For some unknown reason, the screen in the corner was malfunctioning. Cold sweat instantly broke out on the chief examiner’s forehead.

If this had been a regular test, it wouldn’t have been too concerning, but this time, a higher-up was present. How could something go wrong at such a crucial moment?

Fortunately, the staff reacted quickly.

“Candidate 211, Ruan Xing, went missing after entering the test site [Happiness Cinema],” a staff member stammered as they reported the situation.

Fu Zhi furrowed his brows. He was already an unapproachable person, and now, with this expression, the examiners felt their hearts sink.

The chief examiner quickly grabbed the recorded list of pollution zones and flipped through a few pages before trying to reassure himself, “I remember Happiness Cinema only has a single D-class slime pollutant, right?”

The staff member continued to stammer, “Y-Yes, that’s correct, but… we can’t detect the candidate’s wristband signal. It seems like… he entered a hidden pollution zone—”

A hidden pollution zone refers to an area where instruments cannot detect pollution. The readings would appear normal, yet the place would still meet the criteria for a pollution zone and contain actual pollutants.

Perhaps the best way to understand it was to compare it to the concept of an outer and inner world.

Fu Zhi suddenly stood up and swiftly put on his coat. “What was the last recorded pollution level?”

“…62%.”

Everyone in the room turned pale.

A pollution level that high, combined with a hidden pollution zone…

The chief examiner could already feel Fu Zhi’s sharp gaze piercing him, and he was nearly in tears. “Hurry! Get someone to find him now!”

—

“I don’t like her,” Ruan Xing stated in defense.

“She’s so wonderful—how can you not like her?” Wang Lian’s eyes were cold, as if he had been provoked.

Fu Gui: [A brother’s wife is off-limits. I’ve never seen anyone so eager to put a green hat on themselves. Take a look in the mirror—who do you think has more charm, you or my master?!]

The number on Ruan Xing’s wrist had already surpassed the value recorded by the boss earlier.

It was obvious who the real obsession behind this pollution zone was.

“If it weren’t for Chen Er, Xiao Lian wouldn’t have died. We could’ve been happy together! July 5th was supposed to be our wedding day! Why did those people have to threaten her?! Damn it!”

A man who had suffered through a tragic childhood entered society only to be further beaten down by reality—whether it was dissatisfied customers or a difficult boss. Despite these challenges, he persevered and even found a young, beautiful girlfriend who resembled a celebrity.

Just when it seemed like happiness would last, a monster called desire devoured them whole.

After she was injured, the girl likely still clung to life. In the words she left for her boyfriend, she forced herself to stay strong and set a wedding date, looking forward to a new beginning.

But everything vanished like snowflakes in the wind.

“The day before our wedding, I bought the rings. I was just waiting for the next day… But as she slowly lost warmth in my arms, I realized—my life was over.”

“Chen Er is dead, but Xiao Lian will never come back.”

Ruan Xing wasn’t interested in listening to such a long-winded story. "The sins of the perpetrator should not drag the innocent down with them."

If the innocent people who entered this cinema hadn’t been forced to buy tickets for Theater 4, would there still be so many polluted creatures reduced to walking corpses?

Wang Lian chuckled. “You don’t seem like some righteous savior either.”

Ruan Xing looked up, his expression calm. “I’ll bury the entire world with me.” His tone was so serious it almost sounded like he had done it before.

Wang Lian burst into laughter. “You’re not a saint, so why act like a moral guide?”

He stood up. “I’ve never tasted an Awakened before. I imagine it must be delicious beyond words. Who knows? Maybe this Polluted Zone will level up.”

Wang Lian’s body began to swell. Cracks spread across his skin like porcelain breaking apart, and his pupils turned pitch-black. His clothes peeled away, revealing the charred flesh underneath.

He slowly opened his mouth. At first, it was only as large as a fist. Then, it grew to the size of a basketball and eventually expanded wider than his own shoulders.

His mouth and teeth were enlarged, but his esophagus remained narrow like a funnel. It was hard to imagine how he could even swallow anything.

The cramped theater aisle could no longer contain his massive mouth. Wang Lian stepped out from between the seats. Though he stood in the back row, his voice was still crystal clear when his enormous maw moved.

“It’s useless. This place is now completely under my control.”

Ruan Xing, still unable to open the theater doors, suddenly asked, “Completely under your control? That means you can manipulate everything here?”

Wang Lian halted mid-step, confused by the question.

A shred of reason still lingered within him, so he answered, “Of course. For example, I can lock the doors right now.”

Ruan Xing let out a soft sigh of relief. “Good.”

Without another word, he darted into the corner of the screen, pulled Fugui into his arms, turned his back to Wang Lian, and retrieved a small metal box from his pocket.

Wang Lian assumed it was just the desperate ramblings of a dying man. Seeing Ruan Xing turn his back, he laughed loudly. “Hiding won’t change your fate—”

Before he could finish, an intense light erupted before him.

The world was suddenly engulfed in absolute silence.