Chapter 4: Scavenger

Over the next few days, Yang Fan underwent rehabilitation training under the guidance of Doctor Bai, along with medication.

His recovery was swift, and within a week, he could already get out of bed with the help of a cane, attempting to walk.

Apart from his physical recovery, every night before sleep, Yang Fan would enter the realm of consciousness.

Since the realm of consciousness could no longer confine him, he could freely enter and exit the realm through his thoughts.

After reaching level one of revival, the orb remained stable, still unable to completely repel the nebulae chains but enough to defend from retaliation.

Each time he entered the realm of consciousness, Yang Fan would continue practicing with the orb using previous methods.

Although the orb did not continue to upgrade, through these days of practice, Yang Fan increasingly felt improvements in his hearing, vision, taste, touch, and smell.

On this day, after completing his physical rehabilitation training, Yang Fan took the pills left by Doctor Bai and rested on the bed.

As the surrounding lights dimmed, creating a conducive environment for sleep, Yang Fan, as usual, didn’t drift off immediately. Instead, he first entered the realm of consciousness.

While examining the glowing orb, Yang Fan suddenly noticed that the orb was slowly rotating in his abdomen, simultaneously drawing a misty cloud into rotation.

Before long, the mist was completely absorbed into the orb, vanishing without a trace.

“What’s going on?”

Yang Fan couldn’t quite comprehend what the mist was, but since it was absorbed by the orb without any adverse effects, he continued his practice until he exhausted his energy and fell asleep.

The next morning, when Yang Fan opened his eyes, everything seemed normal.

At that moment, Yang Fan heard a man and a woman whispering at the end of the corridor.

“Old Bai, did you give Yang Fan his medication?” The voice belonged to a woman, sounding very familiar, much like the woman named An Ya.

“I gave it to him yesterday. By now, he should have lost memories of approximately two weeks.” The man’s voice was unmistakably that of Doctor Bai.

Yang Fan furrowed his brow. The medicine he took yesterday was meant to cause partial memory loss?

Suddenly, he remembered the mist around the orb during his practice last night.

“The orb absorbed the effects of the medication?”

It was easy to verify this. Yang Fan could distinctly remember everything that had happened during this period, indicating that the medication had not taken effect!

“Why do they want me to lose my memories?”

As the two individuals approached, they continued their conversation.

“Whether he chooses to leave or stay, he must lose those memories,” the woman said. “To choose to be an ordinary person means forgetting the pain, blending into society, and not spreading panic.”

“If he choose to join the Scavengers, and become a Realm Explorer, one must also forget the hatred in their heart. Such emotions can lead to eternal damnation. Therefore, they must first take memory-erasing medication.”

Doctor Bai seemed somewhat agitated, his voice involuntarily rising slightly as he continued, “With his physical condition, he would undoubtedly die during the first mission!”

“The higher-ups are going mad just to recruit more people.”

The woman added, “But we can’t entirely blame the higher-ups. In general, individuals who have experienced special events are indeed more suited to become Realm Explorer.”

“Yang Fan’s situation is exceptional… No, for him to survive from that guy’s hands is nothing short of a miracle!”

“When setting recruitment policies, they wouldn’t have considered his situation.”

“With pollution worsening, it’s not just us; every organization is short-handed.”

Doctor Bai’s emotions stabilized somewhat, letting out a helpless sigh. “Ah…”

The woman spoke softly, “Don’t worry. I’m just going through the motions, following the requirements to ask. As long as that guy has an ounce of self-awareness, he’ll know which path to choose.”

The two individuals kept their voices low, ceasing their conversation as they reached the ward.

However, Yang Fan caught every word.

From the information they revealed, it seemed they weren’t maliciously medicating him.

Yet, whether for his mother or the mysterious orb within his body, he was unwilling to lose his previous memories.

So, the best solution was to feign amnesia!

To “forget” everything that happened in the past two weeks!

Two weeks ago, he would have still been in a long-term vegetative state, unaware of his mother’s tragic death, and unfamiliar with Doctor Bai and An Ya.

“This complicates things a bit. I won’t be able to directly inquire about my mother’s case in the future; I’ll have to find opportunities to investigate on my own.” He thought.

However, the few pieces of information they mentioned also caught Yang Fan’s attention.

“Realm Explorer… pollution…”

“Pollution?” Yang Fan thought of the mysterious orb.

The sound of footsteps had reached the door, prompting Yang Fan to quickly adjust his demeanor. It was time to put his acting skills to the test.

The door was swiftly pushed open, revealing a pair of striking, towering peaks. A tall, voluptuous woman with a stunning appearance standing at the doorway.

Yang Fan turned to look at the door, recognizing her at a glance—she was indeed the woman named An Ya.

However, his eyes now held only confusion as he gazed at the woman, staring at her as if she were a complete stranger.

Doctor Bai also entered, following behind. Seeing Yang Fan’s expression, he showed no signs of suspicion.

“Hello, Yang Fan. I am your attending physician, Dr. Bai Ze. This is Ms. An Ya.”

“Why… why am I in the hospital?”

“Why am I in the hospital? Where’s my mom?” Yang Fan’s demeanor resembled that of a patient just waking up from a ten-year coma.

An Ya dragged a chair over and sat in front of Yang Fan, giving him a slight smile. “Your mother went missing a week ago. Due to your unique situation, we had to bring you here for temporary care.”

“Don’t worry too much about your mother for now. The authorities are actively searching, and they will contact you as soon as there’s any progress.”

“Missing?” Yang Fan knew An Ya was lying, but he still feigned shock.

An Ya interrupted Yang Fan’s thoughts, saying, “We are powerless regarding your mother’s situation. Right now, you need to focus on yourself.”

“Yang Fan, I’ll get straight to the point.”

“I’ve come to offer you a job opportunity. Of course, you can choose to refuse, as this job is quite unique.”

Yang Fan inquired, “What kind of job?”

“A high-risk, high-reward job,” An Ya stated. “This job comes with a very high fatality rate. Once chosen, it cannot be changed. From then on, you will face immense threats from the unknown, endlessly!”

“It’s like an inescapable nightmare, forever haunting you, with no awakening in sight.”

“Moreover, this job demands exceptional physical fitness. In your current condition, the mortality rate would far exceed that of others.”

“I can assure you, even if you recover and take the entrance assessment, I believe you are highly unlikely to survive.”

At this point, An Ya gazed quietly at Yang Fan.

Beside her, Bai Ze picked up a thermos, calmly sipping water.

Well, have you ever heard a job description like this? An Ya was being incredibly direct.

Unless Yang Fan was insane, he probably didn’t even have the interest to continue listening.

It seems this was just going through the motions.

Yang Fan was well aware that An Ya’s presentation of this job was clearly intended to make him give up.

However, Yang Fan had already guessed that this job was related to the “Scavenger.”

And that was precisely what interested him.

“What exactly does this job entail? Is it legal?” Yang Fan inquired.

An Ya gave a slight smile. “It’s legal. I can’t tell you the specifics right now. You just need to know that it’s a high-risk profession.”

“And what about the high reward?” Yang Fan asked casually.

An Ya hesitated briefly. Their conversation had not ended yet?

Adhering to her professional ethics as part-time personnel in charge, An Ya responded in accordance with the scripted words from higher authorities, saying, “In the process of coming close to death, aside from a substantial monetary reward, the most important thing is…”

“strength, strength that surpasses the ordinary in order to combat the forces of impurity.”

Yang Fan was shaken by this revelation, then furrowed his brow and asked, “Miss An, you’re not joking, are you?”

An Ya gave a slight smile but did not answer, simply placing her hand gently on the end rail of the hospital bed.

Just with that casual touch, when she lifted her hand, deep indentations were left on the solid metal rail!

Yang Fan widened his eyes, witnessing An Ya seemingly exerting no force, yet leaving such deep marks.

This strikingly beautiful woman, whom many would struggle to open a bottle cap, effortlessly surpassed the capabilities of most ordinary individuals with just a gentle display?!

This was indeed surpassing ordinary strength, the power to combat impurety!

An Ya calmly stated, “This job is called a Scavenger.”

Yang Fan’s gaze lingered on An Ya, his mind never ceasing to contemplate.

Through the practice with the glowing orb during this time, Yang Fan had buried his hatred deep inside and gradually regained his composure.

He was certain that the one who killed his mother was not human!

Although he hadn’t seen the being from the “Beast Realm” with his own eyes and didn’t know what it was, all signs indicated that Qin Hao hadn’t deceived him.

That entity was not something an ordinary person could handle—it possessed strength, speed, and abilities far beyond the norm.

On the other hand, Qin Hao and An Ya were evidently familiar with that entity. Considering this, Qin Hao and An Ya were likely not ordinary individuals either!

He had been unsure of how to seek revenge, but now the Scavenger had presented him with a path.

Furthermore, his mother’s case was within the Scavenger’s domain. To investigate the culprit, he needed to obtain information from them.

With that in mind, the situation became clear.

Even if this path led to hell, he wouldn’t hesitate!

“I choose to join,” Yang Fan declared.

As soon as Yang Fan spoke, Bai Ze sprayed out a mouthful of tea in surprise…