Chapter 44: The Hand of Justice

"Please sign for this."
A large hand, from who knows where, produced a fingerprint scanner and placed it in front of Mu Yu.
"Oh, oh."
Mu Yu pressed his fingerprint absentmindedly, watching as the large hand expertly signed the form, took a photo, and handed him the box.
"Transversal Express—delivering your success!"
The courier's professionalism was evident; after repeating the slogan, he faded into the void.
"This, this, this..."
Mu Yu was so stunned by the whole process that his head buzzed.
"The Transversal Clan is an organization that handles the delivery of valuable items," the doctor said, eyeing Mu Yu as if he were a country bumpkin.
"Haven't you seen the Shadow Clan before? Why are you acting so inexperienced?"
In fact, various races often appeared in Xia Country for different reasons, and the government typically treated them accordingly.
Hostile races like the Shadow Clan were purged, while friendly ones lived under surveillance.
The Transversal Clan belonged to the latter, and to improve their governmental image, they often served as couriers for valuable items.
It was said they had yet to receive a single negative review.
Struggling to quell his astonishment, Mu Yu turned his attention to the package in his hands.
It looked like an ordinary yellow cardboard box, and upon touching it... it still felt like an ordinary yellow cardboard box.
"Open it and see. I applied for an S-class prosthesis for you."
"S-class with this kind of packaging..."
Mu Yu had little hope. The box was so small, it couldn't possibly contain an entire arm.
Was this the Emperor's New Limb?
While these doubts churned in his heart, Mu Yu roughly opened the package one-handed.
Surprisingly, inside the shoebox-sized package was a tiny chip.
"Did they send the wrong thing? Is this supposed to be a hand?"
"No, just touch it with your left hand."
Mu Yu, half believing, half doubting, reached out with his left hand. For some reason, he felt the doctor was even more curious than he was.
Yet when Mu Yu gingerly poked the chip, nothing happened.
"Are you sure this isn't a mistake..."
"Ding~ System 3346, Chivalrous Deeds Division, is honored to serve you."
Mu Yu's face twisted.
What the heck?
He always thought he was living in a post-apocalyptic novel, and now you're telling him it's a system story?
And isn't it a little late for this thing to show up? Where was it when he was in mortal danger?
"Detected modeling flaw in player. Rebuilding now."
Before Mu Yu's eyes, his right arm materialized from his shoulder as if conjured from thin air, indistinguishable from the real thing.
"Darling, you're back, darling!"
Mu Yu wept with joy.
"Warning, warning: insufficient energy. Entering standby mode. Insufficient computational power: only modeling will be maintained. Standby mode initiated."
What the—?
What kind of useless system is this?
"Not bad at all—looks exactly like the original," the doctor murmured, a glint of surprise in his eyes. Even regrowing a limb wouldn't have yielded such perfection, since a new arm would need time to grow and develop, inevitably being weaker.
Yet Mu Yu's right arm was so realistic, if he hadn't seen it appear with his own eyes, the doctor would never have believed it was a prosthetic.
"Why do I feel a bit strange?"
Mu Yu flexed his right hand, still preoccupied by the fleeting presence of the system in his mind.
"Is there any documentation on this item?"

"S-class items rarely have documentation—the risks of experiment are too great," the doctor said, scratching his head with a hesitant tone.
"We can only confirm its general use, but as an S-class item, it can't be bad, right?"
Mu Yu's face darkened. So it's basically an untested product?
Though he felt uneasy, for now there seemed nothing seriously wrong, so he'd use it for the time being.
"Oh, right, please sign here."
Just then, the doctor pulled a neatly folded form from his pocket and handed it to Mu Yu.
"What's this? Consultation fees?"
Mu Yu took it, picking up a pen from the table as he asked.
"No, injuries sustained during missions are treated free of charge."
The doctor smiled sheepishly, the middle-aged man suddenly as shy as a boy.
"It's just a service evaluation form."
Mu Yu paused, then quickly ticked the "very poor" box and turned to leave.
What a joke—after all the suffering, how could they expect a good review?
As the door slammed behind Mu Yu, the doctor's cup of wolfberry tea trembled from the impact.
The bright, spacious infirmary fell silent once more.
"What do you think of the newcomer?"
A figure slipped out soundlessly from behind the curtain.
Mu Yu had just sat before him, yet hadn't sensed the man's presence at all, as if he didn't exist in the world.
"He seems...like a good person?"
The doctor sipped from his thermos, eyes half-closed, savoring as if it were the finest wine.
"Good people don't live long."
The man couldn't tell if that was praise or criticism, but since the item had been handed over, it meant the doctor had approved.
S-class items were unimaginably precious, especially those safe for use.
Even with an S-class task credential, it could only be used for promotion.
"What brings you here today?"
The doctor was curious; he knew his friend's character, who preferred to idle away in his office unless something urgent came up.
That was why the two of them were friends, known as the "loafing duo."
"That person had a physical incident—you're needed."
"Tch."
A flicker of alarm flashed in the doctor's half-closed eyes and he straightened at once.
"Chaos is coming."
The continued order of Xia Country depended, in large part, on that person's existence.
If something happened...
The doctor dared not think further, quickly packing his thermos.
"Let's go."
The man nodded, drew a twisted circle on the wall with chalk, and placed his hand on the doctor's shoulder.
A ripple flashed across the wall; the infirmary was left silent and empty.

"Mu Yu, I found someone to—"
Wandering the halls, Mu Yu nearly collided headlong with Mo Yan, who was striding briskly, silver briefcase in hand, looking particularly distinguished.
"Hm? Your arm's healed?"
Mo Yan was puzzled; he didn't recall any anthropomorphic prosthetics in Fengzhou City.
"Oh, the doctor just swapped it for me," Mu Yu replied, his right hand swinging flexibly to demonstrate.
"By the way, what about that pillar? It's so huge, the whole city must have seen it."
Not only was it tall, but the bronze pillar constantly radiated heat and light, making it impossible to miss.

"I'll cover it up with some items later—no big deal. The authorities will handle the public relations."
Mu Yu and Mo Yan chatted as they walked. Originally, Mo Yan had come to deliver a prosthetic, but since Mu Yu now had a better one, there was no need.
"That Feng Tun fellow has quite a few lives on his hands. How did no one notice for so long?"
Mu Yu couldn't help but question the investigation team's competence.
In all the incidents he'd been involved with, the investigation team had hardly contributed.
"We got some information from police records," Mo Yan replied, his expression sour.
"He's extremely cautious. He never used his abilities during kidnappings, so the police always treated them as ordinary crimes—not worth escalating."
"And it seems someone has been covering his tracks all along. It'll take time to untangle those connections."
Thanks to Mu Yu's warning, the investigation team suffered no casualties this time and even captured several rogue ability users.
Some simply refused government supervision; others were tricked into joining.
Whatever the reason, all would be detained and used as test subjects.
With tensions running so high, had their plan succeeded, the chaos would have left not just Fengzhou City, but the whole nation, suffering massive casualties.
Various underground organizations would have seized the chance to stir trouble.
In troubled times, harsh measures were needed; these people would serve as examples to deter any would-be dissenters.
"Alright, I'm heading out."
By the time the conversation ended, the two had reached the main entrance. Mu Yu, uninterested in further involvement, waved Mo Yan off.
He was just a small fry—these headaches belonged to the professionals.
Mo Yan nodded and didn't see him off. The investigation team still had plenty to handle.
Neither mentioned how Feng Tun had been dealt with.
Technically, Mu Yu was a D-rank controller, and not even an offensive one—so how had he bested a B-rank controller and driven him mad?
Mo Yan didn't need to know. The stronger Mu Yu was, the better it was for him.
As long as Mu Yu didn't slaughter civilians like Feng Tun, Mo Yan wouldn't question him—in fact, he would cover for him.
In this world, strength far outweighed truth.

Mu Yu didn't call a car, but walked along the streets, guided by memory.
His eagerness to leave had a simple reason.
He was starving.
Healing and stopping the bleeding had drained his reserves, and though he tried to tough it out, he was long past the point of seeing stars from hunger.
"Buffet!"
Mu Yu's eyes lit up and he strode into the restaurant.
It was already past meal time; only a few scattered customers remained.
"128 per person, service ends at three," the owner called, reluctantly tearing his gaze away from the beauty on his phone.
"It's nearly two—just charge me eighty."
Mu Yu considered his appetite, his expression complicated.
"Boss, I eat a lot. Better charge me the full price."
The owner's eyes narrowed, slamming his phone onto the table.
"Kid, you looking down on me? Eat! Eat as much as you want! Eighty it is—let's see you bankrupt me."
"Deal!"
Mu Yu couldn't refuse the kindness. After scanning the code to pay, he headed to the dining area.
"Hmph, looking down on me..."
The owner sat back, crossing his legs and returning his attention to the beauties on his phone.
"Heh heh, look at those legs—no, that chest is something else—heh heh..."