Huo Li defended himself, "Xiao Yi, this was a carefully calculated decision. Out of the 16 behavior models I designed for your Guardians, I chose the most advantageous option for the current situation."

The black-haired youth raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Carefully calculated? I suppose my personal reputation and the divine image of my Guardians weren't part of your calculations?"

Wearing his mask, Huo Li flapped his wings silently in the corridor.

The black-haired youth gritted his teeth in frustration as he glared at Huo Li, who was acting like one of his foolish Guardians. However, with occasional passersby in the corridor, the youth could only reel him in slowly, as if pulling down a kite, until Huo Li was forced to land and meet Xiao Yi's accusing gaze.

Huo Li made a feeble attempt to justify himself. "Xiao Yi, when you swapped the Guardian's outfit for dark blue workwear in your space, wasn't it to make the Black Thread Army appear more simple?"

Xiao Yi locked eyes with Huo Li and responded with deliberate pauses, "If they don't wear work clothes, do you expect my 3,000 Guardians to work with bricks while dressed in radiant angelic robes? That would be even more ridiculous! There's a distinct line between 'simple' and 'stupid.' Besides, such foolishness won't deceive that person."

Although Huo Li was relieved the topic had shifted, his mental voice grew somber. "But he doesn't have a motive."

The black-haired youth's reply was calm but firm. "You know exactly who I'm referring to. I may not yet understand his motives, but that doesn't stop me from suspecting him from the very beginning."

Huo Li, "When you first mentioned the words' family and friends,' you never entertained that I might have blood relatives or a lover. Instead, you immediately hinted at that sole suspect—Xu Yun Cheng?"

Black-haired youth, "I suspected him from the moment I was pulled into that special world. Isn't it simply a fusion of temporal and spatial abilities? Such powerful capabilities led me to think of Xu Yun Cheng first. After all, I don't know any other spacetime ability user in the world whose combat strength is comparable to mine. While he has never used his abilities like this in front of us, hiding true strength has always been the norm for your group, hasn't it?

After I escaped danger using the pigs, I was certain it was him. Knowing my approximate capabilities, he could deduce my true form and extract information about the parasite's secrets from his girlfriend. Honestly, it's not just that he meets both conditions—being aware of my capabilities and having access to Xiao Mao's knowledge—he is the only person in the world who fulfills at least one of them.

Huo Li was silent for a long time before finally responding telepathically. "From the beginning, I should've realized the special world's two defining traits: time freezes in the real world and space distortion in the domain. If Xu Yun Cheng's abilities truly manipulate spacetime, then teleportation would merely be one expression of his spatial control. I've known him for over 2,000 years, yet he's never let his guard down."

The black-haired boy added, "During the zombie world, I thought his willingness to sacrifice individual lives stemmed from a grander philosophy that prioritized humanity's collective good. Now, it's clear that his disregard for life comes from the bottom of his heart. Saving the world is merely convenient for him. He doesn't care whether the world dies; he's only concerned about completing his 'savior's' work."

After pondering for a moment, Huo Li finally spoke. "Perhaps I know why he rebelled…"

"Why?" Xiao Yi asked.

But Huo Li didn't answer. Instead, he changed the topic. "Xiao Yi, you may be an Alien, but you possess a purer heart than any human. I don't want you to be tainted by such thoughts. Sometimes, an idea can grow like cancer; even if buried deep, it's still harmful."

Huo Li's cryptic words left the youth frowning. "Fine, don't tell me! With my 120,000-ton brain, I'll figure it out sooner or later. Anyway, you're the second person to insult humanity's inner nature this year. The first was that… sea cucumber thing."

At that moment, a human assistant jogged down the hallway, drenched in sweat. Upon seeing Xiao Yi, he sighed in relief and quickly reported, "Comrade 2d14, the remains of your Guardian have been transported and placed in the lobby near the side entrance. Regarding its remains… uh, your Guardian's remains… how do you wish to handle them? Our criminal investigation team refrained from examining them without your consent. If you prefer, the leadership has unanimously decided to bury them in the Martyrs' Cemetery as a tribute to inspire future generations…"

While the assistant spoke, Huo Li telepathically communicated to the youth, "Xiao Yi, the moment that guardian spirit was attacked, I dismantled it completely. Now, it's an ordinary corpse devoid of Alien genes. No matter who examines it, they won't find anything unusual. However, losing its Alien genes means it can't be alienated again."

After hearing this, the black-haired youth relaxed slightly and curtly instructed the assistant, "There's no need to show me. Notify the criminal investigation department to freeze it."

"Huh?" The assistant looked puzzled.

The black-haired boy asked, "What? Is there no room in the morgue?"

"Ah, no, I'll notify them immediately," the assistant stammered before hurrying away.

By now, the Guardian army and Architect had moved to the southern part of the city. As their nominal master, Xiao Yi couldn't stray too far from them. Hence, in his current state as a 'savior with most powers engaged in construction while being all alone,' he shamelessly requested a convoy. The vehicles transported him smoothly to the southern construction site, where sunlight filtered through the open canopy, creating the illusion of transitioning from night to day.

Pretending to be working seriously, Xiao Yi stood amidst the activity, admiring the rare sight of large-scale construction. Unlike the old city, the south consisted almost entirely of skyscrapers. Massive isolation panels sliced through most buildings, leaving them partially intact. However, the Architect couldn't demolish the structures yet, as hundreds of thousands of residents still lived there.

Uninformed citizens gawked and took photos. To avoid widespread chaos, governments hadn't disclosed the upcoming apocalypse—at least until the reflective panels were near completion. Revealing the end of the world would only provoke fear and despair.

"At such a high temperature, buildings will become heat conductors. It won't work if they stick out from the isolation screen like this!" the man in beach pants informed, "They should be demolished immediately! This is the best option."

Architect, acting as the chief coordinator, clearly understands the human heart, "If we forcibly evacuate the residents now or announce that the sun will erupt in 50… I mean, in 150 hours, half the population might die before the disaster even occurs. News of apocalyptic catastrophes tends to provoke extreme fear, despair, paranoia, or even chaotic revelry in response to the collapse of order. Making such an announcement at this time would likely lead to more deaths from robbery, suicide, cult fanaticism, and other crimes than from the heat itself. More than people who will be roasted to death…"

The automated frames, designed for the isolation panels, were carefully engineered to bypass each building and fit seamlessly against the structures. The boy stood in the distance, engrossed in listening to their heated debate, when Huo Li's voice sounded in his mind:

"Xiao Yi, without knowing what the Guardian felt before its death, how did you conclude that Mr. Liu wasn't the real culprit based on that meticulously forged surveillance footage?"

"While the video itself wasn't revealing," Xiao Yi began, "the moment you told me a Guardian had been killed, and I saw how it was 'bricked' to death, it became obvious to me that Xu Yun Cheng was involved!"

"But Xiao Yi," Huo Li interrupted, "this time, the killer wasn't Xu Yun Cheng."

"Of course, I know that," Xiao Yi replied confidently. "He already witnessed the full extent of my Alien transformations in the zombie world. There's no need for him to conduct such a foolish test."

Huo Li, "Then how did you—"

Black-haired youth, "The time of death! If the Guardian was killed by a brick, causing a brain hemorrhage, the death would have taken at least several minutes. Usually, it would last for over ten minutes or more. But the moment the attack happened, you immediately informed me that the Guardian had died. For death to be instantaneous, the body must have been obliterated into fragments, or the brain turned to mush in an instant. Unless, of course, time manipulation was involved."

Huo Li, "So you're saying the slip-up wasn't Xu Yun Cheng exposing himself, but proof that he has accomplices in the Salvation Alliance? Judging by the recklessness of this ability user who caused such a mess, it's clear Xu Yun Cheng isn't selective about his followers. This suggests there are more than just one or two traitors within the Alliance. He likely distributed tools or talismans capable of replicating his powers to his subordinates. Someone must have misused one of these items to test the Guardian's combat ability without authorization and accidentally killed it."

The youth's gaze darkened as he said, "Exactly. That whole hasty cover-up with the bricks and Mr. Liu was riddled with flaws and rushed beyond belief. Xu Yun Cheng likely hoped to create a negative image of me—a paranoid and arrogant fool in the eyes of the Alliance. When I eventually present solid evidence and raise suspicions again, people will dismiss me as the 'boy who cried wolf.' But for now, I'll play along, letting those traitors believe they've lulled me into complacency. After all, we still need their help to save Earth. Once they've outlived their usefulness, we'll settle the score."

In the distance, the two who were locked in their debate finally reached a consensus. They decided to leave the isolation panels encasing buildings untouched for now. Once the global network of domes was complete, they would inform the public of the truth, organize evacuations, and demolish the remaining structures. With massive shelters in place, people's panic would be significantly alleviated.

"Humans are truly peculiar creatures," Huo Li remarked, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"You pure-blooded humans don't seem to think highly of your own kind, do you?" Xiao Yi shot back, amusement in his tone. "I've lost count of how many self-deprecating remarks I've heard about humanity. Some ability users even sided with the Parasites, hoping for humanity's extinction. But from the perspective of an Alien, humans are the most fascinating species I've encountered. Your emotions create both immense beauty and incredible ugliness. A race devoid of fear, greed, selfishness, and jealousy could never produce such beauty. They wouldn't have painted da Vinci's Mona Lisa or composed Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Parasites, Zergs, Aliens… they have only one driving desire: the continuation of their species. Aliens add slaughter to that list, of course."

"Xiao Yi, you don't have to put yourself down like that…" Huo Li said hesitantly through their mental link.

But Xiao Yi decisively cut him off. "I am a human being."

Huo Li, "…" For a moment, he thought Xiao Yi had slipped into self-loathing, only to realize he was cleverly complimenting himself the whole time.

Over the next 140-plus hours, the sun rose only three times. It wasn't that Xu Yun Cheng's time-space ability could alter Earth's rotation; instead, during this 3:1 time flow ratio, everything on the planet accelerated. To someone observing from the moon, clocks on Earth would tick three seconds for every second that passed. People's movements also sped up threefold, though those on Earth felt no difference.

With only a few hours left until the solar eruption, most of the domes across the planet had been completed. Under Huo Li's meticulous coordination, 14% of the covered area was allocated to natural reserves. In addition to reflective panels, these zones were fitted with adjustable filters to allow just enough light for plants to survive. Whether the animals and plants within could endure the conditions would depend mainly on luck.

In the six days leading up to this moment, everyone—from saviors to soldiers, officials, and volunteers—had experienced the true meaning of being overworked. Particularly, C2001, who singlehandedly handled 30% of the construction, was on the verge of collapse. Due to the unique circumstances of the apocalypse, the Main System lifted purchase restrictions on the System Mall and issued reimbursements for all essential mission supplies. C2001 practically treated energy potions and glucose drinks as if they were water.

Even so, after six days without sleep, constant use of abilities, and consuming thousands of long-distance teleportation talismans, his body was beginning to break down. He stood at the construction site, demolishing skyscrapers and assembling reflective panels as quickly as possible.

His once-pristine suit from six days ago was now utterly unrecognizable: sweat-soaked and stained, with a rancid smell clinging to him. His complexion was sallow, and dark circles under his eyes made him look ghastly. Clutching a bottle of energy potion, he occasionally took a small sip, following it with glucose tablets—which he chewed dry to avoid frequent bathroom trips. His bloodshot eyes remained glued to the glass panels soaring above, refusing to blink.

Huo Li wasn't faring much better. While controlling 2,999 Guardians to complete the construction, he also had to manage unruly crowds and certain uncooperative officials. This delicate balance ensured the preparations proceeded smoothly. Still, out of respect for Earth, he refrained from directly controlling all humans. After all, a planet full of puppets wasn't worth saving.

At this time, Huo Li was no longer flapping his wings aimlessly. Instead, he crouched listlessly atop a vehicle, his silver mask obscuring his face. Without it, any human who saw him might mistake him for a vampire Xiao Yi kept as a pet.

Meanwhile, the man in beach attire wasn't doing much better. After thousands of teleportations and constant travel, his trusty flip-flops were completely worn out. He had hastily swapped them for a random pair of leather shoes from his storage space, resulting in an utterly mismatched outfit. A neural interface patch stuck to his temple connected him to his smart brain, which continuously recalculated construction plans based on changing conditions. Though exhausted, Programmer occasionally found brief moments to nap once the overarching schemes for larger cities had been finalized.

The other 2,000-plus ability users had divided their tasks and worked tirelessly for six days, coordinating efforts to dispose of hazardous materials, evacuate people from uncovered areas, and handle countless logistical challenges. Regardless of who might be a traitor among them, everyone was forced to disguise their true intentions, pouring their energy into saving Earth. Many were teetering on the brink of collapse.

Among the chaos when everyone in the Alliance was about to die from overwork, Xiao Yi stood out as the most leisurely figure. All his responsibilities were nominal at best. The black-haired youth leaned casually against a car door, idly swiping through his smart brain's screen with a grin, occasionally laughing at what he saw.

When other busy earthlings and ability users witnessed this scene, they couldn't help but marvel at 2d14's composure. Thousands of his Guardians looked worn out, some trembling as they struggled to carry glass panels. The masked figure beside Xiao Yi even seemed too drained to fly! It was clear that 2d14's ability was nearing its limit, yet he appeared entirely unaffected as if he were simply reading a novel.

In fact, he wasn't reading a novel; Xiao Yi was reviewing detailed information on over 2,000 ability users. Six days ago, each participant was required to submit a comprehensive report on their abilities to optimize task allocation. With the Main System overseeing everything, no one dared to falsify their details. Secrets that had been fiercely guarded until now were suddenly laid bare in the form of publicly accessible records.

Xiao Yi tapped on one of the profiles and mentally shared his findings with Huo Li. "B456 is very suspicious. He's an SSS-level mission participant with replication abilities. He can store and use abilities once they've been activated around him, albeit at only 10% of their original power. However, being able to use hundreds, if not thousands, of abilities makes him incredibly powerful. He could easily replicate Xu Yun Cheng's time-space abilities."

"And look at this Programmer," Xiao Yi continued, abruptly switching topics without waiting for a response from the overwhelmed Huo Li. "He might have tampered with the surveillance footage!"

"Then there's that old man," he added, clearly enjoying his mental deduction game. "He's been antagonizing me ever since we were at the plaza…"

At this point, Huo Li has already reached his limit. He mentally blocked out Xiao Yi's chatter, unable to muster the energy for idle speculation. It wasn't until much later that he noticed Xiao Yi had constructed a detailed mental table. Each suspect was marked with an 'X' for guilty, a '√' for cleared, or an 'O' for mild suspicion. Xiao Yi, grinning like a child with a new toy, had already ranked the top 200 mission participants.

Curious, Huo Li peeked at the mental chart, and his face darkened. Aside from Xiao Yi and himself, every name on the list was marked with a chaotic mix of 'X' and 'O.'