As the sun lit up the sky, everyone heard the explosion.

"Quick! Evacuate the civilians! The danger is not over yet!"

The man in the black suit directed the plainclothes officers around him, pulling an ID from his pocket as they drove people away from the area.

The Tower was still collapsing, and the tall buildings nearby weren't faring much better.

The glass of a twenty-something-story building had shattered completely. Deep cracks split the walls, and those cracks were spreading wider and longer along the structure.

The violent tremors from the Tower had caused resonance, shaking other buildings as well. Many surrounding structures had also begun to sway, threatening to fall.

Countless people poured out of the buildings, screaming, but even their cries couldn't stop the skyscrapers from crumbling.

The shockwaves from the blast continued to spread.

A faint blue glow appeared in the sky above the inner city. A sign that the defense systems had been triggered.

The ground quaked violently. The aftershock hadn't faded yet.

People's faces changed, and they poured from their homes, rushing toward the shelters in a frenzy.

The Enforcement Division moved fast. Both the Quarantine Center and the Investigation Corps had already been prepared to begin emergency evacuation.

Panic filled the air. Not only were ordinary citizens afraid, but many members of the Enforcement Division themselves were unsure of what had really happened.

The man in the black suit looked grim as he glanced at the sky. The swirling clouds above had already vanished.

The sky was now clear and bright, but the ground was in chaos.

An Mao arrived from headquarters with a dark expression.

Moving against the crowd, he saw countless buildings on the verge of collapse. The further in he went, the worse the situation became.

He came across his secretary. "What's going on?"

The black suit shook his head. "Battle status unknown."

An Mao looked toward the area.

Hundreds, maybe thousands, of people were buried beneath the rubble. And that didn't even count those who were still inside the Tower.

Could this have been part of the Tower's plan to destroy all the evidence?

An Mao's voice was heavy. "Assign part of the team to rescue operations. First Squad, come with me to the Tower."

The black suit was startled. "Minister, you—"

An Mao cut him off. "Dead or alive, I want to see them."

Chen Fu followed behind, panting. When he took in the scene, he was just as shocked. "What the hell happened?"

The Tower had covered a vast area, and the rubble from its collapse spread over an enormous stretch.

In such a situation, the earth- and wood-element users of the First Squad were invaluable, constantly clearing and hauling rubble away from the base.

But as the digging continued, more and more baffling sights appeared.

For example, the bizarre ways the lab coat–wearers had died. Beaten to death, beheaded in a single stroke, poisoned, or their throats slit by something unknown.

The mood on site grew heavier.

Whispers began to circulate among the people without anyone noticing.

As the digging continued, another secret was uncovered.

Why were there so many pollutants inside the Tower?

An Mao ordered his men to line up the numbered corpses of the pollutants. When the obvious signs of artificial creation were confirmed, he issued a strict order.

The atmosphere shifted again and again.

Bai Xu, Pei Ye, Su Xiaona, and Chen Yihang were also found later.

When the signal-blocking device failed, Bai Xu's powers had instantly returned. He had just enough time to yank out a computer and use a metal tripod to shield himself and Su Xiaona. However, his thigh had been pinned under rubble, so he was sent to the hospital.

Pei Ye's luck was both good and bad. He had been on a high floor, and by the time his abilities returned, there was nothing much he could do. Acting on instinct, he had grabbed Chen Yihang and found a safe spot. Chen Yihang had almost been crushed, but when his powers came back, he managed to save himself, and Pei Ye blasted open a path to get them both out.

Few people inside the remaining buildings survived. Before they collapsed, most lives inside had already been lost.

An Mao asked, "Where's Fu Zhi?"

The black suit, covered in dust, was directing the clearing efforts.

"Minister, we haven't found him yet."

An Mao's face darkened.

The loss of such an elite combatant was no cause for joy for the world or for the human base. Even the satisfaction of the Tower's destruction was overshadowed.

"Minister, the Quarantine Center reported that the energy shield's magnetic field was altered by the violent shock and may need to be repaired."

"Minister, the current number of collapsed buildings is at 3,489, not including illegal structures. Several more have become dangerous and uninhabitable."

"Minister, the Administration Department is asking for an explanation of this incident."

An Mao rubbed his forehead. "One thing at a time."

He set up an impromptu office right there by the rubble, waiting for updates.

But by the next morning, even after the earth-element users had turned over every part of the Tower, there was still no sign of Fu Zhi or Ruan Xing.

The black suited man handed over a bottle of coffee while wearing a complicated expression. "With a blast this powerful, if they were caught in it head-on, there might not even be bodies—"

An Mao cut him off. "What about the others?"

The black suit began his report.

When An Mao learned the death toll was slightly less than he had feared, he let out a faint sigh of relief.

The weight over his heart lifted a little.

"I will report the Tower situation in a press conference. Stop searching for Fu Zhi and Ruan Xing. Put every available person into finding survivors. We must give our all to rescue them."

The black suit's expression was solemn. "Yes!"

Ming Rui looked toward the Tower.

The building that had once dominated the center of the base was gone.

His nightmares would no longer return. He, his mother, and his sister were finally free.

He thought of the long-haired youth. It must have been him.

He pulled a communicator from his pocket.

Although he did not know exactly what happened there, that did not stop him from wanting to express his gratitude.

The call connected, but it wasn't Ruan Xing who answered.

"Mr. Ruan is missing. The Major General too. I'll inform you if there are any updates."

It was the black suit man's voice.

Ming Rui thought, That's impossible, you're lying to me.

But then the television flashed the list of missing persons. At the top was Fu Zhi's name.

Ruan Xing's name didn't appear. Perhaps to protect his privacy.

Alongside this came hard evidence of the Tower's crimes.

No one had expected it. It turned out that the so-called pollution and pollutants had been artificially created.

An Mao's face looked more worn, but his eyes remained firm.

"Those who died in this battle fell on the front lines against pollution, sacrificing themselves for the bright future of all humanity. We must not lose heart. The source of evil is gone. What awaits us will surely be light!"

Ming Rui felt the world spin.

Ruan Xing and Fu Zhi… missing? Or dead?

An Mao continued speaking.

"We have obtained ample data on pollution prevention and purification, but with so many researchers murdered, we are now severely lacking in talent. We invite experienced researchers to submit their resumes to the email address below. We welcome all who are willing to join us."

"Say, do you think I could apply for that?"

The nurse glanced furtively at the long-haired young man. A bandage covered his cheek, and his eyes were a soft emerald green. His features were strikingly handsome.

At the moment, he was tapping the screen with slender fingers as he asked her.

Her face flushed. "You even understand this stuff? That's amazing. Of course you can try!"

The young man smiled at her.

The nurse, full of pleasant daydreams, pushed her cart away.

Fu Gui, head wrapped in bandages, rolled his eyes. "Hurry up and go. An Mao will worry himself to death otherwise."

Ruan Xing had been speaking to Fu Gui, but the nurse had overheard and thought he was talking to her. He didn't correct her.

He gently touched the pendant at his chest.

—

Five days earlier.

When the blinding light fell upon the earth again, Ruan Xing was dazed.

He was under some rubble. It was pitch-dark, like being locked in the temple's black room again.

His fingers were pinned beneath stone, and the bones were already broken.

He tried to use magic, but his body was completely empty.

Only then did he realize that he had used all his magic in the final explosion to protect the mycelium and Fu Gui.

Thinking of the figure fading away in that blinding light, Ruan Xing felt a bone-chilling coldness spread from his soul to his body.

He tried to open his mouth, only to realize his throat was unbearably dry. He hadn't had water in at least two or three days.

Still, he forced down the discomfort and called out, "Fu Zhi."

No reply.

"Fu Zhi?"

Still no answer.

His throat tightened painfully.

The pendant at his neck flashed faintly, almost imperceptibly.

Ruan Xing felt his mind go blank as he stared into the darkness.

After a few minutes, or maybe more than ten, a sound came from nearby.

His eyes lit up. "Fu Zhi?"

A rustling answered him.

"Caw caw!" came a harsh crow's call.

"Fu Gui?!"

"Yeah! It's me!" Fu Gui's voice was even uglier than usual.

When the explosion happened, the mycelium had shielded Ruan Xing from the blast wave, but he had fallen from the Tower. The shockwave then toppled the nearby high-rises, burying him under rubble.

For the two of them to be alive and meeting again was already a blessing.

Fu Gui asked, "Where's Fu Zhi?"

Ruan Xing didn't answer.

From outside came the rescuers' voices: "Is anyone there? Answer if you can hear us!"

The morning sun fell on Ruan Xing, but his heart was icy cold.

Not long after, he and Fu Gui were in the hospital, where they stayed until today.

Ruan Xing, without his bracelet, used the hospital's public channel to send his information to that email.

That afternoon, while he was in line for food, someone came for him.

"Ruan Xing!"

An Mao came in person, accompanied by Su Xiaona and Bai Xu, both of whom had made a full recovery.

The moment Su Xiaona saw Ruan Xing, her eyes welled up with tears. She stepped forward and hugged him hard, and then patted his back lightly. "It's so good that you're still alive."

Bai Xu's eyes were also red. "Where's the captain?"

Ruan Xing fell silent.

Su Xiaona jabbed Bai Xu in the ribs hard, leaving him speechless.

"Sorry," he muttered.

An Mao spoke. "Fu Zhi's sacrifice is a loss for all humanity. We will hold the grandest memorial for him."

But Ruan Xing refused.

"He's not dead."

The others thought he was in denial, unwilling to face the truth, but he didn't explain.

An Mao patted his shoulder. "When you recover, come to the headquarters. Do you want to be transferred to the Specialized Hospital?"

This was just an ordinary hospital, after all, and couldn't match the Specialized Hospital's resources.

Ruan Xing declined, and An Mao did not press him. Once discharged, he wouldn't run off anyway.

They left, leaving the young nurse stunned.

“You… you…”

Ruan Xing politely lifted his bandaged hand. "Could I trouble you to print some documents for me? I'm not very mobile right now."

She swallowed her words. "I'll keep your secret. This is classified, I understand."

The day he was discharged, the weather was clear.

He flagged down a brand-new taxi.

When he opened the door, it was a familiar face. The same driver who had once driven him and Bai Xu to Unity Middle School.

But Ruan Xing looked different now, so the driver didn't recognize him.

Ruan Xing remembered the man's old car had been totaled in that incident. Now, he must have a new one so he asked about it.

The driver was in high spirits, patting the steering wheel. "The Investigation Corps paid for this new ride. Not bad, eh?"

Ruan Xing complimented, "Very smooth."

The driver chattered all the way, boasting about how impressive he had been during the pollution incident. Ruan Xing only smiled without commenting.

As he was getting out, the driver scratched his head. "Come to think of it, your crow looks exactly the same."

"Really? Must be a coincidence," Ruan Xing said.

The driver nodded. "That gentleman is my benefactor. I have always wanted to thank him properly, but I never got the chance."

Ruan Xing noticed the sunlight gleaming on the driver's head. "I'll pass it on for you."

The driver's eyes lit up. "So that's his crow! You must be colleagues!"

He bent down and pulled a tightly wrapped cylindrical bundle from the car. "Please make sure he gets this!"

After getting out, Ruan Xing couldn't resist unwrapping it. It was a silk banner.

On it were written the words:

A kind heart and beauty, unmatched in skill; a living war god, worthy beyond doubt.

Ruan Xing: Thanks… I guess.