I Will Teach You How to Hunt Gods

Chapter 721 - 22: Becoming Human

He suddenly cast aside all precision instruments, washed his hands under disinfectant water, and directly reached out, grabbing the scalpel and needle, with a near-instinctive intuition, he precisely touched the soul clay that was dispersing.

The scorching soul energy instantly shredded his gloves, pierced through his bones and muscles, and burned his blood dry...

But Akas did not retreat, he just gritted his teeth, controlling the high-energy particles.

"Hold on...child...hold on!"

Akas’s voice was hoarse, trying desperately to mend the fatal crack, attempting to forcibly calm the warm glow that was escaping...

At this moment, within this operating room, there was also a silent war being fought.

...

Three hours.

Akas battled on the silent battlefield for a full three hours.

When his bloodshot eyes, through the microscope, saw that the soul clay finally stabilized and presented an unprecedented soft form, the nerve that had been stretched to the limit suddenly snapped.

"Thud!"

He slid off the operating chair, slumped heavily to the ground; sweat had soaked his worn surgical gown, and his hands, those hands that once could perform any surgical operation with utmost stability, were now uncontrollably trembling, the fingertips showing a charred and ulcerated state, the skin as if corroded by strong acid, even revealing the dark red flesh and white bones beneath.

This was the consequence of long exposure to high-energy particle streams.

The pain was like countless burning hot needles, continuously piercing his fingers, yet he seemed to feel nothing.

Because...he succeeded.

Theoretically, he succeeded.

All emotional circuits had been rebuilt, all shackles had been severed, the form of the soul had also been reshaped to the state closest to "human".

On the operating table, Lamia’s heartbeat pulsed steadily, the soul clay shimmered with a stable glow.

Suddenly, the girl’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and then slowly opened her eyes.

"..."

At that moment, Akas’s heart leaped to his throat, he struggled, using the last ounce of strength to lift his head, looking at those eyes filled with hope.

...

...

Empty.

Still that familiar emptiness. No joy, no sadness, no confusion, nothing.

Like a stagnant pool of water, unable to reflect any light.

Those eyes calmly scanned the chaotic operating room, the instruments emitting smoke, finally resting on Akas, slumped on the ground with ruined hands, haggard in appearance.

Akas’s breath stopped at that moment.

In an instant, despair overwhelmed Akas like sea water, he felt his heart being cruelly crushed by an invisible hand.

All the persistence, all the sacrifices, all the atonement...

At that moment, were rendered meaningless.

"Ha... haha..."

A few dry laughs escaped Akas’s throat, sounding more painful than crying.

He powerlessly lowered his head, staring at his completely ruined hands, like charcoal. These hands could no longer hold a scalpel, could no longer perform any delicate operation.

The charge of his older brother, he ultimately failed, and the pain surged like a tide.

Yet, just when Akas was in absolute despair...

A cold, slender hand gently covered his charred and ulcerated hands.

Akas shivered all over, confusedly lifted his head.

It was Lamia.

She had somehow already sat up, her upper body slightly leaning forward, those still empty eyes showed no radiance, but the hand covering Akas’s hand radiated an inexplicable, gentle and pure life energy.

The energy was filled with unimaginable vitality, gently penetrating into the charred and ulcerated skin and flesh of Akas, further reaching into his scorched bones.

Akas only felt an indescribable coolness and comfort, replacing that piercing pain.

He stared in shock, watching the charred marks on his hands quickly fade away like receding tides, the ulcerated skin and flesh growing visibly!

In just a few breaths, his hands that should have been completely ruined returned to their original state, only slightly pale, without leaving a single scar.

"How...how is this possible?!"

Incredulous, Akas stared at his recovered hands, and then quickly looked up at Lamia.

And at that very moment, he captured...

Within those still calm eyes, in the seemingly empty mist, an extremely faint yet very real ripple flashed by.

Within that ripple, seemed to be mixed with a tiny bit of...concern?

Though the emotion was as weak as a candle in the wind, though it disappeared in an instant, Akas must not be wrong!

That was emotion! Human emotion, no longer cold programming and numb instinct!

"I succeeded! I really...succeeded!"

Akas opened his mouth, wanting to laugh, wanting to cheer, but found himself too overwhelmed to make any sound, only scorching tears like broken pearls rolling out of his eyes, mixing with the sweat and grime on his face, dripping onto his restored palms.

"Good child..."

Choking up, voice trembling slightly, he wished to embrace this niece he finally "met" again after thirty years.

However... Lamia seemed to have exhausted all her strength, those eyes just now showing a ripple of emotion slowly closed, she fell back onto the operating table, sinking into a deep coma once again.

But this time, her breathing was steady and long, her brows seemed to relax slightly, no longer frozen as before.

But this, was enough!

As long as the soul returns to normal, as long as emotions are regained, other problems are minor.

Akas’s heart was filled with unprecedented hope, he struggled to stand, wanting to check on Lamia.

It was only then that he suddenly realized...

Outside... it seemed quiet?

The seemingly endless apocalyptic rumblings, the fighting and the shouting, had completely vanished, leaving only silence.

A post-battle dead silence enveloped the entire cave, only the hum of the instruments in the operating room and his heavy panting were clearly audible.

"Did we win? Did Yun You...hold them back?"

Akas’s heart instinctively surged with this thought, carrying a bit of relief.

It was evident, if Yun You hadn’t held them back, the murderous Death God Slayers would have surely surged in.

Since the surgery wasn’t disrupted, it meant Yun You must have repelled those assassins.

"Bang!"

But just then, a loud noise shattered the silence within the operating room.

The heavy iron door leading to the outside corridor was opened.

Amidst billowing smoke, a tall figure staggered in.

It was Chen Zaikun.

His dark gray combat suit was already in tatters, stained with dark red blood and charred marks, a gruesome wound slashed from the left shoulder to the right rib, the skin and flesh rolled open, deep to the bone, though temporarily sealed by a solid white energy, it remained shockingly visible.

And his arm was supported by a petite girl.

Yun You.

The girl’s state could only be described as brutal. The crimson Dragon Scale Armor had almost entirely vanished, leaving only a few dull fragments embedded in the bone-deep wound.

The wound on her abdomen, though swiftly treated, continued bleeding, staining Chen Zaikun’s arm, her right arm hanging limply, showing multiple unnatural twists, clearly with bones shattered, though she still breathed, she had evidently reached the end of her endurance.

Chen Zaikun’s gaze swept over the chaos within the operating room, saw Lamia unconscious on the surgical table, and understood everything.

He finally looked toward Akas, a face smeared with blood showing only exhaustion.

"Sorry, Doctor."

"I’m afraid...you can’t rest yet."

Speaking, he took step after step toward the operating table, placing Yun You on it.

"You still have another surgery to perform."