novelraw Chapter 262: This is about reputation
Chapter 262: This is about reputation
They stopped in front of a rusty sheet metal door.
There were no markings on the door, as if it were just the entrance to an abandoned warehouse.
Two or three surveillance cameras were aimed at the area below the door.
Lin Wei stepped forward and waved at the cameras.
A moment later, a faint mechanical sound came from inside, and the sheet metal door slid inward, opening a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.
The two quickly slipped inside.
The door closed behind them.
Their view suddenly opened up.
The air was somewhat stale, permeated with the smell of smoke, alcohol, and blood...
Under the dim, flickering lights,many figures could be seen either sitting or standing.
They wore all sorts of masks, concealing their faces.
Some masks were ornate and bizarre, others simple and crude.
But without exception, they all exuded an aura that warned strangers to keep their distance.
This was clearly an underground black market gathering place for Aberrants.
A foul and chaotic atmosphere.
Su Zhan scanned this underground world.
Lin Wei seemed long accustomed to the environment here,
she didn't look around, leading Su Zhan straight to a relatively quiet corner.
Here, there was a small room built with crude partitions, with a crooked sign hanging at the entrance. On it, written in red paint, were the two characters: "Clinic."
Lifting the dirty cloth curtain that served as a door,
the space inside wasn't large, containing only a rusty surgical chair and some medical instruments that looked somewhat professional.
A figure with its back to them was rummaging through a cabinet.
Hearing the noise, the person turned around, wearing a plain white, simple mask with no patterns, only revealing the eyes and mouth.
They wore a white lab coat stained with some unidentified grime.
Their gaze swept over Lin Wei's black cat mask, finally settling on Su Zhan's ferocious ghost face mask: "Here? What do you need?"
Lin Wei stepped forward, lowering her voice: "The usual. A new face, plus a clean identity set."
"Two million."
The doctor was concise, the price long since memorized.
"Money isn't an issue."
Su Zhan spoke up, gesturing towards the bag he brought: "If I get plastic surgery at your place... doesn't that mean you already know what I look like?"
"Heh heh... of course."
The eyes behind the white mask seemed to narrow slightly, and they spread their hands: "Young man, you need to trust my clinic. We have powerful people backing us for protection, you can ask the woman beside you.
Think about it, this clinic has been open in this godforsaken place for over ten years. We've handled at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, clients. It's still open now, and we've never leaked a single client's appearance information.
That's reputation, understand?"
Su Zhan fell silent for a moment.
What the other person said could be true.
In the survival rules of these gray areas, credibility is very important.
He had no other choice.
He could only choose to believe this explanation.
"Alright."
Su Zhan opened the backpack and took out the cash wrapped in newspaper, gold bars, and jewelry inside.
The doctor only gave a rough count, then took away valuables worth roughly over two million, pushing the rest back to Su Zhan:
"That's enough. Plastic surgery, plus a full set of new identity documents, a one-stop service. That's the price. We take what we should, no more. We're not greedy."
Su Zhan nodded.
The doctor pointed to a metal plate nearby, which contained several pieces of dark red meat, casually saying: "Surgery prep takes a bit of time. Want a bite?"
Su Zhan glanced at the meat.
He certainly knew what kind of "meat" that was.
He waved his hand: "No need. I'm full."
The doctor didn't mind either, shrugging indifferently before turning back to prepare the surgical instruments.
After a while.
Inside the crude operating room.
The doctor had prepared various surgical instruments and turned to Su Zhan, who was sitting in the surgical chair:
"Need anesthesia? Although our anesthetic might not be as good as the regular hospitals up top, it can still knock you out so you don't feel the pain."
Su Zhan said decisively: "No."
He had to maintain absolute alertness and vigilance.
Handing over his consciousness completely to an anesthetic, in a place like this, was no different from handing over his life to someone else.
The doctor didn't seem surprised by his answer: "Then, what do you want to look like?"
Su Zhan spoke: "Just ordinary is fine."
The doctor motioned for Su Zhan to remove his mask, lie flat, and secure his head.
Su Zhan's youthful face was exposed under the light.
The doctor's eyes showed no fluctuation, as they carefully pressed, measured, and planned the incision lines on his facial bones.
"Good bone structure. Don't need to change too much. Mainly adjusting the soft tissue, the eye corners, nose bridge, and jawline."
The doctor said in a professional tone while making marks.
Su Zhan closed his eyes, his entire body's muscles tense, constantly sensing the doctor's movements.
The next second.
A cold scalpel touched his skin.
A stinging pain instantly came.
The blade cut through skin and flesh, blood seeping out.
Su Zhan's fists suddenly clenched, nails digging deep into his palms. He gritted his teeth, not making a single sound, not even a muffled groan.
The doctor was clearly experienced, their movements precise and swift: cutting, peeling, adjusting, stitching...
Su Zhan endured it all, toughing it out.
Lin Wei stood at the doorway, listening to the faint sounds coming from inside.
She had to admit, this lord's willpower truly far exceeded that of ordinary people.
...
An unknown amount of time later.
The doctor stopped their movements: "Done."
Su Zhan slowly opened his eyes. He could feel thick gauze covering his face.
The doctor handed over a small mirror: "See the results."
Su Zhan took the mirror, took a deep breath, and looked at his reflection.
What met his eyes was a completely unfamiliar face.
The handsome, clear-cut face had become utterly ordinary.
None of the facial features were remarkable. Eyes neither big nor small, nose neither high nor straight, lips of moderate thickness. Combined, it was the type that would instantly disappear in a crowd.
For an ordinary person, such surgery would require over a month to recover.
But for an Aberrant, it could be used right after being done on the spot.
Perfect.
Su Zhan evaluated in his heart.
This was exactly the effect he wanted.
Low-key, inconspicuous, easy to hide.
"It's fine."
Su Zhan handed the mirror back to the doctor.
The doctor seemed quite satisfied with his reaction, nodding: "Hmm, you know what's good. A face like this lives longer."
They took out an old digital camera and took several front-facing photos of Su Zhan's freshly minted face:
"The identity documents will be ready soon. Fill in your birthplace and name."
Su Zhan pondered briefly before speaking: "Place of birth... put Yun City."
The doctor: "Name?"
"Chen Qing."
Su Zhan slowly uttered two words.
Chen Qing, to clarify, to clear up.
How to clarify? Only through absolute force!