Luo Shi immediately fled the moment he lost contact with the boss. If he didn’t flee, he wouldn’t be able to withstand the interrogation methods at base and would eventually crack. But if he escapes, there might still be a slim chance of survival.

He hadn’t kept his hands clean over the years, but he’d always had someone higher up covering for him. Usually, that was enough. But this time, Fu Zhi had personally stepped in, and the pressure bearing down on the Quarantine Center was overwhelming. No one wanted to get caught in this mess.

The sudden disappearance of his usually reachable subordinates only added to Luo Shi’s unease. Years of survival instinct had sharpened his senses—he had avoided plenty of disasters before, and this time was no different.

Not long after leaving the city, the radio crackled with news of his wanted status. The warrant came straight from the Enforcement Division.

Luo Shi’s arm was bandaged, and his expression was ashen. His teeth chattered while his hands trembled as he gripped the steering wheel.

Before leaving, he dug out his identity chip, replaced it with a black wristband, and packed everything he owned to avoid being tracked.

The world was vast, but now—he had nowhere to go.

He slammed the steering wheel in frustration, triggering a blaring horn.

He never should’ve listened to that guy and let a ticking time bomb sit next to him. Now the bomb had exploded, that guy was perfectly fine, while he was the one left behind as a cannon fodder.

Seriously, who would've guessed? Ruan Xing looked quiet and harmless, but why was he such a damn troublemaker?! No, actually, the signs had been there. Anyone who could catch Fu Zhi’s attention couldn’t be an ordinary person. Who on that team doesn't have some abilities?

Even that deadweight Pei Yi had managed to get into the Tower…

Luo Shi dialed that number again, and this time, it finally connected. But no voice came from the other side. His face twisted in rage. “What, satisfied now? You’ve gotten rid of every risk that could drag you down. So when the investigation reaches you, you’ll come out squeaky clean, right?”

A calm voice responded, “Come on, I never expected it to spiral this badly.”

“Bullshit!” Luo Shi exploded. “You had me do all that dirty work and then told me to deal with the fallout myself! If it wasn’t for that goddamn contract, I’d have sold you out ages ago and earned myself a reduced sentence!”

The boss wasn’t the only one bound by contract—Luo Shi, as the middleman, had been completely tied down. If he had exposed who was really behind everything, he wouldn’t have made it out of the Quarantine Center alive.

The person on the other end remained calm. “Fortunately, it’s over now. That’s all that matters. You can relax.”

Luo Shi sneered, “Relax?! I’m about to die, damn it!”

“No, you won’t,” the voice said. “You’re still useful.”

Luo Shi might have run, but things weren’t over.

Meili Entertainment had deeper roots than anyone expected. The Enforcement Division launched a full investigation, and it turned out that several Quarantine Center staff had been quietly replaced.

It hadn’t reached the upper levels yet, but at this rate, who knew what might happen?

As soon as the news broke, it was quickly suppressed. At the same time, the Tower officially labeled Luo Shi as a Class-A fugitive. Anyone providing intel would be handsomely rewarded.

Several people were dragged out too—some were dismissed, and others were “restructured.” The Quarantine Center went through a major purge.

Ruan Xing recalled his past encounters with Luo Shi and realized the man had shown strange behavior all along. At the time, he’d just assumed it was a personality quirk and hadn’t dug deeper.

Luo Shi and Ruan Zhi had been close. Could he have had something to do with Ruan Zhi’s death?

The journal didn’t say much. Ruan Xing could only make scattered guesses based on fragmented clues, but they weren’t enough to form a full picture. He could only wait for updates from Fu Zhi.

If I’d known earlier, I would’ve tagged him with a tracking spell. Ruan Xing clicked his tongue.

—

At that moment, Ruan Xing was standing in front of a stall in the outer city. He was dressed in dusty gray clothes, a cap, and a face mask and was haggling with a street vendor.

“One lousy rock and you won’t even cut me a deal?”

“Come on, brother, it’s already dirt cheap. If it were just a regular rock, you wouldn’t be interested, would you?” The vendor replied indifferently.

But Ruan Xing couldn’t leave it.

Lately, he’d been researching how to expand his magic capacity. He’d found plenty of materials at the boss’s hideout but not enough to run complete experiments. He needed more.

Fu Gui chimed in: “Can’t you compress magic into liquid, like how cultivation novels do with spiritual energy?”

Ruan Xing froze. [What kind of demonic logic was that? Magic is not gas—how would compressing it turn it into liquid?!]

Fu Gui: “Those cultivation novels lied to me.”

Since the price could not be negotiated, Ruan Xing had no choice but to reluctantly pay. Purple column crystals were essential for modification processes and were rare in this world. Honestly, even at this price, it was already a good deal.

Since he was buying materials anyway, Ruan Xing decided to stock up. Resources in this world were limited, so he had to look for alternatives. After scraping things together, he had enough to make two or three sets of basic potion ingredients.

And just like that, his recently earned bonus was gone.

Magic research is really expensive.

When they returned home with arms full of bags, Fu Gui perched on the TV and titled its head while watching Ruan Xing work.

He brought out the cauldron, set it on the gas stove, lit the flame, and began adding ingredients one by one.

Watching this felt all too familiar to Fu Gui—wasn’t this exactly how it had been forced to drink a potion and sign a master-servant contract?!

Painful memories came rushing back, and the crow couldn't bear to watch, so it flapped its wings and flew away.

Back at the stove, Ruan Xing kept tossing things into the cauldron. The potion thickened into a green sludge, bubbling like some swamp creature screaming in the pot.

He held his palm above the pot. A soft green light glowed from his hand and drifted into the cauldron. The liquid, which originally looked a bit like a monster, actually made a "gurgling" sound.

Startled, Fu Gui flapped back in. “What the hell is that?!”

Ruan Xing gave him a side-eye. “Magic potion.”

Fugui let out a loud “F***!” and leaned in. “So this is a magic potion!”

Ruan Xing popped the bubbling foam with a spoon and then stirred it in the purple column crystal. The thick green sludge gradually faded into a clear light green liquid—translucent, like apple juice.

There was originally a whole pot of liquid, but now only a thin layer remained at the bottom of the pot.

Ruan Xing frowned.

Something felt off. That had never happened before.

He poured in some clear liquid.

Fu Gui: “Is that magical spring water or something?”

“Just ordinary boiled water. It got too thick, so I’m diluting it,” Ruan Xing said calmly.

Fu Gui choked. “Won’t that mess it up?”

Ruan Xing lifted his chin, proud. “Don’t underestimate an archmage’s potion-making skills.”

Fu Gui scoffed. “Can I try it?”

“Go ahead.”

This was just a test using a safe potion. As for human body modification… Ruan Xing wasn’t brave enough to try that on himself yet.

Fu Gui took a sip and smacked its beak. “Weird taste. Kinda like a low-grade healing potion.”

The flavors in this world were wild—people even made fish taste like lychee. Thus, having a similar flavor wasn’t too surprising.

A few minutes later, Fu Gui’s black feathers suddenly grew longer and thicker, layering over his body. It ballooned in size, turning from a little crow into a full-on eagle. Except for the clueless gleam in his eyes, he looked pretty majestic.

Fu Gui cawed triumphantly. “Don’t ever call me ‘small’ again! Have you ever seen a crow this huge?!”

It soared around the room, but the place was too small, so it didn’t get far before crash-landing on the couch. “Man, being an eagle feels amazing!”

Then—“pfft”—like a deflating balloon, the eagle shrank back into a crow.

Fu Gui’s smile froze.

“This is a scam! Fake Potion!!”

Ruan Xing argued, “It’s meant for humans. It's pretty much useless on you.”

Fu Gui threw a tantrum, demanding a transformation. Ruan Xing ignored it and poured the rest of the potion into little bottles.

He also made healing, stamina, and energy potions—the classic mage potion starter kit.

Once done, Ruan Xing’s expression turned serious. He picked up a vial and drank it down.

“How do you feel?” Fu Gui asked as it scanned his body.

Nothing. Ruan Xing felt nothing.

Another failure?

But when he looked up, Fu Gui froze. “You—you look kinda weird.”

Worried, Ruan Xing rushed to the bathroom mirror.

Luckily, he hadn’t turned into some freak. Actually, he looked better—closer to his original self.

The original Ruan Xing had been pretty but young and inexperienced. Now, his features had sharpened, and he looked less naive. The maturity of his soul had begun to show through, blending with his youthful face into something hard to describe.

The potion made the body align more with his true soul.

Not bad.

Still, it wasn’t quite what he intended.

Sure enough, gentle methods don't work?

Fu Gui circled him, clicking his tongue. “Didn’t boost your power, but hey, at least you gave yourself a glow-up.”

—

The next morning, when Ruan Xing clocked in at headquarters, he ran into someone he hadn’t seen in a while—Pei Yi.

The guy took one look at him and blurted out, “Holy shit! Bai Xu told me, but I didn’t believe him. You really went undercover and came back looking like a celebrity!”

The two exchanged a few greetings and headed into the conference room together.

Ruan "Superstar" Xing, who had barely shown his face around headquarters, suddenly became the center of hushed whispers. Everyone was trying to pry into what exactly happened at Meili Entertainment.

After all, it’s human nature to be curious about beauty.

Even during the meeting, several attendees couldn’t help but steal glances at him.

Chen Yihang, who was presiding in place of Fu Zhi, smiled as he made an announcement:

“The Tower has already reviewed the incident and decided to award you a commendation medal. Your info page has been updated—your class is C+ now. You’re officially authorized to take on higher-difficulty missions independently.”

After the Tower mission, Fu Zhi had been out on assignment again, leaving Chen Yihang in charge of this meeting.

At that time, Ruan Xing finally understood the meaning of "great power comes great responsibility." Fu Zhi was like a spinning top—constantly on the move. Who knew when they'd even see each other again?

Last time, Fu Zhi had said he’d take Ruan Xing on missions. Now he’d left without a word, not even a message. If Chen Yihang hadn’t mentioned it, Ruan Xing wouldn’t have known he was gone.

“Ruan Xing?”

He snapped out of his thoughts to see everyone in the room staring at him.

“Yes,” he quickly replied.

Chen Yihang continued, “Regarding Scar-Tail. Captain Fu specifically asked me to investigate. The guy has a criminal record and is super slippery. A bunch of missing person cases at the base are suspected to be connected to him, but there’s no solid proof. We still don’t know where the victims were taken. I’ve already coordinated with the Quarantine Center. They’ll keep a close watch.”

Fu Zhi had only briefly mentioned Scar-Tail, yet still made sure to assign someone to follow up. He clearly cared about his team.

And now, Ruan Xing finally recalled where he’d first heard the name.

When he had first arrived in this world, the mercenaries who’d captured him were planning to sell him to Scar-Tail.

“Got it. I’ll follow up as well.”

Chen Yihang nodded and continued the meeting.

Afterward, he called Ruan Xing over, along with Su Xiaona.

“Captain had to leave on short notice. He asked me to tell you he will take you on a mission next time.”

Ruan Xing blinked. “Got it~”

At the Amusement Park mission, Fu Zhi promised to bring him along next time.

So he really meant it, huh?

“Oh right,” Chen Yihang added, “I saw you’ve been looking into info about Mist City. Is there something special about it?”

“Mist City” was the name of an A-rank mission Fu Zhi had completed in the past. Ruan Xing noticed that he only started wearing the pendant after that mission. He suspected it might hold a clue and had been researching it recently. Apparently, Chen Yihang had noticed.

So Ruan Xing asked, “Captain really treasures that pendant. I saw footage from the mission. He only started wearing it after that.”

Chen Yihang was impressed. “Sharp eyes! I didn’t notice at all. That mission happened long before I joined. But Sister Xiaona might know more.”

Su Xiaona nodded. “I was new back then, not even in Squad One yet, but I remember that mission. The captain was seriously injured. As soon as he returned to base, he was sent to the Specialized Hospital. He didn’t wake up for a long time. Whatever the Tower did to heal him, it worked. After that, he always wore that pendant.”

“So it was found in that polluted zone?”

“Probably,” Su Xiaona said thoughtfully. “We’d never seen anything like it before. Doesn’t look like something made at base.”

“What exactly happened in Mist City?”

Ruan Xing did not find any footage. The written report was just a brief summary—no real details, not even a mention of the pendant.

Su Xiaona shook her head. “No idea. The captain never talked about it.”

Chen Yihang said, “Well, that zone has already been cleared. If you’re curious, why not check it out for yourself?”

Ruan Xing raised an eyebrow. “Is that allowed?”

Chen Yihang smiled. “Yeah, there happens to be a mission nearby."

“A high-pollution fluctuation near Mist City may develop into a new zone. We need to investigate. Since you’re already researching it, why not go with Sister Xiaona?”

Ruan Xing suddenly realized that Chen Yihang had been laying the groundwork, and now he was talking about the real business.

Su Xiaona adjusted her glasses. “No problem.”

Naturally, Ruan Xing had no objections either.

According to intel from the mercenary, their route back to base purposely avoided the old A-rank polluted zone, Mist City. But on the way, he got separated from his companions.

“I turned around, and he was just gone. I hadn’t even pulled up my pants yet...” The mercenary in the recording looked frantic, clearly still rattled by the hallucinations he’d experienced. The staff gently guided him to recall more details.

People have three urgent needs, but in the end times, people don't care about so many things. They can go to the toilet anywhere. This man and his companion went to solve the problem, but he didn't expect that his companion would disappear when he turned around.

“All that was left was a roll of toilet paper. Maybe the monsters hadn’t reached me yet, so I drove away immediately."

“Did you notice anything weird? See anything? Smell anything?”

“The place smelled like shit. What else would I smell?”

The staff pressed further. Every detail mattered in understanding the pollution.

“Try to think harder.”

The mercenary tapped his head. “Wait… I remember now. I chose that spot because there was this black stuff all over the ground. I thought it was shit. But thinking back, it didn’t smell bad. In fact, it smelled kinda… sweet.”

“What kind of sweet?”

“Like… chocolate?”

“That’s all we got,” Chen Yihang said, pulling up a photo on his tablet.

It showed a messy bed. Clothes were scattered, and something vaguely human-shaped was lying on the sheets. One leg crossed over the other, like he’d died in his sleep. But the body had collapsed on itself, leaving behind black, tarry residue stuck to his pajamas.

Like he’d melted in his dreams.

“We tested the substance. It’s chocolate.”

Ruan Xing and Su Xiaona exchanged a look.

“So even after passing the quarantine scan and taking anti-pollution drugs, he still couldn’t resist the infection. That level of power… It’s at least a Class-A pollutant.”

A-class was the highest Ruan Xing had encountered so far. Even the Meili Entertainment boss barely scraped into B-rank due to his insidiousness and influence. But this—polluting someone over time and distance—was terrifying.

“Don’t worry,” Chen Yihang assured. “This isn't a clearing mission. Just recon. Besides, Sister Xiaona is very strong. She can get you out if needed.”

Ruan Xing didn’t fully grasp what “strong” meant in this context. However, his priority wasn’t clearing the polluted zone—it was uncovering clues about the Mage Tower.

Chen Yihang also applied to transfer a group of people from the Second Squad to assist in completing the task. They treated Su Xiaona with obvious respect, admiringly calling her “Sister Xiaona.”

Even Pei Yi, the vice-captain of First Squad, didn’t get that kind of treatment. Ruan Xing couldn’t help but wonder—what had she done to earn so much respect when she seemed so low-key?

After returning home, Ruan Xing packed lightly. This was only his second mission outside the base, and pollution zones were always unpredictable. He made sure to bring his usual weapons and the freshly made potions. Even if he didn’t need them, someone on the team might.

The polluted zone was far from the base, so for the first time, Ruan Xing got to ride this world’s version of an aircraft.

Unlike broomsticks or teleportation arrays from his magical world, the massive, flying machines here were fascinating enough to keep Ruan Xing occupied for a good while.

The view was incredible—way higher than any broom had ever taken him.

Outside the window, the blue sky stretched endlessly. On the horizon, the city jutted out like a scar on the earth. The plains ended abruptly at their edges, replaced by looming towers and high-rises, like symbols of modern civilization, now slowly fading under time and pollution.

Ruan Xing studied the aircraft with great interest—until motion sickness kicked in.

Whirr—

The helicopter roared as it landed in a clearing near the city’s edge.

The grass was wild and unkempt. When the helicopter landed, the green grass was blown like waves.

Su Xiaona, wearing sunglasses and tactical gear, glanced at her wristband. “Alright, this is the spot. Let’s split up and search.”

Ruan Xing jumped down with a face as pale as ghost.

“You okay, Xingxing?" Su Xiaona asked with concern. "You look awful. Didn’t you take the motion sickness pill?”

He had—but they didn’t work.

His expression said it all.

“I just need to find a spot to puke,” he mumbled.

“Don’t wander too far,” Su Xiaona said. “We’ll wait here.”

Ruan Xing found a quiet patch of ground and squatted for a while before finally feeling better.

Fu Gui perched on his shoulder and looked at him with disdain. “You never got sick flying brooms, though?”

Ruan Xing thought about it. “Probably the difference between driving and riding.”

People who drive don't get carsick.

His feet felt a little numb from squatting, and just as he stood to stretch, something caught his eye—a piece of black solid matter.

Rectangular, flat, and missing a corner—like someone had taken a bite out of it.

He poked it with a stick. A faint, sweet aroma wafted up.

Before the mission, Chen Yihang had made them all smell samples for reference. Ruan Xing recognized it right away.

Chocolate.

“I think I found something.”

Ruan Xing wanted to tell Su Xiaona, but when he turned around, the spot where his teammates had been was completely empty.

 

 

 

【Mini Theater】

Sometime in Ruan Xing’s previous life…

Ruan Xing stared at the black, slime-like substance in the cauldron, falling into deep thought.

Was this potion a success… or a failure?

He handed it to his teammate. “A newly developed healing potion.”

The teammate, who was wearing a cast, lit up with joy and drank it without hesitation.

That night, his injuries got even worse. With injuries piled on top of injuries, he was rushed to the temple for emergency treatment.

#NoMageIsGoodAtEverything

#You’llUnderstandTheDangersOfFakePotionsSoonEnough