Fu Zhi entered the office with a composed expression, followed closely by Su Xiaona, who winked at Ruan Xing.

“Meeting.”

Ruan Xing lowered his head and silently made his way to the conference room.

There were only a few attendees, and they were all familiar faces: Fu Zhi, Pei Ye, Su Xiaona, and Chen Yihang.

Fu Zhi casually rolled up his sleeves and nodded: “Let’s have the newcomer introduce himself first.”

“Ruan Xing, male, 21 years old. Please take care of me.”

Pei Ye asked, “Any hobbies or life goals? If you don’t mind, you can share.”

Life goals?

Do introductions here require that kind of thing?

Ruan Xing couldn’t help but glance at Fu Zhi’s chest.

Good. The key was still there.

The man sitting at the head of the table shifted his gaze over, locking eyes with Ruan Xing.

His expression remained calm, even carrying a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

You stole my stuff, and you still have the nerve to smile?

Ruan Xing was displeased. “My life goal is to find my home.”

Pei Ye suddenly burst into laughter. “Sorry, sorry. My hemorrhoids are acting up.”

Fu Zhi shot him a glance. “Welcome to First Squad, Ruan Xing. From now on, we’re colleagues, so let’s get along in harmony.”

Pei Ye replied cheerfully, “Of course.”

A round of applause followed.

After some small talk, they moved on to the main topic of the meeting.

A week ago, a team from Second Squad went missing during a mission. Their objective for this mission was to join the search and rescue team.

Chen Yihang distributed the mission documents.

“We will be heading to the old district of City B. Signs of pollution were discovered there a month ago. The missing team disappeared while investigating the area. Currently, the pollution zone is awaiting further data collection and cleanup.”

Ruan Xing examined the map and paused. “This route… isn’t this the same one we took last time?”

“It’s the same main road, but after crossing the City A border, the direction changes,” Chen Yihang explained.

City A was where their base was located.

“Based on available intel, there is likely a large concentration of low-level pollutants, but the exact species is unknown. The last message received from the team was half a month ago—the day we returned to the city.

The message was short. Just one sentence: ‘Abort the rescue.’”

The chances of survival for the missing team were slim. Or rather, survival was nearly impossible once someone left the city and lost contact for an extended period.

At this point, all they could do was eliminate the danger and bring back as many bodies as possible.

A somber mood settled over the room.

“This mission is to investigate the pollution zone, eliminate threats, and retrieve the missing team members as best as we can. Understood?”

“Understood!”

Ruan Xing raised his hand. “You’re not coming with us?”

If Fu Zhi wasn’t going, how was he supposed to get close enough to steal back the key?!

Fu Zhi looked at him. “I have another mission. Pei Ye will lead this one.”

“Then, can I join your mission?” Ruan Xing asked bluntly.

Everyone in the room was caught off guard.

Even Fu Zhi was stunned.

Wasn’t he supposed to back off after being rejected? Why was he rushing in instead?

Su Xiaona let out a dramatic “Wow,” her expression filled with the warmth and encouragement of a proud mother.

Fu Zhi’s voice was cold and firm. “No. My mission is too difficult and dangerous.”

What, was he discriminating against rookies now?

Ruan Xing pouted. “Fine.”

Sensing his disappointment, Fu Zhi softened his tone. “Pei Ye is very capable.”

In other words, his safety would be well ensured.

Ruan Xing responded with an indifferent “Oh.”

Fu Zhi was momentarily at a loss for words.

.

“Ruan Xing!”

Qiao Zhi wasn’t wearing his favorite white suit today. Instead, he was dressed in the standard black uniform. Unlike the others, his cuffs and brooch were adorned with gemstones, glinting with an unmistakable aura of wealth.

Ruan Xing had no idea why Qiao Zhi was joining them for this mission.

Qiao Zhi noticed his confusion and patted his shoulder. “I’m a member of Second Squad now! Even though your squad accepted the mission, we’re the main force here. You guys are just reinforcements, got it?”

While Pei Ye and Qiao Zhi’s superior handled the mission handover, Chen Yihang called them over to board the vehicle.

Ruan Xing had eaten too much and felt drowsy during the ride. If it weren’t for Qiao Zhi constantly making his presence known, he might have already dozed off.

“How’s the First Squad? Are you excited to be working alongside your idol?” Qiao Zhi nudged him, pulling him out of his sleepy haze.

The vehicle was warm, making the young man’s face appear slightly flushed. His lips were soft and rosy. When he yawned, his eyes became misty with drowsiness. His emerald-green irises were hazy with confusion, and a few strands of his hair stuck up messily.

He turned to look at Qiao Zhi.

“Huh?” Even his voice was hoarse with sleep.

Qiao Zhi froze, momentarily forgetting what he had just said.

Ruan Xing frowned. “What were you saying?”

Qiao Zhi snapped out of it. “Ah, I said you should rest well!”

But Ruan Xing was now too awake to sleep, so he just turned to look out the window.

The main road was impeccably clean—reportedly the work of earth-type Awakened. Thanks to them, the first leg of their journey was smooth, with barely any bumps.

Along the way, he chatted with Chen Yihang and learned that the Qiao family had funded this mission, saving the Enforcement Division a hefty budget. And since Qiao Zhi was the family’s heir, they naturally had to give him some face.

Family heir?

A vague silhouette flickered in Ruan Xing’s mind, so faint that it was almost forgotten.

A successor should be wise, brave, decisive, and strong-willed, right?

With his cheerful and silly demeanor, it was hard to imagine Qiao Zhi in such a role.

—

After four to five hours on the road, with another meal along the way, they finally arrived at their destination.

A desolate and lonely atmosphere swept over them while driving along the city's main road.

It hadn’t been noticeable inside the base, but the moment they left the city, the scars of the apocalypse became painfully clear.

The high-rise buildings lining the streets were covered in thick layers of dust on their once-polished walls. Cars were haphazardly abandoned on the roads with shattered windows. The scattered merchandise from nearby stores all served as a silent testament to the city's chaos and emptiness.

The road ahead seemed to have been cleared by previous exploration teams, allowing them to pass through smoothly.

As they traveled, Ruan Xing didn’t feel any sort of call from the Mage Tower, leaving him somewhat disappointed.

Well, it made sense. The world was so vast—how could he possibly find it so easily?

However, the Investigation Corps discovered some clues.

Chen Yihang kept his eyes on his tablet, occasionally swiping at the screen while cross-referencing with the vehicle’s GPS.

"This was their last known location."

He pointed outside at a familiar-looking vehicle. "We've found their car."

The car was parked in front of an amusement park entrance.

A ring of animal sculptures decorated the gate—a snake coiled around the pillars, a lizard clinging to the top, and the faces of a toad and an ant wedged into the crevices.

Even though they were depicted in a cartoonish style, the combination of artwork and design gave off an eerie and unsettling vibe.

[Nature Amusement Park]

"This place used to be a natural history museum," Chen Yihang explained as he flipped through his documents. "But since it was operating at a loss, it was later bought out. The new owner transformed it into an amusement park without making major structural changes, so there should still be a lot of animal-themed attractions inside."

"Oh, right—one notable thing," he added. "For some unknown reason, the entire family of the amusement park’s owner disappeared before the apocalypse even started. Because no one was paying the employees, the staff resigned, and the amusement park was abandoned not long after."

“Cases of entire families vanishing was extremely rare before the pollution began.”

“Make sure to have your gear ready before getting out of the vehicle.”

The pollution levels detected inside the car weren’t high, but the disappearance of an entire team meant that something was definitely wrong here.

Detection devices were useful, but sometimes, human intuition was just as important.

The moment their feet touched the ground, the device inside the vehicle recorded a small fluctuation in the pollution level.

With a long, eerie creak, the large gates swung open.

A vast expanse of overgrown grass stretched out before them.

It was hard to imagine that ordinary grass could grow as tall as a person. Its deep green hue was thick and dense, turning the landscape into a suffocating forest.

Ruan Xing felt uneasy.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt the strong sensation of being watched.

At the first fork in the road, they found the park map.

According to it, they were at the entrance, and most of the park remained unexplored.

"Found their markings."

At the bottom left of the map was a freshly drawn emblem—a triangle enclosing a circle. The Investigation Corps frequently used this symbol to indicate their tracks.

Their route was correct.

Everyone let out a subtle breath of relief.

The park wasn’t particularly large, but on the map, a vast area marked with an orange symbol covered several buildings.

No explanation was given for what it meant.

Following the smaller paths, they tried to avoid the thick, overgrown grass as much as possible.

Beyond that green expanse, what awaited them? What changes might occur? Were there unknown threats they wouldn't be able to escape from?

No one knew.

There had been previous incidents of mutated plants attacking humans. Because they were so ordinary, they were even more challenging to guard against.

After passing the grassy area, a massive ant sculpture came into view.

It was at least ten meters long and four or five meters tall.

The ant’s face had been magnified tens of thousands of times.

Most people never paid attention to the actual appearance of ants, but when such a tiny creature was enlarged to such a precise and colossal scale, it was impossible to ignore.

The grotesque face was etched with deep grooves.

Its mandibles gaped open, and the fine hairs on its antennae were eerily distinct, covering its entire face like a dense bristle.

Even though the sculpture had faded over time, its crimson eyes remained distinct, glaring down at them like something from an alien horror movie.

Ruan Xing frowned. It reminded him of the ants he had seen when he first arrived in this world.

He wasn’t sure if all the ants looked the same, but this statue bore a striking resemblance to the ones he had encountered back then.

Below the sculpture, an inscription was engraved.

[In honor of the creatures that perished in humanity’s battle against pollution.]

How strange.

Neither the original Natural History Museum nor the later amusement park seemed to have any connection to this statement.

For a sculpture like this to stand so prominently here—it felt entirely out of place.

If the subject of the statue had been something other than an ant or if it had been located in a research facility, perhaps it would have made more sense.

"You two, stick close to me," Pei Ye said, positioning himself in front of Ruan Xing.

Regardless of whether Fu Zhi had specifically reminded him, as the vice-captain, Pei Ye had a duty to guide the newcomers.

Qiao Zhi: "No problem! We’ll cling to your thighs!"

The equipment here was terribly outdated. The carousel's roof had corroded beyond repair, and the traditional horse figures had been replaced with crocodiles, lizards, snakes, spiders, and other creatures.

It was hard to imagine that guests would enjoy riding these things.

Ruan Xing suddenly felt a chill, the kind of unease that came from being watched.

He stood up and scanned the surroundings.

The statue’s eyes.

A moment ago, they had been gazing straight ahead.

Now, those crimson pupils gleamed faintly, staring directly at them, unblinking.

"Hey…" Qiao Zhi’s voice came out weak. "Do you guys feel like… something is watching us?"