21st Century Necromancer

``` "Professor Chen Yu, the patient's temperature has come down!" After nearly an hour of bustling, Keiko's father's vital signs finally stabilized, and his temperature returned to normal with the help of physical cooling. Chen Yu, seeing that Keiko's father's condition had finally normalized, nodded in relief. Although he was completely confident in his "Potion" and healing plan, there are no absolutes in this world. No matter how certain you are, there's always a chance of the unexpected, so seeing Keiko's father stabilize and stop mutating, the slight tension in his heart finally eased. "Heart rate and blood pressure have both returned to normal, it seems the patient is out of danger now." The doctor on duty checked Keiko's father's condition one more time, then reported to Chen Yu at his side, "You really live up to the name of Professor Chen Yu. If it weren't for your arrival, I wouldn't have known what to do." Chen Yu could tell he was being flattered, and with a nonchalant smile, he shook his head and said, "Stop with the flattery, just keep a good eye on the patient. If there's any change, notify me immediately, I'll be in my office." After speaking, Chen Yu looked toward Keiko's mother, who had also let go of her worries, nodded to her, and prepared to leave the ward. "Professor Chen Yu, aren't you going home?" The on-duty doctor was somewhat surprised; Chen Yu's words seemed to imply that he planned to spend the night in his office, which was surprising to him. Although they had been busy for more than an hour and it was not yet midnight, Chen Yu could have gone home to rest; there was no need for him to make do in his office. "There are no subways running now, it's too much of a hassle to go back, and Hiromi is probably already asleep—I would wake her if I went home," Chen Yu shook his head, seemingly indifferent as he explained to the on-duty doctor: "Besides, I'm a bit worried about this patient. I'd rather stay at the hospital—it'll be more convenient for you to find me." "Thank you so much, it has been a real ordeal for you, doctor!" Keiko's mother, upon hearing what Chen Yu said, bowed deeply to him, profusely thanking him. After indicating to Keiko's mother that there was no need for such formalities, Chen Yu then left the ward. However, as he walked out, he seemed to remember something, patted his stomach, and asked the on-duty doctor and nurse beside him, "I'm a bit hungry tonight; I'm going to grab a late-night snack. Does anyone want to join me?" "No, we can't leave during our shift. And the hospital has food; Professor, why don't you grab something to eat at the nursing station? We've brought some food with us." The nurse, seeing that Chen Yu rarely invited anyone and regretting that they couldn't join him due to regulations, took the initiative to invite Chen Yu to the nursing station. However, Chen Yu just shook his head and said, "Forget it, what you brought is just to tide you over for the night. If I eat your food, what will you do? I'd better eat by myself!" After saying that, Chen Yu waved his hand, and with the envious and regretful gaze of the on-duty doctor and nurse upon him, he walked out. —————————————————— The small shops at night were still operating as usual, mainly patronized by employees just off work and people who had just left nightclubs. Since the street was relatively lively, the shop seemed quite busy. Chen Yu walked in without taking off his white coat, immediately attracting a round of stares. "Dr. Chen Yu, are you on duty today?" The owner greeted him enthusiastically as he walked in wearing his white coat, but he was also a bit surprised—it was his first time seeing Chen Yu in his white coat. ``` "I was off early from work today, but a patient had an emergency, so I got called back in from home by a phone call," Chen Yu said, taking off his white coat and hanging it on a hook on the wall of the small eatery. He sat down and then turned to the owner, "I just got hungry and thought of your place still being open, so I came by. Please, a serving of steamed clams with wine and a highball." "Okay, please wait a moment," the owner nodded, then turned and went into the kitchen to start preparing the food. While waiting for the owner to bring the dishes, a nearby customer struck up a conversation with Chen Yu, "Speaking of which, Doctor Chen Yu, it seems you only drink highballs. I've never seen you drink beer. Don't you drink beer?" "It's not that I don't drink it; I just don't like to drink beer when I am by myself. I prefer to enjoy drinking with friends during the summer, drinking to our hearts' content. However, as a doctor, I can't drink too much, so I don't drink like that anymore," Chen Yu smiled. The one asking was an old customer of the eatery and had met Chen Yu a few times. Having explained why he doesn't drink beer, Chen Yu glanced at the other customers in the shop and suddenly asked, "What were you guys talking about just now? You seemed quite engrossed?" "We were just talking about..." the old customer who had asked Chen Yu was about to reply when the owner placed the highball that Chen Yu had ordered in front of him, casually remarking, "They're talking about making movies. Those two students over there were shooting a film in Qianshui a while back." "Qianshui, isn't that a famously haunted place?" At this point, another customer next to Chen Yu, an older man with salt-and-pepper hair and glasses, who had a somewhat intellectual air about him, suddenly chimed in. Hearing the older man speak, Chen Yu's gaze shifted toward him, only for his eyes to narrow upon seeing him. "In 1973, a female university student was murdered and buried. She was involved in an illicit affair with a professor from the university," the voice of the older man had a hoarse quality, but when he spoke, there was an eerie atmosphere about him, much like the kind often found in ghost story narration. "An illicit affair? That's just like our script," the two students making the film commented on hearing this, recalling the script they had written, which suddenly made them feel a chill down their spines. The older customer nodded, sipping sake from his cup, and continued his story, "Back then, the place where the female student and the professor met secretly was a villa in Qianshui. Magazines had even graphically reported the scene of many empty cans in the villa's kitchen." "Cans?" The two students stopped eating, their faces slowly changing color. Before them was a dish the owner had prepared using cans they'd brought, cans that they had picked up from somewhere in Qianshui, offerings left by others. Chen Yu's interest seemed piqued by the story as well, as he studied the older customer closely and asked, "Was it the cans that the female student and the professor ate in the villa?" "Yes, that's right," the older customer nodded, confirming Chen Yu's guess and continuing, "At that time, they were eating canned food in the villa, enjoying their forbidden love. Unfortunately, their relationship was eventually exposed. Although it was the female student who wrote to the professor's wife herself, she had no choice because she was already pregnant. However, the professor didn't divorce his wife but proposed they break up instead. The female student wouldn't give up, and the professor, driven into a corner, killed her. In the end, the entire family committed suicide."