"Hey, hey! Don't hit me! We're partners, aren't we? Hey! Why are you even hitting a bird?!"

After Fu Zhi hung up the phone, what he saw was Ruan Xing holding Fu Gui by one leg. The crow was flapping in his hand, and the sight made Fu Zhi chuckle. "What are you doing?"

Ruan Xing glared at Fu Gui. "Blabbering nonsense again. He needed a little punishment."

Fu Gui immediately switched sides. "Major Fu! Your wife is too ruthless. We've been through life-and-death situations together, and he treats me like this! Look, he even yanked my feathers out."

Ruan Xing: "Serves you right."

Seeing the two bickering in front of him, Fu Zhi's eyes showed amusement. "XingXing, come out with me tomorrow."

Ruan Xing was stunned. "For what?"

Naturally, it was to meet those team members.

Fu Zhi knew exactly what the situation with the Tower was like, so he also understood that it would be extremely difficult for Ruan Xing to enter the Tower on his own.

Of course, once people who knew him learned that Ruan Xing hadn't died, many problems would arise. Whether they believed it or not was one thing, but seeing was believing.

The meeting place was the same restaurant where they had their last group meal.

Bai Xu was shaking his leg, looking around, his stomach growling at the sight of the full table in front of him. "Can we just call the captain already? Why isn't he here yet?"

Su Xiaona looked a little tired, but her eyes were bright. She also glanced at her watch, clearly paying close attention to the time.

There were only a few minutes left until the agreed time. Almost there.

Pei Ye picked at his ear. "Xiao Bai, can't you have a little patience? We're here to strengthen bonds over dinner, not to solve your food shortage problem. You didn't eat before you came, did you?"

Pei Ye clearly heard Bai Xu's stomach growling earlier.

Bai Xu froze and blushed. "Ah… no, I didn't eat."

Pei Ye said, "Where did your money go? I remember you bought quite a few metal blocks with last month's salary, right?"

Bai Xu's ability was to control metal. Every month, he could receive a substantial number of equipment subsidies from headquarters, but unfortunately, he often used overwhelming attacks and frequently forgot to recover the metal equipment he left behind. As a result, besides using his allowance, he had to spend extra money to buy metal blocks, leaving his finances a bit tight.

Of course, this was also related to his habit of spending without keeping track of his expenses. He spent generously and was always broke by the end of the month.

But this time, Bai Xu didn't spend his money on himself.

He touched the gift box in his pocket, a little nervous as he glanced at the entrance.

This time, he had bought something for someone else. It was the first time he had ever given a gift to anyone.

When he called the captain, he learned that today was an important gathering meant to reintroduce Ruan Xing to everyone. But for Bai Xu, today had another special meaning.

Just thinking about the upcoming moment made his hands and feet sweat.

Finally, he saw the captain's figure appear before him. Behind him was a young man with long hair, wearing a beige shirt. Exactly the person Bai Xu had been thinking about.

Wait… holding hands?

Bai Xu shot to his feet, staring at their linked hands as his face changed dramatically. “You… you two…”

Ruan Xing looked puzzled at Bai Xu's shocked expression, then suddenly understood. He even lifted their clasped hands. "Ah, right, we're officially holding hands now."

Fu Zhi took the lead. "Everyone, let me introduce. This is my boyfriend, Ruan Xing."

Bai Xu felt as if he could hear the sound of his heart shattering into pieces.

The people present had mixed reactions, but all of them looked surprised at the two.

Chen Yihang, who had learned the truth earlier, still couldn't hide his surprise. But with the truth right in front of him, he was the first to respond. "Welcome, welcome, XingXing."

Su Xiaona's eyes turned red again. "It really is you... It's really you, XingXing."

During the mission in Fairy Tale City, the young man she saw through the smoke and dust was actually Ruan Xing.

Su Xiaona stood up and came forward. Completely ignoring Fu Zhi beside him, she hugged Ruan Xing and patted his back. "I'm really glad that you're alive, XingXing!"

Ruan Xing coughed twice.

Seeing this, Fu Zhi tugged Su Xiaona back. "It's really Ruan Xing. Calm down."

Pei Ye opened one eye, resting his head on his arm. His lazy voice rang out. "XingXing, showing up with that appearance is gonna cause you some serious trouble."

He glanced meaningfully at the devastated Bai Xu, clicked his tongue, and muttered, "Pathetic."

Ruan Xing noticed the teasing look in his eyes and smiled. "Yes, I've caused trouble for everyone."

Su Xiaona immediately glared at Pei Ye. "What are you saying? We're all on the same team. Don't act so distant. Your business is my business."

Pei Ye pouted. "Sigh, I really don't want to have dinner with coworkers after work. It makes me feel like I'm still on the job."

Even so, he didn't move.

Su Xiaona: "Then why don't you leave?"

Pei Ye choked. "Hey, hey, no way. You called me 'senior' before, and now you are telling me to leave? You're really hurting my feelings."

Only Bai Xu looked a little absent-minded.

After Fu Zhi and Ruan Xing sat down, the atmosphere gradually warmed up.

From Ruan Xing's tone and choice of words, everyone could feel the familiar personality, and the awkwardness in their hearts faded away.

Well, so what if it was a new face? These days, the specialized clinics are very advanced. You may be discharged as early as the second week after undergoing cosmetic surgery. You could be out even sooner if you paid more.

When they were about to finish eating, Ruan Xing concealed part of the truth and told them what had happened to him, focusing on the Mist City incident. With the help of videos and pictures, he explained everything clearly. Chen Yihang's expression grew serious, and even Pei Ye's face turned grim.

Even though they had mentally prepared themselves, hearing it firsthand from someone who had been there still made everyone feel heavy.

"Maybe we've been wrong all along. The Tower isn't actually the beacon of hope in the apocalypse."

Enforcement Division.

The hall was packed, and most of the people present were older. They were dressed in uniform, their chests bearing medals with different insignias.

However, it was already the end of the meeting. The important topics had already been covered, and some were even preparing to leave when they were called back.

"Everyone, I have something to say."

The previously black screen lit up again. Before people could see who had put it up, the unpleasant images on it froze them in place.

"Recently, there has been a lot of talk about Mist City. I contacted someone who knew what happened. These are the recorded images. The technical department has verified that they are real."

A hoarse voice came from the corner. The PPT slid forward until it stopped on the corpse of Yin Zhu.

"It's a knight!"

"So this polluted zone is connected to the Tower?"

Those who had been leaving stopped in their tracks and looked toward the leaders seated at the front, unsure how to react.

The one running the PPT was a middle-aged man.

His appearance was strange. His left eye was on his forehead, his right eye on his cheek, and his whole face looked as if it had been crushed by something. Like an unskilled tailor had forcibly stitched two halves together.

He gave a cold laugh. "Of course, I have the full video."

He opened a file. As the footage played, showing the grotesque appearance and chilling words, everyone was stunned.

Someone who lived by taking the lives of others… No wonder that knight had always kept to himself and never showed his true face. Who would have thought he was already over a hundred years old?!

"Besides, this information was given to me by Major Fu. What do you think?"

The room went quiet for a moment.

A younger man in a black suit asked someone nearby, "Who's this?"

The person next to him explained, "Chen Fu. He used to be with the Tower. Later, because of an experimental accident, he left and joined the Information Division. He is a bit unhinged and extremely hostile toward the Tower. Most importantly, I think his mind isn't very stable."

Chen Fu seemed to hear them. He lifted his head and glared at the speaker, but didn't refute it.

The man in black said, "This meeting wasn't supposed to have his part, right? This is for leaders only. How did he get in?"

"He is an old friend of the minister. Otherwise, how do you think someone with his mental state could get into the Information Division? I also heard he has another identity, supposedly as the head of some organization…"

Execution Minister An Mao, a middle-aged man with a mustache, looked around and coughed twice. "Quiet, everyone. Let Mr. Chen finish."

This was clearly a show of support for Chen Fu.

Several people in the front row looked displeased, but they gave An Mao face and kept silent.

After all, the reason this man could rise to the top of power so quickly was not just because of his personal ability. It was also because he commanded the strongest military force in the base.

It could be said that they could ignore anyone's authority here, except An Mao's.

Chen Fu's mood seemed unstable, almost manic. "From this complete footage, we have reason to suspect that not only are the polluted zones connected to the Tower, but pollution itself may be inseparable from the Tower."

He dropped a bombshell.

Everyone's expressions changed, their disgust momentarily forgotten. "What?!"

The Administrative Minister, who was on the same level of authority as An Mao, said, "Mr. Chen, don't joke about such things. The Tower may have its bad elements, but it has indeed played a huge role in controlling pollution."

Chen Fu raised his eyelids. "Have you never wondered why it's such a coincidence? Out of all the research institutions in the world, so many were wiped out in a short time, but the Tower survived. Moreover, why was it able to specifically develop pollution control?"

That made everyone fall silent.

Over a hundred years ago, one country had created a virus that harmed the whole world, killing countless people. Everyone thought it was the fault of another country, but in the end, it turned out that the virus had leaked from that country's own laboratory. No wonder they developed an antidote so quickly.

How similar that was to now.

In the years just before the apocalypse, the Tower began construction. Not long after it was completed, the apocalypse came. The Tower immediately developed a cure to contain the pollution, and soon after, the bases were established, where humans have been barely surviving in small safe zones.

Everything was just too coincidental.

The room stayed silent.

The quiet spread.

The twisted scars on Chen Fu's face shifted as he sneered. "A bunch of cowards. The Tower has brainwashed you so thoroughly. I wonder if they will show you mercy when you are about to die."

With that, he left.

Leaving everyone staring at each other.

Someone sighed. "Minister An, better not let him come next time."

"Yeah, that guy is too unstable."

"He's always like this. Can he even speak properly? It's not like we would not listen…"

An Mao looked at his friend's departing back and let out a long sigh.