Four months had passed since Ren Tingfeng's death. Fang Mo stood before nine flasks filled with a milky white liquid, his expression thoughtful. Surrounding him were various devices for drug refinement, along with shelves lined with herbs and reagents. The laboratory had no windows, but several lanterns hung in strategic positions, keeping the room brightly lit at all hours.
Fang Mo's body was no longer as thin as a twig, and his once sunken cheeks now had a healthier contour. A twelve-year-old boy approached him from behind, one of his hands visibly deformed.
"Doctor Mo, what are you thinking about?" Ren Shan asked, his eyes full of curiosity. For the past four months, he had been living with Fang Mo. Although Xue Xiu was the one who cared for him most of the time, Fang Mo had been teaching him medicine and biology whenever he could.
A smile tugged at Fang Mo's lips. "Shan'er, tell me. When it comes to creating medicine, what indispensable thing are we still lacking?"
Ren Shan pondered for a few breaths before answering, "Test subjects."
Fang Mo nodded, satisfied. "Exactly. I believe it's time we start looking for them."
"Doctor Mo, should I ask the soldiers to catch a few rats?" Ren Shan asked.
Fang Mo shook his head, visibly disappointed by Ren Shan's answer. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and said, "Why would we use innocent animals… when the world is full of trash? Come. Let's take a trip to the city."
***
The moon was hidden behind thick clouds, leaving the city in darkness. The streets, dimly lit by broken lamps, were riddled with puddles of filthy water that reflected distorted shapes.
Alleys stank of rot, piss, and dampness, their narrow paths swallowed by blackness. Faint sounds echoed—a bottle breaking in the distance, hurried footsteps, muffled cries quickly silenced. For ordinary people, it was the hour of fear, when they were most vulnerable, locked their doors, and prayed that nothing would come knocking. But it's also when the scum of humanity left their homes.
Pickpockets, swindlers, traffickers, murderers. Hooded figures traded illegal goods in the shadow of crumbling buildings. Desperate addicts stumbled along, searching for a fix, while loan sharks dragged another debtor into a corner where screams would be lost to the night.
Fang Mo and Ren Shan walked through the streets of Yongning City, their faces hidden beneath hoods. Under Fang Mo's orders, the boy, using a rope attached to his waist, dragged a small cart with four wheels, its wooden frame creaking against the stone road.
"Doctor Mo, who are we going after?" Ren Shan asked.
Fang Mo grinned. "Shan'er, why would we go after anyone?"
Ren Shan tilted his head, his face full of doubt. Fang Mo's grin slowly faded. He pulled a small leather pouch from his satchel and gave it a shake. The crisp clinking of coins echoed through the street, catching the attention of several wandering eyes lurking in the shadows.
"Men die for wealth, birds die for food."
Many pairs of eyes stared at Fang Mo, an easy prey who dared to flaunt his wealth in their territory. Three bulky men, each with biceps as thick as Fang Mo's head, stepped in front of the duo. Their towering figures easily dwarfed Fang Mo's slender frame.
"Little brother, you seem to be carrying quite a load," the leader of the trio said, eyeing Fang Mo from head to toe. "Why don't we help lighten it for you?"
As they sized up Fang Mo, he did the same to them. "Not bad. You three look sturdy. I hope your bodies can handle my new medicine."
The leader frowned. "Kid, you clearly don't understand how things work arou—"
Before he could finish, Fang Mo flung a handful of green powder from his palm. The three dropped to the ground like felled trees, hitting the stone with heavy thuds.
"Remember, Shan'er," Fang Mo said, walking over to grab one of the men by the arms. "When dealing with scum, act first, talk later."
He hauled the man onto Ren Shan's cart. "For a petty thug, this guy's got a pretty good build."
Once the three were stacked onto the cart, Fang Mo and Ren Shan worked together to pull it away.
From the shadows, a pair of eyes watched the scene unfold. "The Wen Brothers just got captured… Tell the boss." A figure behind him nodded and melted into the darkness. "Idiots got what they deserved… but if I let some random guy touch Boss's men, I'm dead."
The trip from Fang Mo's laboratory to Yongning City had taken nearly two hours, the extra weight slowed them down considerably. By the time Fang Mo and Ren Shan stepped back into the lab, their clothes were soaked in sweat.
Fang Mo closed the door behind them with a tired sigh. "I hope that guy who tailed us brings more test subjects. It's a hassle having to go into the city every time I need one."
Ren Shan blinked in surprise. He hadn't realized someone had been following them. Still, fear didn't cross his mind; he trusted Fang Mo with his life. "Doctor Mo, should we inform General Wan and ask for guards to help protect the lab?"
Fang Mo shook his head. "No need. I don't want to owe General Wan anything." He gestured toward the unconscious men. "Help me unload the test subjects and tie them to those chairs."
Working together, they secured the three brothers to chairs spaced a meter apart. Thick ropes bound their wrists, ankles, waists, and necks, leaving them completely immobilized.
Ren Shan moved with efficiency, his face devoid of emotion. The innocent child who had once lived in a quiet village had long since vanished. Under Fang Mo's tutelage, he had become something entirely different.
"Go to Xue Xiu's tent and get some sleep. Don't lock the door when you leave," Fang Mo said as he approached the nine flasks filled with milky white liquid.
"But, Brother Mo…" Ren Shan started to protest, but a single glance from Fang Mo made him swallow his words. "Thank you, Doctor Mo. I'll go to sleep in Sister Xue's tent."
Fang Mo waited until Ren Shan's small figure disappeared from sight before continuing. The boy was growing quickly, faster than most his age, but there were still things better left unseen for now.
Producing a syringe from a drawer, Fang Mo inserted the needle into one of the flasks and drew out the liquid. I need them awake for this, he thought, his gaze shifting to the tied-up men. They should be waking up soon.
While the sleeping beauties rested, he prepared eight more doses of his Opening Meridian Solution, each drawn from a different flask. Every sample contained a unique combination of three herbs, substitutes Fang Mo believed could stabilize the formula.
Given the primitive technology of this world, Fang Mo had no illusions of surpassing what he had once achieved on Earth. Time was against him. Instead of chasing perfection, it was better to replicate the solution he had already developed.
But one critical ingredient from his original formula did not exist here. Forced to adapt, he selected three herbs similar to the missing component. Now, it was time to see which, if any, would work.
After preparing everything, Fang Mo sat on a chair and waited. About half an hour passed before the first of the three brothers woke up.
"Ugh… my head… Did I drink too much again?" the man groaned, his voice groggy.
A small chuckle echoed from in front of him. "Did you have a good sleep?"
The man's bleary eyes followed the voice and landed on Fang Mo, who was sitting with a grin stretched across his face. His brow furrowed as memory returned and anger surged. "You! Do you have any idea who you messed with? I'm Wen Yang from the Mountain Tiger Gang!"
Fang Mo laughed. "I didn't expect the first thing out of your mouth to be an empty threat. Well… since these are going to be your last words, then so be it."
Rising from the chair, Fang Mo approached Wen Yang with a syringe in hand.
The cold glint in Fang Mo's eyes sent a chill down Wen Yang's spine. He had seen his fair share of murders, but this… This wasn't the look of a cold-blooded murderer staring at its victim. Fang Mo didn't even see him as human.
"P-Please… I'll do anything… don't kill me!" Snot and tears streamed down Wen Yang's face. A man who had killed, stolen, and raped without a second thought… reduced to a sobbing coward the moment his own life was on the line.
Fang Mo said nothing. He drove the needle into Wen Yang's arm and pressed the plunger.