The powers inside her body were fighting, competing for control.

Mo Bai was completely drained. Clutching her chest, she curled up on the ground.

She could continue using Environmental Assimilation and completely absorb the heart. But if she did, even she had no idea what she would become afterward.

Some things were not meant to be assimilated casually.

For now, she could only serve as a cage and confine the heart within herself.

She hoped that after resolving Gao Siyun's emotional knot, she would find a proper way to deal with it.

A pure white tree approached her. Qiu Xuerong said, "If you're suffering, I can help you sleep."

"Sleep is an escape. It doesn't solve anything. Sooner or later, you have to face it," Mo Bai replied.

Of course, sleep was also rest and recovery. If she had the time, she truly wanted to get a good night's sleep.

Restoring both her body and mind to their peak condition would make it easier to suppress the heart.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the time for that luxury.

Feeling that the turbulent energy inside her had calmed somewhat, Mo Bai pushed herself upright with one arm.

She noticed a watery streak on Qiu Xuerong's face. Pretending not to see it, Mo Bai chose not to mention it.

She hadn't asked, but Qiu Xuerong murmured, "You're right. Sleep doesn't solve problems. I should have faced this issue long ago, but I kept avoiding it and let it corrode my emotions. That's why I ended up contaminated by the instance.

Mo Bai, this was my fault. We entered this instance together, but I was controlled by it and couldn't support you in time. You had to face the heart of an Ultra-Star Rank monster and the attacks of two high-level players at the same time. I owe you for that. I will…"

"Don't talk about owing or repaying anything," Mo Bai interrupted gently.

"You were trapped too. Don't take all the responsibility onto yourself. You're not a god. Besides, the problem has already been solved."

The instance boss was dead, the instance was about to collapse, and they had obtained the most important item in Disease Town.

They had also recovered Mo Xiangyou's card, though it was still inside the heart.

Unless Mo Bai completely absorbed the heart's power, she wouldn't be able to retrieve it.

She also still hadn't recovered Mo Xiangyou's remains.

"Those two parasites got away!" Qiu Xuerong said through gritted teeth.

Recalling their abilities and cards, Mo Bai couldn't help sighing. "High-level players really are powerful."

She considered herself quite strong, but Pang Mian and Xie Xingchen each had extraordinary abilities in their own right.

On top of that, they possessed countless powerful cards and tricks.

"They're among the best of the high-level players," Qiu Xuerong said. "Otherwise, they wouldn't have come to Disease Town."

Mo Bai asked, "That door-opening ability Xie Xingchen used, was it a card or an ability? Does Mending Heaven have information on it?"

Qiu Xuerong nodded. "It's an ability called Higher-Dimensional Space. He can hide within a higher-dimensional space and enter or leave almost any scene. But while inside, he can only observe and cannot interfere.

If he wants to interfere, he has to open a door connecting the spaces. The moment that door opens is when the higher-dimensional space interacts with our three-dimensional world. That's the only opportunity to attack him."

"So he can only observe, not interfere?" Mo Bai said. "Like us reading a novel? We can experience the characters' joys and sorrows through words, but we can't change the story?"

"Exactly," Qiu Xuerong replied. "Your example is a three-dimensional being observing a two-dimensional world. Xie Xingchen's ability is a relationship between a higher-dimensional world and our own."

"Then isn't he practically unbeatable? As long as he stays hidden, nothing can kill him. Even an Ultra-Star Rank monster couldn't touch him?" Mo Bai asked.

Qiu Xuerong shook her head. "The spaces are different, but time flows at the same rate. If he never comes out, a monster can simply trap him until he eventually starves, runs out of energy, or reaches his limit. When that happens, he'll have no choice but to open the door and emerge."

Mo Bai sighed. "Their abilities are amazing. If they had been willing to work with us, we might actually be able to eliminate the Ultra-Star Rank monster."

After all, the monster had not yet fully manifested, and Mo Bai had already gathered the key items needed to resolve Gao Siyun's obsession.

Qiu Xuerong said, "How do you know they didn't want to cooperate? Maybe killing Observation Group players like you and me was their way of cooperating.

You admire their abilities, and they admire yours. If you became a card, you wouldn't betray them, so why wouldn't they do it?"

"The Combat Group has become used to that way of thinking," Mo Bai said.

Qiu Xuerong was silent for a moment before replying, "It's not a matter of being used to it. As long as the fact exists that Observation Group players can become cards, people will inevitably think that way.

Combat Group players don't face this temptation once or twice. This isn't a matter of deciding not to harm Observation Group players today and then never facing the issue again.

They face this choice constantly. At every moment, in every situation, and once they choose to harm an Observation Group player even a single time, there's no going back.

Have you ever tried dieting?"

Mo Bai blinked.

Qiu Xuerong continued, "People who diet know that high-calorie foods make them gain weight. They know that once they take one bite, they'll want another, and yet they still eat. Because every time they feel hungry, they're tempted, and that temptation lasts a lifetime. Unless they give up dieting altogether, they will face it forever."

"You're an Observation Group player, how do you understand Combat Group players so well?" Mo Bai asked again.

Perhaps because of the mental contamination she had recently suffered, Qiu Xuerong's psychological defenses had weakened, and she seemed eager to talk.

"My lover and I were very close," she said. "From beginner level to intermediate level, we survived life-and-death situations together. He once held off an entire horde of monsters alone for my sake, and when we were both poisoned, he gave me the only antidote. I never doubted his feelings.

After we became high-level players, he learned that Observation Group players could become cards, so he refused invitations from both Six Paths and Avici, and I also refused Mending Heaven's invitation.

We wanted to remain independent players, not bound by any organization.

But gradually... He changed."

She paused.

"We are also human. No matter how much we loved each other, we still argued, and during arguments, people say hurtful things. At the time, we understood those were emotional outbursts, so we'd apologize afterwards and reflect on our mistakes.

Even after becoming high-level players, we still argued. But one time, during a fight, I said something particularly sharp, and he blurted out:

'I turned down organizations that powerful for your sake. No matter what happens, I would never turn you into a card. And this is how you talk to me?'

I was deeply hurt, and even after we reconciled, I could never forget those words.

I was immature at the time and didn't understand what he meant.

But now I do. The fact that he could say that without thinking means he'd already thought it countless times before.

In his heart, simply not turning me into a card was a favor. It's a sacrifice, a contribution. He felt that because of this, I should accommodate him and compensate him."

She laughed bitterly.

"See? Because of what Observation Group players are, I had done absolutely nothing, and yet I already owed him an enormous debt.

Relationships between people don't fear life-and-death trials. What they fear is being slowly worn away by time.

When he started interacting with me from the perspective of someone who had bestowed a favor, we were no longer equals.

Every argument added a little more grievance to his heart.

Year after year, those grievances accumulated and became hidden resentment. Eventually, all it took was a tiny spark to ignite everything."

She fell silent.

Mo Bai asked quietly, "He attacked you?"

Qiu Xuerong nodded, "Yes. During one instance, he suffered a bit of mental contamination, and members of Avici who were in the same instance encouraged him.

He stabbed a knife straight into my heart, but what he didn't know was that my heart had long since changed position.

The higher an Observation Group player's level becomes, the less human they look. Even our biological structures change, so my weakness had stopped being my heart a long time ago.

He injured me but didn't kill me. I just pretended to die and collapsed. When he came in for the finishing blow, I killed him instead."

Mo Bai remembered how Qiu Xuerong had repeatedly killed the amusement park's manufactured lovers on the Cliffside Love Roller Coaster.

So in Qiu Xuerong's subconscious, betrayal had become the underlying color of love.

Qiu Xuerong continued, "Before he died, I wanted to curse him. I wanted to condemn what he'd done, but what he said made me forget all of that. He said:

'You used to tell me all your weaknesses because I would protect you and cover for them. Now you've started hiding your weaknesses from me too.'

Those words made me realize that I had already begun guarding against him as well. I didn't dare tell him my weaknesses anymore because I was afraid. Afraid that one day, he would turn them against me.

The fact that Observation Group players can be turned into cards is like a curse hanging between people, eroding trust. Once trust is gone, no matter how good the relationship is, it will eventually turn into hostility."

"Even if that's true, organizations like Mending Heaven still exist," Mo Bai said.

Qiu Xuerong let out a cold laugh.

"It's not that the people of Mending Heaven are nobler. It's that Xing Shuo is exceptional. One person can rarely change another person, but an environment can.

Xing Shuo understands human nature extremely well. He gathered a group of simple-minded people like Du Heng and filled them with a sense of mission, faith, and human virtue. He implanted the idea that 'Mending Heaven's members are kinder and more noble than those other scumbags.'

Every time a member successfully resists temptation or malicious thoughts, they feel proud rather than wronged. They believe that they've overcome the ugliness of human nature, and that gives them a sense of accomplishment. That's also how Xing Shuo unites people.

Throughout the entire organization, from beginning to end, the only person who has truly never regarded Observation Group players as tools is Xing Shuo himself.

After meeting him, I realized that most people are just a mob. The people who can truly stay true to themselves are always a minority."

Mo Bai blinked. "But didn't Xing Shuo want to turn me into a card too?"

Qiu Xuerong replied, "He didn't want to turn you into a card. He believed that if one day, you were no longer capable of carrying out Mending Heaven's mission, you would voluntarily entrust your abilities to him."

Mo Bai had once entertained a similar thought herself.

Still, Xing Shuo's approach made her uncomfortable. It felt as though someone else had already planned out her future.

"What if I refused?" she asked.

"He'd find a way to make you willing," Qiu Xuerong said. "He's capable of that."

"Being made willing isn't exactly pleasant either," Mo Bai said. "But at the very least, he really does see Observation Group players as people rather than tools."

"Not exactly. He simply treats Observation Group players and Combat Group players alike, as pieces on a chessboard to be used." Qiu Xuerong said.

"He's very fair about it. He objectifies everyone equally."

Mo Bai found that interesting. "Even so, he's protected Observation Group players. I thought you'd be grateful to him and you'd consider him a good person. I didn't expect you to view him this way."

"The entire Observation Group in Mending Heaven sees him this way," Qiu Xuerong replied. "It's only the Combat Group that treats him like a saint."

Mo Bai thought for a moment, then understood.

"You once said that if Xing Shuo wants someone to like him, then in that person's eyes, he'll become the kindest and most selfless person in the world.

If every Observation Group player thinks he's cold and ruthless, then that means he wants you to see him that way."

Qiu Xuerong frowned in realization. "That actually makes sense. But why? Why would he deliberately make people dislike him?"

Mo Bai analyzed: "Because Xing Shuo doesn't want Observation Group players to feel indebted to him.

A small favor earns gratitude, and a huge favor earns resentment.

If Observation Group players feel that Xing Shuo has bestowed a great favor upon them, they'll inevitably feel inferior to him.

Observation Group players and Combat Group players are fundamentally unequal. Even if Mending Heaven accepts both groups, that inequality still objectively exists. It can't simply be erased.

Once you add a sense of indebtedness on top of that, the imbalance grows even worse, and it'll eventually collapse.

So Xing Shuo plays the role of a saint in front of the Combat Group, strengthening their sense of morality and mission. But in front of the Observation Group, he plays the villain. That reduces your feelings of indebtedness and also convinces you that, in Xing Shuo's eyes, Combat Group players are merely tools as well.

As a result, you end up feeling sympathy for those Combat Group players who foolishly worship him.

In Mending Heaven, Observation Group players and Combat Group players simultaneously sympathize with one another, which creates a delicate balance that creates unity."

Mo Bai shook her head slightly. "Xing Shuo really understands people."

After reflecting on Mo Bai's analysis, Qiu Xuerong sighed in admiration. "The fact that you could see through all that proves you're extraordinarily intelligent too."

Mo Bai had no desire to discuss herself.

Instead, she said, "It sounds like your mental contamination has mostly faded."

By telling her story and confronting her inner knot, Qiu Xuerong had gradually healed from the lingering damage caused by the amusement park.

That was one reason Mo Bai had been willing to patiently listen and discuss the matter with her.

"More or less," Qiu Xuerong said with a sigh. This was incredibly dangerous. Fortunately, you were here. You actually managed to turn the instance boss into our ally. That's amazing!"

The mention of the Phantom Butterfly caused Mo Bai's mood to darken slightly.

"I didn't tame it," she said softly. "The Phantom Butterfly simply followed its own wishes and did what it wanted to do."

Mo Bai couldn't quite explain how she felt. That clingy nuisance who constantly wanted to kill her was dead.

By all rights, she should have been happy.

"Xiao Qi always wanted the Phantom Butterfly to die," Xiao Qi said. "But now that it's dead, Xiao Qi feels a little sad."

It had voiced exactly what Mo Bai was feeling.

"Me too," Mo Bai admitted silently.

Xiao Qi asked, "It was a bad butterfly. If Xiao Qi is sad that it died, does that make Xiao Qi a bad AI too?"

Mo Bai shook her head. "No. It's simply human nature. We feel disgust toward malice, and we're moved by kindness. I think that when we grieve for the Phantom Butterfly, the malice within it has already disappeared. It has transformed from Negative Flow into Positive Flow."

"What exactly is Positive Flow?" Xiao Qi asked, confused.

The light the Phantom Butterfly became upon death was identical to the light that had remained behind when the forensic doctor and the police officer died.

Another similarity was that none of those three instance monsters had left behind cards.

"Observation Group players become cards when they die," Mo Bai said. "The Information Extraction card I've seen seemed almost alive, and it could even tell you how many uses it had left.

But the Phantom Butterfly and the others didn't leave behind cards, and maybe that has something to do with Positive Flow."

"Xiao Qi doesn't understand what you're talking about," Xiao Qi said.

"I'm only guessing," Mo Bai replied. "I don't have any evidence to prove it."

After resting for a while, Mo Bai had recovered some of her strength.

She glanced at the drop tower, which was still leaning precariously and looked ready to collapse at any moment.

"One more scene card won't hurt," she said as she walked beneath the tower and located its key support points.

Using the Chemical Alteration aspect of Environmental Optimization, she transformed the reinforced concrete structure into something resembling rubber and mud.

With a thunderous crash, the drop tower collapsed.

After suffering damage from both the heart and Mo Bai, the Love Amusement Park could no longer sustain its domain.

The energy dispersed, the domain vanished, and another scene card appeared in Mo Bai's hand.

But its name was not Ruins of the Love Amusement Park.

Instead, it was called Ruins of Romantic Fantasy.

Once the domain disappeared, Du Heng and the others rode into the area on motorcycles, and Mo Bai saw their headlights approaching.

Only when the beams shone into her eyes did she realize that night had already fallen.