Fu Zhi heard a faint sound.

It seemed like the crackling noise of some malfunctioning machine. But when he listened carefully, the sound disappeared.

He held his breath and went up to the top floor.

Just moments ago, the ground shook violently, and Ruan Xing, who was beside him, suddenly vanished. Fu Zhi believed the most likely place he could be was here.

He had been to the Tower many times. Once as an adopted child, once as a donor of experimental material, once as a representative of the Execution Corps, and also simply as a human being.

Different roles gave Fu Zhi different tasks, but without a doubt, each change had been earth-shattering.

The gem-encrusted gate was extravagantly luxurious, and the corridor was still completely empty.

Fu Zhi tightened his grip on the knife in his hand, while his other hand rested at his waist.

"Mr. Fu?" A voice came from ahead.

Fu Zhi spun around abruptly and drew his blade, aiming it at the other person's head.

The man had white hair, a stooped back, and didn't seem afraid of having a gun pointed at him. When he saw it was Fu Zhi, his face lit up with joy. "Thank goodness! You are finally here!"

This elderly man had a significant history with Fu Zhi and could be considered one of his mentors.

"Professor Li?" Fu Zhi didn't lower his gun. "Why are you still here this late?"

The old man replied, "I was waiting for you! I knew you would come back."

He looked agitated. "You can't even imagine how deranged Will is! I only just learned about his vile deeds! They are simply unforgivable!"

Spittle flew from the old man's mouth as he reached to grab Fu Zhi. "When he told Pei Yi to release Number 99 to wreak havoc, I knew he was up to no good! But who could have expected it would get so out of hand? We're talking about millions of people! Just like that!" His voice trembled. "Just like that, because of Number 99, so many died."

Fu Zhi asked, "Number 99? You mean that moth?"

"Yes. Experimental subject Number 99. It was originally an ordinary moth, developed under the 29th set of research protocols. Highly contagious and highly organized. These moths can navigate their way back to the Tower, destroying and infecting all humanoid creatures they encounter along the way."

Fu Zhi thought of those moths endlessly attacking the inner city. Their goal was obvious: to return to the Tower. Like swallows returning to their nests, going back to the place where they were born.

"And the other experimental subjects?" Fu Zhi asked.

The old man glanced at him cautiously. "They are all in Will's secret team. Will should be over there now. He has known for a while that you would return."

"Take me to him," Fu Zhi said immediately.

"I didn't tell you before because this had nothing to do with you. I didn't want you to get involved. But now, things are out of control."

The old man walked ahead. He was clearly elderly, yet his steps were quick and agile.

Fu Zhi kept his weapon raised.

After scanning the biometrics, they entered a laboratory. Unexpectedly, there was no one inside. The old man didn't know where they went.

"Over here." The old man called Fu Zhi over to what turned out to be the cultivation room.

Fu Zhi saw that several cages at the front were empty. In contrast, the ones in the back held various strange creatures, similar to the ones he had seen in the specimen room before. But more alive and aggressive.

A glance around revealed that the entire floor housed approximately a hundred containers. The creatures inside were all in a dormant state, waiting to be awakened.

"There are a total of 199 experimental subjects, but for various reasons, many are gone now, and their cages are empty." The old man pressed a hand to the glass wall, meeting the gaze of a butterflyfish inside.

It was stunning, with a large white tail shimmering in rainbow light. When the old man touched the glass, it swam closer to him. Its eyes stayed closed, but instinctively, it opened its mouth. What had been the size of half a palm suddenly widened to the size of a basketball, revealing a deep, unseen throat that seemed to lead to another dimension.

The old man looked worried. "How can such dangerous creatures be allowed to roam free?"

Fu Zhi spoke slowly. "After all, you raised them. How to deal with them is still up to you, isn't it?"

The old man froze. "What are you talking about?"

Fu Zhi put away his gun and instead drew his knife.

Here, stray bullets could easily release the pollutants, but a knife would not. This particular blade only harmed human souls.

"I said, you've acted long enough." Fu Zhi suddenly swung his knife, and scarlet flames surged toward the old man.

The old man moved nimbly, leaping aside with ease.

He smiled. "How dull. Fu Zhi, you are truly dull. I can't imagine how Ruan Xing puts up with your personality."

The blade's attacks grew even more ferocious.

The old man looked slightly puzzled. "There should be no flaw…"

"Killing intent," Fu Zhi replied.

The old man was startled. Just that brief flicker of intent toward the butterfly fish had exposed him.

Of course. A normal person faced with such pollutants would first think of escaping, not killing.

"Terrifying intuition. So that's why you left the Tower without hesitation? You sensed that I would act against you?"

Fu Zhi didn't answer. His icy blue eyes flickered within the red flames. The sweep of his blade carried a scorching heat perceptible only to the soul, making it shrink in unseen places.

The old man's smile disappeared.

—

Ruan Xing blinked, confirming that he was no longer in a false world.

This body could affect his mind, but only the brain and not the soul.

The moment he became aware of the contradictions in his perception, a seed of doubt had already been planted. While working with Will on his research, he had also been conducting research on himself.

The little glowing dot in his mind wasn't very smart. It didn't even realize that Ruan Xing's blade had already been aimed at it.

With Aisa's help, Ruan Xing extracted the little glowing dot.

In that instant, an overwhelming flood of memories surged in. What surprised Ruan Xing was that Will's research on the soul had reached an extremely advanced level.

And because that man was crazy enough, he had even carried out ideas that had only ever existed as conjectures in magical theory notes.

For example, soul cutting.

That little glowing dot was actually a fragment of a larger soul. It had been trying to control Ruan Xing's thoughts and even went a step further to assimilate him.

The soul was a far stronger existence than the body. Using soul fragments as a means of attack was nothing short of extravagant.

For better assimilation, in that world, Ruan Xing had even been made to look exactly like Will. Thinking back on it now made him feel utterly disgusted.

But for Ruan Xing, even if the body and soul were mismatched and he was vulnerable to being tricked, those experiences were far too different from his own soul's memories. That was why he felt a sense of familiarity, but couldn't truly immerse himself in them.

It was precisely because of that difference that the fragment could only influence his thoughts, without completely pulling him in. He could even hide his own intentions and reach a tacit agreement with Crystal Company.

That fragment had never expected that it would be caught and locked away in the end.

Ruan Xing was shackled to a device, with his hands cuffed together. When he woke up, the green light on the machine suddenly turned red.

That probably meant he had been discovered.

With the mycelium absent, Ruan Xing tried unlocking magic, then corrosive poison mist, but none of it had any effect.

This material seemed to have extremely strong inert properties.

But for a mage, chanting was all that was needed.

Whoever had trapped him clearly didn't understand him well.

Hurried footsteps sounded. Ruan Xing lifted his eyelids and saw a man in a white lab coat with a kind face instead of the blond man he expected

Behind him was a group of people. They all looked surprised to see Ruan Xing awake.

"Awake already?"

These people showed no signs of aggression, so Ruan Xing stayed still.

The man in the lab coat, seeing this, took the initiative to speak.

"Hello, Mr. Ruan Xing. I am the person in charge of the Tower—"

"Wait," Ruan Xing interrupted him. "Can you undo this thing first?"

The middle-aged man shook his head, but after noticing the dangerous look in Ruan Xing's eyes, he hesitated and then nodded.

He stepped forward, took a key from his pocket, and unlocked the long chain with a click.

However, the cuffs between Ruan Xing's wrists were still there.

Ruan Xing did not dwell on it. He asked, "If you are in charge, then where is Will?"

The man's expression grew complicated. "The Tower is actually a team. Even before this building was completed, the Tower's team already existed."

Ruan Xing's face stayed blank. "Where is he?"

The man bent slightly. "Will is not here."

A black blade of magic swept past, grazing the man's collar. Cold sweat instantly formed on his forehead.

The researchers nearby let out startled cries.

The man wiped his sweat. "He's really not here. Let me take you to see your belongings first."

Ruan Xing raised his eyelids. That was indeed one of his goals.

He sat up on the device and jumped down.

The man led him through the corridors. Ruan Xing noticed there were no windows anywhere. All air circulation came from the ventilation system.

He wondered if throwing poison gas into the system could kill everyone here.

Possibly. However, after observing, he found that it wouldn't work. The air circulation system seemed specially designed so that air could only flow out, not in. It was two independent systems.

His thoughts shifted.

"In fact, Professor Will is just one member of our team. Being the most presentable, he is the one who often appears in public…"

Ruan Xing found this absurd.

From everything he knew and had personally experienced, Will was the mastermind behind the Tower. He was the very man he wanted to strip bare. And now they were claiming it was a team?

Fu Gui's words came to mind: "The Tower does have a secret research team, but I've never seen them."

The Healing Potion had been created by that team.

The Tower's structure was like a three-layer cake.

The Support Center was located between the first and second floors, with the entire first floor dedicated to it. The Research Center was between the second and third floors, occupying the entire second floor. The leadership was only in the small top section above the third floor.

As for the rest of the cake's layers, who was inside them?

Probably the people in front of him now.

"My companions?"

"They're still where they were, but we have sent people to find them," the man answered quickly. "Please don't worry, they are safe. However, we need to separate all of you, because being together is far too dangerous. This is for the safety of ordinary people."

It was understandable. There were indeed many ordinary people in the Tower. These researchers also looked no different from normal humans.

If it were Bai Xu here, he might have accepted the man's words. But Ruan Xing didn't.

However, the man didn't seem to care whether he was believed. Seeing that Ruan Xing did not attack again, he smiled. "To be honest, we were surprised by your performance in that world."

"You could have lived out your days in peace. You could have followed Aisa to a rival company and lived comfortably. You could even have remained a behind-the-scenes figure. The Tower wouldn't trouble you. But instead, you chose to make enemies of more than half the world."

"You refused a perfect life, and even the beautiful world where your companions live is not your wish. Mr. Ruan, we can hardly imagine what would truly satisfy you."

He spoke sincerely, like a psychiatrist caring deeply for his patient.

Ruan Xing pressed a black arrow to his throat, expression cold. "I have no interest in illusions. Stop talking nonsense."

The man's expression changed slightly. He didn't expect the cuffs to be of little use.

"In truth, we mean no harm. We would be delighted if you joined us. Whether it's Mr. Fu, Mr. Pei, or Miss Su, they are all exceptional people. If they joined the Tower, we could make history."

His breathing grew slightly faster.

Ruan Xing sneered. "First, they have to stay alive, do they not?"

"That can wait," the man said quickly. "They truly are safe. But for now, the most urgent thing is to check on your belongings, isn't it?"

Ruan Xing pushed the arrow forward, and a bead of blood welled up instantly. "Less talking."

The man said nothing more and led Ruan Xing toward the top floor.

After taking the elevator, they came to a mechanical door. Passing through it revealed a space of several hundred square meters. Countless black pipes covered the floor and ceiling like tree roots, some with thin black tassels hanging down of unknown material.

They twisted and intertwined, some running through the walls and stretching outward, while others were writhing as if breathing.

Where all the black pipes converged was a massive container filled with countless magic crystals.

The two-man-high box was packed full of beautiful stones, an enormous quantity.

They were all his property.

Ruan Xing could not help but take two steps forward.

It was obvious that the magic crystals were being drained of their power. Some had shrunk in size, with very little energy left.

"Mr. Ruan, you could never imagine. Those dusty materials in your warehouse, those books you had sealed away! How much will they change the world?" the man said.

"Your books are our guiding compass. Your materials are the ladder to absolute truth."

As he spoke, no one around moved. They all stared at Ruan Xing with strange, almost fanatical eyes. There was no malice in their gaze, yet it was unsettling.

Ruan Xing suddenly realized that apart from the earlier commotion, these people hadn't made a single extra sound.

Through the confrontation with the man, through seeing this shocking sight, had none of them felt any urge to speak?

Rather than mere suppression of speech, the atmosphere between them felt like they had already communicated and reached a consensus.

It was as if they didn't need to open their mouths to act together.

The man smiled, and at the same time, all his followers smiled.

Their smiles had the same curve, the same angle to their eyes, and their gazes mixed reason with fanaticism. Gentleness with cruelty.

They all leaned forward slightly, hands curling in exactly the same way.

Like copied images with different skins, but running the same program inside.

A strong feeling of wrongness surged up.

What shocked Ruan Xing wasn't how creepy it was, but the truth behind it.

"You really are insane," Ruan Xing said, his gaze sweeping over them.

Will, that madman, didn't cut his soul just once. He had split it into countless fragments!

That was why the man had said he was the person in charge of the Tower.

In fact, everyone here was the person in charge of the Tower. They were all the same person. All of them were Will.

"Mr. Ruan, I'm glad. Finding a like-minded person is so rare, and you figured it out instantly. It seems you know exactly what I have done," the man said.

Ruan Xing's face darkened.

Even in his past life, he would never have dared to conduct such a crazy experiment. Will had used himself as the subject, and he had done it so many times!

Ruan Xing guessed that everyone in the Tower had already been assimilated.

No wonder Will acted without restraint, caring nothing for whether someone was human or not. The world didn't need so many people, because one day, everyone would be him, and he would be everyone.

These people had been assimilated bit by bit with his fragments, retaining their own personalities in different bodies, yet sharing the same consciousness.

Birth and death were him. Love and hate, anger and joy, they were all him.

But even the strongest mage's soul could not wield such power over so many people. There wasn't enough strength for that.

How was Will able to do it? Where did the extra strength come from?

Ruan Xing's eyelids twitched as he thought of the magical fluctuations when he had transformed into an S-class pollutant.

If this world had no magic, yet such power was needed, what would happen?

He would study the nature of that power, even attempt to create a usable form for it.

What if there was a machine that could convert some form of energy into magic?

It wouldn't even have to be magic. Just another usable form of energy was enough.

Charcoal and coal could both burn. They just existed in different forms. If this world's technology could not produce coal, then why not grow trees and burn them to make charcoal?

If the heat from one tree wasn't enough, then burn ten.

Charcoal would be the substitute for magic power, and the burned trees would be the natural energy from the world.

Normal energy would be harvested and burned to expand and fill one's soul. What remained… was disorder and chaos.

Chaotic energy, like the jumbled magic within his body when in small-ball form, would be detected as a pollutant by scanners.

Was this pollution?

Ruan Xing studied the massive machine. He didn't know its exact principles, but he could feel the constant flow of power being generated, transformed, and sent through the long pipes.

"Mr. Ruan, your greatness should be known to the world," the man said.

Ruan Xing's mouth twisted. "Screw you." He actually cursed out loud.

Then, the black hilt of his sword pierced straight through the man's head.

The surrounding people erupted in shock.

Their faces showed panic, unease, and disgust. The instinctive reactions of different personalities within different bodies.

But soon, all those expressions vanished, replaced by a smile Ruan Xing knew well.

"What? To be revered by all, isn't that what you like?"

They spoke in perfect unison, without the slightest delay. Even their tone and cadence were identical, more uniform than NPCs in video games.

"If not for you, the world wouldn't be like this now."

"Ruan Xing, this is the second time you destroyed the world."