Chapter 593: Siblings Rivalry

    The other two people in the room, Master of the Land and Ao, were taken aback by Jin Jiuchi’s warm and enthusiastic demeanor.

    "S-Second Young Master...?" Ao rubbed his eyes in disbelief, unable to believe the sight in front of him.

    Hadn’t the two Young Masters always been in an antagonistic relationship? Despite being blood-related brothers, the two of them were more like enemies, always treating each other like eyesores and competing for the Master’s favor. It was already good that the Second Young Master didn’t hold a knife to his brother’s throat as soon as their eyes met, how could he possibly take the initiative to greet and hug the other person?

    Ao felt utterly incredulous; his current feeling was similar to watching a dung beetle emerge from a cocoon which was supposed to contain a butterfly.

    On the other hand, the apparent shock, disgust, and murderous intent in the Eldest Young Master’s eyes seemed more natural.

    But soon, the researcher thought of an answer to his doubt and confusion.

    T-This... This must be due to the aftereffects of the siren’s magical ability! That’s right, there could be no other reason!

    Goodness, the Second Young Master’s condition was far worse than the doctor had warned. He couldn’t even recognize his enemy any longer!

    With deep sorrow in his eyes, Ao bowed and exclaimed, "I-I’ll go and summon the doctor!" He dashed out of the door in a fluster, leaving the father and his two sons alone.

    Noir’s blatant repulsion was so intense that it managed to snap Jin Jiuchi back to his senses, and he cooperatively stepped back when the other person shoved him away, maintaining an appropriate distance. Holy shit— that was close! He had been a little too carried away upon seeing a friend that he forgot his current identity as the Second Young Master!

    Judging from how shocked and aghast Ao was, it seemed like... he had been a little OOC? Was he not supposed to be close to his own elder brother?

    Jin Jiuchi scratched his head in confusion.

    Somewhat at a loss to define his relationship dynamics with Noir, he could only set it aside for the time being and turned to the third person in the room, who had remained silent from the beginning. Aside from a mild surprise, he had not given any other reaction toward Jin Jiuchi, his countenance stern and unyielding.

    "Father," Jin Jiuchi rolled the unfamiliar word with his tongue.

    It couldn’t be helped that he felt a little awkward. After all, he never had anyone who was remotely close to a father figure in his life. He didn’t even bother to act respectful or courteous, his stance as relaxed as ever. It was already sensible of him to greet the other party politely.

    Wanting him to bow his head? Ha! Were they even worthy?

    Toward this careless attitude of his, Noir simply cast him a fleeting glance before averting his gaze away, too lazy to even give a comment.

    Again, the Master of the Land didn’t show any particular reaction and simply nodded, gesturing for the two of them to sit.

    Once they settled down, he inquired, "How are you feeling?"

    "Good," Jin Jiuchi replied with all honesty. Other than his missing right arm, he didn’t sense anything amiss with his body.

    But his cheap father didn’t seem to believe his claim. "Doctor Keluo said that you might be suffering from the sequelae for the next week or two."

    Jin Jiuchi propped his chin up with his left hand, so bored that he couldn’t resist yawning. "...Oh."

    The Master’s face visibly darkened at his second son’s perfunctory manner. Beneath the table, Noir accurately stomped on his foot without warning. It was unknown what Noir’s leg was made of, but Jin Jiuchi heard a resounding crack as his entire foot was nearly flattered into a meat pancake. And much to his surprise, he didn’t feel much pain despite knowing that his bones had most likely shattered, though the sensation remained vivid. It was an odd and indescribable experience.

    Jin Jiuchi straightened up, his gaze narrowing sharply. What was this, a provocation?

    With a cold harrumph, he, too, raised his leg and stomped on the other person’s foot with all of his strength, even grinding his heel for good measure. Another hair-rising crack of bones shattering echoed in the air.

    Noir: "..."

    And thus, the two of them started a fierce war of stomping on each other’s foot, causing the small table to shake violently.

    The Master: "..."

    BANG!

    He slammed his fist on the table, the veins on his forehead bulging in suppressed rage. "—Enough!"

    The round wooden table instantly split into two from the middle, revealing Jin Jiuchi and Noir’s legs which were currently entangled with each other. Jin Jiuchi sucked in cold air upon seeing the tragic state of his foot. "Damn, you crushed my foot! Do you have a problem with me, huh?!" he pointed at Noir’s nose and questioned in anger.

    But Noir didn’t even deign to spare him a glance, simply scooting his chair a little further away as if the other person was carrying a contagious disease. And he truly suspected that Jin Jiuchi was transmitting a virus with each breath he exhaled – an idiot virus, to be exact – otherwise how could he have engaged in such a childish scuffle with him?

    I should keep some distance from him, Noir thought expressionlessly. The further the better.

    That was the scene Ao and Doctor Keluo witnessed upon entering the medical lab.

    The two of them simultaneously paused. Doctor Keluo shot his colleague a speechless glance. ’Didn’t you say something is very wrong with the Second Young Master’s brain? They’re acting normal, aren’t they?’

    ’Uhh...’ Ao scratched his head, at an utter loss of words. How did the two brothers’ relationship sour again in such a short period of time?

    Clearing his throat, Keluo stepped forward and greeted with a polite bow, "Master, Eldest Young Master, Second Young Master."

    Along with the doctor’s arrival, Jin Jiuchi – and Noir, with his broken foot – were ushered into the examination room in the inner part of the lab. Jin Jiuchi would also be having a new right arm reinstated along the way, a prosthetic limb that looked hella cool! He watched excitedly as the bionic arm was carefully connected to his shoulder with various sensors linking seamlessly to his nervous system. While nearby, a large screen displayed his body’s vital measurements in real-time, mapping out the intricate process of the integration.

    Jin Jiuchi inadvertently swept a glance over it, paused, and did a double take. His eyes quietly widened.

    Goodness, his body weighed over... 200 kg?! How the hell did he get so heavy?!

    As if recalling something, he whipped his head to the other side of the room where Noir was being treated. The man had a similar suspended screen which displayed his basic measurements. The words were as tiny as a grain of rice, but for Jin Jiuchi’s sharp and keen eyes, it posed no problem at all. He managed to make out the words after squinting for a while.

    Body weight... 507 kg??

    Jin Jiuchi sucked in another cold air. Fuck, no wonder his foot was instantly flattened like it had been crushed by a tank!

    But the surprise didn’t end there, for Jin Jiuchi’s eyes moved to the next line, which sent his jaws dropping to the floor—

    [Degree of mechanization: 88%]