calm, seemingly unfazed by the pressure.

"Enough. You will have plenty of time to argue after the meeting ends," Birmingham tapped the table. "We are discussing this young man. We all know what mission he carries. We must consider how to make him the person in the prophecy."

"If anyone knew, we wouldn't be sitting here discussing it. We have better embryos than this young man." The words of the Chaos Insurgency representative made everyone present frown. She was right; the hero required for such a mission was too great, and no one knew how to cultivate such a legendary figure.

"Fine, fine. I knew talking to you all wouldn't yield anything. Let us at Deer Academy handle the training of the youth." Birmingham slowly looked around. "However, I must make it clear: you are not to approach him in any way. Knowing his destiny too early is not a good thing for him. I have seen too many geniuses consumed by the pressure, wasting that noble strength that allows one to achieve extraordinary things."

After the meeting concluded, Birmingham received a call from the board of directors. They wanted to know how this headmaster, who had taught countless top students in the supernatural field, intended to handle Ji Ning.

"What? The kid is paralyzed in his lower limbs? No, of course we cannot so easily agree to heal him. We need to temper his mind. People usually cannot handle power gained too easily. Even if he is the future savior, he is at least an unstable factor for now. I do not recommend restoring his combat capabilities until he possesses the mindset to match his strength."

Ji Ning, who was lying in his hospital bed staring blankly at the white ceiling, did not know that his life was about to undergo a massive transformation because of one man's words.

The phone rang. Ji Ning answered quickly; he had been waiting for a long time.

"The academy will not abandon any student who is injured while on duty. Every student will receive the best medical care in the world." The female voice on the phone was so gentle that Ji Ning enjoyed it, to the point where he subconsciously checked to see if Qin Mo was still in the room.

"However, your biological construct is already very different from a human's, so it is impossible to predict whether surgeries intended for humans will be effective. The medical experts in the logistics department have also received the report from Tokyo regarding you. We regret to inform you that, with the current level of medical technology, the probability of effective treatment is almost zero."

"In view of the vital role you played in the Tokyo 'Saan' arrival incident, we will award you the Order of Yggdrasil when you return to Deer Academy, and your rating will be upgraded to C-level..."

Ji Ning no longer had the heart to listen to the rest. He hung up the phone and stared blankly at his legs, which looked like they had stepped out of a Renaissance sculpture.

He raised his hands but ultimately didn't dare to strike his own legs. What if they could still get better? He still held onto the hope that the nightmare would pass. Those with hope are always more prone to cowardice.

"655, is what they said true?"

"I am sorry that this is the price."

Ji Ning remained silent. He should have known; everything in this world has a price. But the worst part is that you only know how expensive the price you paid really is when fate presents you with the bill.