Ruan Xing fell into self-reflection.

He rarely reflected on himself, but something had clearly gone wrong this time.

Originally, his plan had been simple: after blowing up the factory and absorbing the resulting magical energy, he would heal his injuries, head to Mist City, kill his enemy, and start researching how to return with the Mage Tower in tow.

But now, the plan had gone off track—he was not even human anymore.

Ruan Xing reflected again but still could not figure out what had gone wrong.

Could it be that his injuries were too severe, and his soul had triggered some kind of self-protection mechanism?

Looking at the situation, that seemed like the only possible explanation.

From start to finish, Ruan Xing never suspected the magic potion he drank before.

Now, he had two choices: one was to go to Mist City and find out the exact situation regarding the Mage Tower, and the other was to return to the base and seek help.

Going to Mist City would basically mean faking his death openly, but it was uncertain whether Mist City merely held clues or if the tower itself was there. If it was not, how would he leave or get more clues?

If he went back to the base first, would he even be able to sneak in like this? And second, how would he explain things to Fu Zhi and the others?

Besides, figuring out how to return to his original body was another issue.

After hesitating for a while, Ruan Xing suddenly realized—regardless of which option he picked—how he was supposed to travel such a long distance to the human base or Mist City in his current state?

Bathed in sunlight, the little black furball fell into deep thought, his shadow stretched long across the ground.

"Squeak squeak!" The furball looked up. The two emerald-green eyes turned toward the source of the sound.

A thread of silk crept out from a crack between some rocks. Then, a large tangle of silk was pulled out, dragging its whole colony along as it appeared before Ruan Xing.

What was originally used to shield him from the explosion was now just a small piece, even smaller than Ruan Xing's current body.

"Squeak squeak!" The mycelium rushed toward him, circling around the black coalball's head. In the past, that spot was reserved for Fu Gui alone.

The mycelium curled into a flat bundle and settled on top of the coalball's head like a white hat. It even thoughtfully stretched out a little brim to provide shade.

Ruan Xing: Thanks, but no need.

"Li-like…" The mycelium still expressed its affection directly.

The coalball opened its mouth, revealing a soft pink tongue.

"Then you can follow me."

Ruan Xing was not sure if the thing was just dumb or overly innocent—it actually insisted on following him everywhere.

If it weren't clearly a non-human organism, Ruan Xing might have suspected it was some kind of perverted stalker.

Ruan Xing looked around. It was all ruins now. Fairy Tale City had fallen with the death of Mayor Rabbit, and only shattered remains were left behind.

He could not even walk normally in his current state, so he bounced and hopped along like a spring-loaded puffball.

Along the way, he noticed that many of the walls had been chipped away. What remained were human corpses fused with the cement. The missing parts were probably the ones that could be retrieved.

Sure enough, outside the city, there were clear signs of cleanup—likely the work of the Investigation Corps.

After hopping out of the city, Ruan Xing found himself facing open land. When he was still human, it did not feel like much, but now, he was not even as tall as a blade of grass, and his line of sight was awfully short.

He jumped onto a stone and tried hard to look into the distance, but there was still nothing—just empty land.

Ruan Xing deflated and collapsed like a pancake.

"How am I supposed to leave?"

"Car... car..." the mycelium chimed in.

With Fu Gui gone, it had taken on the role of strategic advisor and was doing its best.

"I know what a car is, but we don't have one…"

Ruan Xing suddenly sprang up. Wait a minute—he could wait for a car here!

There were plenty of cleared polluted zones that could be scavenged, and many people did this for a living. After the Investigation Corps cleared a polluted area, these scavengers would swarm in like hyenas, picking up whatever was useful to sell or trade.

All the good stuff in Candy City had already been blown up in the factory, but the scavengers did not know that. Once the coordinates spread via radio, people would be arriving soon. If he could hitch a ride, he could get out of here.

Ruan Xing thought about it as he sat in the shade beneath a rock, waiting. His black body practically merged with the shadow.

He wasn't exactly sure what was happening, but by the evening, he realized he still wasn't feeling hungry. It was like after he stopped being human, he didn't even need to eat anymore.

Neither he nor the mycelium needed food. So they just kept waiting. When the temperature dropped at night, the mycelium took the initiative to act as a blanket, flattening itself to cover Ruan Xing and keep him warm.

It was not until the third day at sunrise that they saw a shabby SUV coming their way.

It was probably the most dilapidated car Ruan Xing had ever seen. The door was barely attached, the hood popped open, and the whole thing rattled like it might fall apart at any second.

Ruan Xing eyed it doubtfully. Could that thing even make it back to base?

The door opened, and a teenage boy wearing a flight cap jumped out. He looked about fifteen or sixteen, wearing a short-sleeved brown shirt patched up in places, with a bandage on his forehead like he had been injured recently.

The temperature in this area was not too high. The boy shivered after stepping out of the car and grabbed a jacket from the seat. He placed something on the back seat and pulled out a radio. A long antenna extended from the box, and static noises cracked out.

“321.323.11. These are the coordinates, right…" he muttered, eyes lighting up as he looked at the ruins in the distance.

"Heh heh, this is it! I found it! I am definitely first this time!"

The boy picked up a submachine gun and rushed in, face full of excitement.

Ruan Xing shook his head. Still too young. He left the car unattended like that and did not even lock up his gear. If anyone else had seen it, who knew what they would do?

But that had nothing to do with him.

His eyes locked on the broken SUV, and he bounced his way toward it.

"Ughhh..."

Ruan Xing was exhausted. His jumps, if converted into human terms, were the height of a three or four-story building. The energy drain was intense. By the time he snuck into the car, he was already flat like a black pancake.

The mycelium clung to him as well and also flattened.

They slipped into the trunk and found an empty spot to lean against.

But as soon as they got in, they came face to face with a pair of eyes.

Those eyes stared right at Ruan Xing, making his back go cold.

It was a little girl wrapped in a bedsheet. Her body was skin and bones, and her round eyes were wide open. Her cheeks were sunken, and her face was pale as she silently watched the intruder.

"Who are you?"

The girl spoke first. Her gaze was clear, and her eyes were filled with curiosity.

Ruan Xing stayed silent. He didn't want trouble.

The girl did not move. Even though her limbs looked fine and seemed capable of moving, she did not try to touch Ruan Xing.

The mycelium on his head stretched out a few threads, squeaking at the girl like it was protecting Ruan Xing.

The girl suddenly smiled. "My name is Chen Chen. I am waiting for my brother. You and your pet are so cute."

The mycelium seemed to understand, reverting to its thread form, and lightly touched Ruan Xing's body as if agreeing.

Ruan Xing stayed silent, pretending to be a regular little pollutant.

The girl said nothing more either. They sat in silence until the sound of another vehicle engine came from outside.

Ruan Xing's heart sank.

That boy had been way too careless. How could he leave the girl in the car alone? Did he really trust her to wait here all by herself when she was clearly weak and not in good health?

The girl also looked a bit nervous when she heard the engine, clutching her sleeves tightly.

Bang bang! The sound of car doors closing resounded. Two people seemed to have gotten out of the other vehicle.

"Bro, there is already a car here. Someone beat us to it."

"Damn, who the hell moves faster than a rabbit?!"

"Let's just take their stuff. Saves us the trouble of going in." One of the voices suggested.

"Hmm, good idea... Wait, holy sh*t! That's his car!"

The other voice cursed too. "Shit! No way—we bumped into him?!"

"Go, go, get out of here. Let's split up. Better not get involved. Anyone who does is unlucky."

Their conversation was strange. It sounded like they were afraid of someone. Ruan Xing saw the girl let out a breath of relief.

She sat quietly in the corner, waiting. Not long after, the sound of gunfire rang out from the distance.

Then the teenage boy came running back, his submachine gun slung over his back. He jumped into the car like a rabbit.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it. Ran into those two brothers. What a waste of my bullets."

The girl asked with concern, "Are you okay, brother?"

"Eh, what could happen? Just some punks trying to rob me. Those kinds of trash... Wait, they did not come looking for you, right?"

The girl shook her head. "They saw the car and left."

The boy grinned. "At least they know their place."

He fastened his seatbelt and tossed a bundle into the back. "Brought you some candy, let's go!"

The girl smiled happily, opened the paper bundle, and pulled out shiny fruit candies wrapped in colorful foil. She unwrapped one and popped it into her mouth, her face glowing with joy.

Ruan Xing guessed they were heading back to the base. He felt slightly disappointed but knew he was in no shape for long-distance travel.

The boy drove while Ruan Xing bounced around in the trunk.

He seemed to dote on his sister, constantly pulling out little trinkets from his pockets to make her laugh.

"There was once a brown bear who got albinism and was mistaken for a polar bear. They shipped it off to the Arctic! Can you believe that? What were people even thinking back then? It was still a bear!"

Ruan Xing: That's… a terrible joke.

Silence filled the car.

After another half hour of driving, the boy pulled out a jerrycan from the trunk and poured gas into the tank. Then, with full power, they were back on the road.

Ruan Xing had the mycelium hang him by the car window so he could watch the scenery change—from open plains to urban forest to shady lanes. The boy seemed to be taking a shortcut, bouncing along rough roads. If it were not for the mycelium's cushioning, Ruan Xing would have turned into a spring ball.

The teen had a ton of energy and drove nonstop. As the sun set and rose again, his lips became dry and cracked.

"We are almost home! Time to speed up!"

They had been lucky along the way. They did not run into any polluted zones, and the few pollutants that appeared were low-level and easily dealt with by the boy.

The car's speed shot into triple digits. With the mycelium's help, Ruan Xing barely kept steady.

After a few more hours of driving, the boy's excited voice rang out. "We are here!"

Ruan Xing perked up and bounced up to the window. The blinding sun broke through the clouds and shone onto a massive iron wall that stretched endlessly, and a towering spire that reached into the sky came into view.