"Excuse me, where did you get the crow on your shoulder?"

The man had brown hair, a plain face, and a bulky build. His tone was rather polite.

Ruan Xing glanced at him. "Who are you?"

The man didn't seem offended. "I don't mean anything by it. It's just that this crow looks very similar to the one our family lost."

Ruan Xing: "All crows are black. What makes you so sure it's the same one?"

The man frowned slightly. "Maybe I forgot to introduce myself. I am Zhou Zheng, a Knight of the Tower."

For some reason, those last few words sounded unpleasant to Ruan Xing's ears.

"So?"

Seeing that Ruan Xing wasn't someone easy to talk to and thinking again about how this crow behaved far too obediently, just quietly standing on someone's shoulder, Zhou Zheng started doubting his own judgment.

Maybe it really was just a mistake.

He nodded politely. "Sorry to bother you."

As he turned around, Ruan Xing noticed the crow on his shoulder let out a silent sigh of relief.

Tap tap tap… Fast footsteps echoed as Ming Rui came running over with his examinee badge still hanging on him. He looked very anxious.

As he brushed past the knight, the man's gaze followed the boy's figure and stopped once again.

That boy…

Ruan Xing saw Ming Rui and led him to a more secluded spot. With a casual wave, he set up a soundproof barrier.

"They didn't make you go through any tests at the Quarantine Center?" he asked.

Ming Rui shook his head. "No. I said I was fine. They just did a physical exam, measured my pollution level, and asked a few questions. That was it. I overheard them saying a knight was coming, so they weren't too strict."

Ruan Xing nodded. "Good work. Are your injuries alright?"

Ming Rui replied, "Already healed. The people at the Quarantine Center were surprised, as if they had no idea what had happened."

He looked around and let out a long breath. Ruan Xing was clearly strong. Maybe he really could help him.

"My mother… she was the 'Muse' that the hairstylist mentioned." Ming Rui's gaze turned complicated. "She had spatial powers."

"The spatial ability user at the base… Wasn't she declared dead twenty years ago?" Ruan Xing suddenly understood. She didn't die. She was just taken somewhere else.

Ming Rui bit his lip. "Yes. My mother is not dead. She is still alive."

He didn't mention his sister, probably still keeping his guard up so Ruan Xing didn't press further.

"My mother told me her story. I just never imagined I would end up in the same situation… It's…"

Fu Gui: [What kind of cursed luck is this?]

"I don't know why the base keeps saying that she died of illness. Her family never searched for her either. But in truth, she was taken to that so-called Holy City!"

Ruan Xing said, "She probably wasn't the first."

Ming Rui nodded heavily.

"Many people were taken there. That place is not a Holy City. That name is something they made up themselves. It's hell. Hell for all of us."

"I want to join the Investigation Corps because of this. I want to rescue my mother. With her help back then, I managed to escape that hell using my sis… using my luck. But she's still trapped there. I hope that one day I'll be able to bring her back."

Ruan Xing said, "Sounds like a tough mission."

"But I won't give up," Ming Rui said firmly.

Ruan Xing nodded. Now that his curiosity was satisfied, he wished the boy success.

"Can you help me?" the boy asked urgently. "I inherited my mother's spatial ability. I can carry your stuff! I can be your assistant and do whatever you ask!"

Ming Rui tugged lightly at Ruan Xing's sleeve. He knew how powerful the young man before him was. If he could gain his support, it would be a game-changer.

He pulled out a megaphone from thin air, one with a carrot-shaped charm attached. It was the one he had found while scavenging in Candy City which was Mayor Rabbit's proud invention.

"I've never told anyone about this ability. I even left it off the Investigation Corps application form."

Seeing the rabbit pendant, Ruan Xing suddenly remembered that the boy still had some of his magic materials. Then, thinking about the offer, he was tempted.

He was about to head out. Having a mobile storage unit would be really convenient. But if Ming Rui joined the Investigation Corps, he would lose his freedom.

Ruan Xing said, "We can make a deal. But I'm not part of the Investigation Corps. I can't act with them. I'll always prioritize my own goals. If you join, your assigned missions might not involve the Holy City at all."

That meant Ming Rui might never see his mother again.

The Investigation Corps had power, sure, but there was no guarantee that Ming Rui's wish would come true. Ruan Xing himself had plans, and he couldn't afford to be dragged down.

Ming Rui hesitated. The young man was strong, but not strong enough to topple an entire city alone. And if Ruan Xing lost his life because of this, Ming Rui would live in guilt forever.

Seeing the boy's hesitation, Ruan Xing gave him a string of numbers. "Think it over. Come find me if you decide."

Just as he turned to leave, footsteps echoed again.

The figure of the Tower Knight reappeared. 

He glanced at the long-haired youth, then at Ming Rui with sharp eyes.

He didn't hear anything earlier, but he saw the boy pull out a megaphone from thin air, a clear sign of spatial ability.

Ruan Xing looked at the returning knight, lips curling downward. "Sir, I already told you that you had the wrong person."

Ming Rui looked confused too, clearly not recognizing the man.

Zhou Zheng spoke. "I wasn't mistaken. I am here for that boy."

Ming Rui frowned. "Do you know me?"

Zhou Zheng stepped closer, but the boy kept backing away, retreating toward Ruan Xing. "I don't know you."

Zhou Zheng smiled. "That's alright. Just come with me."

Ming Rui's face changed, and he instantly backed away. But the knight gave him no chance. He moved faster and appeared right behind Ming Rui, cutting off his escape.

"So this is how you Tower folks kidnap minors out in the open now?" Ruan Xing said as he raised his gun, pointing it straight at Zhou Zheng's forehead.

"Don't do anything rash."

Zhou Zheng's expression changed, then softened. "Sir, surely you do not want to go against the Tower."

Bang! The gun fired, smoke trailing from the barrel.

Ruan Xing's cold eyes peeked out from behind it. "I said. Stay away from him."

The bullet had been aimed right at Zhou Zheng's forehead. It was clear that Ruan Xing had no intention of negotiating. If Zhou Zheng hadn't reacted fast enough, it wouldn't have just grazed his cheek.

As a knight of the Tower, Zhou Zheng had never been treated like this. His face darkened with rage. "Do not refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit."

Ruan Xing smiled. "I return the same to you."

Zhou Zheng moved, dashing at Ruan Xing in an instant and throwing a massive punch at his face.

Apparently, not all knights relied on weapons. At least, the ones in this world preferred close combat. Zhou Zheng's fist was covered in dense scars, clear evidence of past battles.

But Ruan Xing wasn't someone to mess with either.

His long hair unraveled in a flash. Before it even fully fell, a white wall made from mycelium formed in front of him, completely blocking the punch. Zhou's fist left a visible mark on it.

"What is this?" he muttered.

That was everyone's first reaction upon seeing the mycelium.

Fine, soft, thread-like. It didn't seem like anything that should exist in this world.

That thought passed quickly as Ruan Xing began counterattacking.

As a long-range mage, he knew better than to fight up close.

Bang! The loud gunshot echoed in the empty area. It wouldn't be long before people came. Ruan Xing knew he needed to finish this quickly.

Clearly, Zhou Zheng thought the same.

His body was now covered in a pale frost that glowed faintly. When bullets hit it, they only left faint marks, like an armor of ice.

Fu Gui: [His power is ice-based. He's good at both close and long-range. But he prefers physical attacks. Smashing pollutants head-on, even breaking cores with his fists.]

[Each of his attacks carries purification energy. If you are in your puffball form, it'll feel like poison, capable of tearing apart your insides. This power is a real threat to pollutants.]

Indeed, when Ruan Xing became emotionally unstable, scanners could sometimes misidentify him as a pollutant in his puffball form.

Zhou Zheng kept trying to get close, but Ruan Xing repeatedly pulled away.

[Mud Swamp]

The ground beneath Zhou Zheng's feet turned into a sticky swamp that trapped his legs.

No fancy combat. Just [Haste] and a terrain spell to trap the knight. 

It wasn't hard, but Zhou Zheng reacted quickly. After noticing that he was trapped, he raised his hand and fired a cluster of ice arrows.

Ruan Xing barely lifted his eyes, and his own black arrows shot them all down one by one.

It was a taunt and a display of absolute control.

The black arrows didn't stop after intercepting. They shot toward Zhou Zheng, carrying a faint gleam within them.

Zhou Zheng raised an ice wall. But to his surprise, it was pierced almost immediately, and the arrows continued through.

He gritted his teeth and yanked his leg from the swamp with a violent pull. Blood dripped from the torn skin, but he ignored it completely. As he pulled it free, new bone grew, followed by muscle, then tendons and skin.

Fu Gui: [Rapid regeneration. That's his specialty. He survived countless near deaths by sheer willpower.]

Ruan Xing: [Isn't that a little too much?!]

Fu Gui: [Kind of, yeah. Purification powers affect people differently. Zhou Zhen already had ice abilities, and after purification, it mutated into three paths: rapid healing, ice powers, and armor hardening. The three Tower knights mutated differently. You'll see when you meet Pei Yi.]

Ruan Xing squinted as Zhou Zheng stepped out of the swamp, using a condensed white shield to block the remaining attacks, even the spells.

The swamp disappeared once its target was gone, leaving a flat ground behind.

"Strange power. Really strange."

Zhou Zhen's entire body was now fully covered with ice, forming odd shapes like a moving suit of armor, making him look several times larger.

Ruan Xing frowned. "Annoying."

Fu Gui: [This guy has only three abilities. High defense, high offense, and freakish recovery. Not the strongest among the knights, but definitely the hardest to deal with.]

"Is that so?"

Ruan Xing raised a hand. A slowing spell glowed green and locked onto the knight.

Zhou Zheng seemed to sense danger. His face shifted. Despite his bulky frame, he dove to the ground, dodging the spell just in time.

But another one followed.

Ruan Xing took the initiative and pressed his advantage, like a cat toying with a mouse.

Ming Rui watched in awe. As the battle escalated, he finally got a real glimpse of Ruan Xing's strength.

It turned out that the youth didn't go all out in the polluted zone simply because he didn't need to.

Now, Ming Rui could feel it. The knight across them was extremely powerful. Those muscles and explosive force, paired with ice abilities, made him as dangerous as a high-level pollutant. And yet he was being pushed around without gaining any ground.

Ming Rui's eyes lit up. This long-haired youth was far stronger than he'd imagined.

On the other hand, Zhou Zheng felt utterly humiliated. His power usually devastated pollutants, disintegrating them like poison. Even against ordinary people, he had never been this frustrated.

Maybe it was because he rarely fought other humans. Had they all grown this powerful now?

The long-haired mage threw out spell after spell. Zhou Zheng could barely do anything. It was suffocating. Ruan Xing was clearly not trying to kill him. He was just playing with him. That stung more than being forced to kneel.

Since joining the Tower, Zhou Zheng had never suffered like this.

His feet got caught again. Then something touched his skin, and a wave of dizziness hit him. His mind felt like a spinning kaleidoscope.

Colors swirled in his vision while the buildings tilted and exploded into fireworks.

Zhou Zheng stumbled and collapsed, catching himself with his hands.

His body shrank back to its original size. Broken ice around him shimmered in the sun, soaking his tattered uniform.

He stared at his hands, dazed, and then looked around at the mess.

Why was he kneeling here? Did he just fight someone?

He sat down and stared at his palms, completely lost.

From a distance, Quarantine Center staff in black uniforms rushed over. "Mr. Zhou!"

Zhou Zheng finally snapped out of it. He had just returned to base, heard about the pollution incident, and had planned to swing by the exam site!

He straightened his ruined clothes and coughed. "Let's go."

The worker looked relaxed. "No worries, sir. We were just informed that the exam site has already been dealt with. You can head straight back to the Tower."

Dealt with?

"By who?"

The staff scratched his head. "Not sure. Seems like one of the examinees… Someone Rui, I think?"

Zhou Zheng frowned. "Just like that Ruan Xing last time. Another strong rookie. Send me his file."

From afar, Ming Rui watched the confused Zhou Zheng leave with the Quarantine Center people as if nothing had happened. His expression turned complicated.

Everything from earlier was still fresh in his mind. But now that a knight wanted to take him away, and could easily get his information, his situation had become very dangerous.

He made up his mind. "Brother Xing, I won't join the Investigation Corps anymore."

Ruan Xing looked at him. "You're sure?"

Ming Rui nodded. "Yes! I'm sure."

As the youth walked ahead, he chatted casually. "Oh, earlier you said Holy City is not actually called Holy City?"

Ming Rui nodded. "Yes. My mother told me that it's also called Mist City."

Ruan Xing stopped in his tracks.