Divine Oracle [Transmigration] (ORACLE)
It took over an hour to reach the private restaurant. The food there was expensive and unpalatable, and coupled with the protest crowds they encountered on the way, Song Si had no appetite at all. He only managed half a bowl of shaved ice and half a bowl of soup, which made Chu Mingyi frown repeatedly as he kept piling food into Song Si’s bowl.
"Lin Zheng hasn’t been acting right lately," Chu Mingyi said while supervising Song Si’s eating. "That hand of his is getting more and more volatile. Today, I noticed a wound on the back of his right hand, but he wouldn’t say anything when I asked."
Song Si moved all the food Chu Mingyi had given him onto a separate plate, picking at it absentmindedly. "I’ll make time to check on him tomorrow."
Chu Mingyi pressed, "Eat more. You’re so thin—how am I supposed to explain this to my brother?"
Song Si countered, "You’re the one who dragged me out of bed at dawn. There’s no explaining that."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the phone on the table rang, the screen flashing with the word "Brother."
The two exchanged glances. Chu Mingyi guiltily set down his chopsticks and quietly stepped over to the window to answer the call.
Song Si pricked up his ears, listening to Chu Mingyi’s murmured "Mm-hmms" and "Ohs" by the window as he offered a few hushed explanations. Then, covering the receiver, Chu Mingyi turned to Song Si. "He’s asking if you’re coming back to sleep tonight."
Song Si checked the time—it was almost 8 PM. Getting back to the Chu residence would take until 10.
On top of that, Chu Mingxiao’s ability to manifest inner fears made him somewhat uneasy. After hesitating for a couple of seconds, he shook his head, signaling that he wouldn’t be returning.
Chu Mingyi made up an excuse for him. "He got carsick today and threw up a lot, so he won’t be coming back."
After a few more words from the other end, Chu Mingyi hung up and looked at Song Si, suddenly grinning. "Back in college, when we skipped class, we covered for each other just like this. Too bad you don’t remember."
Song Si took one last bite of noodles. "What did he say?"
Chu Mingyi replied, "He said the equipment in Division Three might not be accurate, so you should take some medicine. Early-stage dissociative disorder isn’t something to take lightly."
Song Si tapped his head, hearing a hollow echo inside, like a ripe watermelon.
"Got it," he acknowledged.
After dinner, they returned to the clinic’s second floor. The clinic wasn’t far from the police station, and the distant clamor from there lingered well past midnight. Song Si tossed and turned in bed, barely sleeping, and woke up a little after 6 AM the next day with a throbbing headache, wishing he could just treat himself.
At exactly 8 AM, a bright female voice called from downstairs, "Sisi-ge, time for work! We’re here to pick you up!"
Song Si changed his shoes and stepped out, seeing Tian Li and Yu Yiming waiting for him in the courtyard. Division Three’s beat-up car was parked at the entrance, with Chu Mingyi leaning against the door, smoking.
The moment Song Si came downstairs, Tian Li made to pounce on him for another bear hug, but he swiftly dodged behind Yu Yiming. Yu Yiming, unusually amused, shielded Song Si with both arms. "Xiao Li, don’t—don’t you remember how you fractured Xin Xin last time?"
Tian Li pouted in protest. "I’ll be careful this time!"
Amid the laughter and banter, Chu Mingyi finished his cigarette and called out, "Get in the car, everyone. If we hit traffic, we’ll be late."
Song Si sat in the passenger seat while Tian Li in the back clung to the headrest, leaning against his shoulder as she relentlessly accused him of taking photos with female colleagues from the first division. Song Si repeatedly promised it wouldn't happen again and agreed to treat her to ice cream after work, finally managing to placate the younger girl.
Beside him, Chu Mingyi was making a bet with Yu Yiming about whether they'd be late at their current driving speed, the wager being a potted succulent. Listening to the lively chatter filling the car, Song Si couldn't help but smile, unfazed by the noise as he turned up the car radio.
"...The protest lasted from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Protesters, many emotionally charged, clashed with police, resulting in one severe injury and five minor injuries. Most protesters were cancer patients, whose lives have been severely impacted since Ninghai's cost-effective methotrexate—one of the key affordable anticancer drugs—was banned. Let's hear from an expert..."
"...Yes, several anticancer drugs under Ninghai Group are indeed among the most clinically used, and currently, there are no equally effective substitutes. Cutting off the supply of Ninghai medicine wasn't done without considering patients' needs, but because the harm caused by Ninghai Group's fraud case has exceeded all expectations. Their drugs—from development to animal testing and even volunteer trials—all had falsified reports."
"...What is the greatest danger of Ninghai medicine? Why the urgency for a blanket ban? Laboratory evidence shows that some long-term users have experienced alterations in their genetic sequences. If these drugs continue circulating unchecked, they could potentially affect the entire human genetic chain."
The car gradually slowed down.
The police station was just two streets away from the Special Investigation Bureau, but due to yesterday's protests, barricades had been set up at the intersection.
Today marked the third day since Liu Cenning's case was filed. Protesters still blocked the main route between the police station and the courthouse, their numbers seemingly increased, compounded by swarming TV crews, reporters, and photographers—making the scene even more chaotic than yesterday afternoon.
Chu Mingyi pulled over and said, "Xiao Li, take Song Si through the mall to bypass this stretch. There are too many people here—he can't handle it."
Yu Yiming added, "I'll go with them."
Chu Mingyi nodded. The group got out of the car first, but Song Si's head throbbed with a dull ache, the exotic energy fluctuations far stronger than last night.
The mall was just across the street. As soon as he stepped out, nausea hit him again, and he quickened his pace without waiting for Tian Li and Yu Yiming, striding across the pedestrian crossing.
Then, suddenly, he sensed malice.
Cold, sinister malice, like the flickering tongue of a viper, coiled around his neck under the bright daylight.
Song Si abruptly halted in the middle of the road, his pupils instantly narrowing into vertical slits as the Twin Butterflies stirred awake in his mind.
At the same time, his sensitivity to energy and emotions heightened a hundredfold. Waves of fluctuations from all directions within nearly a kilometer crashed into him like a relentless tide. There were too many people—his mind was battered against the cliffs of sensory overload, and blood began dripping uncontrollably from his nose.
A crying child, police shouting to maintain order, patients screaming that they had nothing left to lose, protesters mechanically chanting slogans, restless and faint exotic energy ripples...
"Mom, I want candied hawthorns! Mom, mom!"
"Stop gawking, there's a vegetable sale at the supermarket today. We'll miss it if we're late."
"Stop pushing! Stop pushing!"
"Lift the ban on Ninghai medicine! Address patients' legitimate needs! Lift the ban on Ninghai medicine, address patients' legitimate needs!"
"Hello everyone, I'm currently on the rooftop of Xingsheng Mall. You can clearly see..."
To the right!
Song Si suddenly turned his head, locking onto a flicker of bright red light amidst the undulating energy waves. The figure was hidden within the dense crowd but immediately broke into a run the moment Song Si turned.
Without hesitation, Song Si charged forward. Tian Li shouted behind him, "Song Si! Be careful!" His vision was a blur of colors—he couldn't distinguish any faces in the crowd. Apart from the swirling energy waves, all inanimate objects faded into obscurity. Half-blind, he stumbled his way toward the commotion—
A scream pierced the air without warning.
A strong force yanked him backward, and his back collided with a solid chest.
As he was firmly held, a dull, wet thud echoed in his ears—the sound of a body hitting the ground from a height, turning into a pulpy mass...
The person behind him was breathing heavily, the warmth brushing against Song Si's ear.
Song Si blinked hard. His abilities seemed to be blocked by something, and the surroundings gradually came into focus.
He saw, right where he had been standing moments ago, a blurred, crimson mass...
His vision was suddenly obscured by a large hand.
"It's alright," Chu Mingyi's steady voice murmured by his ear. "It's alright. Don't look."
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