The Last Gentleman

Yi Chen organized all the data he had pieced together in his mind and presented it like a book displayed on his retina. He began his account:

“[Twilight Clinic] core material for producing ‘Twilight Silver Liquid’ is derived from torturing patients. By using various inhumane instruments of torment, the patients are driven to the limits of their physical and mental endurance. At this point, their brains produce a unique secretion referred to in the clinic as ‘Pathogenic Death Substance.’

Not every patient can regularly or consistently produce this substance, and even those who can often yield only small amounts.

It usually takes 2–3 patients, subjected to continuous torture for a month, to produce enough raw material for one bottle of the secret medicine.

Since the clinic is required to submit a sufficient quantity of the medicine to the organization every quarter while ensuring its quality, these rigid demands indirectly contributed to the pathological development of the Twilight Clinic.”

Yi Chen’s opening remarks subtly pointed some criticism toward the organization itself, causing displeasure among the supervisors present. However, Dr. Vesalius remained unfazed, appearing more interested in the following details.

“[Twilight Clinic] is relatively small in scale. Though I am not familiar with its precise organizational structure, my preliminary estimate is that it operates as a small or at best medium-sized clinic.

The internal staff is limited, and the number of patients hunted by apprentices falls far short of the clinic’s operational needs.

To maintain normal operations and continue securing the organization’s support, Dr. McCoff made a decision that not only violated gentlemanly conduct but also the very essence of humanity itself.

Each month, the clinic conducted random surveys among citizens, targeting unregistered vagrants, refugees, criminals sentenced to more than three months, terminal hospital patients, and even civilians seeking to leave the city of Vinal and relocate elsewhere. These individuals became direct targets of the clinic.

These humans were taken to the underground section of the Secret Medicine Tower, where they were injected with pathogens collected from [patients]. This process induced deliberate pathological changes in their bodies.

Once these individuals survived and successfully transformed into patients, the clinic began extracting ‘Pathogenic Death Substance’ from them.

Through this method of creating artificial patients, the production of ‘Twilight Silver Elixir’ soared. This increase not only boosted the organization’s funding for the clinic but also earned them additional apprentice slots.

However, before this vile and reprehensible operation could be exposed, the clinic faced internal issues.

A young man named [Lorien], born with albinism and basal cell carcinoma, had extensive skin ulcerations and necrotic black scabs across his body. Abandoned by local hospitals, he was quickly taken to the clinic and injected with pathogens.

However, the pathogen that entered Lorien’s body merged with his existing diseases, fundamentally altering its pathogenic properties. His white hair gained a silver sheen, and his eyes turned silvery as well.

He became the first recorded case of a ‘Silverized Patient’ in the clinic, marking the origin of Moon Disease.

The physical flaws caused by his albinism vanished entirely, and Lorien swiftly transformed into a [patient]—specifically, a "Patient Zero", possessing absolute self-awareness and immunity to pathological influences.

Even so, the clinic’s methods did not change. Lorien was subjected to brutal and inhumane torture to extract raw materials.

The ‘Pathogenic Death Substance’ produced by Lorien was over three times the yield of ordinary patients and could even be extracted cyclically. As long as he was given enough time and food to recover, he could be repeatedly harvested for raw materials.

Gradually, during this prolonged torture, Lorien further developed and integrated with the pathogen on a deeper level.

One day, he successfully escaped the clinic, using his unique pathological characteristic to conceal himself in the city and continue growing in secret.

Eventually, he evolved into an [Open-Source Patient], possessing the rare and unique pathological attribute: [Moon].

He orchestrated the infamous ‘False Moon Incident,’ which devastated the entire city of Vinal, leaving it in ruins.

According to the current information, Moonscar Lorien has a ‘Dual-Body’ structure. During the False Moon Incident, only one of these bodies perished. The other, coincidentally, is the one we encountered. And that brings us to where things stand now.”

As Yi Chen concluded his report, the supervisors present wore a range of expressions.

It was difficult to imagine a newcomer managing to uncover so much of the Twilight Clinic’s dark truth in just four days.

Dr. Vesalius was the first to raise a question:

“I’m curious. Based on your account, there didn’t seem to be much time to investigate the truth behind the clinic. And the pathological gentleman, Mr. Lee, didn’t seem to divulge much before engaging in direct conflict with you.

How did you manage to obtain such detailed information?”

“As long as a patient’s brain remains sufficiently intact and fresh, my profession ability allows me to read the information within.

However, most of the time, these are fragmented memories. Only with a solid foundation of investigation can I piece them together and reconstruct the full picture.”

“Hmm… an impressive skill.”

Dr. Vesalius grew increasingly fond of Yi Chen the more he observed him. The unique characteristics of Yi Chen’s profession even stirred a personal interest in him.

Subsequently, the supervisors present asked some detailed questions, including the specifics of how Mr. Lee was eliminated and the direct encounter with [Moonscar - Lorien].

When the questioning concluded, the meeting moved to its final stage: [Evaluation and Rewards].

Generally speaking,

tasks for novice gentlemen only require submission at the counter in the lower-level hall, where staff verify the details. Rewards are then issued within 0–3 working days as specified in the task summary.

However, tasks requiring on-site evaluation and adjustments to the reward coefficient, like this one, were a first for Edmund and his peers.

Even though the injuries they had sustained still throbbed faintly, they were inwardly exhilarated.

After all, in a world like this, no one could guarantee their safety. Even high-ranking gentlemen might lose their ability to function permanently after an exploration mission.

Once the supervisors present, Professor Chamberson, and Dr. Vesalius consolidated their opinions, Supervisor Edge announced the rewards to the group:

“Based on your outstanding performance in this mission, the difficulty level of [Secret Medicine Retrieval] has been adjusted to ★★★★☆. Your individual profiles will prominently record this achievement.

The rewards are as follows:

1. Each person receives 3,000 silver coins.

2. Each person receives a 20 cm × 20 cm piece of “Gentleman’s Skin” imbued with the aura of the old world.

3. Mission Points (Rare) +1.

4. A tumorous crystal of [Moonlit Mouse - Jesmin Lee] ×1.

5. Each person receives 5 ml of [Twilight Silver Liquid]. A brief explanation of some of this secret medicine’s properties will be provided afterward. If it is incompatible with you, you may apply for a substitute reward.”

The sheer generosity of these rewards left everyone wide-eyed.

Initially, the reward was set to include only a single piece of Gentleman’s Skin. Now, everyone was receiving one! This quantity exceeded all of what Edmund had earned in his last five missions combined. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

This meant that the entire team could upgrade and modify their attire.

Moreover, the quantity of 'Twilight Silver Fluid' had increased from a mere drop to 5 ml.

As Supervisor Edge finished announcing the rewards, Dr. Vesalius suddenly interjected. He had been discussing something briefly with Professor Chamberson and was now holding Yi Chen’s gentleman profile in hand.

“Wait a moment—William Behrens, while your profile doesn’t record it, you seem to possess an undeveloped ‘death characteristic.’

Moreover, during your selection of letters, a black letter associated with death also appeared, correct?”

“Yes,” Yi Chen nodded immediately.

“In that case, your compatibility with [Twilight Silver Liquid] should be very high.

I personally suggest adjusting your rewards: reducing some of the basic items, such as the silver coin amount, and instead increasing the volume of [Twilight Silver Liquid] from 5 ml to a full bottle.

You could use it during critical moments, such as [Limit Breakthroughs], which might help awaken the death trait hidden within you.”

This statement left Supervisor Edge stunned!

The upper management had thoroughly sealed off information regarding the Twilight Clinic and had deliberately preserved Dr. McCoff’s brain during his execution, precisely because the quality of [Twilight Silver Liquid] ranked among the top-tier secret medicines.

Even high-ranking gentlemen rarely obtained this elixir, and now an entire bottle was being granted to a novice gentleman?

Nevertheless, since Dr. Vesalius, the overseer of secret medicine reviews, personally made the proposal, no additional approval process was needed.

Yi Chen showed no particular excitement, nodding casually in acknowledgment.

“If you encounter any questions regarding the use of secret medicine in the future, feel free to visit me at the Hippocratic Grand Hospital.”

With that, Dr. Vesalius pulled a business card from his lab coat and slid it precisely across the smooth conference table to land before Yi Chen.