When Ruan Xing realized that the rabbit was using his magic formation to support the city's entire structure, he already had a plan.

With the central magic circuit, he figured out all the city's key structural points and accurately inscribed the formations using the provided magic crystals. Even though people from Fairy Tale City were supervising the construction, Ruan Xing's knowledge ran so deep that any small tweaks he made flew entirely under the radar.

On the surface, the formations looked like solid, powerful defensive setups. They passed all inspections and functioned as expected. But hidden beneath that surface layer, he had embedded another formation.

And that second layer was the real key to the current chaos.

He stopped channeling magic and listened to the booming sounds echoing from outside. Then, he left the building node and slipped into the shadows with Fu Gui.

Fu Gui: "So you built a second layer under the main formation? Did you even have enough materials for that?"

Ruan Xing had drawn the entire thing with barely enough resources, so he had to do it with extreme precision. Just one set of materials was used to build a formation within a formation.

He gently pinched Fu Gui's beak shut and tilted his head. [Something is coming.]

A green-furred wolf burst out of a side alley, staring in shock at the distant explosions. Blood was still dripping from its mouth, while in the shadows behind it lay a young lamb, already lifeless.

"Who's there?!" the wolf growled, baring its teeth in their direction.

Fu Gui snapped back, "Your grandpa!"

The green wolf, a predator at the top of the food chain in this city, had never been treated like this before. Herbivores always avoided him, and no one dared to talk to him like that.

It stood on all fours, tensed its muscles, and then howled and charged straight at Fu Gui.

Fu Gui laughed wildly: "Grandson! Kneel and pay respect to your grandpa!"

The wolf scoffed and rushed forward, ready to rip the bird apart. He could already smell that feathery scent, so close now—until pain shot through his legs. His vision tilted sharply, and his body crashed forward uncontrollably.

He looked back and saw his hind legs lying behind him on the ground, completely severed by something invisible. They were still twitching like they wanted to run. Blood gushed from the stumps, pouring out like it had when he bit the lamb's neck.

But at that time, his heart was full of desire to eat. Now, all he felt was terror.

"Who... who are you?!"

A figure stepped out from the shadows, wearing a long black robe.

"Looks like the patrols don't care about this area."

The man lowered his hood, revealing a face that looked like it had been kissed by a demon. His eyes shimmered with a mysterious green glow under the moonlight.

The wolf's body trembled violently. Now he remembered. This was the one who had killed his companion at City Hall with a single arrow.

"Please... I beg you…"

Fu Gui called out excitedly, "Kneel, and maybe I will—"

Before he could finish, a black arrow pierced the wolf's throat.

Fu Gui looked at Ruan Xing with dissatisfaction. "Can you let me be the badass just once?"

Time was tight. Ruan Xing had no intention of wasting a single second. He needed to cause as much damage as possible during the chaos. He might even bring down the entire Candy Factory if everything went well.

He headed for the factory, leaving destruction in his path. Explosions kept shaking the air around him.

He looked at the building in the distance, and smoke was still coming out from the chimneys. Even now, the factory is still running?

Fu Gui spoke through their mental link: [The rabbit is probably inside, keeping things under control. We will be courting death if we go there.]

Ruan Xing replied: [Someone is already there.]

—

Inside the factory, Mayor Rabbit stood by a window with clenched teeth as he watched the flames outside.

"You still haven't found them?!"

The thrush trembled. "We did, but it will take time to catch them. They seem to be from the Investigation Corps. All the regular citizens are already under their protection."

Just then, a tremor shook the ground beneath their feet. One of the structural nodes near the factory had been destroyed.

If the fake merchant had embedded his formation into the factory itself, and if the mayor had not been here to hold things together, Fairy Tale City might already have been wiped off the map tonight.

Mayor Rabbit's fangs grew longer. His once-soft fur bristled into hardened quills, showing his overflowing fury.

"And what about that person?"

The thrush stammered, “Still… no sign of him…”

"Useless! Bring all citizens here. Guard the factory with everything you have!"

The city's speakers crackled to life: "Attention all citizens: Fairy Tale City is under attack by radical forces. Please evacuate to the Candy Factory immediately. Repeat, all citizens evacuate to the Candy Factory!"

The small animals who had been too scared to come out during the explosions rushed out of their homes. Some rode rubber-sugar bikes while others drove cookie cars. All of them headed straight for the heart of the city—the Candy Factory.

No one noticed the shadow that slipped quietly into the crowd.

As the last citizens entered the yard of the factory, the giant iron gates slammed shut behind them with a loud clang.

Whispers spread among the crowd.

"Citizens, it's time to protect our home! Someone has infiltrated Fairy Tale City and wants to destroy the beautiful life we built. This kind of thing must not be allowed to happen!"

The almost unrecognizable Mayor Rabbit stepped up onto the platform. What once looked like a rabbit now resembled a mammoth, grotesquely oversized, with long tusks curling from his three-part mouth. His fur was hard, bristled, and muddy brown.

"For the welfare of the city, please move to the center of the factory. The most delicious candy awaits. It will comfort your hearts and help you sleep peacefully tonight."

Normally, factory-made candy was only for construction. Anyone caught eating it would be arrested on the spot. Everyone being allowed to eat freely was a very rare moment.

The citizens were overjoyed, but no one noticed that the mayor was smiling too.

A little hedgehog followed the crowd into the factory. At the center of the courtyard, the promised candy was piled like small mountains—bright, colorful, and tempting.

His new friends rushed ahead, and the little hedgehog followed behind. They sat on the ground, chatting about the night's chaos.

Then suddenly, one of them turned red and collapsed.

The hedgehog was startled. He had no idea what was happening. But then, a wave of overwhelming drowsiness swept over him, and he fell down with his hands on his neck.

As the citizens dropped one after another, Mayor Rabbit turned to the huge monkey beside him. "That is enough. Toss them in."

The strong and towering monkey lifted the limp bodies two at a time and loaded them onto the shuttle cart.

The cart drove toward a massive incinerator. The furnace stood in an empty workshop, about seven or eight meters high, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. It looked like a wine jar with intricate patterns carved on its surface.

When the lid on the top was opened, the heat wave surged, and the temperature rose. Even the monkey's fur curled instantly, and the smell of burning filled the air.

Climbing up the ladders, the two monkeys began tossing the citizens into the furnace like garbage. The citizens did not even have time to scream as they turned to ash in seconds.

As the bodies disappeared, the factory seemed to come alive. The walls and machines began to operate on their own, clicking and clattering, even without anyone operating them.

The monkeys worked quickly, and half the cart was emptied in a short amount of time.

Then, amid the unconscious bodies, one figure moved.

The nearest monkey turned in shock—only to be kicked hard into the incinerator. It struggled for a moment, then fell silent.

The other monkey, still standing beside the furnace, barely had time to react before a tall figure flashed in front of it. It opened its mouth to shout—

"Hel—"

—but before he could finish, a foot slammed into its back, sending it flying into the furnace, following his partner.

Su Xiaona rolled her shoulders. "Fortunately, I was fast."

She followed the crowd into the factory. Watching the citizens being burned alive, she could only think one thing: this rabbit was beyond saving.

After dealing with the monkeys, she did not wake the others. Instead, she slipped into the employee hallway and made her way back toward the main hall.

There, with his back turned, the rabbit was speaking to the thrush.

Perfect chance.

Su Xiaona tensed. Her legs exploded with power, launching her forward like a cannonball. The floor behind her cracked and warped under the force of her takeoff, leaving behind a deep triangle-shaped dent and a clear footprint.

The rabbit spun around and grinned. "I knew it was you!"

He had been expecting her.

Su Xiaona's eyes narrowed. Could the factory really report directly to him?

But even though she was discovered, she did not slow down. Instead, she charged even faster.

The rabbit roared, "You are very courageous!"

He clapped his hands together, and his already large body expanded, swelling to the size of a mammoth—with rabbit ears.

With that kind of size and strength, he could probably fight an armored vehicle head-on. Humans? Not even worth mentioning.

Overconfident fool!

The rabbit raised his massive front paw to meet Su Xiaona's attack.

But he didn't expect that the small, delicate-looking fist that met his paw carried a force that defied reality. It was like facing a beast his own size rather than a human.

Their clash stirred up a shockwave that blasted dust in all directions. The thrush was flung against the wall with a scream. Between the two, a vacuum formed—nothing could survive between them.

[Tremendous Force]

At full strength, even armored vehicles would be treated like paper toys.

Caught off guard, the rabbit stumbled back several steps.

A storm was brewing in his heart. What is this woman? That punch could flatten an elephant! Are humans even capable of such power?! She's a walking weapon!

She was not normal. Not at all. The rabbit's expression darkened.

Su Xiaona smiled, her brown eyes shining with excitement. "What is wrong, little bunny? What's the big deal about sneak attacks? Want to try me head-on?"

The rabbit laughed angrily. "You shameless human. You stole the goods and still want to destroy my factory? Keep dreaming."

He raised his glowing staff—the same one he used to turn humans into citizens—and prepared to cast the same spell again.

If he could not beat her in a fight, then he would use his ability.

But Su Xiaona was not going to give him the chance.

The moment she saw him pull out the staff, she knew he was about to try something dirty. She grabbed a sugar brick off the floor and hurled it at full force. Her muscles tensed, her wrist flicked, and the candy spun through the air with a sharp whoosh.

CRACK

Mayor Rabbit tried to block it with his staff, but Su Xiaona saw right through him. The candy slammed straight into the embedded gem.

A loud crack rang out. The gem shattered on impact, crumbling to dust along with the sugar block.

The mayor's ability, which had only been halfway activated, froze awkwardly, leaving him stuck and extremely uncomfortable.

He narrowed his eyes and said, "You must be at least an A-rank ability user."

Su Xiaona smirked. "Guess."

The rabbit raised his paw. "You think I need a staff to deal with you?"

"Then come and prove it," Su Xiaona replied, stepping into a ready stance.

The air rippled. A second later, the two figures collided again.

BOOM

From below, Luo Shi heard the violent crashing sounds above, causing his jaw to tremble.

What the hell is going on up there? Am I ever getting out of here?!

It sounded like two tanks were smashing into each other. The chandelier above his head was swinging so hard it looked like it might fall, and cracks had spread across the ceiling. The whole place felt like it was about to cave in.

He was just a regular guy—sure, a little sneaky and opportunistic—but why did he have to suffer through this madness?

At that moment, he heard a soft, scratchy noise nearby. It was faint but sharp enough to cut through all the chaos. It sounded like fingernails scraping a chalkboard.

Then, with a series of clinks and clatters, the bars of the dungeon gate dropped to the floor like they had been sliced clean through by something invisible.

Luo Shi froze. His eyes widened as he saw who walked in.

Ruan Xing?!

That outfit he was wearing… looked a lot like Luo Shi's own. A chilling realization dawned.

Luo Shi remembered how the mayor rabbit had been weirdly hostile when they first met. It seems... this guy impersonated the candy merchant, stole the cargo, and got him tossed into this dungeon?

So all of this was Ruan Xing's fault?!

What was it with people named Ruan? First, his father, Ruan Zhi, was now Ruan Xing.

And to make things worse, he had dirt that Ruan Xing could use against him. Luo Shi quickly pulled up his hood.

Ruan Xing stepped in, letting his mycelium filaments slice through the bars. The room was dark, barely lit by the faintest light.

A cloaked figure sat on a filthy cot. When the figure saw them, the man rushed to grab the bars, his voice hoarse with excitement. "Here! I'm over here!"

Ruan Xing immediately realized that the mayor had probably locked all captured humans in here, waiting to convert any survivors into city residents once the trade was complete.

Fu Gui spoke into Ruan Xing's mind: [Are we in the wrong place?]

Their original plan was straightforward. A few teammates would protect the civilians, others would sneak into the factory and plant explosives, and Su Xiaona, the strongest among them, would stall the mayor rabbit and buy time.

Based on their internal calculations, this spot was one of the best places to set things up.

Ruan Xing replied calmly: [It is fine. If there are civilians here, we will bring them out too.]

Fu Gui eyed the cloaked figure suspiciously. The man flinched slightly.

Fu Gui muttered, [That belly does not look like someone who's been struggling to survive. Looks more like a greasy middle-aged office worker.]

Then he shrugged. [Whatever. No signs of pollution on him for now. He should be safe.]

Ruan Xing looked at the man and asked, "Were you captured and brought here?"

The man's voice sounded raspy like his throat had been damaged. "Yeah. Who are you?"

"We are with the Investigation Corps," Ruan Xing replied. "You are safe now. Come with me. We will take you back to the base."

He drew a line in the air with his finger. Just like before, the bars fell, creating an opening wide enough for an adult man to pass through.

The man looked moved. "Thank you!"

Ruan Xing glanced at the cloak. "That outfit is not great for moving around. You should take it off."

The man tensed and immediately clutched his chest. "No—no, I can't. I…"

Suddenly, Luo Shi blurted out, "I'm not wearing anything underneath!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Fu Gui let out an audible snort from Ruan Xing's shoulder.

Luo Shi's face turned red, but there was no turning back now. He absolutely could not let Ruan Xing figure out who he was. If he did, he was definitely getting thrown back in.

Ruan Xing nodded. "I see. Sorry about that. Just wait a moment. I'll get you out."

He pulled out a familiar-looking bomb from his pocket and started carefully placing them along the wall—tight clusters, enough to bring the whole building down.

"What are those for?" Luo Shi asked.

Ruan Xing replied casually, "Testing the structural integrity of the factory for our rabbit friend."

Luo Shi's mouth twitched, but he managed to reply, "Alright… good luck with that."

Once the bombs were in place, Ruan Xing examined them for a moment, then turned. "Let's go."

Luo Shi followed behind, staring at the figure ahead.

They had to climb a long stairway to reach the surface. Luo Shi began to think. He was already out, and there was no one else around. Maybe... maybe he could settle things right here.

He quietly reached into his robe.

But just as he was about to draw his weapon, Ruan Xing stopped walking.

"What's wrong?" Luo Shi asked.

Ruan Xing turned to face him. The dim light cast shadows over his face, but his eyes glowed bright. "I just remembered something. That mark on your hand—where did you get it?"

Luo Shi froze. The seal on his hand was the pass to enter Fairy Tale City. Had Ruan Xing seen it earlier when he clutched his chest?

"Oh, that? I just thought it looked cool. Got it for fun. Anyway, we should keep moving. It is dangerous here."

In his panic, he forgot to fake his voice.

Ruan Xing smiled.

"Uncle Luo," he said, "have you ever heard the phrase 'walking right into the trap'?"

—

BOOM

Mayor Rabbit was blasted backward again, causing another deep crack to tear across the walls of Fairy Tale City.

The woman facing him already lost one arm. Her entire body was battered, and her skin twitched unnaturally like something inside was trying to rip its way out. Her pollution level was clearly through the roof, yet she was still holding it together, trading blows with him like nothing was wrong.

Mayor Rabbit wasn't doing well either. One of his long fangs had been broken off during the fight and was now lying a short distance away. A jagged piece of bone stuck out from his hind leg where he was kicked earlier. Because of that, he could not use Extreme Dash, and his combat power had dropped significantly.

He had never met someone so difficult to deal with.

"You are already skirting the edge of the pollution threshold," he growled. "Join my city. I will make you Deputy Mayor. Or, stay here and end up as a mindless pollution beast—and my next meal."

Su Xiaona's eyes were sharp. "I choose option three—killing you."

Mayor Rabbit sneered. "Even if you kill me, you are already tainted by Fairy Tale City. If you leave this place, you will melt into a puddle of chocolate. You will die either way."

He began drawing out the pollution stored inside his body. At the same time, the incinerator in the depths of the factory roared to life, fully ignited and running at full capacity.

The machines on the candy assembly lines began crawling off the conveyor belts on their own.

"In this city, everything has life," the rabbit declared. "I am invincible."

Su Xiaona flashed a grin and raised one hand in a ready stance. "I have never fought a horde of machines before. Sounds fun."

Then she charged in.

She was fast—so fast that to the naked eye, she was nothing but a blur. Even Mayor Rabbit could not help but be stunned.

She is too strong. If she ever turned into a pollution beast, she would be at least A-rank.

But this was his domain!

The rabbit's expression turned dark. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned towering machines to block her path.

If she wanted to get to him, she would have to go through them first.

Su Xiaona sidestepped a sneak attack from a small robot and twisted it into a spinning kick. Her foot slammed into one of the larger machines, causing the hulking thing to twist and crumple like paper. Its metal shell folded under the force, and the entire thing spun through the air.

Screws and parts flew everywhere, crashing into the corner wall and filling the air with smoke.

Unlike her brute-force style when fighting the rabbit, she now conserved energy—blending martial arts with clever momentum. She dodged the attacks, countered efficiently, and wasted no energy.

When a massive hammer came swinging toward her, she caught its momentum, turned her body, and redirected it to the side with a single graceful motion.

No frills. No flash. Just a clean technique.

Her movement was tight, and her balance was flawless. Every dodge, block, and counter was perfectly timed.

Mayor Rabbit was shaken again. These machines were useless. This woman could probably wipe out every one of them by herself.

Realizing the fight was turning against him, he growled and turned to flee toward the crematorium.

He had poured years of effort into building this city. Now, he would reclaim its full power—merge with the factory—and become the city. Then, even she wouldn't be able to touch him.

But as he arrived at the furnace room, he saw something that made him freeze.

Two figures stood there, dressed in the exact same black cloak.

The real and fake candy merchants had finally met.

One was unconscious on the ground, while the other was standing calmly at the edge of the furnace, peering curiously into it.

When he heard the noise, Ruan Xing looked up and waved. "Hey, Mayor. How have you been these past few days?"

Mayor Rabbit's mind went completely blank. It felt like someone had set off a firework inside his skull as his rage surged instantly.

"You bastard! Everything happening now—it is all your fault! I will kill—"

Ruan Xing shook his head. "You cannot kill me. You will die if you do. Remember the contract?"

[Once the transaction is completed, the contract is considered fulfilled. If either party kills the other afterward, it is regarded as a breach, and both souls will be annihilated.]

A bucket of cold water poured over the rabbit's fury.

He included that clause to protect himself because he knew the candy merchant likely had powerful backers. He had fought hard to ensure it was added. However, he never imagined that it would eventually become a hindrance for him.

Ruan Xing added helpfully, "You were the one who read that clause out loud, didn't you?"

Mayor Rabbit took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "It was obviously you who violated the contract first."

"I built the city. You accepted the result. That means the deal is done. Now, if you kill me—you're the one breaking it."

The rabbit paced furiously. "Fine. I won't kill you. Just get the hell out of here. I need to use the furnace."

Ruan Xing: "No."

The rabbit exploded. "What do you want from me?! I spent years building this city, and now it is all falling apart!"

Ruan Xing slowly raised his eyes and held up the contract paper. "I want answers, and you are going to give them to me."