Half a day earlier, when Pei Yi received the order, he had been toying with a medal.

It was a gift from Pei Ye, and it was currently the only thing on him that truly belonged to himself.

"Perhaps you still remember Mr. Will's order," someone reminded him.

Pei Yi did remember. So he watched Ruan Xing's group closely, and the instant the other stepped into the Quarantine Center, he activated his ability.

【Mirror World】

Strictly speaking, it wasn't his own ability. It was one he had seized passively.

This place contained Pei Yi's most vivid memories as an adult, about himself and about Pei Ye.

He pulled his drifting thoughts back. In the mirror, he caught the figure of the man. From Will, he had heard that this was the owner of that Tower, also named Ruan Xing.

The same name as that investigator from before?

It may not be a coincidence.

When Will had spoken of this man, his expression had been strange, like seeing a mentor on life's path, yet also like meeting the murderer who had killed his wife and stolen his child. It carried a pitying "what a shame" look mixed with bitter disappointment, something Pei Yi had never seen on Will's face before.

This time, the order he received was simple: "Release Number 99. At the same time, stall this man. If possible, kill him."

It didn't seem difficult, Pei Yi thought. Ever since gaining that pollutant's ability, although he had grown more reclusive, his strength had undoubtedly increased, making him more useful.

What he didn't expect was that the other man's abilities seemed very different from the powers he knew, and also unlike pollutants. This meant Will couldn't fully replicate their potency.

He remembered what Will had once called this type of ability.

"Magic… is it?"

So, magic actually existed in this world?

Then this man must be a mage.

Troublesome, but not dangerous. Far better than dealing with Will.

That was Pei Yi's conclusion.

So he revealed himself.

"Seeing these people, how do you feel?"

On the mirror's reverse side, a man in a white uniform appeared abruptly. The tassels on his epaulettes swayed slightly as he moved, asking the question.

Ruan Xing didn't turn around. He shot an arrow blindly over his shoulder, but it didn't hit flesh.

"Pei Yi?"

Ruan Xing turned.

"Yes. You know me?"

Pei Yi's gaze was calm as still water. This was the expression he often wore when facing anyone other than Fu Zhi and Pei Ye.

He looked at Fu Gui.

"It has been a long time, Dr. Aisa."

Fu Gui turned his head away and refused to look at him, silently cursing him as insane.

Ruan Xing heard it.

Fu Gui was equally hostile toward all people from the Tower.

The one he hated the most was Will.

Ruan Xing asked, "The incident in Mist City... was that you?"

Pei Yi said, "I follow Mr. Will's orders."

Ruan Xing gave a sharp, sarcastic laugh. "Then it was still you."

Pei Yi fell silent.

Ruan Xing asked, "Can I leave now?"

Pei Yi replied, "No."

Ruan Xing fired a shot at him, the gun's roar echoing loudly in the empty space.

Pei Yi pointed at the deformed, white-haired humans. "Although I'm very curious about you, I'm sorry. You will become one of them."

Fu Gui thought, [Those are the test subjects. I told you, Will is a total pervert. Since the Tower was founded, he has treated this place like a garbage dump. Everything that fails gets thrown here.]

If Ming Zhi's ability was like a freight truck, then Pei Yi's was like a garbage truck.

Fu Gui said, "No wonder this guy seems a bit unhinged now. Maybe his head is full of trash, or maybe processing so much of it caused some kind of breakdown."

Ruan Xing fully agreed with Fu Gui's assessment, then joined him in calling Pei Yi crazy.

Pei Yi seemed slightly regretful. "Alright, that was a bit rash. A mage should be given proper respect."

His figure gradually vanished, and at the same time, the distant mountain of garbage began to change.

The stench grew even stronger. Appearing before Ruan Xing was a gigantic garbage monster.

Calling it that might not be accurate, but Ruan Xing honestly couldn't think of a better word.

Countless human and non-human corpses, rotting or not yet rotted, fused together to form a moving mound. Like a mobile fortress, it spun forward, shedding monster corpses as it went. It opened a vast, abyssal maw, intending to swallow and assimilate a small human.

What did it feel like to face a mountain?

Small, insignificant, in awe of nature's power.

Ruan Xing's feelings toward the garbage mountain were more complicated.

It wasn't created by nature, and it reeked of an unbearable stench.

After the celebrity pollution incident, Ruan Xing had developed an extreme aversion to foul smells. And this was the stench of corpses fermenting for who knew how many years.

Perhaps noticing his expression, Pei Yi's voice came from the void. "Admit defeat."

Light from some unknown source shone on the monster's body. The surroundings were pitch black, yet he could still see himself and the creature.

Ruan Xing could deal with the monster. Blades or fire would both work. But he didn't want to waste energy here. Escaping was his priority.

Even though this was the mirror's reverse side, it was still a mirror, a flat surface under even force. If he focused all his power on one point, he could break it.

He studied the monster's movements carefully, and finally, in its path, he found a small glimmer of light.

It looked like a scratch on the back of the mirror. The mark was deep enough to reveal the original surface, allowing a thin beam of light to shine through.

Countless blades instantly stabbed at that one point. In the midst of Pei Yi's sharp intake of breath, Ruan Xing heard a crack. The surrounding space began to split open inch by inch.

Ruan Xing blinked and found himself back in the bright mirror space. But it was already in ruins. Broken shards patched over cracks, fragments floating in mid-air, and through gaps in the illusory space, the blurred real world could be seen.

This polluted zone was barely holding together and on the verge of collapse.

Just one more strike and he could leave.

But Ruan Xing didn't move because he saw Fu Zhi. That handsome face instantly drew his full attention.

Pei Yi was changing tactics? Planning to use a beauty trap? He thought to himself that it wouldn't change his decision to tear this place apart.

Pei Yi appeared again. "Captain," he called, sounding awkward.

The man before him wasn't a pollutant. Ruan Xing's eyes lit up. "How did you know I was here?"

Fu Zhi's lips curved faintly. "Chen Fu told me."

So he had reached the Quarantine Center, seen that Ruan Xing was trapped here, and came in?

Fu Zhi stood in front of him, his voice cold. "What are you doing, Pei Yi?"

That expression. Fu Zhi often wore it when scolding Bai Xu. As long as he put on that face, Bai Xu would behave obediently and stop making trouble.

Pei Yi reacted the same way. Seeing that familiar look, his brows lowered.

"I… Mr. Will ordered—"

"Pei Yi," Fu Zhi took a deep breath. "What did your brother and I teach you?"

"I'm sorry." The apology came quickly.

Fu Zhi frowned. "Let us out."

He had examined the spot where Ruan Xing disappeared, even used his ability to open a special view, and finally forced his way in. But since this was Pei Yi's domain, leaving safely still required the owner's consent.

Clearly, Pei Yi was only calling him "captain" now. In reality, he wasn't listening. He just repeated, "I'm sorry."

Fu Zhi's pupils contracted. He immediately pulled Ruan Xing back several steps.

A moment before, the garbage mountain had been far away, but it suddenly appeared, crashing down on them. If he hadn't moved Ruan Xing, they would have been crushed into part of the mound.

Ruan Xing narrowed his eyes.

"Captain, I'm no longer your subordinate. I must keep my agreement with Mr. Will."

"You know exactly what Will is," Fu Zhi said.

"I know," Pei Yi replied. "That's why I must do it."

The garbage monster loomed over them.

Ruan Xing prepared to act, but Fu Zhi was faster.

Almost before Ruan Xing could finish his chant, the man was already in front of the creature.

It opened its vast mouth, loosening completely like a mass of fat, tilting forward, and then crashed down.

Fu Zhi drew the black blade at his waist and didn't dodge. Red light flared, and like the parting of the Red Sea, countless corpses tumbled from the monster, thudding to the ground and rolling toward them in a wave.

Ruan Xing followed with finishing shots, loosing arrows into the piles. Each shot ignited roaring flames, reducing them to ash.

The garbage monster's body slammed to the ground, twitching.

Just as they both relaxed, the bisected monster reformed. Though smaller, it was charged with greater tenacity.

Fu Zhi's expression hardened. He struck again, his blade slicing deep.

This time, crimson flames clung like maggots to the wound, spreading until they consumed the whole body.

From the void came what seemed like a scream.

The monster faded away, and the sound of shattering glass filled the air. Ruan Xing blinked and found himself at the Quarantine Center's entrance.

Everyone nearby was startled by the sudden appearance of two people, especially since they recognized the one standing beside the long-haired youth.

"Major General Fu!"

"Oh my god, why is he here?"

"Wasn't the Investigation Corps already on lockdown, recalling all personnel to base?"

The crowd murmured.

Fu Zhi swept his gaze over them, and silence fell.

The killing intent from slaying the monster hadn't dissipated yet. It wasn't directed at humans, but they could all feel it.

"Ruan Xing!" Chen Fu called happily, and the man in the black suit also looked pleased.

Once out of public sight, they quickly explained the situation.

Upon learning the moth outbreak was the Tower's doing, the man in the suit was furious and immediately wanted to report it to the minister by filing a scathing complaint.

Ruan Xing then learned the man's identity: a member of the Enforcement Division's secretary group.

He did nothing to stop it. If anything, he wished the Tower would collapse immediately.

While the suited man was reporting, Ruan Xing's wristband chimed. It was a call from Ming Rui.

"Brother Xing!" The boy's face was covered in dust. Behind him, a dense swarm of moths was flying in the opposite direction from them.

Ming Zhi was at his back, and Ming Chen, pale-faced, lay weakly in his arms.

"Where are you?" Ruan Xing asked urgently.

Sweat mixed with blood trickled down Ming Rui's forehead. "We're running out. All those moths, they are flying the other way. I think they are going to attack the inner city!"