The researcher showed no sign of movement, not even a trace of breath. As he approached Ruan Xing, he was completely silent, so quiet that even Fu Gui didn't react.

But that didn't stop Ruan Xing from immediately firing a shot at him.

The shot was too rushed, so it didn't kill him instantly.

The commotion quickly drew the attention of the others.

"What's going on?!" Pei Ye clearly saw what had just happened.

Whether it was the already-dead pollutant or the lifeless researcher, both served as reminders to everyone: their attacks were ineffective.

"Surprised? Didn't expect this, did you?" The researcher smiled and didn't launch an attack right away.

Instead, he rose stiffly, his posture unnaturally twisted, as if his joints didn't bend right.

Out of habit, he patted at his white lab coat, though it was already soaked with blood, so it did nothing.

"Ruan Xing, do you recognize me?"

That made Fu Zhi look over.

Ruan Xing let out a low grunt. "I still remember the stab you gave me."

The researcher, hands in his pockets, smiled. "I told you we would meet again."

"Who exactly are you?" Ruan Xing asked.

The researcher said nothing, shifting his gaze toward Fu Zhi and Pei Ye.

With a tone that sounded almost like admiration, he said, "Not bad. You've done well."

"But that was all within your expectations, wasn't it?" Fu Zhi said coldly.

"That's right." The researcher's eyes gleamed as he looked at Fu Zhi. Eyes far too vivid for someone who had died so recently. "You're very bold."

"What's there to be afraid of?" Pei Ye shot back.

"If you don't value your life, when you die, there will be no one left in the Pei family," the researcher replied.

Pei Ye's pupils contracted sharply. He immediately raised his gun and fired.

One shot, straight to the head.

Whatever Ruan Xing had been about to say was cut off.

In his sight, the red dot of his tracker had moved far away.

The soul he had marked could jump freely from one body to another.

This scene was familiar.

It was just like when he had first arrived in this world… when he had taken over Ruan Xing's body.

Ruan Xing's lips pressed into a thin line.

"Let's go check the other floors," Chen Yihang said, waving the computer in his hand. "I just recorded the biological data code used during the door's authentication process. We should be able to access the other floors too."

Pei Ye patted his shoulder. "Nice work, kid."

After that, nothing unexpected happened. The power outage had only affected that one floor, and the others were fine.

Chen Yihang finally found the real data storage location and began the long process of transferring it.

"Captain, you should go to the top floor first. I still have a long way to go here," Chen Yihang said, giving Ruan Xing a little push. "Brother Pei can stay with me."

They couldn't argue with that, and given how strange everything was, Ruan Xing needed to see the top floor for himself.

Fu Zhi led the way as the two of them returned to a narrow passageway.

Here, the space of the corridor became even narrower.

Ruan Xing even felt as if the air around him had grown thinner.

They kept moving upward for a long time, so long it almost felt like they weren't climbing toward the top of the Tower, but toward the sky itself.

Finally, they reached the end.

The path ahead opened wide.

"Will!" Fu Gui called.

Ruan Xing's expression sharpened as he saw the blond man.

There, standing against the light streaming through a tall window, was a man with golden hair. The sunlight caught his hair, shining with a brilliance that stirred something strangely familiar.

"Welcome to the Tower, Ruan Xing."

Will stepped forward, and his face, once hidden in shadow, was now clear.

He appeared to be in his thirties, with gentle features, and silver pupils that gave him an inhuman, empty look.

Fu Zhi instantly stepped in front of Ruan Xing.

"I have been waiting for you a long time."

Will looked past Fu Zhi to speak to Ruan Xing.

He paid no attention to Fu Zhi or Fu Gui, keeping his gaze locked on Ruan Xing.

Ruan Xing tilted his head. "Waiting for me to send you off?"

Will's eyes curved. "Perhaps it's better if I send you instead."

Ruan Xing lashed out with his mycelium, and to his surprise, Will didn't dodge. The tendrils bound his hands tightly in front of him.

Glancing down, Will said, "You know, I imagined many scenarios when we would meet."

"I imagined many ways to kill you," Ruan Xing said coldly.

Fu Zhi drew his blade, flames running along its length. In a flash, he was in front of Will, bringing the blade down.

But Will evaded, far faster than Fu Zhi.

With that kind of speed, why didn't he dodge the mycelium earlier?

Ruan Xing even suspected the mycelium didn't truly restrain Will.

Although he was restrained, Will looked utterly at ease, without a hint of distress on his face.

Fu Zhi might have been holding back, but Ruan Xing wasn't. His magic flared in a storm of spells.

Will only smiled. "In a way, you could call yourself my teacher, Ruan Xing."

He raised his hand slightly, and the sound of air being pierced filled the room.

A swarm of sharp arrows shot forth, identical to the ones Ruan Xing used.

He could use magic!

The arrows hurtled toward Fu Zhi, ignoring Ruan Xing entirely.

Fu Zhi moved like a leopard, springing off the wall to twist midair and strike at Will.

But Will seemed unconcerned. He casually grabbed a stick nearby, raised it with both hands, and blocked the attack.

Ruan Xing's follow-up landed immediately. Spheres of magic surrounding Will, each exploding in turn.

But a faint, bubble-like barrier appeared around Will, blocking every blast.

Magic waves rippled through the air, and Ruan Xing realized he had never seen a defensive spell like this.

He had to admit, this man's talent was terrifying. In such a barren world, using only Ruan Xing's notes, he had created an entirely new magic.

But Ruan Xing had seen plenty of geniuses before. And magic wasn't invincible.

Using Swift Step, he circled behind Will and fired repeatedly at one spot. Soon, the barrier shattered under the onslaught.

Will was hit, grunting as he staggered back, blood running down his leg to pool at his feet.

Hunched over, still bound, he said, "Don't you want to know where I put all those things?"

Ruan Xing's resolve didn't waver.

He could search after killing him.

The mycelium dug deeper into Will's wrists, splitting to bind his legs as well. Poisoned arrows riddled his body like a pincushion, and at the same time, Fu Zhi's blade came down.

Red flames carved a deadly arc through the air.

Will looked up at the blade and smiled.

There was no resistance as Fu Zhi took his head clean off.

Ruan Xing barely had time to process it.

Was that it?

Fu Zhi frowned as well.

He stepped forward to check. It was human. Recently dead. No signs of falsehood.

Not a fake.

Chen Yihang's voice came over the comms. "Captain, we're done here. Let's go!"

His mission had been to copy classified data. With all those systems, could he really have finished so fast?

But Chen Yihang confirmed again. The data was genuine, precisely what An Mao needed.

Still doubtful, Ruan Xing regrouped with the others.

"No surprises. It was easy to copy," Bai Xu said.

"Who would have thought the Tower had so many illegal materials on human experimentation! That was banned even before the apocalypse!" Chen Yihang said excitedly.

Everyone was in high spirits.

Ruan Xing had killed Will, but a sense of unreality gnawed at him.

As they stepped out of the Tower, he glanced back one last time. In the sunlight, the massive white building was blinding.

"What are you thinking?" An Mao handed him a cup of tea. "We have explained things to the public. Once the Research Center takes over the Tower's work, we can completely eliminate pollution."

Ruan Xing accepted the cup, watching the ripples in the tea.

What had he just been thinking about?

He couldn't remember.

"We have taken over all the Tower's researchers, and Will's illegal projects have been exposed. Once we finish the internal purge, we can finally relax," An Mao said.

"Where's Fu Zhi?" Ruan Xing asked.

An Mao gave him a strange look. "He took a team to move some things. Didn't you say you left items in the Tower?"

Right. Many of his grimoires and materials had been taken by Will.

But had he ever told An Mao that?

Ruan Xing put the tea down, taking in his surroundings.

He looked around. They were in an office. But… why was he here? For what purpose?

"About magic," An Mao said, "I think you should speak to the public. Maybe explain it in simple terms?"

Ruan Xing nodded. Yes. That was why he was here.

The Tower's research had always centered on magic, and many pollutant incidents have the shadow of magic behind them.

The documents had been released, and everyone was curious about this mysterious power. An Mao had invited Ruan Xing to give a public explanation, and later, magic would be taught widely to help combat and eliminate pollution.

"It's simple," Ruan Xing began. "The air around us contains countless magical elements. If we can sense them and chant the incantations, we can use this power—"

A small flame danced on his fingertip.

Then he froze.

"What's wrong, Mr. Ruan?" An Mao asked.

Absurdity washed over Ruan Xing.

He shouldn't be able to draw on the magical elements. Not here. It was like software running without code.

Impossible... unless...

His gaze snapped to An Mao. "I can't remember some things."

"That's normal. It happens to me too." An Mao replied with a smile.

"By the way, how long were we inside the Tower?" Ruan Xing asked.

Amau blinked, puzzled at the question, but answered patiently. "Ten hours. You went in at three in the morning and came out at one in the afternoon."

But Ruan Xing remembered clearly. He and Chen Yihang had split up at six in the morning, and he had gone with Fu Zhi toward the top.

And when he saw Will, the sun was shining brightly.

Bright sunlight at six or seven in the morning?

An Mao's smile faded. He seemed to realize something.

"I wanted to set the mood for our first meeting, but I didn't expect you'd figured it out so early," he said.

"An Mao" scratched his cheek with one finger as he sighed.

Ruan Xing immediately pulled his gun.

Bang!

From behind the black muzzle, his face was expressionless.

A black hole marked the center of An Mao's forehead. But no blood flowed.

He reached out, pushing aside Ruan Xing's arm while smiling.

A smile that Ruan Xing recognized.

It was the same smile as the little boy who had stabbed him, and the same as the revived researcher in the Tower.

"Will. You're not dead," Ruan Xing said.

Wearing An Mao's face, Will grinned wider and wider. The scene around them shuddered. Like a glitched game world, objects came crashing silently to the ground.

Objects toppled from shelves without a sound, as if the world was breaking apart in silence.

"In this ending, I was supposed to be dead." "An Mao" said with a smile.

"It was supposed to be the perfect ending. Why spoil it?"

Violent shaking took Ruan Xing's breath away, and in a blink, he was back in the narrow corridor.

Of course. It had been too easy. Everything just now was an illusion.

Will wasn't dead at all.

He hadn't even truly seen him yet.

Heat burned in Ruan Xing's chest as he continued up the passage, his steps hastening, causing the empty corridor to echo with his footsteps.

And as he neared the top, noise reached his ears.

A researcher in a white coat approached him, holding a stack of documents. Seeing Ruan Xing, he paused. "What are you doing here?"

Ruan Xing's lips curled faintly. "Why can I not be here? I'm looking for—"

But the rest of the words were caught in his throat. His expression shifted in shock.

Who… was he here looking for?