Kicking that ridiculous image out of his head, Ruan Xing jumped onto Fu Zhi's shoulder. He was not going to stay at home and play househusband—ugh, no! He's not gonna be some useless bum.

He needed to find a way to sneak into the polluted zone and recover his strength.

Ruan Xing was full of fighting spirit, but then Fu Zhi picked him up and patted his head. "No. I'm going to work. You and Fu Gui stay home and behave."

Fu Gui chimed in, "Yeah, Master! What's so bad about being a lazy freeloader? Look, the Major General is supporting both of us. He's like the pillar of the house, and we're the adorable freeloaders! So nice—no worries about food or shelter, unless the Major drops dead—"

Ruan Xing immediately jumped on Fu Gui's head and smacked him.

Seeing the two little things getting along, Fu Zhi nodded and left without worry.

Once the door was closed, Ruan Xing deflated like a popped balloon and slumped to the floor.

"Wow, Master, don't tell me you've fallen for him?" Fu Gui teased.

"Shut your crow mouth!" Ruan Xing snapped at him.

That morning, Fu Zhi clocked in at headquarters, made sure to familiarize himself with Chen Yihang, then drove a car out from the headquarters garage.

Living up to its name, the "Tower" really was a tower. It was surrounded by pristine white walls and covered a vast area. If the inner and outer cities were compared, the Tower would be the inner city's inner core.

Its immaculate white structure soared skyward, surrounded by open space. The tower itself had many windows, with silhouettes of people moving around inside. At the small windowed booths on the ground floor, long lines of citizens waited.

Those windows offered public services, including pollution consultations, distribution of anti-pollution medicine, and collection of feedback about base development.

Some people, despite not being short on money, still lined up in the hope of good luck.

At the same time, official vehicles used a larger entrance next to it.

Although the Tower was a symbolic institution, it was not isolated from the world.

All global pollution information was gathered here. Every research proposal had to undergo the Tower's review, including new weapons, anti-pollution drug development, and data on pollutants…

Rather than ignoring mundane affairs, the Tower simply ignored daily ones. It only handled information about "pollution."

Vehicles with the Investigation Corps emblem were not stopped and drove straight into the parking lot.

After parking, Fu Zhi glanced around and paused briefly when he saw a car with a tower-shaped logo before closing the door.

The lower levels of the Tower were filled with personnel responsible for information processing. Upstairs was the office space for Knights. Everyone here lived and worked within the Tower, almost like reclusive monks. But Fu Zhi knew better.

The Tower had far more control over the base than most people realized.

Fu Zhi took the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.

Ding!

The elevator arrived.

The area was spacious. Old-fashioned European-style lamps lit the hallway, leading straight to an office at the end with a ruby-inlaid door that was striking and hard to miss.

Seeing that door reminded Fu Zhi of the one from his dream last night. That one had been eerie and mysterious, not like this bright and holy-looking door. But strangely, it still felt familiar.

He paused briefly, then knocked.

"Knock knock."

"Come in," a voice answered.

He opened the door. The blond man standing by the floor-to-ceiling window turned around. His slightly long hair brushed his cheek, making him look young, around thirty. His rare silver eyes sparkled with surprise. "You're here! Have a seat!"

He gestured for Fu Zhi to sit on the couch. "Coffee or tea?"

Fu Zhi: "Plain water."

The blond man's eyes curved. "After all these years, you're still like this. You never change, Fu Zhi."

Fu Zhi looked at him. "You haven't changed either, Mr. Will."

Will didn't respond and brought over a glass of water.

"Let me guess... You're getting headaches again?" he asked as he leaned back on the sofa with interlaced fingers.

Fu Zhi shook his head. "No. I'm here to borrow something. I want a pass for the [Restricted Books Section]."

Will's smile slowly faded as his tone softened. "Why not just ask me directly?"

Fu Zhi: "I can't keep troubling you."

Will smiled again, but it did not reach his eyes. "You're always so polite. But looking after a child is part of being a 'father.'"

Before Fu Zhi could respond, Will added, "I know you're grown and have your own thoughts. But Fu Zhi, don't forget. No matter how high you fly, you're still a child raised by the Tower."

Fu Zhi's gaze lifted slightly, his expression turning cold.

Will's eyes narrowed slightly with a faint smile, but he didn't press further. "I'll give you the pass. But first, tell me what you have been doing lately. You've been away for a while."

The atmosphere between them eased a little, and Fu Zhi shared a few harmless updates.

Will nodded occasionally.

Time passed as they chatted until another knock sounded.

"Knock knock."

"Come in."

A man with long, black hair that rested at his neck entered, froze when he saw the two inside.

"Capt—Major Fu."

Fu Zhi stood up right away and nodded at Will. "Since you have a guest, I'll head out."

Will smiled. "Alright then. Go home early."

As he passed the visitor, Fu Zhi did not even look at him and left directly.

Pei Yi stood there awkwardly.

Will asked, "Why are you just standing there?"

Pei Yi stiffly walked in.

Will sipped his now-cold tea. "Speak. What's the situation?"

"Yes. It's as the report said. Fairytale City is now a wasteland."

"The Investigation Corps did a clean job this time. An A-level polluted zone…"

Pei Yi nodded. "Yes. That pollutant was tricky."

"This generation of recruits is not bad." Will showed little emotion. "Was the child confirmed dead?"

"No signs of survival," Pei Yi said.

"Hmm… a pity, but it's fine. Stronger rookies will always come along."

"Fu Zhi forgot his pass. Deliver it to him later."

Pei Yi paused but still replied, "Yes."

—

Back at home, after spending a day, Ruan Xing finally understood how Fu Gui had gained so much weight so quickly.

After breakfast, Fu Gui turned on the TV, crossed his legs, and started laughing at over-the-top melodramas. Then he pulled out snacks Fu Zhi had bought from the cabinet and munched away nonstop.

At noon, he microwaved the lunch Fu Zhi had prepared and devoured it, then returned to the TV and continued snacking.

After lunch, he took a two-hour nap, woke up for more snacks, and kept watching TV until the door opened.

Ruan Xing was about to explode from the sheer amount of black lines hanging over his head.

Why had he never noticed before just how lazy and gluttonous this bird was? And why did Fu Zhi buy so many snacks for a bird?

The whole little black ball was under a dark cloud.

When Fu Zhi came home from work with another huge bag of snacks, Ruan Xing could not help but wonder—was he seriously raising Fu Gui as a pet bird?

Apparently, yes.

After work, the first thing Fu Zhi did was change into slippers, prepare the ingredients, clean the house, sweep up Fu Gui's chip crumbs, and start cooking.

While the kitchen sounds clattered nonstop, Fu Gui cawed away in front of the TV, not helping at all.

Ruan Xing could not cook either, but he still hopped into the kitchen.

Fu Zhi wore an apron that hugged his slim waist. His forearms were taut as he skillfully handled the knife. Every chopped vegetable was uniform in shape and size. Clearly the work of a pro.

Unable to help, Ruan Xing just watched quietly. The scene of the man cooking was soothing. Compared to the shallow noise of the TV, this kind of atmosphere felt more fitting.

Tonight's dinner was lotus root pork rib soup, twice-cooked pork, and stir-fried greens. Fu Zhi truly possessed skills, which were fully showcased in the dishes that were bursting with flavor. Since yesterday's meal had been wiped clean, he made extra today, including a big pot of rice.

Ruan Xing finished a whole bowl of rice and even secretly slipped a rib to the mycelium.

The mycelium squeaked excitedly, "So good!"

Fu Zhi's ears twitched. "What was that sound?"

Ruan Xing froze, shocked by his sensitivity.

He pretended nothing happened and put on an innocent face. Fu Zhi did not seem to think much of it.

There was too much food today, so the leftovers were packed into the fridge.

At night, the mycelium slid off Ruan Xing, stretched out a thread, and snuck into the kitchen like a little snake.

It slipped into the fridge through a crack and spotted a big plate of food. If it could drool, it would have drowned by now.

A thin thread slipped into the plate, soaking up half the sauce in no time.

Just as it was feasting, the fridge light flicked on and a figure appeared.

"What are you doing here?"

The mycelium froze. As it tried to bolt, it was grabbed.

"You came back with that black fluffball, didn't you?"

The mycelium could not speak human language and could only squeak.

Fu Zhi frowned. He could not understand.

He looked at the little black blob sleeping on the couch. Was it also from Fairytale City?

Or maybe...

His mind raced.

The next morning, Ruan Xing got up early and was determined to accompany Fu Zhi to headquarters. He even ordered Fu Gui to tag along.

The fat and lazy Fu Gui really did not want to go on any adventure. But with his life in Ruan Xing's hands, he had no choice.

So, just as Fu Zhi was about to leave, he was blocked at the door by a bird and a black blob.

Seeing their expressions like they were off to war, Fu Zhi finally gave in.

One went into his pocket, and the other barely managed to perch on his shoulder.

Barely, because with Fu Gui's current weight, just staying balanced was a struggle.

Ruan Xing: [You need to lose weight.]

Fu Gui: [All of this is my flesh! Why should I lose it?!]

And so, the two non-human beings bickered their way into the headquarters building with Fu Zhi.

Then Fu Gui immediately drew more attention than ever before.

Everyone stared at him.

"Isn't that Ruan Xing's bird?"

"The Major General actually saved it?"

"Could it be just a similar bird? You know, like a keepsake that reminds you of someone? Is that how the idiom goes?"

Some people whispered and gossiped.

The Investigation Corps did not mind animal companions at work, but Fu Zhi was not an [Animal Speaker].

And yet, here he was bringing a bird identical to Ruan Xing's back and forth from HQ.

Coupled with what Sister Xiao Na had said, many looked at Fu Zhi with sympathy.

Alas, no matter how powerful, they'll still mourn like any normal person after losing someone they liked.

Pei Ye also returned from a mission. Upon hearing that Ruan Xing had died, he was stunned—until he saw the bird on Fu Zhi's shoulder.

"Sigh… He's gone. Even if you took his bird, he's not coming back…"

Chen Yihang happened to be nearby, wearing a face that said "let's not reopen old wounds."

"Luo Shi admitted he was doing someone else's bidding, so the Meili Building incident and the Candy City case probably had someone behind them. But since he signed a Contract, he cannot say more. I've been working on an encrypted questionnaire. Maybe we can figure out the mastermind that way."

"As for the man Xiao Na suspected of being the candy merchant, we went back to scan the area. The captain probably checked too, but there's no trace. An explosion that big wouldn't leave any survivors. It might have been a high-level pollutant… but why did he only appear when the mayor was about to vanish? It's a bit strange. We're  still compiling data on all registered pollutants and suspicious individuals."

Chen Yihang continued.

"And regarding the sandworm attack two days ago, I got the full report from the Quarantine Center."

Fu Zhi took the printed documents.

"Turns out the Tower's old defense system was breached from underground. Who knows how long those sandworms were lurking? They were just waiting for the doctor sandworm's signal. We've reinforced underground defenses. Hopefully, this won't happen again.

But here's the weird part. For the doctor sandworm's death, we only found his body. It was sliced by something sharp, but not like a knife."

Chen Yihang paused. "Looks like it was cut in half with a thread."

Fu Zhi's page-turning hand paused. "Thread?"

Chen Yihang nodded. "Thread. The cut was too clean. Not like a blade."

Ruan Xing played dead in the pocket.

"As for why the doctor kidnapped the little girl, the Quarantine Center didn't investigate. However, through my personal contacts, I obtained a genetic sample from the girl. She—"

"What about her?"

"She's human… but not exactly."

"Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes, 22 autosomes, and one sex chromosome pair. But this girl's gene has 24 pairs of chromosomes."

"And that extra pair? We've only seen it before in pollutants."

New mission countdown begins!