"How are you planning to deal with those people?" Xie Yufei asked.
Wang Yan paused to think, then produced a knife from behind his back. "I'll cut through the mess quickly."
"Well, hurry up with that knife of yours!" Xie Yufei glanced at the blade, momentarily startled. "I'm still waiting to go back for a barbecue party with the Caesar tribe!"
Barbecue party?
Why was her life in the primitive tribe so carefree and festive?
Wang Yan pursed his lip. "I'll join too."
"Sure. You bring the wine," Xie Yufei replied.
Wang Yan fell silent, suddenly feeling the comforting hum of day-to-day life in the air.
In general, it's never good news for the other side when someone abruptly leaves the negotiating table. So, when Wang Yan and Xie Yufei reappeared, the group of elites from the rehabilitation hospital had all but lost hope of ever returning to Earth.
And upon seeing the knife in Wang Yan's hand, their unease grew deeper.
From their perspective, Wang Yan possessed both extraordinary power and control over an undeveloped planet, and clearly wasn't inclined to share it with anyone else. The reason they had floated so many "grand plans" was mostly an attempt to take advantage of his apparent youth and inexperience.
"I've considered your proposals," Wang Yan began, not mincing words. "They're good ideas, but they're not right for my planet. Given the current situation, your personal abilities will be more useful than anything else."
Xie Yufei stood quietly beside him. With her intellect, she could have proposed even more efficient arrangements, but she didn't want to overshadow Wang Yan—the planet's true master—and risk annoying him. Besides, his impulsive style was more interesting.
"You really won't reconsider?" Feng Chunlai asked, clearly unwilling to give up. He'd been so rattled by the sight of Wang Yan's blade that he instinctively used a deferential tone. Here, in this strange world, faced with someone like Wang Yan, his usual confidence felt flimsy at best.
"I know what's on your mind," Wang Yan said. "You're afraid you won't be able to return to Earth, that you'll never see your families again. Or you're worried you won't adapt to the rugged environment here, and your bodies will give out. But I'm here to tell you—those fears are minor."
"Oh, that's easy for you to say!" Zhang Dongping, a researcher from the Institute of Geology, muttered. "Sure, you restored our health, but we're still old. We don't have modern medicine here, no hospitals, no pharmacies. When you're young, it's easier to work in tough conditions. But at our age, sent to a primitive society like this? How long can our old bones last?"
Suddenly, thump—
Wang Yan moved in a blur, appearing right beside Zhang Dongping, and without hesitation, he drove the knife into the old man's chest.
Everyone froze in shock.
He had really stabbed him!
Screams erupted, and the rest of the group scrambled back at least five meters. Unlike the previous time when Wang Yan had only threatened to feed someone to the fish, this time the knife had gone straight in, right before their eyes.
Blood spurted out.
If you disagree, you die?
The previously gentlemanly young man had abruptly transformed into a demon.
In that moment, the entire group was consumed by regret. They wished they'd never tried to negotiate with him. Why hadn't they just gone along with whatever he said? In hindsight, even having their memories erased and being stuck in a crippled body on Earth would have been better than this. Being alive—even disabled—was better than dying here, wasn't it?
Not only the elderly men and women but even Xie Yufei stood there, mouth covered in astonishment, staring at Wang Yan in horror. Wasn't "cutting through the mess quickly" just a figure of speech? He actually did it!
Then she thought back to Wang Yan's abilities—and a different awareness settled in. Pursing her lips, she muttered inwardly, Ugh, this is boring.
"Hey, young man…" Zhang Dongping gasped, still impaled on the knife, staring bitterly at Wang Yan. "Even if I complained, you didn't have to kill me on the spot. At least… give me a chance!"
"Of course," Wang Yan said, smiling pleasantly. Then he wrenched the knife out without the slightest hesitation.
Zhang Dongping let out another agonized shriek as he collapsed onto his back, assuming he would die any second and head off to meet the Buddha in the afterlife.
The violence was too much for the rest. Eyes tightly shut, they all trembled, afraid even to look at Wang Yan, let alone open their mouths.
Wang Yan turned and surveyed the scene—everyone cowering, too terrified to speak—and gave a satisfied smile.
He'd killed a man, yet he could still smile so calmly?
That sight made them recoil even further, squeezing tightly together in dread. Nobody dared say a word.
Perfect! Wang Yan thought. Back then, I nearly got dismembered by primitives, and I didn't bat an eye. These folks are so skittish.
"Don't be afraid," he reassured them with a smile. "I just wanted to show you something—an ability that should put your minds at ease."
What kind of 'ability' requires actually stabbing someone?
His words only made the group more terrified. They stared at the bloody knife in his hand, scooting back another step.
Wang Yan sighed inwardly. He turned to look at Zhang Dongping, who was still lying motionless on the ground, and leaned over him. "All right, Mr. Zhang, time to get up. It's chilly down there."
"I'm dead—why should I be worried about feeling cold?" Zhang Dongping replied weakly. But even as he spoke, he realized something. He jerked upright, groaning in pain, and tore open the front of his hospital gown.
His chest was completely uninjured. Not even a scar remained.
"Old Zhang, you're not dead?" Jiang Yanping exclaimed in disbelief.
"Yeah… Why am I alive?" Zhang Dongping felt around for the wound. "I know that blade went in. It hurt! I felt the cold seeping in. How could I possibly be okay?"
Everyone turned to Wang Yan in unison, remembering how he had healed their terminal illnesses earlier.
"That's the new ability I've granted all of you," Wang Yan said, suddenly sounding like a salesman pitching an exciting product. "I call it 'immortality.' No matter how badly you're injured—even if you're dismembered—you'll return to normal in a short time. With it, you don't need to fear the dangers of this primitive world. In fact, you don't need to fear death at all! Jump off a cliff for the thrill of it, or go bungee jumping every day if you want. You'll be fine."
"Immortality?" Luo Mingde, the physicist, gaped, then shook his head. "That's… unscientific!"
"In this place, science is a bit different," Wang Yan replied with a chuckle. "Congratulations, you're basically Wolverine now."
Xie Yufei let out a small hmph of annoyance. Why didn't Wang Yan mention such an important ability to me sooner? But deep down, she felt a rush of excitement. Immortality means no aging… I'll stay young forever?
"As for concerns about missing your loved ones, that's also not a problem," Wang Yan continued. "Time flows differently here compared to Earth. For every thirty years in this world, only one year passes on Earth. Even if you spend a full century here raising an entire generation of skilled people for me, only about three years will have gone by back home. It wouldn't really impact your lives there."
"Thirty-to-one time flow? You're not lying?" Feng Chunlai asked, voice trembling.
The group lit up, even more excited than when they first heard about immortality.
"I've already granted you an immortal body. Why would I bother lying about something so small?" Wang Yan shrugged. "One hundred years is like getting a whole extra life. By the time you head back, you'll still have a healthy body, and just three years will have passed on Earth. Back home, you'd still be bedridden or worse, right?"
"I… I'm fine staying here," Luo Mingde blurted for the first time. "There's so much to learn in this world—so many mysteries I could explore through physics."
"I'm staying too," Zhang Dongping declared. "Who wouldn't want to live longer?"
"I'll stay as well," Jiang Yanping said hesitantly. "Young man, if possible, could you bring my wife over, too? She's farmed her whole life, and she'd be a big help here."
"No problem! I'll figure out a way to bring her," Wang Yan agreed happily.