Chapter 20 Cripple

"Ugh... I still ended up passing out." With the glare of sunlight hitting his face, Hubert opened his eyes. "Huh? When did Little Cleaner come back?!" Looking guilty, like a child caught misbehaving, Hubert jumped out of his rocking chair and instinctively glanced toward the clinic. Only after seeing that the bloodstains had been cleaned did he breathe a sigh of relief, then gently tucked a blanket over Virgil. Another calm yet uneventful day had begun. Well... Not entirely uneventful. After all, there was still a 'patient' staying in the clinic, adding a touch of intrigue to the otherwise dull routine. Meanwhile, on the operating table... Monkey's consciousness stirred back to life. "I'm not dead! I made it! If I'm right, I should be in a hospital right now, surrounded by kind nurses and doctors! I've been saved! Yeah, that's it! I can even smell the disinfectant!" Although Monkey's eyes remained closed, his mind raced furiously. Finally, he opened his eyes with great anticipation, ready to memorize the face of his savior. In the future, when he became the kingpin of Encten's underworld, he swore to make that person second only to him—someone revered by thousands. "You didn't run after all. A true 'patient' indeed." A familiar voice, a familiar face, and even... a familiar clinic. Seeing Hubert standing at the operating table, sighing with emotion, Monkey almost wondered if last night had been a dream! In that dream, he had escaped... "No! It was an illusion! This is... this is... right, post-traumatic stress disorder! My mind must've conjured up my deepest fears. Yeah, that's it!" Monkey took a deep breath and resolutely closed his eyes again. "Your face looks dark. Your clothes have blood on them. My broom's missing too. Don't tell me... you really tried to run? I'd be heartbroken." Hubert's voice kept ringing in Monkey's ears like a devil's whisper. Even though Monkey kept convincing himself it was just an illusion, no illusion should feel this real! In the end, Monkey gave up resisting reality. Resigned, he opened his eyes again, forced a weak, fawning smile, and said, "G-good morning, buddy." "You tried to run?" Hubert asked thoughtfully. Even though Monkey's body was still weak, his head shook like a rattling drum. "No! Absolutely not!" "Alright." Hubert didn't seem too interested in pressing the issue. Once he confirmed his 'patient' was still alive, he turned and left. Doctors had their rounds to make! Mission accomplished. Honestly, after Little Cleaner's constant reminders over time, Hubert had grown rather disciplined in his routine. After scanning his workspace, he followed the instructions on a note to wash up. Only then did he return to the clinic entrance, lift his head, and squint at the sky. "So... Are Immortals supposed to just fall out of the sky or something? Man... that'd be awesome. Oh, the recent medicine... it's barely working on Little Cleaner anymore," Hubert muttered softly. The next moment, his body trembled slightly, and his back felt strangely warm. At the same time, the 'Immortal Realm,' which had almost disappeared behind the clouds, suddenly shook violently. "Why are there voices chanting in my ears again?! So annoying!!!" Hubert instinctively wanted to shout in frustration, but when he glanced at the still-sleeping Virgil, he swallowed his irritation. Fortunately, this time the voices didn't last long. "From this day forth, thou shalt receive my blessing." "Rubbish! That's my chosen seed..." "Get lost..." The voices bickered for a moment before abruptly vanishing. All that remained was... Hmm... "Vast heavens shining brightly... A staff rising to the sky..." "A bunch of nonsense... ancient poetry?" Hubert didn't get it, and those 'poems' quickly slipped from his mind. Normal people didn't waste time memorizing weird verses like that. Just as Hubert sat back in his rocking chair, basking in the sunlight and pondering how to pass his dull day, a cold voice suddenly rang out. "Virgil!" The voice was thick with suppressed anger. Curious, Hubert opened his eyes. A young man, probably around twenty-eight or twenty-nine, stood cold-faced on the street. The moment the pedestrians on Black Street saw him, they all froze in place and instinctively stepped back. If Hubert was like an invisible wall that people could avoid by taking a detour, then this young man was more like an abyss — just one look, and you'd feel yourself falling in. Especially his eyes — they were filled with a lifeless indifference. "Who called me?" Virgil groggily opened his eyes, rubbed them, and instinctively looked ahead. The moment he spotted the young man, Virgil yelped and jumped to his feet, then quickly hid behind Hubert. "C...Cripple..." The young man thumped his cane forcefully against the ground. Cracks quietly spread across the stone tiles beneath him. Hubert, as if he'd just discovered something hilarious, tried to stifle his laughter — but in the end, he couldn't hold it back. He clutched his stomach and burst into wild laughter while rocking in his chair. "Ha... hahaha... Cr...Cripple! Since when... when did you get such a taste? A pink ca...cane, with a cartoon cat sticker on it... Ha... haha, I can't... My stomach hurts from laughing!" Hubert's laughter echoed down the street. Cripple's face turned pitch black as he glared daggers at Hubert. "Lunatic, are you mocking me?" "No! I'm just mocking your cane! You're not actually planning to bash my head in with that adorable cane, are you? Go on! Do it! I've imagined a thousand different ways I might die, but this? This is new! Honestly, I'd be honored to get beaten to death by Cripple — with this ridiculously cute cane!" As he spoke, Hubert actually stood up from his rocking chair, walked two steps forward, and crouched right in front of Cripple, completely exposing his head like an eager sacrifice. His eyes sparkled with excitement and anticipation. Who wouldn't want to get whacked by such a kawaii stick? "Get lost!" Cripple took a deep breath and cursed through gritted teeth. "Oh. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider? Maybe I should stab you first — you know, just to help you build up some rage?" Hubert stood up, disappointed. He glanced at Cripple thoughtfully, then actually reached down to his waist, pulled out a dagger, and gripped it tightly. "Why do you two always start fighting the moment you meet?" Virgil sighed helplessly before adding, with a guilty expression, "I... I was too scared to tell Cripple n...not to kill people. So I thought... if I put cute stickers on his cane... maybe... maybe he'd soften up when he's about to kill someone..." Hearing Virgil's explanation, Hubert burst into laughter all over again. Cripple's mouth twitched slightly as he stared coldly at him. "So that's why you've been avoiding me for two months?" "Uh..." Virgil lowered his head like a child caught misbehaving. "I'm sorry, Cripple..." Cripple's mouth struggled to form a smile — only for him to force it back down with sheer willpower. "Hmph! My room's a mess again after these three months. It's hard for a cripple like me to clean it up." Cripple turned silently and started walking toward West Street. Virgil's eyes lit up, and he broke into a happy smile. "I'll help you clean it up! Cripple, you're really not mad anymore? Cripple, slow down! I can barely keep up!" Virgil added, "Hubert, I put the medicine you bought on the counter. Don't you dare sell the expired stuff again! Oh, right, I'll bring you dinner when I get back!" "Cripple, slow down!" Virgil jogged after Cripple, eventually disappearing from Hubert's sight. Hubert's smile slowly faded, and he sank back into his rocking chair. "That arrogant, stubborn Cripple... Always stealing my Little Cleaner... Looks like I'm destined to be lonely today..." His face wore a look of melancholy as he spotted a passerby carefully sneaking by. With a hopeful expression, Hubert called out, "Hey, don't you think I really deserve a good beating? Feel like giving me one?" The passerby froze in place and shook his head furiously. "I'm actually super easy to bully. Go on, give it a shot. Who knows? After today, you might become the new 'Lunatic of Central Street'. Oh wait, no... with your height, you'd be the 'Shorty of Central Street' instead!"