The fiery clouds stretched across the sky, dyeing half of the heavens red as if igniting the vast and barren land below.

On a winding, desolate road, a tiny black speck appeared on the horizon, steadily growing larger as it approached.

The vehicle was a wreck. Its body and bumper were covered in scars, and a deep gash ran across its side, crudely patched together with sheets of metal. Despite its battered state, the emblem on the hood was still faintly recognizable as that of a modified Land Rover.

“This kid’s been out for a while.” A tall, lanky man shifted his position, his body swaying slightly as he lit a cigarette.

The seats, except for the driver’s, had all been removed. Theoretically, the space should have been spacious, but the sheer amount of clutter made it feel cramped. To make matters worse, three grown men were squeezed into this small, suffocating space.

Two of them sat on the floor, while the third, a slender young man, leaned against the side of the vehicle, his head tilted to the side.

His black, slightly long hair, unkempt and soft, fell over his brow, concealing his eyes and leaving only a pale, delicate chin visible. The golden light of the setting sun poured in through the window, coating his figure in a soft glow and highlighting the elegant contours of his face, making his features appear even more striking.

His eyes remained tightly shut, his face drained of color, clearly unconscious.

The tall man had been referring to him just now.

“Must’ve never suffered before,” the stockier man scoffed, his tone laced with disdain. “The moment danger strikes, he faints. Not like us, risking our lives every damn day just to make a living.”

The tall man exhaled a cloud of smoke and let out a dry chuckle. “City folks…”

As his cigarette burned close to the filter, a faint rustling noise came from a dark, inconspicuous corner. At first, it was just a small sound, but soon it grew louder, as though something was struggling.

“Damn noisy!” The tall man lashed out with his foot, kicking over a pile of cargo that had been stacked haphazardly. The scattered items revealed a cage hidden underneath.

Inside, a small, dark creature quivered.

The tall man curled his lips into a sneer. “So much trouble, and all we got was this thing.”

He lifted the cage and gave it a careless shake. The creature inside flapped its wings in a panic, letting out two sharp caws.

“You don’t see birds with such low pollution levels anymore,” the stocky man said, rubbing his hands together greedily. “City folks would love keeping something like this as a pet. Should fetch a nice price.”

The bird thrashed wildly in the cage, its feathers ruffled in alarm. Annoyed, the tall man pressed the smoldering tip of his cigarette against its wing.

A piercing shriek rang out, then silence. The creature curled up, no longer daring to struggle.

The tall man grinned, “Needs some training. Might as well eat it.”

Just then, the stocky man suddenly turned his head. “Boss, looks like he’s waking up.”

—

Ruan Xing had actually been awake for a while now.

But his mind was still struggling to process everything.

As a mage who had experienced countless storms, he had thought himself unshakable. Yet, in this moment, he found himself at a loss.

Just yesterday, he had moved into his new mage tower. The next time he opened his eyes, he was in a strange and unfamiliar world. The abruptness of it all, how could he not suspect a conspiracy?

Even worse, his attempts to reach out had been met with nothing but silence.

He had lost all contact with his mage tower.

Inside that tower were centuries’ worth of treasures: countless spellbooks, rare materials, and an immeasurable trove of resources. It was the legacy of a top-tier magician, a lifetime of effort poured into that place.

And he had only spent one night in it before this happened.

His breath faltered slightly.

The body he was in still retained traces of its original consciousness, allowing him to understand the language here. But beyond that, he had no access to any memories, no understanding of this world’s history or his current circumstances.

The only thing he was sure of was that this body belonged to an ordinary person.

If he could find his mage tower, perhaps he could use the resources within to restore his strength and regain the power he once wielded.

But if he couldn’t…

Then, he would be stuck in this frail body, living an insignificant, mediocre life.

That was utterly unacceptable!

Slowly, Ruan Xing opened his eyes.

When they had been closed, his beauty had been subdued and unnoticed. But now, as his gaze swept over the dim interior, a pair of striking emerald-green eyes were revealed. Like the finest gemstones, polished to perfection. The slight upward tilt at the corners added an edge of allure, and the fluid light within them infused life into what had previously been a lifeless visage.

For a split second, something flickered in the tall man’s eyes. An almost imperceptible trace of astonishment.

The stocky man, however, merely grunted. “You’re awake.”

The air in the vehicle was thick and heavy with dust and the lingering scent of smoke. The atmosphere felt oppressive. Only two narrow windows allowed slivers of light to pierce through, barely illuminating the grime-covered walls.

Outside, the scenery shifted rapidly. They were moving fast.

Ruan Xing could smell it.

The metallic tang of blood clung to these men.

They were dangerous.

His gaze flickered to the trembling crow in the corner before he slowly sat up.

“Thank you for saving me,” he said.

The stocky man let out a short laugh. “We’re all human, after all. You must be part of the Investigation Corps, huh? The polluted zones are dangerous, why were you alone?”

Ruan Xing shook his head, lowering his gaze as if reluctant to speak. His posture seemed to shrink as though burdened by unspeakable grief.

The stocky man frowned. “Did your team… not make it?”

Ruan Xing lowered his head even further. After a brief silence, he let out a soft “mm.” Then, as if trying to compose himself, he asked, “Did you find anything on me?”

The stocky man hesitated before pulling a badge from his pocket.

The emblem was shield-shaped, and its base was pristine white. At the center, two golden delphinium flowers intertwined, so finely detailed they seemed almost alive, poised to take flight. The outer frame was also gilded with intricate patterns curling around an olive branch that extended from both sides, meeting at the top of the shield.

A badge with such an exquisite design. It was no wonder these two had used it to determine his identity.

The one in Ruan Xing’s hand had clearly seen years of wear, its edges softened by time.

Yet, the body he now occupied… had hands that were smooth and unblemished, untouched by labor or hardship. It was obvious that this badge had never belonged to the original owner of the body.

The stocky man asked, “Which team were you with? We found you outside, we should take you back to your squad. It’s too dangerous for you to be out here alone.”

Something was off.

His attitude was too eager. This Investigation Corps must have some level of influence.

Ruan Xing forced a weak yet obedient smile. “Thank you, but just take me back to the city. Someone will come for me.”

Going somewhere unknown was dangerous.

But staying with these two? Even more so.

The tall man suddenly chuckled. “Of course, we’d like to return home as soon as possible, too.” He paused before adding, “Oh, right. We forgot to check your pollution level earlier. Go ahead and test yourself now.”

Ruan Xing paused slightly.

Still, he took the circular metal object, pondered for a moment, and placed his palm on it.

However, nothing happened.

The smile on Ruan Xing's face disappeared.

Before he could get up, the tall man clamped down on his shoulders with such force that it nearly tore through the fabric of his clothes.

"You stole this badge, didn’t you?"

The tall man sneered, yanking Ruan Xing's slightly long hair while swiftly maneuvering behind him to restrain both of his hands.

With a cold laugh right next to his ear, the man sneered, "Impersonating the Investigation Corps? You’ve got guts. Are you looking to stand trial in a military court?"

"I knew this kid looked like a duck! He can't even use a scanner. He's definitely a fake! Kill him already, no point wasting fuel to bring him along." The stocky man spat.

With his hands bound behind him, Ruan Xing's pale neck was exposed, glowing faintly in the dying light. He looked like a swan awaiting execution.

His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he swallowed, his fingers twitching in resistance. The emerald depths of his eyes darkened, glinting with murderous intent.

His voice turned icy. "What do you think you're doing?"

The tall man let out a hearty laugh. “It’s been years since I’ve seen someone this fearless. If I report you, I’d probably get a decent sum.”

Seeing Ruan Xing’s face, he added, “But even so, it’s still too little.”

He rolled his eyes and asked, "Lao Er (老二 lǎo èr = Second Brother), what was his contamination level when you scanned him earlier?"

"15%."

The tall man’s eyes lit up. "We’ve hit the jackpot."

"Boss, you mean…?"

"Doesn’t ScarTail (疤尾 Bāwěi) have connections? I remember they just handled a fresh batch last month and made a fortune. This one should count as high-quality stock, right?"

The tall man reached out to touch Ruan Xing’s face, his gaze sliding over the exposed, pale skin. "A pampered young master from the inner city. There should be plenty of buyers."

The stocky man chuckled. "Boss, you’re a genius!"

Ruan Xing was thrown into a corner with his hands tied behind his back. The rope dug so deep into his skin that it nearly cut into the flesh.

The tall man hummed a random tune as he casually opened a metal box, pulling out a long wire from inside.

[Breaking News: Yesterday, two new infection cases were reported in the buffer zone, bringing the total death toll to 156. The B-class polluted zone, West Hundred Road (西百路 Xī Bǎi Lù), is still undergoing containment.

Reportedly, this operation is being handled by the Enforcement Division (執行部 zhíxíng bù) 2nd Squad's 6th Team, which previously managed the A-class pollution event [Lost City] and is highly experienced.

This month's infection rates continue to decline, and the Enforcement Division remains optimistic about the situation next month…]

Ruan Xing quickly calmed down. He had already been discovered, and unnecessary struggle would only waste energy. Instead, it was better to gather as much information as possible.

Positioning himself in a way that allowed him to move flexibly at any moment, he leaned against the vehicle wall, quietly absorbing the details transmitted from the metal box.

It seemed that humanity was currently facing an existential crisis. A disaster called the "Great Pollution."

The "pollution" could affect various targets, including plants, animals, and even humans.

Once a human was polluted, they would undergo physical mutations and might even lose their sanity, turning into monsters that roamed the polluted zones.

At that point, the Enforcement Division would send out personnel to eliminate them.

However, things didn’t seem to be going too well this time. Even a B-level mission had already resulted in multiple casualties among the Enforcement Division members.

All in all, this world wasn’t much better than Ruan Xing’s original one. Perhaps it was even worse.

After all, humans didn’t even know how to use magic in this world.

Ruan Xing tried once again to summon magic elements around him, but still, there was no response.

His lips pressed into a thin line.

"Ga-ga!" A sharp cry came from the corner.

Ruan Xing turned his head.

During his feigned unconsciousness, He had already noticed a crow inside the vehicle.

The crow tilted its head, its beady green eyes gleaming with intelligence.

It cawed twice, and to Ruan Xing, it clearly sounded like: "That hurt like hell!"

Seeing Ruan Xing looking at it, the crow snorted through its nostrils. "What are you staring at? Pathetic fool!"

[Spirit Speaker] (靈語者 Líng Yǔ Zhě)

The ability to communicate with intelligent beings.

It wasn’t considered a magical talent and hadn’t disappeared despite his body's transformation.

The tall man kicked the cage again.

The crow screeched angrily, "You brainless fool! You dare burn me with a cigarette? Just wait till I get out! I’ll make you pay!"

"What’s that bird screeching about?" The stocky man bit down on his cigarette. "Should I give it another one?"

The crow immediately went silent, shrinking obediently into the corner of the cage.

The stocky man was about to burn it again when, suddenly, the vehicle lurched, slamming both him and the tall man against the wall. Ruan Xing, who had been leaning against it the whole time, managed to avoid the impact.

"Lao San (老三 lǎo sān = Third Brother), what the hell are you doing?!"

The tall man shouted toward the front.

A strange and indescribable sense of danger crept over Ruan Xing, making his back go rigid.

"Boss, Xiao Ying (小鷹 xiǎo yīng = little eagle) just sent a warning! Something’s following us and it’s moving fast!” The driver’s trembling voice came from the front.

A sharp, piercing screech echoed from the sky.

"What the hell is that?"

The stocky man rolled down the window, sticking his head out—

The moment he stretched his hand out of the car window, his body suddenly went rigid as something black clamped onto his head.

The black object lightly opened and closed, and the fat man's head, like a ripe watermelon, let out a crisp crack. The sound of something splitting open at its peak ripeness.

The watermelon twisted and deformed, cracks spreading outward before it finally shattered into pieces. Its rind was thin, and its flesh brimming with juice. The white pulp, driven by inertia, was flung toward the back of the vehicle while the bright red liquid splattered against the car window.

A rich, overwhelming scent filled the cramped interior, assaulting the senses of everyone present.

His limbs, unaware that his head was gone, continued to struggle on instinct. The red juice smeared across the car walls, painting them as his final cry echoed.

In the end, the headless body, no longer in control, slowly collapsed into the vehicle.

The tall man’s pupils shrank in terror.