Ruan Xing stayed in the hospital for another three days before finally leaving with his simple luggage.

A bird, a gun, a silver ornament, an Awakened emblem, and an Investigation Corps badge.

After some thought, he pinned the badge to his chest.

At this point, it's really not an impersonation anymore.

It was morning when he left the hospital. In the hazy mist, a towering structure that pierced the clouds stood in the far distance.

Closer to him, the silhouettes of high-rise buildings crisscrossed, bathed in the vibrant glow of flickering neon lights that cast mesmerizing halos.

An electronic screen outside the hospital played an advertisement. A blond, blue-eyed doctor in a white coat held up a small vial: “Healing Potion, keeping you free from pollution.”

This was the Inner City.

Ruan Xing stepped down the stairs.

A row of ambulances was parked outside the main entrance, with medical personnel busily moving in and out. The intricate web of roads was packed with vehicles speeding by, their exhaust fumes mixing into the air.

Ruan Xing hailed a black car with white doors, its green light indicating availability.

"Hello, where to—ah, sir!"

The middle-aged driver glanced at the badge on Ruan Xing’s chest, and his casual tone immediately shifted. He quickly flicked his cigarette out the window and put on a flattering smile.

"Where would you like to go, sir?"

Ruan Xing gave him the address.

As a branch under the Enforcement Division, the Investigation Corps held remarkable authority and prestige. Within the city, the badge on his chest was an absolute symbol of privilege.

Ruan Xing rested his chin on one hand, gazing absentmindedly out the window.

Crisscrossing highways wove through the gaps between high-rise buildings, making the city feel cramped and oppressive. Few vehicles looked new—most had strange metal attachments mounted on their fronts or rears.

Moreover, the road surface wasn’t particularly smooth, and the car subtly jolted from time to time.

A young man with messy blond hair pulled up beside them on a roaring motorcycle. When he saw Ruan Xing’s face, he whistled loudly, licked his lips, and gave him a flirtatious and suggestive look.

But his expression changed instantly when his gaze dropped to Ruan Xing’s chest. Panic flashed across his face as he immediately slowed down and distanced himself from the taxi, disappearing from view.

The driver seemed a little nervous as he glanced at the rearview mirror and swallowed hard.

The young man in the backseat had tousled, curly black hair that swayed with the wind, casting shifting shadows over his eyes. He gazed out the window with a serene expression, like an observer detached from the world.

Perched on his shoulder, a crow met the driver’s gaze. Its black eyes gleamed with an eerie, almost human-like intelligence.

So this is the Investigation Corps?

They're... so cool.

Meanwhile, in a spot the driver couldn’t see, a tiny black sphere, no larger than a grain of rice, hovered at Ruan Xing’s fingertips. Upon closer inspection, its misty surface concealed a rapidly rotating core—like a celestial body in motion, governed by the unseen laws of the universe.

"Sir, we have arrived," the driver announced respectfully.

Ruan Xing lightly rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, and the hazy orb dissipated at his fingertips.

He raised his wrist and swiped it over a black, semi-transparent payment terminal. A soft beep sounded.

"Insufficient balance. Please recharge your account."

Ruan Xing's lips tightened.

The driver kept his eyes straight, acting like he hadn’t heard a thing. "It has been processed. Have a nice day, sir."

Then, with a step on the accelerator, he sped off.

—

"Over here!"

As soon as Ruan Xing stepped through the entrance, he spotted Su Xiaona waving at him. Beside her stood the man with a baby face.

Ruan Xing remembered this guy—he had given him a bottle of water in the car before.

The baby-faced man grinned. "Sister Xiaona has been calling me over since she clocked in just to pick you up."

Su Xiaona, still wearing her signature black-rimmed glasses, tilted her chin slightly. "The captain called me to revise your resu—"

The baby-faced man’s expression shifted immediately, and he hurriedly corrected: "To record the results."

Su Xiaona paused for a second before nodding frantically. "Yes, yes! To record the results. When the offer was issued, we were all shocked. I never thought you’d actually pass the exam."

Ruan Xing gave a shy smile. "Thank you, Sister Xiaona. If it weren’t for your help, I probably wouldn’t have made it this time."

Su Xiaona waved it off. "We’re colleagues now—no need to be so formal."

The baby-faced man curved his lips slightly. "Hello, I’m Chen Yihang." (陈一航 Chén Yīháng)

"I’m Ruan Xing."

Chen Yihang’s gaze fell on the badge on Ruan Xing’s chest. "Was that your father’s?"

Ruan Xing nodded. "Yes."

Chen Yihang smiled, making his round face seem even rounder. "Following in your father’s footsteps—truly admirable. If he could see you now, he’d be proud."

Su Xiaona then began introducing Ruan Xing to the basics of the Investigation Corps.

Currently, the Corps consisted of five squads, each further divided into different teams.

The first three squads primarily handled field missions. The fourth and fifth squads were different—they were mainly responsible for logistics.

The First Squad was tasked with the highest-difficulty missions. As the most combat-capable team, they frequently coordinated with other squads, serving as elite reinforcements.

Su Xiaona hesitated. "The missions can be dangerous, but the pay is really good."

Ruan Xing nodded. "I’m not that shallow."

The crow on his shoulder chuckled, causing its chest feathers to quiver.

[Oh, sure. Can’t even afford a cab fare, but you’re totally not in it for the money. You hypocritical, shameless bastard!]

Su Xiaona glanced at the crow, puzzled. "Is your crow… choking?"

Ruan Xing grabbed it in his palm and gave its belly a gentle pat. "Probably constipated. It ate too much fruit lately."

Fu Gui: [You son of a—]

Su Xiaona sighed enviously. "You two have such a great bond."

With someone leading the way, Ruan Xing quickly completed his onboarding process in no time.

Halfway through, Su Xiaona was called away, so Chen Yihang guided him through the rest of the process.

The HR representative was a warm and gentle lady.

"The base salary is 50,000. You get full benefits—six types of insurance plus a housing fund. Mission bonuses will be calculated based on difficulty.

For housing, you can choose between half-priced rentals or a free employee dormitory. After a year, you’ll be allocated an apartment in the city center, and you can pick your preferred district for residency and school zones.

Holidays are standard. If you’re on a mission, any missed holidays, paid leave, and statutory vacation days can be accumulated."

"…Do you have any questions?"

Ruan Xing asked the most crucial one: "When’s payday?"

"It's on the fifteenth of every month. For those who haven't worked a full month, wages will be calculated based on actual working days. If you clock in today, you'll receive your salary the day after tomorrow, but it'll only be for two days."

Ruan Xing quickly did the math in his head and let out a sigh of relief.

The HR representative added, "Oh! Your partner also needs to be registered. Depending on the class, they’ll receive a special monthly allowance ranging from 5K to 20K."

Fu Gui's beanie eyes sparkled as it flapped its wings twice: [Whoa, no wonder this is considered the ultimate iron rice bowl! I’m officially a government bird now! Hahaha!]

After registering Fu Gui, Chen Yihang led Ruan Xing to an office with a nameplate that read "First Squad."

There wasn’t a single person inside.

Chen Yihang smiled awkwardly. "For now, you'll be working in our office. The captain and the others are busy today. Their meeting might last until the afternoon."

If the leaders already have so much to do—who knows how much work the lower-level employees have?

Ruan Xing silently mused to himself.

Seeing his low spirits, Chen Yihang explained, "There’s usually no need to stay in the office. It’s mainly because the last mission's report and wrap-up aren't finished yet, plus the handover work with the Fourth Squad. That’s why they’ve been at headquarters a lot these past few days."

Ruan Xing asked, "Does Captain Fu always report in person?"

Chen Yihang hesitated but still answered, "The captain only needs to report to the Tower."

Ruan Xing heard that term again—"Tower."

A massive building flashed through his mind—the one he had seen upon entering the base.

When the pollution first emerged, humanity fell into chaos and struggled to survive. It was an organization called the Tower that led humanity out of the darkness and established the current human bases.

The Tower had no administrative power, nor did it wield a strong armed force like the Enforcement Division. However, as the symbol that guided humanity through the apocalypse, it wielded an extraordinary level of influence.

Whether it was a pollution healing potion or research on pollution-related diseases, the Tower’s presence was everywhere. Thanks to its efforts, humanity’s chances of survival in this apocalypse continued to grow.

Its contributions were undeniable—so much so that some fanatics even saw it as the beacon of hope.

But now, it seemed this organization wasn’t completely uninvolved in administrative affairs either.

After a while, Chen Yihang left to tend to his tasks, leaving Ruan Xing alone in the office.

He looked around the office. It was meticulously clean and brightly lit, with bright tones throughout. Contrary to what one might expect from a field unit, the First Squad office was stacked with a massive amount of documents, and the cabinets were crammed full—it was clear their workload wasn’t light.

With no one else around, Ruan Xing sat on the couch and accessed the internal network.

As soon as he entered, he was greeted by a homepage packed with dense information.

He searched for Fu Zhi's name, and instantly, hundreds of records popped up.

Most were mission logs, some even including real-time recordings. Due to access restrictions, he could only view details for B-level missions and below; for higher-ranked ones, only the classification was visible, and even the mission names couldn't be viewed.

A rough count showed that Fu Zhi had completed over a hundred field missions, including seven S-level missions. Every single one of them had a "Completed" status.

Ruan Xing returned to the homepage and searched for "Pei Ye."

Similarly, a long list of missions appeared—nearly a hundred as well.

Many of these missions also appeared in Fu Zhi’s records—they were likely completed together.

Finally, Ruan Xing searched for his name, and only one record appeared.

[Pollution Zone] Happiness Cinema (E-Level)

[Threat Level] One Star (Affected Population: Under 50 People)

[Rules] Scenario Loop Type: Humans entering the pollution zone assume the role of ‘guests’ watching a movie. As the pollution deepens, they are gradually assimilated. Employees may provide clues for breaking the cycle.

Detailed description as follows:

……

Note: This polluted zone had two pollution sources, both of which have been neutralized. Special annotation.

[Mission Files]

[Related Video.rar]

[Document Files.rar]

[Images.rar]

……

[Mission Participants] Ruan Xing / Fu Gui

[Mission Status] Completed

[Recorder] Fu Zhi

When Ruan Xing described the mission, he skimmed over many key details. Fu Zhi had simply recorded it as-is without pressing further. Something about it felt off, making Ruan Xing even more uneasy. He was starting to feel anxious about obtaining the key.

Even his personal information had been briefly noted by Fu Zhi.

[Ruan Xing]

Employment Date: New Calendar Year 78, August 13 (Updated)

Ability: [Animal Tamer] (Pollution Visualization)

Classification: Support Type

Overall Rating: D-Level (Requires teamwork for mission completion; may excel in high-difficulty instances)

Fu Zhi knew something was off, yet he pretended not to see it. It was hard not to suspect that he had ulterior motives.

If he could find the other party’s weakness first, maybe the situation wouldn’t be so passive.

With that thought in mind, Ruan Xing opened one of the mission recordings.

These recordings were valuable learning resources. Many people studied them extensively, and they were among the most frequently downloaded educational materials. Some of Fu Zhi’s mission recordings were even used as official training videos, watched repeatedly in instructional sessions.

The camera angle was noticeably higher than Ruan Xing’s perspective—it was likely mounted on a helmet or glasses. It also had a built-in stabilizer that kept the footage clear.

"Nine o’clock direction, thirteen targets."

Fu Zhi’s cold voice echoed in the office as the projection screen displayed the footage.

The first-person perspective faithfully captured the owner's precise blade work and fluid movements. It was like watching a first-person game—the kind that made your nerves tense up in moments of danger.

Ruan Xing had only planned to take a quick look, but he was already drawn in before he knew it. Fu Zhi seemed to have a sixth sense for survival, always managing to find a path through chaos and carve his way out.

His bony, slender fingers gripped the blade tightly, veins flexing as he swung. The long blade traced an elegant arc in the air as if sculpting an artwork.

The beauty of death unfolded through his movements, an intoxicating display of absolute control over life and death.

It was no surprise that so many people were obsessed with Fu Zhi’s recordings.

Ruan Xing licked his lips.

—Even he was enthralled and couldn’t look away.

Fu Gui gave him a disgusted look.

It didn’t understand why anyone would enjoy watching such disgusting live recordings.

Full of oozing, dismembered pollution creatures, dark environments, chaotic worldviews, and completely unartistic cinematography.

Fu Gui scoffed, "What’s so interesting about watching this kind of recording?"

Ruan Xing nodded. "I just like it."

The crow didn’t say another word.

Ruan Xing turned to look at it—and locked eyes with Fu Zhi, who had just entered the room.

Behind him, Su Xiaona peeked out, her eyes blazing with intensity.

—Is it too late to explain now?