The expressions of the three Explorers were twisted in terror, yet their eyes stared forward with the exact same vacant gaze, their movements synchronized as though they were triplets.
Their expressions seemed to belong to themselves, but behind their eyes and actions lurked another presence entirely—
It was watching Bai Zhou.
It had discovered Bai Zhou!
A whisper sounded right beside Bai Zhou's ear, sending a chilling dread creeping up his spine, as if someone were leaning against his ear and murmuring, "You made noise in the corridor just now too, didn't you?"
"What is that?!"
Hairs standing on end, Bai Zhou spun in place to scan his surroundings, every muscle tauter than a fully drawn bowstring.
Yet there was nothing around him.
Bai Zhou's vigilant gaze struck empty air.
The enemy had already appeared, but seemed invisible—insidious, pervasive, omnipresent. With an offhand motion, it had brought the trio of Number 9 under its sway, and Bai Zhou had not even discerned what had transpired!
"The rules...?"
A flicker of confusion surfaced in Bai Zhou's eyes.
These things, which resembled school codes of conduct, reeked through and through of an eerie, sinister malice.
Never before had Bai Zhou encountered an invisible "enemy" of this kind.
—What should he do?!
***
"Emergency! Emergency!"
Inside the command vehicle, alarms blared incessantly. Staff officers scribbled like the wind, while the surveillance operators stared fixedly at the monitors, not daring to tear their eyes away for even an instant.
Sizzle! Crackle!
The video feed of the corridor trembled wildly, and even the figure of "Senior Zhou" blurred beyond recognition.
Fortunately, the newly appeared school rules had already been captured as a still frame and projected onto the neighboring screen.
"I need that signal!"
"Technicians! If a single frame is missing from the upcoming footage, I'll have your heads!"
The gaunt Commander Han slammed the desk inside the command vehicle and roared, ratcheting the already frantic atmosphere up another notch.
"Backup camera batteries engaged."
"Signal is experiencing interference, adjusting frequencies immediately!"
Everyone busied themselves without pause, reporting and operating with crisp efficiency.
"As expected—"
Shock stirred deep in Commander Han's chest. His eyes gleamed with intense focus, bloodshot veins spiderwebbing across his pupils as he stared unblinkingly at the screenshot of the eight school rules.
*Found you!*
he thought to himself.
Now, he finally understood why a mere "minor" Reflected Ruin Realm could draw so many prominent figures, one after another—
"Could it be?"
Beside Commander Han, Liu Yisheng, the sharply suited executive from Zijing Group, suddenly paled. In an uncertain whisper, he murmured, "A wicked desire...?"
His voice cut off halfway through.
"Yes."
Commander Han nodded with a solemn expression, well aware of what Liu Yisheng meant. "I'm afraid... it's exactly what you're thinking!"
Pausing briefly, Commander Han lowered his voice further:
"—A King of Wicked Desires!"
The moment that title was spoken, even the ever-composed Liu Yisheng lost his calm.
"No wonder."
With an air of revelation, Commander Han took a dossier handed over by his secretary and flipped through it. "By all normal logic, Yuanmeng Middle School in Reflected Tinghai should never have reached this level of intensity.
"Four years ago, the Anomaly Investigation Bureau conducted a standardized survey of Reflected Tinghai. At that time, Yuanmeng Middle School barely possessed a handful of Level 3 anomalies.
"Normally, unless the real Yuanmeng Middle School suffered a sudden catastrophe that wiped out half its population, spawning a frenzy of wicked desires—there is simply no reason for these anomalies to have swelled to such proportions!"
Saying this, Commander Han shot a meaningful glance at the uninvited Liu Yisheng. "Yet just yesterday, we reviewed every record on Yuanmeng Middle School and conducted an on-site inspection of the campus—everything was completely normal, without a trace of human tampering.
"Perhaps nothing ever happened, or perhaps—someone erased all the evidence!"
Liu Yisheng let out a soft exclamation of surprise and met Commander Han's focused stare. "Someone dared to act so brazenly? This must be thoroughly investigated—in my view, it might very well be the handiwork of the Blood Worship Cult again!"
"That remains unconfirmed."
Commander Han offered a thin, humorless smile. "—But one thing is certain.
"Seeing these school rules confirms that Yuanmeng Middle School has developed into a self-sustaining minor secret realm.
"And in any minor secret realm governed by codified regulations, there must exist—a King of Wicked Desires who establishes those rules!"
A King of Wicked Desires!
Master of a minor secret realm, nightmare of the Extraordinary, a special-grade anomaly roaming the Reflected Ruin Realm!
Now, Commander Han finally understood why the humble Yuanmeng Middle School had attracted so much attention, even prompting the deputy director of the Anomaly Investigation Bureau to intervene.
They had likely caught wind of the rumors beforehand, even if none had secured final confirmation.
A so-called "wicked desire" was a distorted reflection in the Reflected Ruin Realm of desires and sins from the mortal world.
Take the pride of Blue of Pride, the greed of Red of Greed, the lust of Brown of Lust, and the sloth of Black of Sloth...
The essence plundered and absorbed by Bai Zhou's school uniform consisted entirely of Reflected Tinghai's distorted reflections of certain phenomena or psychological states within the real Yuanmeng Middle School—in other words, forms of wicked desire.
The essence of the Exam King was the same; "exams" and "pressure" were merely physical embodiments of wicked desire.
The school uniform, gathering numerous wicked desires into a single body and currently ascending toward refinement, was like a Gu King emerging victorious from internecine slaughter.
And if any Gu King defeated all other Gu Kings, gathering every wicked desire in the shared environment to reach the state where *I am Yuanmeng Middle School, and Yuanmeng Middle School is me*—
Then that victorious Gu King would evolve in tandem with Yuanmeng Middle School.
Yuanmeng Middle School would become a high-risk "minor secret realm" capable of self-contained circulation and the rapid, unrestricted generation of new anomalies.
And that Gu King would be crowned an emperor among Gu!
A "King of Wicked Desires"!
The most prominent characteristic of a King of Wicked Desires was its ability to merge into one with the secret realm and lay down rules that everyone within had to obey!
"I heard that in Tianjing, there is a Grade B Black Box—a red ceremonial robe that forms its own domain. It contains one hundred and eight wicked desires and can refine worldly anomalies. Even an Extraordinary above Level 6 would be polluted and driven mad upon seeing it.
"If that domain were allowed to unfold completely, it could engulf over half a city, transforming it into an uninhabited ghost realm!
"—Rumor has it that robe was refined from the sovereign bone of an unimaginable King of Wicked Desires!"
Liu Yisheng's expression stirred with agitation. He looked up at the video monitor on the wall, his gaze a mixture of awe and burning ambition. "Slaying ordinary anomalies in the Reflected Ruin Realm yields no harvest whatsoever.
"Yet the birth of a King of Wicked Desires is both contingent and unique. Once slain, it cannot resurrect. It is an absolute treasure from head to toe—"
Far more than a treasure!
As an entity reigning at the apex of an entire self-sustaining minor secret realm, a King of Wicked Desires might even drop a broken Extraordinary pathway!
The Reflected Ruin Realm lacked anything but "knowledge." All manner of formless knowledge settled here, twisting and mutating as it fused with wicked desires to grant them extraordinary might.
For instance, Yuanmeng Middle School might harbor a distorted, broken pathway related to the [Teacher].
And countless years ago in some bygone era, there had undoubtedly been a corresponding, real Extraordinary pathway in the mortal world to serve as its archetype!
Of course, such a "drop" was merely a possibility.
In truth, out of ten Kings of Wicked Desires, perhaps only one or two would yield a broken pathway. Furthermore, its peak would never reach the realm of the King of Wicked Desires itself, reconstructing only a fragment.
If Yuanmeng Middle School had just birthed a "weak," newborn king barely perched above Level 6, even if it dropped a pathway, it would likely cap out around Level 4 or 5, leaving no road forward, and accompanied by tremendous side effects—a far cry from the real archetypal sequences that had once existed.
By rough analogy, it would be like comparing the legendary [Machinist] pathway to the official, clumsy imitation—the standard [Mechanical Walker] pathway.
Generally speaking, broken pathways were far more volatile, cheap, and fragile than standard pathways—yet they were the very pathways trodden by over ninety percent of the world's Extraordinaries.
Even so, the value of a brand-new pathway was immeasurable, enough to make anyone's heart race.
And matching that value was the sheer ferocity, dread, and bizarreness of a King of Wicked Desires!
Standing within its minor secret realm, a King of Wicked Desires was one with its environment—the equivalent of being cloaked in destiny. It was often a cut above Destined of the same level, possessing no equal among Extraordinaries of its rank.
Typically, it required multiple Extraordinaries of the same level, armed with specialized Black Boxes and extraordinary weaponry, to stand any hope of subduing it.
"Without question, the one who established and maintains the school rules from the shadows must be the 'Principal.'"
Liu Yisheng easily deduced the identity of the King of Wicked Desires and analyzed in a deep voice, "If I'm not mistaken, the appearance of the school rules indicates that these youngsters are not far from touching the Principal's presence.
"—The King of Wicked Desires is about to emerge!"
With that, Liu Yisheng turned to Commander Han, his gaze grave. "However, I suspect this King of Wicked Desires has remained so quiet and low-profile because it is still in the middle of its metamorphosis. Even some parts of the school rules seem flawed."
A half-formed King of Wicked Desires?
"If you need assistance, I can petition our corporate headquarters for reinforcements right now! Perhaps the Old Master will take the field in person!"
"No, there's no need to trouble the Old Master."
Hearing this, Commander Han waved his hands repeatedly.
To hell with your Old Master or Old Mistress—
The moment you see profit, you want to swoop in and scavenge?
Take a look at who got here first!
Still—
Commander Han narrowed his eyes, studying Liu Yisheng's look of fervent awe with an unreadable expression, inwardly bewildered.
*So you didn't know beforehand that a King of Wicked Desires might appear here?*
*—Then why did you bring so many people?*
Don't give me that nonsense about Zijing Group being an officially designated partner operating in sincere cooperation.
Try feeding that line to a ghost, and even the ghost would choke on it!
"FZDC will dispatch higher-ups to handle this. By the clock, they may have arrived already without our knowing,"
Commander Han replied with cool, polite detachment, his words carrying an implicit warning.
"Furthermore—"
Commander Han turned toward Bai Zhou's projection on the wall, his expression heavy with concern. "Because of this, his existence is all the more vital.
"If a dormant King of Wicked Desires resolves to blend into the minor secret realm, unless one obliterates the entire realm with overwhelming force, no one will ever find it. One would only be slowly worn down and corrupted by its presence.
"Therefore, we need an anomalous individual to overcome these school rules.
"When that happens, the Principal will naturally show itself!"
Pausing slightly, Commander Han added with a touch of uncertainty, "If he dies here as well, matters will become far more troublesome.
"Before tonight passes, this school will likely prove impossible to conquer, perhaps taking even longer—"
Knitting his brows, Commander Han shook his head. "Standing here, I can't shake this sense of dread. We must avoid letting this drag on and breeding further complications."
Hearing this, Liu Yisheng froze for a moment.
"Him?"
"A native of the school?"
Liu Yisheng glanced at Bai Zhou in the projection, his tone dismissive and his gaze strange, finding Commander Han's expectations utterly fanciful.
"A King of Wicked Desires holds absolute authority and restraint over every anomaly within its minor secret realm. Deciding life or death is a matter of a single word.
"And the realm's unique rules are the concentrated essence of the King of Wicked Desires' entire body of desires. How could a native anomaly possibly overcome them?"
Shaking his head, Liu Yisheng passed definitive judgment on "Senior Zhou": "He is about to die—Commander Han, you had best seek another way."
Yet Commander Han merely shook his head, his eyes fixed on Bai Zhou's figure, his expression peculiar:
"—He is different!"
"Different how?"
Commander Han rolled his eyes, thinking, *I'm under no obligation to explain so much to you.*
Still, after a moment's consideration, out of respect for Zijing Group, Commander Han suppressed his reluctance and explained aloud, "Anomalous individuals are rare exceptions within a minor secret realm, but even among them, there are gradations of strength.
"In certain classified archives, I came across vague research and speculations left by predecessors regarding school-type reflections.
"Some believe the extraordinary knowledge composing school reflections may originate from two Extraordinary pathways whose past existence remains uncertain.
"One is likely the [Teacher], and the other is very likely the [Student]!
"The two exist in mutual opposition and symbiosis. Official records indicate that broken pathways named [Evangelist] and [Seeker] were once obtained from school-type reflections in the Reflected Ruin Realm, supporting that theory.
"Thus, what makes school-type reflections unique is that they are not monolithic like other minor secret realms. Instead, they harbor two interconnected yet parallel systems—"
Commander Han paused briefly before delivering words that left Liu Yisheng's face plastered with overt skepticism.
Or rather, Liu Yisheng wondered if Commander Han had lost his mind.
"The 'Principal' is unquestionably the apex predator standing at the pinnacle of the [Teacher] system, but within the school, there exists another system—the [Student]."
Commander Han's face bore an unusual obstinacy and conviction, his unblinking eyes clearly reflecting Bai Zhou's back. "I have an intuition—perhaps you don't know me well, but everyone across FZDC knows my intuition is remarkably accurate.
"What I mean is, I believe this anomalous individual, Senior Zhou..."
He murmured in a low voice, his eyes burning with a peculiar hunger and anticipation, as if gazing upon some unearthed, peerless treasure:
"...possesses the potential to become the next King of Wicked Desires!"
***
Bai Zhou, the object of everyone's scrutiny, was currently enduring immense torment.
He wanted to turn and flee, but the main doors behind him were already firmly locked.
Total silence reigned around him, broken only by the trio staring straight at him. The temperature in the air seemed to drop, and something unseen was slowly drawing near.
A sign with black characters on a red background reading "Sweet Home" hung conspicuously at the end of the corridor, looking jarringly out of place and radiating an eerie dissonance.
*As expected—*
Bai Zhou took a deep breath.
In that story told in Wancheng, where a master and his disciples journeyed west, only the three foolish disciples thought a gorgeous maiden appearing in the desolate wilderness was harmless; their clever master had seen through it all along.
An unseen, untouchable enemy was the hardest to face, and the moments before an attack were the most nerve-racking.
Bai Zhou keenly sensed that something was affecting him, making his brain sluggish and his eyes heavy with fatigue.
Senseless fragments of derivative functions and literature knowledge flooded into Bai Zhou's mind in a chaotic stream, disrupting his thoughts.
It felt as if he had been studying in this place for a very long time.
If this continued—
Bai Zhou was not even sure whether he could still distinguish if he was a student who had always studied in this teaching building, or Bai Zhou the [Adventurer]!
Since escape was impossible, he had no choice but to confront it.
The knot could only be untied by the one who tied it—
Bai Zhou gritted his teeth. Circling around the dazed trio, he remained on high alert as he stepped up to the bulletin board displaying the school rules, examining it closely.
Yet he was not looking at the text itself, but at something else that ordinary eyes could not see.
For the moment his gaze brushed against the school rules, a faint vibration rippled through the school uniform he wore.
*Hum!*—
The vibration carried the terror and submission of encountering a natural predator, yet beneath it lay something else—
An imperceptible trace of defiance and greed!
Though he knew these were the uniform's emotions, Bai Zhou felt them as clearly as if they were his own.
Had the uniform still belonged to the Exam King, Bai Zhou would never have sensed such subtle feelings.
Now, however, the Exam King had been severed twice, and the uniform belonged entirely to Bai Zhou.
Certain pieces of information even filtered out from the uniform, received directly into Bai Zhou's mind.
"This is..."
Bai Zhou froze, his expression turning peculiar.
"Wicked desires?"
He chewed on the term in his thoughts.
Yuanmeng Middle School, rife with wicked desires, was the precise breeding ground for an assembly of dancing demons.
Pressure was a wicked desire; greed and jealousy were wicked desires as well. Bai Zhou's uniform was already layered with sevenfold wicked desires, currently digesting and ascending.
Yet the uniform was "telling" Bai Zhou that the school rules were also wicked desires!
They were the physical manifestation of wicked desire—the "skin" shed by an incredible entity of wicked desire in the course of its evolution!
To see the school rules was to be in its very presence!
In that case—
Bai Zhou blinked twice, a wild, audacious thought sending his heart pounding.
One had to counter rules with rules, and combat wicked desires with wicked desires.
A path toward breaking the deadlock had presented itself, but what truly tempted Bai Zhou and stirred his thoughts was another possibility—
Since the school rules were also a form of wicked desire...
Though of a higher tier, in terms of essence, they were no different from any other wicked desire.
In other words—
"Now that things have come to this—"
Bai Zhou gazed at the yellowed, faded bulletin board before him, took a slow, deep breath, and let his eyes glint with sharp resolve.
So long as it was a wicked desire, there was a chance he could "devour" it!
—Just like he had devoured Red of Greed and the others to achieve his first evolution!
Eight full school rules! They corresponded precisely to the path of ascension once walked by an incredible entity!
As long as Bai Zhou could swiftly complete the uniform's "digestion" and find a way to swallow them down—
A second evolution was right before his eyes!
Chapter 124