Rules-related weird stories: 4016

"Um… …?"

This voice… … is not quite the same as the sculpture’s voice… …

It’s a delicate female voice… …

“Lin Yi… … Lin Yi… …”

The voice grew more and more urgent… …

“Lin, Linlinzi… …”

"Um… …?"

"‘Linlinzi’… …?"

"Who is ‘Linlinzi’… …"

"Is it me… …?

"What a familiar feeling… …"

"Who is it… …"

"Is someone calling me… …"

That strange yet familiar feeling gradually filled Lin Yi’s heart. He noticed that the world before his eyes was flashing rapidly, and something he had forgotten was about to break ground… …

[Just call me Huizi.]

[Linlinzi… …]

[Let's train together! Liangliangzi!]

Lin Yi’s memories suddenly resurfaced, he remembered… … wasn't he in the gymnasium before?!

At this moment, the rapidly flashing world before his eyes also gradually calmed down. This bizarre environment began to dissipate, replaced by the LED lights in front of him becoming brighter and brighter… …

“That is… …”

Those were the LED lights hanging from the ceiling of the gymnasium, and there were also some incandescent lamps on the side, but the soft orange-yellow glow of the incandescent lamps appeared much dimmer in front of the LED lights.

His blurred vision gradually cleared, and what came into view was Li Huiyuan's pretty face, filled with anxiety, her watery eyes looking like they were about to cry.

On the other side was Lao Da. Lao Da stood there, calmly overlooking him, as if he had never worried about anything.

As his thoughts returned, the pain in his body enveloped him like a tide.

This pain was like countless ants gnawing at his flesh, bones, and tendons, accompanied by a tingling numbness and a needle-like pain.

Lin Yi was in so much pain that he couldn't speak. Moreover, this wasn't ordinary pain, but the pain produced by stimulating flesh that had already been numbed, like pulling muscle fibers into glass threads and then repeatedly twisting them together. It was both painful and numb, one numbness followed by one pain, cycling back and forth, alternating endlessly… …

… …

Year X023, May 9th, 13:21, in the gymnasium.

The speed Lin Yi burst out with was vulnerable in front of Lao Da.

After being hit squarely in the sternum by Lao Da’s turning leg whip, he let out a low groan and drew an arc in the air like a sandbag, finally crashing heavily to the ground.

“Thump!”

The nearby floor shook, and Lin Yi’s body even bounced up a little, eventually becoming motionless like a piece of dead pork.

This commotion immediately attracted the attention of Xu Shunkang, Xiao Zhouzi, and a group of other sports students.

Xiao Zhouzi, who was supporting Wei Liang's body to practice on the rings, subconsciously let go of his hand. Wei Liang cried "Ouch!" and fell from the rings, scratching his head and muttering as he climbed up.

Seeing that the attention of the sports students had been attracted to Lao Da's side, Wei Liang looked over, then turned pale with fright: "Damn, Lao Lin got beaten until his eyes rolled back?!"

Xiao Zhouzi's mouth twitched fiercely, and he looked at Wei Liang with a strange expression: "Your friend got taken down by Lao Da with one kick, and you're still joking around?"

Wei Liang curled his lips: "To die under the peony flower, even a ghost is romantic."

“Alas, I’ll just continue pumping iron!”

He helplessly went back to the rings, hanging himself on them as if he were being hanged… …

“Your plastic brotherhood is too real, isn’t it… …” Xiao Zhouzi was a little unbearable, “Lao Da didn’t seem to hold back at all with that kick, but it’s mostly likely going to shong your friend to the school doctor… …”

Mentioning the school doctor, the faces of the nearby sports students all became very ugly, especially Xu Shunkang and the others, who seemed to have heard some life-threatening curse.

“Oh? The school doctor is in the gymnasium? Then it’s okay, it’s completely okay!” Wei Liang gritted his teeth resentfully, “This guy Lao Lin can be rewarded without restraint!”

“It’s killing me!”

“Are you really not worried?” Xu Shunkang asked at this time, leaning over. He seemed to be thinking about something.

“With the school doctor here, what am I worried about?” Wei Liang hissed and hawed, looking at Lao Da’s legs, which had smooth lines but were extremely explosive, his eyes wandering up and down, looking at the thighs and then the calves, looking at the calves and then the feet, “Should I ask Lao Da if he’s adding a clock, no, adding a person, and give me a kick too… …?”

“You… …” Xu Shunkang was speechless, “I’m speechless at you, what kind of masochistic habit is that… … are you missing your great-grandmother so much that you’re going crazy?”

Wei Liang didn't speak.

Xiao Zhouzi pondered, then tentatively said: "Hey, what's there to envy about this!"

He had 'I don't know whether to laugh or cry' written all over his face: "If Xi doesn't work, GeiGei reluctantly gives you two kicks? Although it's not as domineering as Lao Da, it will definitely make you wish you were dead!"

“Get lost! Get lost!” Wei Liang was so frightened that he fell from the rings, “Can smelly feet compare to fragrant feet? Get away from me, grass!”

Wei Liang hugged the bottom bar of the ring equipment aggrievedly, looking at Lin Yi, who was unconscious, with no other expression in his eyes except a little envy.

“Okay, okay… … let’s continue practicing!” Xiao Zhouzi waved his hand and added, “Remember to wipe your saliva, don’t get it on the rings… …”

… …

On the other side, Li Huiyuan looked at Lin Yi, who was unconscious, her eyes full of worry. She quickly ran to Lin Yi's side, looked down, and her expression changed drastically, revealing a look of horror that had never appeared before.

“Lao… … Lao Da! Lao Da, come quickly!!”

Lin Yi was lying down at her feet, and his body was covered with shocking cracks. His skin was like cracked earth, and within those cracks was a blood-red, viscous substance flowing like magma.

However, these blood-red viscous substances did not tend to seep out from the cracks in his skin. They just flowed under his skin, and between his flesh and blood, some sky-blue steam faintly seeped out.

Lao Da's kick directly "shattered" Lin Yi, as if he had stepped on Lin Yi with great force, covering him with cracks, but he relied on an unknown force to prevent his body from collapsing, tightly binding the flesh, bones, and tendons that were already falling apart into a "humanoid" shell.

Around Lin Yi's body, "ashes" floating like dust steamed out of the shadows, swirling around him.

Those "ashes" seized the opportunity to invade his flesh from the cracks in Lin Yi's skin, like hair threads sticking into cracks, constantly drilling into his body.

The sky-blue steam was ignited by the "ashes", and the intersection was the color of burning red-gold paper. This color plunged into Lin Yi's body like a siphon phenomenon, causing him to feel a heart-piercing pain.

"Ashes" continued to invade Lin Yi's body, seeping into his flesh and blood, turning into countless tiny light spots, falling like drizzle on his cracked bones. A bizarre and subtle change slowly unfolded… …

Li Huiyuan knelt down on one knee. She wanted to do something for Lin Yi, such as heart resuscitation or some other means, but seeing the shocking cracks on his body like porcelain, she found that she couldn't do anything at all, and could only helplessly ask Lao Da for help.

The Boss slowly walked towards Lin Yi, observing his current state. Her face didn't betray much alarm; her gaze remained calm, as if everything was still within her control.

"Don't panic," the Boss said, offering comfort. "You haven't seen injuries more outrageous than this."

She half-squatted down, thoughtfully regarding Lin Yi, whose mouth was agape and eyes were rolled back.

She extended slender, pale fingers and gently touched Lin Yi's skin, which was cracked and fissured like a lava field. A rare hint of curiosity flickered in her usually indifferent eyes.

Li Huiyuan, watching the Boss's actions, couldn't help but feel a strange sensation.

She had the feeling that the Boss wasn't examining Lin Yi's injuries, but rather… admiring a work of art.

The Boss's fingers moved to Lin Yi's chest, where she spread her hand over his heart, feeling for his pulse.

Half a minute later, she released her hand. "More outrageous than I anticipated… It seems there's no need to even call the school doctor."

She glanced at Li Huiyuan. "Wake him up."

"Ah? Wake… wake him up…?" Li Huiyuan stammered, her mouth wide open. "Can he even be woken up in this state?"

"As long as he's not dead, he can be woken up," the Boss said calmly. "He still needs to continue training after he wakes up."

Li Huiyuan couldn't help but frown slightly. The Boss's actions seemed inhumane in her understanding, but when she thought about some of the things she had experienced before, she wondered what truly constituted 'reasonable'…

So, she began to call out Lin Yi's name, as if that was the only thing she could do.

"By the way, you can try to absorb some of that steam coming from his body," the Boss suddenly said.

Li Huiyuan was taken aback.

"Just like you were interested in his sweat…" the Boss explained. "He's like a contaminated distiller right now."

"During the process of absorbing 'Ashes,' his body will trigger a large amount of 'Primal Contamination,' but his body will only consume a portion of it… The rest will be released from his body unchanged, and will also carry some impurities from the 'Ashes.'"

"You're close to him, so you can absorb those impurities. You could say it's like being in a privileged position."

"But…" Li Huiyuan's expression was a little unnatural.

The Boss said calmly, "Don't look down on it just because it's 'impurities'. Even the scraps of meat clinging to a bone after it's been gnawed on are a rare feast for ants. My analogy is a bit exaggerated, but you should be able to understand."

"But Boss, what I want to say is, is Lin Yi really… okay?" Li Huiyuan couldn't help but look at the unconscious Lin Yi, her heart clenching.

The Boss seemed to notice something, and her brow furrowed slightly. "Emotions are a strong bond, but excessive emotions will only become a constraint. Utilizing all resources rationally is what we should do."

"I said Lin Yi is fine, so he's fine. Now you just need to wake him up. In the process, you can also absorb the impurities of the 'Ashes' to your heart's content… This is a win-win situation. What are you still hesitating about?"

The Boss was frighteningly rational, and her entire demeanor was so cold that it felt alienating. Li Huiyuan didn't say anything more. After taking a deep breath, she called out to Lin Yi while trying to absorb the Ash impurities coming from the Lin Yi brand distiller.

The whole process lasted for nearly five minutes. Li Huiyuan couldn't help but glance at the Boss, asking cautiously, "Boss, these Ash impurities seem to be really… delicious. Do you want to absorb some too? I can't absorb it all by myself, and a lot of it is dissipating directly…"

Her current state had a strong sense of dissonance, like a little girl who feels heartbroken after a sheep is slaughtered, but after eating the mutton, although she is still very uncomfortable, she still says very objectively that the mutton is really delicious…

The Boss shook her head. "I don't need it. Absorb as much as you can. Let the rest dilute in the gymnasium…"

"Uh… okay," Li Huiyuan nodded and continued to call out to Lin Yi.

Another five minutes passed, and the cracks on Lin Yi's body began to heal, but he still didn't wake up.

"Lin Yi…"

"Lin Yi…"

"Linlinzi…?"

"Linlinzi?"

Li Huiyuan called out, even trying to change the way she addressed him.

Finally…

May 9, 2023, 13:35.

"Hiss…"

Lin Yi woke up slightly. As soon as he woke up, he felt endless pain surging through his body along his nerves. It hurt so much that he gasped for air, exhaling and hissing with each breath. His throat was like a wind tunnel, sucking in painful groans.

Throughout the whole process, he was enveloped in an indescribable feeling of torment. Layers upon layers of sweat kept seeping out of his body, steaming the nearby floor wet.

"I…" Lin Yi opened his bleary eyes hazily, hissing with cold air.

Seeing Lin Yi like this, Li Huiyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. A hint of peace appeared in her misty eyes, and her tense body finally relaxed.

"Boss… Lin Yi is awake," the crying tone in Li Huiyuan's voice had been suppressed a lot.

The Boss nodded slightly. "After he recovers about 70-80%, he can start sparring."

"Ah? But Lin Yi is… so badly injured," Li Huiyuan said worriedly. When she was serious, the "Linlinzi" in her mouth became "Lin Yi" again.

Although she had also witnessed Lin Yi's terrifying recovery ability, it was impossible not to worry.

The Boss said, "Once he's healed, you won't be able to touch him again with your speed."

"You should have seen it. His physical fitness is much stronger than ordinary people, and even you at your current level can't say that you have a stronger recovery ability than him."

"This shows that his recovery ability has always been there, and it's located within a certain range, but it hasn't been activated usually, until it was 'activated' just now."

"Furthermore, this recovery ability of his is not within the scope that he can consciously control."

"Therefore, we need to give him more opportunities to use this characteristic on his own, in addition to triggering it only in life-or-death situations."

Listening to the Boss's words, Li Huiyuan's expression became more and more exaggerated, from a "I'm listening" to "I can understand," then to "So that's how it is," and finally to "Ah… this?"

She paused slightly, and asked puzzledly: "But… in that case, isn't it already beyond the scope of 'recovery training'?"

The Boss crossed her arms in front of her chest and said lightly: "No training is absolutely independent. The plan I made for Lin Yi is also being adjusted in real time with the increase of various factors, in order to be able to deal with what he needs to face now as perfectly as possible."