Yama Rising

Qin Ye struggled to maintain the dignity of an Infernal Judge as he kept the anxiety on his heart from showing on his face. Step by step, he followed the entourage of white-coated men as they poured into a room.

This was the city government’s conference room. That said, it was no longer recognizable as such, because there were a plethora of instruments and thin screens located along the sides of the walls. But the most conspicuous part of the room was still a vertical, cylindrical machine that was located right in the middle. Surveillance monitors were also located at various parts of the room. There was even a spherical robot assisting with the operations of these instruments and devices.

Sigh… The Special Investigations Department really does get priority access to the most ground-breaking technology. In that instant, Qin Ye felt somewhat proud to be able to call himself a Cathayan. The privileged status of being a part of the United Nations Security Council P5 was truly something that had to be earned.

But, just as the wave of pride washed over him, a sensation of having just eaten shit soon surfaced in his heart…

Bloody hell… are these things all going to be used on me?! Do you know what kind of secrets I harbour in this body of mine?!

But what other choice do I have than to remain adamant against it? Hang on a minute… Aren’t Hellguards already supposed to be considered a middle-grade cultivator, in accordance with the ranking system of the Emissaries of Hell? Why weren’t there such requirements back when I broke through to the ranks of an Anitya Hellguard?

Four men in white lab coats entered the room, together with Mo Changhao, who smiled faintly at Qin Ye, “Don’t be nervous. Everything that we see here will be kept within these four walls. An Infernal Judge is already considered among the top-ranking officials of Cathay. These tests are merely being done for the purposes of our internal records.”

Really?

Qin Ye glanced at the white-coated men suspiciously - If that’s really the case, then please explain to me why the faces of the SRC members are overflowing with radiance?!

Researcher A: We’re going to do a full-body examination of a 19 years-old Infernal Judge tomorrow. Any volunteers?

Researcher B: I’ll do it! I’ve wanted to dissect that kid for the longest time now. This is the perfect opportunity!

Researcher C: You can count me in as well! I’d like to see if there’s anything unique about his physique. My fingers are itching terribly!

How vexing… Qin Ye drew a few deep breaths, before revealing a dry smile on his face, “So, what do I have to do?”

One of the researchers smiled faintly, “Strip naked and get into the device.”

Silence.

Seconds later, Qin Ye coughed dryly and probed nervously, “And my underwear?”

“All of it!” The four researchers in the room responded in unison, evidently unable to conceal the excitement in their hearts any longer. Hang on a minute… what the hell are you guys getting excited over?!

“You can actually take off your clothes within the device itself. The clothes will automatically be extracted later.” Mo Changhao’s statement finally gave Qin Ye some measure of hope.

Filled with reluctance, Qin Ye finally acceded to the compromise and slowly made his way into the device in the middle of the room.

It was a cylindrical device, almost akin to devices used to store alien specimens in the sci-fi films of recent times. It was large and spacious, two meters in diameter and as tall as the ceiling of the room. The inside of the device was pitch-black in colour. As soon as he entered, a soft mechanical voice immediately came from within, “Entry of investigator no. S9527 detected. Please remove all clothing as soon as possible. Examination shall commence in five minutes.”

Alright, alright… I’ll take off my clothes… Bloody hell, do you know that not even my future wife has seen this package of mine, and yet you’re already forcing me to reveal everything to you? With great resentment in his heart, Qin Ye slowly took off his clothes, tossing them piece by piece onto the metal rack behind him.

Qin Ye was approximately 1.8m tall. He sported the appearances of a pretty boy when clothed. That said, the muscles of his body were undeniably toned and compact, and he clearly exuded a sense of primitive masculinity without his clothes on.

Ding… Just then, the voice within the device spoke once again, “Examination shall commence in one minute. The examinee is reminded to prepare himself.”

The clothes rack behind him silently withdrew. An oxygen mask and a pair of goggles promptly descended from overhead, and Qin Ye sensibly put them on. Moments later, countless tubes with electrode attachments dropped from overhead and automatically attached themselves onto various parts of his chest.

I’m getting the feeling that I’ll be spending the rest of my life in this place… Forget it. At least nobody saw it…

“Five, four, three, two, one… Commence examination.” As soon as the countdown ended, copious amounts of transparent liquid instantly surged from underfoot and began to fill the entire device.

What amazing technology… Qin Ye’s hair floated freely in the water as he ran his fingers along the insides of the device with great interest. Meanwhile, the attachments on his body softly pierced his skin and extracted a trace amount of blood. It felt no different from a mosquito bite. At the same time, a soft electric current ran across the surface of his skin as it began to collect every imaginable data about Qin ye.

Then, just as Qin Ye slowly immersed himself in his own thoughts, the walls of the device suddenly opened up!

Qin Ye froze in horror.

To be more precise, the walls that had opened up were merely the external shell of the device, and there was still a glass surface separating Qin Ye from the rest of the room. That said, it was undoubtedly Qin Ye’s worst nightmare, because the external walls of the device had retracted completely, giving the rest of the room an all rounded perspective of Qin Ye! It was a complete exposure!

The four researchers immediately scuttled forward and began to make a series of notes on their own records. Two of them even walked behind Qin Ye as they began to discuss something with great interest.

Bloody hell…

How could something like this have happened?!

“Hello.” Just then, one of the researchers spoke into the headset, and his voice echoed throughout the waters. It was incredible how he was able to communicate so clearly through liquid.

“This is called the A-RE strengthening fluid. It’s supposed to wash away all the hidden micro-wounds on your body. But what we’re most appalled by is the fact that you’ve got nothing of that sort on any part of your body at all! How the hell is this even possible?!”

Get lost!

Damn you old baldy! Who said you could inspect me that closely?! Move away! Move away! Not even Local Bully or Wang Chenghao have ever seen me this up close before, so could you please move your wrinkled, orange-peel face away from my body?!

Qin Ye stared at the old researcher with infuriation. Unfortunately, his expressions were misinterpreted to be that of astonishment, “Don’t be surprised. You’re not the only one who finds this unbelievable. We feel the same way too. That said, it’s one of the Special Investigations Department’s policies not to inquire deeper into the techniques and heritage of one’s abilities, especially that of skilled individuals who have managed to attain a stellar cultivation rank. So long as you’re a human, nobody would question you.”

Ding… Just then, the device beeped with a clear, crisp sound, and a wall of blue text immediately appeared on the surface of the cylindrical glass wall.

“Examination results: S9527, human.”

“Height: 181cm. Weight: 69kg.”

“Reaction time: Ordinary humans - 0.2-0.3s. S9527 - 0.0001s.

Conclusion: Nascent Judge-class expert. Excellent.”

“True energy reading: 4,200,000.

Explosive burst: Ordinary humans - one-third of the total strength at their disposal. S9527 - half of the total strength at his disposal.

Limit break: 6,000,000. Conclusion: Excellent.”

“Technique/ability: Not recorded in database.

Top Speed: Running - 200m/s; Flight - 350km/h.

Conclusion: Nascent Judge-class expert. Excellent.”

As line after line of text appeared on the surface of the cylindrical wall, the entire room quickly became silent. All of the researchers propped up their glasses in unison as they read the results of his examination, before turning their attention to Qin Ye as though they had just seen a monster. And then, they all promptly lowered their heads to conceal the excitement in their hearts.

Qin Ye could hardly be bothered about the gazes of the researchers at this point in time. After all, he had finally managed to set his heart at ease when he saw the words “human” appear on the first line of the examination results.

It was only then that he felt assured enough to go on reading the rest of his personal data. To that end, it was absolutely fascinating to view his own body through the lens of data. It was the perfect opportunity to get a good grasp of his newfound abilities. After all, the ranking system proffered by Hell was far too nebulous a concept to give him anything concrete to work with.

Reaction time of 0.0001s is terrifying. If this is anything to go by, then Infernal Judges would all be capable of the concept of ‘bullet time’ as popularized by the Matrix. All firearms are practically useless on me at this rate. Even if I fail to react to their approach, it wouldn’t be able to penetrate the defenses of the Prestige of the Luminary. Qin Ye tightened his fists as he continued to float weightlessly in the cylinder of liquid, sensing every bit of energy that was coursing through his veins - The true energy reading should also be reflective of the Yin energy reading of my body. After all, Judges are all known to possess about four million in energy reading.

Explosive burst refers to the amount of energy which I can utilize in an instant. I presume that an excellent rating should be the highest rating under the system. As for limit break… I suppose that would refer to the energy I can muster under desperate circumstances? I’ve heard that all human beings are all capable of mustering inhuman strength when driven into a corner…

Speed… I recall that the speed of sound is approximately 340m/s. In other words, I can already reach two-thirds the speed of sound. That makes me no different from superman. Ordinary human beings aren’t going to be able to see me anymore. And as for flight… would that not be the same as the speed of a high-speed rail? In other words, I don’t even need to take the plane if I’m willing to put up with the hard work of flight… Given the current speed of high-speed rails, I’d practically be two-fifths the speed of a Boeing 747…

And if I just extrapolate from these results, doesn’t this mean that Abyssal Prefects are already entities that can exceed the speed of sound and all aircrafts known to Man now?! That’s absolutely terrifying. Infernal Judges can still be considered among the realm of the living, but Abyssal Prefects are definitely entities that are out of this world. Well… if Shadowless succeeds in his mission, I’ll definitely have to be as vigilant as possible in the upcoming negotiations. After all… I might not even see it if he launches an attack that is beyond the speed of sound…

Just then, the strengthening liquid around him began to drain away with a soft hiss. Qin Ye returned to his senses and glanced around the room once more, only to realize that everyone appeared to be wearing a strange expression. He immediately raised an eyebrow, “What’s the matter? Is there a problem?”

Did you guys get stunned by my ferocious manly weapon?

“Exceedingly exceptional!” Mo Changhao shook his head and lamented, “Data like yours is generally only seen three years after a person first breaks through to the ranks of an Infernal Judge. These figures generally only appear when one has completely assimilated with his newfound abilities. After all, all breakthroughs come with a great increase in power and a commensurate amount of time to get used to it. Truth be told, we’ve even brought an expert with us to help you get used to your abilities. He’s waiting outside now, but… given these figures, I don’t think you’ll even need his services, huh?”

That’s because your daddy has gone down a more unorthodox path to power, you bunch of dirtbags!

The feeling of wet hair sticking to his skin was rather unpleasant, and Qin Ye wiped his face clean as he glanced about at the other researchers. It was only then that he noticed the old head researcher gazing at Qin Ye with an intoxicated look in his eyes, “What a miracle of creation… We’ll now commence the inspection of the internal workings of your body. It’ll give even more exact results than before…”

Buzz!

As he spoke, several mechanical probes suddenly rose from the platform below, and one of them… slowly began to probe at Qin Ye’s unspeakable regions!

Holy crap?!

What the hell are you trying to do?!

Qin Ye immediately broke out into cold sweat. Is the little daisy that I’ve guarded for more than a hundred years finally about to bloom? But this object isn’t even a human being! Isn’t this too much?!

“Alright.” Mo Changhao chuckled, “You’ll need the consent of the examinee for an internal probe. I can sense that Mr Qin isn’t inclined to it, so let’s wrap up and proceed with the wash up. The representatives from the Auspicious Omens website are already here and waiting for Mr Qin in the meeting room. Oh, that’s right. Mr Zhou from the First Academy of Cultivators called earlier and sent his apologies. He is unable to attend your promotion ceremony because something has just cropped up.”

The walls of the cylindrical device closed up once more, and Qin Ye finally heaved a sigh of relief. Truth be told, he hadn’t yet figured out how to fool Zhou Xianlong.

Warm water rose from beneath, and Qin Ye shut his eyes once more.

Back outside. Mo Changhao furrowed his brows, “There’s nothing wrong.”

“I just can’t understand you guys. It’s a good thing that we’ve got another Infernal Judge in Cathay, so I don’t understand what all the fuss is about. I recall that there was nothing of this sort back when I was promoted some years ago. All I had to do was to attend the promotion ceremony one month after my breakthrough. So, tell me, what are you guys trying to do over here?”

The head researcher adjusted his glasses softly. The frenzied expression on his face had already faded away. He pushed on a button to set the wash-up timer to 20 minutes, before nodding at Mo Changhao and walking out of the conference room.

Mo Changhao frowned. But as soon as he got out of the room, he immediately froze in shock.

There was another man leaning against the wall in the corridor outside. That man wore a ramrod straight Cathayan tunic suit, and he was currently in the midst of lighting up a cigarette.

“Deputy Director Zhou?!” Mo Changhao did a double take at that man, “Didn’t you just call some moments ago to send your apologies? Didn’t an emergency crop up?”