socalfunplaces Chapter 365 Don't Get Out of Bed
Chapter 365 Don't Get Out of Bed
Chapter 365 Don't Get Out of Bed
"Chiquan."
"Um.
""
"You just said you could completely control the brand. Then why did you let Hamura stab you at the bend?"
"Because he needs to bring back the information that Chi Quan's brand will activate. If I don't make any mistakes throughout, Helian will reassess my abilities. He'll change his plan. He'll change it to a plan I can't predict. I might as well let him continue with the current plan—using the brand against me."
"Because you know this plan has loopholes that can be exploited."
“Yes,” Chi Quan said. “The flaw in this plan is that Helian thinks he is using the brand to control me, but in fact he is simultaneously revealing his own location to me.”
Shikamaru suddenly turned around.
"Can you locate him?"
"I can't pinpoint the exact location," Chi Quan said, "but whenever his blood is 'plucking the strings,' I can sense the direction."
Not in the sense of east, west, south, or north, but more vaguely, like he's to my left or right.
"What about the frequency? Can you feel the frequency of his plucking?"
"Yes. It's become more frequent recently. Three months ago, it was once a month. Half a month ago, it was once every three days. Last night, while I was asleep—he dialed twice."
Shikamaru remembered what Kagura had said—"The edges of the brand have a very subtle contraction, as if something has nudged them from a distance." That was Helian testing them. He was testing Ikezumi while she was asleep, because sleeping people react the most truthfully.
"So he's been trying since last night."
"Yes. He's checking on my condition. How serious my injuries are, how conscious I am, and how fast my reaction time is."
"You're faking it."
"I made the reaction of the cauterization appear more intense than it actually was. He thought the cauterization contracted twice while I was unconscious, but I only made it contract once. The other contraction was voluntary."
Shikamaru closed his eyes.
"You're lying about his calibration."
"Yes. He thought he was looking for a critical point, but I was actually giving him a false critical point. He thought I would freeze when he adjusted the intensity to a certain level, but I could freeze earlier or later. The data he had was wrong."
Shikamaru opened his eyes.
"But you can only fool him a limited number of times. Sooner or later he'll find the data doesn't match."
"By the time he can't keep up, our net will have already been pulled in."
Shikamaru looked into Ikezumi's eyes.
There was no fanaticism, no wishful thinking, no blind confidence of "I will definitely win" in those eyes. There was only something cold and flat, like a blade. It wasn't the murderous aura of a blade pointing outwards, but rather a blade pointing inwards—he had honed himself into a blade, and then placed that blade against the invisible line between himself and Helian.
Shikamaru asked in a low voice, "How long have you been planning this?"
"It started three months ago when it first cooled down."
"Three months."
"Um.
""
"You're all alone."
"Um.
""
Shikamaru suddenly smiled. It wasn't a happy smile, but a "I knew it" smile, with a strange mix of weariness and relief.
"You..."
Chi Quan looked at him.
"You should have said so earlier," Shikamaru said. "If you had said you were already making plans, why would I have stayed up all night thinking about that artificial carrier solution?"
"Your plan is excellent," Chi Quan said. "Keep it for later use."
Shikamaru shook his head, walked to the bedside, picked up Izumi's water glass from the bedside table, and handed it to him.
Chi Quan took it and drank half a cup.
Shikamaru put the water glass back, pulled over a chair and sat down, then moved the chair forward until his knees were almost touching the edge of the bed.
"Alright. Now that you're closing in, tell me what you need me to do. Not what you think I can do, but what you need me to do."
Chi Quan put down his water cup.
Three things.
"explain."
"First, investigate who within Konoha gave my blood to Helian. Start with the medical team, investigating everyone who came into contact with my blood sample, including Shizune."
Shikamaru nodded. This was something he was already doing.
"Secondly, investigate whether there is a person named Helian in the old cases of the Hamura family. Not a code name, but his real name. If Helian is his surname, what is his given name? What is his relationship with the Hamura family? How is he able to control the Yanshui River?"
Shikamaru took out a piece of paper from his inner pocket and wrote it down.
"And the third one?"
Chi Quan remained silent for a while.
"Third, please prepare a set of clothes for me. Not a hospital gown. Something I can wear, run in, and fight in."
Shikamaru's hand stopped on the paper.
When do you need it?
"tomorrow."
Shikamaru looked up at him.
"Your wound is 6"
"Silent said I can get out of bed and walk around tomorrow, as long as I don't do strenuous activity. I don't want to do strenuous activity. I just want to change my clothes."
Shikamaru stared at him.
Where are you going?
"I won't leave the medical ward," Chi Quan said. "But I can't just sit in my ward waiting for Helian to come and take my place. I need to walk around the medical ward. Let those who need to see me see me. Let those who need to know how badly I'm injured know that I can still walk. Let those who need to be uncertain become even more uncertain."
Shikamaru thought for a moment.
"You're going to create a chaotic flow of information."
"Yes. Helian gathers information about me within Konoha through a mole. What the mole sees is relayed to Helian. If I let different people see different versions of me—some see me lying down unable to move, some see me sitting and drinking porridge, and some see me getting out of bed and walking—the information Helian receives will cause a fight."
Shikamaru put the pen back in his pocket and folded the paper.
"I'll bring the clothes tomorrow."
"Dark-colored."
"I know."
"Make the sleeves wider, and make sure your left arm isn't bent."
"I know."
"knife""
"Take your sword with you," Shikamaru said. "I'll fight anyone who confiscates it."
Chi Quan's lips twitched.
"You've been making that face way too many times lately," Shikamaru said, pointing at him. "I suggest you smile less, otherwise Kiba will say you're smiling again, and if you don't admit it, he'll start yelling at you."
Chi Quan turned his face to the window.
A breeze picked up outside the window. The last few leaves on the persimmon tree trembled on the branches, as if reluctant to leave. In the distance, the flag of the Hokage Tower was blown about by the wind, revealing a corner of its back, on which was embroidered the character "fire," the red thread particularly eye-catching in the afternoon light.
The sound of a stretcher passing by echoed down the corridor, its wheels churning over the paved floor. Someone was running, their footsteps hurried yet light, like raindrops pattering on roof tiles.
Shikamaru stood up, walked to the window, and closed it tightly.
"You can't be exposed to the wind anymore."
"That's residual toxins in the lungs, not a burn."
"The residual toxins in the lungs are also unacceptable."
Chi Quan did not refute.
Shikamaru stood by the window for a while, looking down. The medical department's door was open, and people were going in and out, most of them wearing white coats or uniforms, with the occasional person in a dark Jonin vest hurrying past.
"Shikamaru".
"Um.
""
"What level do you think Helian's mole in Konoha is?"
Shikamaru turned around.
"Those who have access to the medical department's blood samples are at least Chunin level or higher. Those who can spread intelligence internally without being detected have at least three to five years of infiltration experience. Those who dare to act at this critical juncture—are not bribed, but are already on Helian's side."
Chi Quan asked, "Do you have someone in mind?"
Shikamaru shook his head.
"There are several directions, but no specific names."
"Then let's not guess," Chi Quan said. "Let's wait for the fish to rise to the surface on its own."
Shikamaru looked at him.
"When did you learn to fish?"
"I caught it from you."
Shikamaru chuckled briefly.
"Alright."
In the evening, Jingyin returned.
There was a small, dark water stain on the cuff of her white coat; I couldn't tell if it was medicine or something else. Her face showed the weariness one would expect after a delicate surgery, but her eyes were unusually bright.
Shikamaru stood up from his chair.
"How is Kuai?"
"The eggs have been extracted." Shizune removed her mask, her voice hoarse. "There are seven in total. The smallest is thinner than a pinhead, and the largest has grown to the size of half a grain of rice. They built a tiny nest in Jiujing's subcutaneous tissue, and they exchange fluids with each other—just like the principle of Yanshui."
Kagura followed her in, carrying a transparent, sealed jar. At the bottom of the jar were a few grayish-white particles, soaking in a pale blue liquid.
"Water-evolving insect eggs." Kagura held the jar up to the light. "They're still dormant. Shizune suppressed their metabolism with a chakra-blocking agent, but they didn't die. They'll hatch within three minutes of contact with fresh blood."
Shikamaru walked closer and took a look.
The insect eggs glowed faintly in the liquid, not with the light of chakra, but with the kind of light that water refracts, like raindrops flashing in the sunset.
"Where's Hisai?"
"Observe him downstairs," Shizune said. "The wound on his arm was stitched up twice, and he received anti-parasitic medication for three days. Kagura-san placed a seal on him to prevent any more parasite eggs from spreading through the lymphatic system to other places."
Kagura placed the sealed jar on the windowsill, next to the test tube. The two items stood side by side, like two silent witnesses.
"Lord Shikamaru," Kagura turned around, "I think we can't wait any longer."
"What do you mean?"
"Helian has already planted insect egg carriers inside Konoha. The eggs in the test tubes aren't meant to infect Hisai; they're just a transport tool. The real target is this ward. This floor. The blood bank in the medical department."
Shikamaru's pupils contracted slightly.
"The eggs were dormant in the test tube. When Hisai pricked his finger, he activated some of the eggs on the test tube wall. But some eggs were at the bottom of the test tube, untouched by Hisai's blood. They are still alive, still waiting."
"What are you waiting for?"
"Wait for another drop of blood," Kagura said. "It could be Izumi's blood, or anyone's blood. As long as someone opens a test tube in this ward, or if a test tube breaks and blood splatters, the eggs will hatch. The hatched adult worms will spread with the moisture in the air. The water pipes in the medical department, the humidifiers, even people's breathing—all are transmission routes."
Shikamaru walked up to the test tube and looked down at the dark red liquid inside.
"This thing was destined for the medical department from the moment it was sent out."
Kagura nodded.
"Helian doesn't need to know Chi Quan's exact location. He just needs to send the insect eggs into the medical department. After the eggs hatch, the adult insects will instinctively seek out the most concentrated blood source—Chi Quan is in this building. He's covered in fresh blood with two bloodline marks. The adult insects will find him like moths to a flame."
Chi Quan spoke from the bed.
"The eggs need blood to hatch. The test tube is sealed now, and there's no new blood supply. As long as no one opens it, it's safe."
"Yes," Kagura said, "but with it here, every second that passes increases the risk. What if there's an earthquake, what if someone accidentally knocks it over, what if a rat trips it?"
"Then get rid of it," Chi Quan said.
Silent shook her head: "We can't just handle it. Burning it will cause the test tube to explode due to the high temperature. Burying it will allow the insect eggs to survive in the soil for years. Pouring it down the drain will pollute the water source."
Shikamaru had his hands in his pockets, his thumbs pressing down on the pen cap, making a soft clicking sound.
"Send them to the sealing class."
Everyone looked at him.
Shikamaru said, "Use sealing techniques to seal off all material exchange inside and outside the test tube. Then wrap it with a layer of sealing sand, and then a layer of lead. Then sink it into the abandoned sealing well beneath the sealing team. There are seven layers of seals at the bottom of that well, so even chakra can't get through, let alone a few insect eggs."
Kagura thought for a moment.
"It's feasible. But we need the Hokage's authorization."
"I'll go get it now." Shikamaru walked to the door, opened it, and suddenly stopped.
He turned around.
"Chiquan."
"Um.
""
"If Helian can sense the blood in your body through the Yanshui, can he also sense these insect eggs? They were cultivated using Yanshui."
Chi Quan closed his eyes and focused his attention.
About twenty seconds later, he opened his eyes.
"Yes. There is a very weak resonance between them and the brand. It's like a distant string vibrating slightly. If Helian listens carefully, he can hear it."
"So now he knows the eggs are in the medical department."
"I know," Chi Quan said, "but he doesn't know if the eggs have been sealed, destroyed, or are hatching. He'll wait. He's waited three months; a day or two won't make a difference."
Shikamaru nodded, pushed open the door, and went out.
The sound of footsteps gradually faded away in the corridor.
Shizune began packing the medicine kit, sorting the used gauze and syringes into different recycling bags. Kagura stood by the window, staring at the two pieces of evidence side by side, her expression like that of someone watching two snakes that might come to life at any moment.
Chi Quan leaned against the pillows, his right hand resting on the blanket, his fingers tapping the sheets rhythmically. The rhythm was slow and steady, like some ancient beat.
After packing her things, Jingyin walked to the bedside and looked down at the bandage on his abdomen.
"It's seeping again."
"Um."
"You got out of bed?"
"Um.
""
I told you.
"I remember."
Silently took a deep breath, swallowed back the words she was about to say, and took out new bandages and cotton wool from the medicine box.
"Lie down."
Chi Quan lies down.
Silently unwrapped his bandages, revealing the wound on his abdomen. The stitches were still there, and hadn't come undone, but the skin around the wound was more red and swollen than in the morning. She frowned and gently wiped the edges with a sterile cotton swab.
Chi Quan remained silent.
Silently, but not hastily, she moved quickly. She changed to a new ointment, and as she applied it, the warmth of her fingers traveled through the ointment to Chi Quan's skin. She re-bandaged the area and removed the old bandage.
"Don't get out of bed," she said.
Chi Quan did not answer.