The instructor sat on the lounge chair, waiting leisurely.

This batch of trainees wasn’t bad—maybe someone could get some guidance from the boss and, like him, become one of the powerful figures who could change their “skin” at will. If he could replace a high-ranking official in the base, wouldn’t an endless amount of resources be within reach?

About two hours later, the mentor got up and walked toward the dance studio. He paused at the door and listened closely. There was no sound inside and a satisfied look spread across his face.

Faster than he expected. He wondered who ended up with the skin of that young man in the black-rimmed glasses. Hopefully, they didn’t damage it—he actually wanted that one himself.

He inserted the key into the lock and peeked inside. The smile on his face instantly turned to shock upon seeing the scene in front of him.

Trainees were sprawled all over the brightly lit floor, clearly unconscious. There were scratches on their bodies, exposing raw flesh underneath, but their skins were all still intact. Only the original monster that had lost its skin was huddled in a corner, trembling. When it saw the mentor entering, it let out a “woo woo woo” sound that didn’t sound human at all.

And in the center of the room, among the only three people still standing, was none other than Ruan Xing, smiling cheerfully at him.

“I’m the winner,” the young man said. His face was strikingly pale, stained with someone’s blood—bright crimson against porcelain skin. The contrast gave it a kind of gruesome beauty.

The Instructor snapped out of his daze, his expression complex. He had never seen a scene like this. He had led so many of these competitions before, and they were always bloody and brutal—each round worse than the last. But this time, the scene looked disturbingly peaceful, as if everyone had just fallen asleep. It was absurd.

But the rules were the rules—he couldn’t break them. The muscles in his face twitched a couple of times. “You’ve passed, but the others will need to go through another round of selection.”

Chen Fan and Li Yuan trembled and instinctively looked at Ruan Xing.

Ruan Xing replied, “Got it~”

The Instructor gave him a meaningful glance. “You’ll be coming with me to the top floor to meet the boss. As for them, they can stay and make their own choices. Oh, and make sure to dress up nicely—maybe the boss will take a liking to you. If that happens, you’ll have all kinds of perks coming your way.”

Ruan Xing returned to Room S. That place, which had been a crime scene earlier that morning, had already been cleaned up—thanks to the mycelium’s incredible absorption ability. It had practically become a portable cleaning tool.

The mycelium had protested strongly before. Now, every time it followed Ruan Xing around, it got served the best food. There was no way it could tolerate this kind of garbage. It dry-heaved while cleaning, clearly full of resentment.

Ruan Xing didn’t care. Tools are meant to be used. The mycelium and Fu Gui had different functions anyway.

Fu Gui:

[The situation’s pretty clear now. A pollutant swapped into Su Su’s skin and took her place. Back in the quarantine center, the original Su Su probably switched her skin back. If she took medicine to suppress it temporarily and didn’t get checked thoroughly, nothing would’ve been detected.]

Ruan Xing:

[The person behind Meili Entertainment has been laying low in the outer city for years, using talent shows to lure people in. Obviously, it’s not just to gather a bunch of fans.]

Fu Gui pondered:

[Maybe something darker is brewing beneath the surface.]

Ruan Xing stretched on the bed:

[I wonder if the base’s higher-ups get regular physical checkups. And how many would actually skip them if given the chance?]

Fu Gui shivered, suddenly grasping the gravity of the situation.

This company might just be using the talent show as a stepping stone. Their real goal was to infiltrate the entire base.

Remember how the audience was clearly affected during Su Su’s performance? Even if celebrities don’t have high social status, they can still interact with powerful people. If they succeed, the whole base might end up as a haven for skin-swapping monsters!

Fu Gui:

[We have to notify the quarantine center.]

Ruan Xing didn’t respond. Instead, he brought up another issue.

[The trainees all said they came because of a GG push notification. Can pollutants affect tech?]

Fu Gui:

[That’s impossible. Unless you're in a polluted zone, only humans can—]

Then Fu Gui’s eyes slowly widened.

[Wait, no—that’s not right. Pollutants can’t send GG messages!

And who would patiently collect info on all these people?

Maybe… the one sending the GG alerts isn’t a pollutant at all.]

Fu Gui suddenly realized something.

Meanwhile, Luo Shi was dialing the phone again. He didn’t seem able to meet the other person directly—this was always how they stayed in contact.

A hoarse voice answered:

“I’m about to go into a meeting. What is it?”

Luo Shi:

“Ruan Xing isn’t dead yet.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end. You could hear the suppressed fury in the voice.

“What happened this time?”

Luo Shi:

“The ticket was given to him. He did go. But there was a problem on the company’s end—not only did they fail to kill him, they almost got exposed in public.”

“Was he showing off again? Didn’t let the real host on stage?”

“The host doesn’t know anything—she couldn’t perform!”

There was rustling on the other end, like someone was typing. After about two minutes, the voice returned, irritated:

“The investigation team is heading to the building.”

At those words, Luo Shi immediately panicked.

“What are you afraid of? Cover it up if you can. If you can’t, just abandon it. It’s only a defective product—just toss it.”

“But what if I get exposed?” Luo Shi’s voice cracked. “I’ve been doing shady stuff for years—there’s bound to be something on me. And if Fu Zhi gets mad, he’ll flip the entire Quarantine Center upside down! Did you forget that incident before? Even the tower—”

A sneer came through the phone:

“I’ve told you before—that’s your problem.”

Luo Shi’s face changed:

“Weren’t you the one who was afraid that things would leak and insisted we go after that kid? He’s my friend’s son! After everything I’ve done for you over the years—how can you just throw us away like that…”

“Did you do all that for me, or for your own gain? And wasn’t luring your friend to C Province your idea in the first place? Spare me the righteous act.”

Luo Shi, furious:

“You—”

“Good luck.”

The call ended.

Luo Shi looked absolutely awful.

That night, Ruan Xing followed the mentor to the building’s first floor.

“We’re not going to the top floor?” Ruan Xing asked.

The mentor smiled. “We are.”

As he spoke, he pressed the button for the basement floor.

After the sensation of passing through a membrane, the elevator's numbers shifted as if they were dissolving. The number originally showing the basement floor suddenly pointed to the top floor.

“We’ve here.”

Ruan Xing found it strange. Although he knew he had been in a polluted zone, this experience felt entirely different. The pollution felt extremely faint, and this was the first time he’d exited a polluted zone without destroying it.

No wonder he could never find the top floor—it wasn’t inside the polluted area at all.

The top floor’s decor looked less luxurious than the floors below, but every crack and crevice radiated authenticity.

After entering reality, the stench on the mentor became even stronger. Dozens of faces slowly opened on his body, breathing in deeply as if enjoying it.

Seeing Ruan Xing looking at his body, the mentor smiled slightly. “Don’t be surprised. This is my true form.”

Ruan Xing asked, “You’re a pollutant?”

The mentor shook his head. “How can you say that? You are one of us now.”

After drinking those supplements and potions, even the most normal person would become a pollutant. Though Ruan Xing didn’t show obvious changes on the outside, he had already been altered internally—or at least, that’s what the mentor believed.

Ruan Xing thought, Yeah right, like I’d believe that nonsense.

He initially thought the Instructor would take him directly to the boss, but halfway there, the mentor stopped. Dozens of faces on his body turned to look at Ruan Xing in unison, and some even licked their lips.

Ruan Xing immediately sensed danger and quickly distanced himself from the mentor.

“Hey! Don’t run! You’re so good-looking. I’m not going to eat you.”

The Instructor chuckled. His voice grew stranger as all the faces on his body woke up, voices of men and women intertwining.

Ruan Xing said, “No need. You go back. I’ll go see the boss myself.”

The mentor smiled faintly. “That won’t do. I wouldn’t be at ease.”

His figure suddenly swelled. The faces on his body screamed sharply, swelling like a kite catching the wind. Each face bulged out like bubble wrap, clustered together and screeching at Ruan Xing.

“I’ll also gladly accept this exam’s top scorer.”

Fu Gui popped his bird head out. “Damn, no wonder this company can’t succeed. All the incompetent old employees are draining it dry.”

Ruan Xing leaned back slightly and, thanks to the incredible flexibility of his waist, dodged the head-on collision.

“You’re an Awakened?” The Instructor finally noticed the crow and grew more excited. “Excellent! The boss probably doesn’t even have an Awakened’s skin yet. I’ll be the first!”

After dodging the attack, Ruan Xing adjusted his stance, bent slightly forward, and raised his wrist. An arrow shot forward, hitting the instructor’s body directly.

With a loud explosion, one of the mentor’s arms was blasted off. A huge hole opened on the right side of his body, and you could even see the wall behind him through it.

Ruan Xing had attached a mini bomb to the arrowhead, making it even more powerful—a perfect fusion of technology and magic.

The Instructor hadn’t expected such force and let out a wail. All the faces on his body screamed in pain, and he flew into a berserk rage, charging again.

The Mycelium spread widely, weaving a tight net that tangled the monster’s movements. Ruan Xing prepared to repeat his trick, another arrow already nocked—when a sudden, sharp pain struck his back.

The arm that had flown off earlier returned like a boomerang and ambushed him from behind. Its fingernails gleamed with a purplish tint—it was poisoned.

Ruan Xing was accidentally grazed. His back sizzled as if splashed with acid, and cold sweat poured down his face.

The Instructor laughed maniacally. “It’s not like I haven’t eaten ability users before. There was one reserve team member from an isolation center. Not much to look at, but passable. His face is still growing down by my crotch, haha. The insides were a bit tough, so I turned the rest into supplements. The one with the collar—isn’t he a relative? I made sure he drank the bowl with his family in it.”

This Instructor knew Li Yuan—and had made him drink a potion made from his own brother.

Ruan Xing’s gaze turned icy.

“Why are you angry? You’ll be part of me soon. Let’s see... maybe I’ll grow your face on my ass. That area’s still empty. Or maybe I’ll just debut while wearing you. Wouldn’t your friends and family be proud to see you become a star?”

At this moment, Ruan Xing was like an icy lake in winter. His attacks were merciless. He flung mycelium without restraint, firing arrows one after another.

The mentor thought he was just struggling futilely and started taunting him even more viciously—saying he’d turn him into a personal collectible to watch day and night or use his face to seduce senior officers at the base, especially the older ones.

Ruan Xing remained silent, but the mentor only got more excited. Then, a sudden sense of danger jolted him awake. Looking around, he realized too late that he had been surrounded.

The black arrows that had missed earlier hadn’t been wasted—they had flanked him from behind. He’d been so focused on Ruan Xing in front of him, that he hadn’t noticed the trap closing in from behind.

Now, these arrows surrounded him like sea urchin spines—pointing inward, their tips aimed directly at his core, locking him in place.

The intense sense of doom triggered him to look for a weak spot to escape through. But by now, he was like a caged bird, with no way out.

Suddenly, all the poisoned arrows fired at once. The mentor didn’t even have time to scream before being pierced through like a hedgehog. The previously detached arm was also pinned to the wall, still sizzling.

Who said he couldn’t use poison?

Ruan Xing’s expression didn’t change, but his back burned painfully. He pressed a hand over the wound. Healing magic could recover health, but it wasn’t very effective for detoxification.

Fu Gui flew out from his chest. “Sh**! What now?!”

Ruan Xing said calmly, “I won’t die.”

With such a commotion, even if the boss was sleeping like the dead, they should’ve woken up by now.

A woman with rose-red lipstick opened the door, only to see a frail young man standing at the entrance, waving at her. He was dressed in the company trainee’s standard uniform, wore black-rimmed glasses, his lips pale—but he was smiling.

He looked somewhat familiar.

“You’re the new trainee?” the woman asked, glancing behind him. No one else was there—just a faint sizzling sound in the air.

The young man smiled. “Yes. It’s not easy to meet you.”

His right eye glowed faintly with an apple-green hue, geometric patterns shifting over the surface. Red lights blinked within—it was standing in the boss’s place.

She froze for a moment, then suddenly remembered where she had heard that voice before.

Her expression changed dramatically.