VESSEL - Extinction Countdown 991: Thousand-Handed Shura

Dragon Gate Inn.

The surgery ran from noon to midnight. Doctors and nurses swapped out three shifts, but Ye Shisan stood firm at the operating table.

Never had he spent so long peeling a person apart, layer by layer, with such precision. The act fed the beast within him, like savoring a fresh drug.

As the gray-white brain and spinal cord were extracted perfectly, Ye Shisan stared, greedy as if admiring an artwork.

A new body was wheeled in, its back fully opened—a young man in his twenties. Transplanting You Dragon King’s brain and spine would seal the job.

Just as he enthralled by the thrill, the room suddenly shook.

Alarms screamed.

By sheer luck, Ye Shisan’s scalpel had just withdrawn from the delicate procedure, narrowly sparing a critical neuron from ruin.

With a fierce kick, You Long’er burst through the door, her fiery red hair cascading wildly over her face as she bellowed: “Big Bro! Hong Gang’s ambushed us—they’ve breached the basement!”

“What?! Those bastards picked now to strike?”

“Big Bro, get Dad to safety!” You Long’er roared, her voice resolute. “My crew and I will buy you time!”

Another blast hit. Ceiling dust rained, red and yellow warning lights spinning wildly.

In the control room, You Hailong’s face paled. The surgery reached its most perilous juncture—his father’s brain and spine entirely extracted. By Ye Shisan’s pace, it’d take mere half a day to complete the procedure.

“Long’er, hold the bunker entrance at all costs! Dad’s at a critical stage, he can’t be moved!”

You Long’er stomped in frustration. In just that brief moment of nodding, a bullet grazed her scalp, hitting the wall. Right after that, a grenade exploded at the corridor’s end.

Terrifying tremors and clouds of dust spread through every room.

Doctors and nurses screamed—some collapsed, others fled through the open door. Chaos reigned.

You Hailong drew his pistol, whispering to Lin Changrong, “Mr. Lin, my dad’s in your hands. I swear you’ll come to no harm.”

Lin Changrong stood unshaken, calmly rolling up his sleeves and pointed. You Hailong followed his gaze to the surgery table, where one figure remained steadfast at the table.

Ye Shisan.

Seemingly oblivious to the gunfire or blasts, he stood as if entranced, quietly awaiting Lin’s orders.

“Hailong, with Ye Shisan here, I’ll finish this surgery.”

You Hailong nodded and charged out without a backward glance.

Lin Changrong chuckled. “Little brother, show me your true skill!”

His next words drowned in a massive blast. The flickering red and yellow flames closed in—Dragon Gate’s defenses were crumbling.

The black-market experts, hired at great cost, scattered in disarray—some cowered in corners, others fled, while a few collapsed in terror, pants soaked. Lin Changrong let out a heavy sigh, his gaze falling on the desolate surgery room where only Ye Shisan remained. Even the fabled Hand of God couldn’t complete this operation alone.

Time to step in.

Lin glanced at his hands, nerves ruined from the crash, no longer fit for his “golden finger” title.

As he braced himself, he saw something unforgettable.

In the flickering red-yellow light, Ye Shisan held his surgical stance. Around him, hemostats, needle holders, bone forceps, scalpels, bone shears, cutting pliers, rongeurs, retractors, nerve hooks, and scrapers hovered, suspended in midair.

Following Lin’s earlier commands, four or five instruments moved as if wielded by master surgeons, working with precision.

Lin’s hands were ruined, but his eyes—capable of brain surgery by sight—saw clearly.

Ye Shisan was no mere mortal.

His feats at the crash site had hinted at something extraordinary, but now his abilities shattered the boundaries of human potential. Was he a god?

Lin laughed. “Good, Ye Shisan! I don’t know your deal, but I picked the right man! Use the No. 3 retractor to widen the new body’s back incision…”

Ye Shisan, machine-like, focused only on the brain and spine. He began to grasp why some called humans divine creations. How could such intricate complexity evolve?

Dragon Gate Inn’s final bunker defense.

For years, Dragon Gate’s two hundred elite had held this stronghold impregnable, their fearsome reputation warding off any challengers. For You Dragon King’s clandestine surgery, You Hailong bolstered their ranks with another hundred. But someone leaked the plan, unleashing Hong Gang’s overwhelming force of six thousand upon their gates.

By night, they landed by sea and air, killing guards without a trace until they hit the bunker.

Dragon Gate’s remaining fighters, led by You Hailong and You Long’er, fought desperately, but Hong Gang’s numbers and heavy weapons—rockets, grenades—overwhelmed them.

In the brutal clash, Dragon Gate’s elite fell. You Hailong, shielding You Long’er, took multiple bullets.

At eighteen, You Long’er, though willful, bore her father You Dragon King’s fierce blood in every vein, single-handedly holding the line for two grueling hours. When her ammunition ran dry, she wielded her dagger with lethal precision, slashing the throats of two assailants before they overpowered her.

Big Block, Hong Gang’s leader, licked his lips. “Worthy of the Yu family's little miss, that old man actually has such a beautiful daughter—ha ha ha!”

A lackey said, “Boss, she’ll sell for a fortune!”

Big Block glared. “Idiot! Money’s nothing! She’s Dragon Gate’s prized princess. With her in our grip, they’ll bow to us… and we’ll have our sport, too!”

He reached for You Long’er with a greasy hand.

You Long'er, seething with rage, spat a mouthful of saliva right onto the big guy's face. “Kill me, or my second brother and sister-in-law will slaughter every Hong Gang scum!”

Big Block sneered. “Second brother? You Lulong sold you out! He’s mad to rule Dragon Gate, begging our bosses for help!”

With those words, You Long’er visibly wilted.

From a corner, You Hailong’s weak voice rasped, “Big Block, Dragon Gate yields its turf. Spare my dad and Long’er…”

Before his words could settle, a gunshot cracked the air. You Hailong’s forehead erupted in a grotesque spray of blood and bone, painting the wall crimson as he collapsed, lifeless.

You Long’er screamed, “Brother! Hong Gang filth, I’ll kill you all!”

Big Block laughed wildly. “Women, turf—I claim them all! Only the old man’s left. Boys, five million for You Dragon King’s head!”

His men charged like mad.

But after fierce gunfire, the charging mob recoiled in abject terror. Some wet their pants.

“B-Boss… there’s a ghost!”