The Imperial Marshal’s Darling at the Tip of His Heart - Chapter 6

The stench of rot, disinfectant, and an indescribable, cloying sweetness belonging to decaying organic matter blended together to form a nauseating “air cocktail” deep within this dark alley.

Yun Shu leaned against the cold, damp wall, nearly coughing up the meager amount of nutrient fluid he had just ingested. Every cough sent a tearing pain through his chest. Golden sparks danced before his eyes, and a loud buzzing filled his ears. He forced himself not to slide to the ground, struggling to steady his breathing while listening alertly to the movements outside the alley.

The sounds of the conflict between the “Grabbers” and the Port Security Detail seemed to have shifted further away. However, the sporadic shouts and the roar of engines reminded him that danger was far from gone.

He had to leave immediately. This dead-end alley provided only temporary cover. Once those men handled their trouble, a meticulous search would quickly spread to these peripheral corners.

He needed a hiding place, and even more, he needed medical intervention. The frantic run and extreme tension from earlier had caused his physical condition to deteriorate sharply. The erosion of Crystal Erosion Disease seemed to have deepened another layer; he could even feel a faint, crystalline grinding sensation in certain parts of his lungs.

His gaze fell upon the deepest part of the alley, a heavy iron door that looked like the back entrance to a derelict warehouse, nearly buried under trash and graffiti. On the wall beside the door was a faded, barely visible pattern: a crude spray-painted mark consisting of a gear and a caduceus.

The sign of an underground clinic.

In a place like Star-Shatter City, legitimate hospitals were rare and expensive. Most people relied on these black-market doctor outposts that operated on the fringes of the law, asking no questions about origins and only recognizing credit points. The risk was immense, but it was currently his only choice.

Yun Shu took a breath of the moldy air and staggered to the iron door. There was no doorbell; he followed the “rules of the road,” tapping on the rusted metal in a specific rhythm: two long, one short, one long.

The few seconds of waiting felt like a century. Any unusual sound from the alley entrance made his nerves snap taut. Finally, a small sliding window on the door pulled open with a shink. A pair of murky, alert eyes surveyed him through the darkness, their voice low and raspy: “Who are you looking for?”

“…Seeking treatment.” Yun Shu’s voice was terribly hoarse. He pulled his hood down slightly, revealing a pale, sweat-soaked face and eyes slightly out of focus from pain. “Old Snake sent me.”

He gave a name he had heard on the Star-Shatter rumor channels that might carry some weight.

The eyes behind the door scrutinized him for a few more seconds, likely assessing his threat level and “value.” Finally, the iron door let out a piercing screech as it opened inward just enough for one person to pass.

“Hurry up,” the raspy voice urged.

Yun Shu squeezed through sideways. The iron door slammed shut behind him, followed by the dull thud of a heavy lock falling into place.

The space behind the door was slightly larger than he had imagined, but equally dim and filthy. The air was thick with the smell of disinfectant, blood, and chemicals. Various discarded medical instruments were piled in corners, covered in unidentified stains.

A short, stout man wearing a leather apron stained with blood and chemicals was using an energy scalpel to scrape necrotic flesh off a mechanical arm part. His movements were uncomfortably practiced. Half of his face was covered by a crude metal prosthetic. He was likely the doctor here, possibly doubling as an illegal prosthetic modifier and parts dealer.

“What’s the ailment?” The doctor didn’t look up; his voice remained raspy, as if his vocal cords had also been modified.

“Crystal Erosion Disease. Late stage.” Yun Shu was concise. There was no point in hiding a severe illness in a place like this; doing so was a death sentence.

The doctor’s movements paused. He lifted his one good eye and looked at Yun Shu carefully once more. There was something different in his gaze now—not sympathy, but the evaluative look one gives a rare clinical case.

“Tch. From Xi Lan? This disease is a nasty one to serve. Mitigator? Analgesic? Or do you want something stronger to temporarily forget about it?” He set down the scalpel and wiped his hands on his apron.

“Strong neural stabilizer, high-concentration nutrient solution, and…” Yun Shu paused, glancing at the most ancient-looking but seemingly functional neural interface pod in the corner. “I need to borrow that equipment to access the network for a very short time.”

The doctor’s lone eye squinted, revealing a nearly grotesque smile as his metal prosthetic twisted. “Kid, you ask for a lot. This isn’t a charity house. Credit points, or something of equal value.” He swept his gaze meaningfully over Yun Shu’s body in a way that was extremely unsettling.

Yun Shu reached into his inner pocket and pulled out several high-purity energy crystal cores. These were hard currency even in Xi Lan, far more reliable than the chaotic credit points of Star-Shatter City. He placed them on a grease-stained table nearby.

“Are these enough?”

The doctor picked up the cores, held them against the dim light, and weighed them. He seemed satisfied.

“Enough for one basic treatment and ten minutes of access time. Warning you: that old machine has a temper. The connection hurts like hell, and I don’t have any firewalls here. If something spots you, don’t blame me.” He pointed to the interface pod.

“Accepted.” Yun Shu had no capital to bargain with.

The treatment process was crude and direct. A cold, unidentified potent stabilizer was injected into his vein, bringing a brief shudder and dizziness. It did, however, manage to suppress the bone-deep pain and the urge to cough. A high-concentration nutrient solution was administered via IV drip, replenishing his nearly depleted physical strength. The doctor’s hands were devoid of gentleness, acting as if he were repairing a piece of machinery.

During the process, brief conflicts seemed to break out again on the streets outside. Shouts and the short hum of energy weapons could be heard faintly, heightening the tension inside the underground clinic. The doctor seemed used to it, merely muttering a few curses as he continued his work.

Ten minutes later, Yun Shu pulled the needle from his arm. Though his face was still pale, his limbs no longer felt as weak and limp as before. He walked toward the old neural interface pod.

“The timer starts now,” the doctor said, glancing at him before returning to his mechanical parts.

Yun Shu lay in the cold, foul-smelling pod. The equipment was far more primitive and rough than that of Xi Lan; the electrodes brought a sharp sting of discomfort when attached to his temples. He closed his eyes, and his consciousness dived once more into the torrent of data.

This time, he accessed the chaotic and perilous Darknet of Star-Shatter City. Countless streams of junk info, viruses, fraudulent ads, and malicious code rushed at him like turbid sewage. He carefully avoided the main channels, moving through the digital sludge like a loach. He searched for specific information sources: Imperial ship docking records, the latest movements of the “Grabbers,” and any bounties or wanted posters related to him.

The information was fragmented. He quickly captured a few valuable pieces of intelligence: An unidentified assault ship with distinct high-level Imperial military features had landed at a top-tier private berth in the port district an hour ago. It was almost certain that Ling Yao had arrived. The “Grabbers” had issued a higher bounty, with the target description matching him perfectly, emphasizing the need for a “live capture.” They clearly believed he possessed vital information.

He also tried to find channels for new equipment, but time was too short to find a reliable source.

Just as he was preparing to disconnect, an extremely well-hidden data stream carrying a sense of cold, rigid order, slid into this chaotic Darknet like a shark in the night. It wasn’t patrolling aimlessly; it was scanning with extreme precision, capturing all traffic related to keywords like “Xi Lan,” “intrusion,” and “genetic sequence.”

Ling Yao’s people! They had already begun their electronic dragnet and search! They were so fast!

Yun Shu immediately cut the connection, his consciousness snapping back to reality.

“Time’s up,” the doctor’s cold voice rang out simultaneously.

Yun Shu sat up from the pod, a wave of intense nausea and dizziness hitting him. The old equipment placed a much higher mental load on him than expected.

“What’s the situation outside?” he asked hoarsely, his mind quickly calculating the next move.

“Total mess,” the doctor scoffed. “The Grabbers’ mad dogs are running around like headless flies, and those useless port security guards are putting on a show. Heard a big shot arrived; everyone’s probably trying to suck up.” He gave Yun Shu a meaningful look. “You’ve caused quite some trouble, kid.”

Yun Shu didn’t answer. He knew he couldn’t stay here long either. Ling Yao’s electronic reconnaissance had already covered the area; it was only a matter of time before the physical search pushed into this sector. He had to move immediately, and he needed a disguise.

His gaze swept across the clinic’s discarded prosthetics and junk, finally resting on a grease-stained, oversized old work jacket hanging on the wall and a crushed, deformed hat. Nearby was half a box of cheap spray paint used for coloring low-grade prosthetics.

“Those, plus something to temporarily change my skin tone,” Yun Shu pointed at the items. “I’ll add another crystal core.”

The doctor raised an eyebrow, seemingly finding the deal amusing. “Want to play as a scavenger? Fits this place well enough. Fine, add the core, and do whatever you like.”

Soon, Yun Shu changed into the oversized jacket that smelled of machine oil and put on the hat, the low brim hiding most of his face. He used the cheap, potentially skin-irritating spray to slightly darken and roughen the skin on his cheeks and neck. Finally, he deliberately hunched his back to make his silhouette appear more stooped and ordinary. While a close inspection might still reveal flaws, he no longer looked like the easily recognizable, thin, sickly “scholar” from before.

He disposed of the damaged computer remains from the shielding bag, keeping only the most important storage chip hidden close to his body. Then, he placed an extra energy crystal core on the table.

“Is there a way out through the back?” he asked.

The doctor pointed to another, more hidden small door in the corner. “Leads to the sewer processing area. Smells like hell, but usually, no one watches it. Good luck, kid. Don’t die out there and get my place dirty.”

Yun Shu didn’t say thanks. He pulled up his collar and pushed open the heavy small door. A much more intense stench belonging to the city’s underground drainage system hit him. He stepped into the darkness without hesitation.

Scarcely ten minutes after he left, the heavy iron door of the underground clinic was rudely pounded upon.

“Open up! Grabber search! We suspect you’re harboring the person we’re looking for!” The scarred man’s fierce voice rang out from outside.

The doctor inside walked over slowly, opened the small sliding window, and looked at the group of thugs with murky eyes. He rasped, “I only have dying men and spare parts here. No treasures for you.”

“Cut the crap! Let us in to see!”

Meanwhile, in the permeating darkness of the sewers, Yun Shu was struggling forward with staggering steps, heading in the opposite direction of the port district. He didn’t know where he was going; he only knew he had to stay far away from the center of the vortex.