"On the run?"
Bai Zhou asked, "What happens if we flee?"
"Nothing much," Crow said. "You'll be free."
"Your life is just beginning. What comes next will be far more splendid."
That expressionless face of hers remained as still as ice, like an Arctic port frozen in permafrost.
Yet from those northern permafrosts, perpetually gripped by cold, could emerge a swan whose beauty made one's heart tremble.
And then, this swan had strutted boldly into Bai Zhou's world, telling him, "Let's go on the run together."
In all these years, perhaps the warmest words Bai Zhou had ever heard—warmer even than "hang in there"—were "I'm here." She neither pushed you forward nor urged you to run away; she simply stayed by your side, letting you do whatever you wished.
Crow was just that kind of person. She would never make decisions for Bai Zhou.
Yet as long as you made up your mind, she would hoist you onto the mule of destiny and tear off at a breakneck sprint.
—After all, it was the direction you chose; as for how she rode or how fast it galloped, that was none of your business.
"..."
And so, Bai Zhou suddenly felt at peace.
Though life had been an utter mess lately, and though the future had felt hopelessly bleak, Crow's words grounded him and brought a profound sense of reassurance.
Come to think of it, wouldn't the world outside be pretty good too?
It was an entirely novel world, filled everywhere with skyscrapers, neon-lit midnight streets, where the mystic and everyday life did not intertwine.
Ordinary folk knew nothing of the mystic world; only in the shadows did undercurrents surge between the authorities and cults like the Blood Worship Cult.
Bustling crowds hustled for a living, students walked in packs toward school, and then Bai Zhou would leap down from a high-rise, descending from above.
An unfamiliar wind would brush across him, and in the blink of an eye, he would blend into the crowd and vanish.
Just like that, facing the unfamiliar sunlight, fleeing openly and brazenly.
Together with Crow.
...Seemed like it wouldn't be half bad, would it?
It would surely be a thrilling life filled with urgency, starkly different from Bai Zhou's past.
Faced with Bai Zhou's escape and revenge, the Special Control Bureau, paranoid that their secrets might be exposed, would undoubtedly dispatch an endless stream of pursuers.
Troublesome figures would scour every vein of the city, weaving an inescapable dragnet to encircle and intercept Bai Zhou across empty streets.
—Still, that was far better than being watched in the base, waiting like a pig to be slaughtered.
Thinking of this, Bai Zhou was not only no longer afraid... he even found himself faintly looking forward to such a future.
The cells deep within his body grew active.
Living like that was naturally far more dangerous than idling away in the base... but it also carried the romantic flair of adventure.
Weren't adventure stories always like that? The protagonist's journey began with being hunted down by villains, charging recklessly forward all the way, and ultimately pulling off a magnificent transformation.
Bai Zhou hated trouble; he kept a low profile and was extremely cautious, especially loving to make a fortune in silence.
Yet that didn't mean he was a coward.
Even back in Wancheng, he had been restless, always wanting to see the Wilds outside... though thank goodness he hadn't.
His destined pathway—was the "Adventurer."
Perhaps an adventurous life like this was far more attuned to the true essence of that pathway.
As long as Bai Zhou grew stronger faster than his pursuers could catch up,
then one day, he would turn back to strike, slaughtering every last one of those who deserved to die!
However, before that—
"Before leaving this base, there's one more thing I want to do," Bai Zhou said.
"What is it?"
"Kill someone."
Crow looked at him in mild surprise, not expecting those words to come from Bai Zhou:
"Kill who?"
"Adjutant Han."
Crow instantly understood. "He does deserve to die."
"However, this man... won't be easy to kill," Crow added.
"How so?" Bai Zhou humbly asked.
"You asked me to help you investigate the truth behind 'eating people.' I've uncovered it."
"You also asked me to figure out the base's overall strength. I've found that out as well."
Crow's expression grew solemn.
"—Inside the base, the ones most worthy of attention are four [Swordbearer] tactical squads."
"They are the Special Control Bureau's signature rapid-response units, renowned for exceptional tactics and advanced gear, specifically deployed to strike down dangerous illicit cult activities with maximum efficiency."
"...Fortunately, you don't need to worry about these killing machines for now, because tomorrow night, they will be the primary force fighting the Blood Worship Cult."
Crow paused briefly before continuing:
"In addition, among the base's six major departments—excluding the Black Box Maintenance Department—there are five company-grade officers in total. Each is a department director and a Level 3 or higher Extraordinary."
"...And Adjutant Han, having been promoted relatively recently, is the only officer who is not a Level 3 Extraordinary."
"—Yet among Level 2 Extraordinaries, he is definitely among the absolute strongest in combat power."
"Because aside from the Major, he is likely the wealthiest person in the base, possessing ample capital to arm and enhance himself."
Crow warned Bai Zhou in a solemn tone,
"You've only just become a Level 1 Adventurer. Even if you're a Destined, the gap between you and Adjutant Han cannot be overlooked."
"To you, this man might be exceptionally troublesome!"
"A Level 2 Extraordinary..."
Bai Zhou fell into thought. That was indeed tricky.
Yet Crow continued:
"...However, killing Adjutant Han before leaving is indeed a necessity."
"Huh?"
"Everything in the base is conducted in the dark," Crow said, shaking her head.
"There are many people concealed behind Adjutant Han, but all substantive evidence and leads come to a dead stop with him."
"He handles all the liaisons directly and bears the most secrets. Furthermore, he's suspected of possessing an account ledger."
"An account ledger?" Bai Zhou's interest was piqued.
He recalled that Adjutant Han carried a black notebook that never left his side.
"Bai Zhou, you must understand that the Special Control Bureau and Branch 36 cannot be lumped together," Crow explained in an unprecedentedly serious tone. "You cannot fight the authorities forever; there is no way to survive that."
"Yet if we cannot fully expose Branch 36's true colors, their pursuit will never cease, and the adversaries you face will only become more despair-inducing."
"I understand." Bai Zhou nodded.
"So, before they realize I've discovered their secret and start hunting me down..."
"Getting the most crucial leads from Adjutant Han—tomorrow night is our last chance, right?"
"...Theoretically speaking, yes." Crow nodded hesitantly. "But it will be extremely difficult!"
"—Then kill him we will!"
What else was there to say?
With all the factors piling up, the justification couldn't be any clearer.
—Adjutant Han had to die!
The others, he couldn't afford to provoke just yet.
Killing Adjutant Han offered the highest reward for the risk, and the key clues to breaking through this impasse lay on him.
As for strength—
"Don't we still have one night left?" Bai Zhou said.
He seemed to have been prepared for this long ago.
This gave Crow pause, puzzled by his meaning.
"One night... what can you possibly do?"
You're an "Adventurer," not a "Dreamwalker God" who can stumble upon opportunities in dreams and achieve instant ascension in your sleep.
What time was it, to already be daydreaming!
Points deducted!
Once your score dropped low enough, you'd be sent straight back for retraining!
Bai Zhou glanced at the tower outside the window; the clock displayed eight o'clock in the evening.
"It's getting late. Time to set up the ritual for entering the Reflected Ruin Realm," he said.
Just like entering the mirror's mist, using a ritual to enter the Reflected Ruin Realm at the stroke of midnight was essential homework for an Extraordinary.
Crow had taught him long ago, but Bai Zhou had never found the time to put it into practice.
If not for Brother Liu's incident, he would have made a trip on the very night he completed his special training.
Now, the time had truly come.
—To enter "Zhuluoji" once more!
First, retrieve that "Trojan Horse"; he had a feeling it would prove useful.
Then seek vengeance against the dead fatty—this time, cleaving it in two with a single slash, giving it no chance to transform.
Bai Zhou was thoroughly intrigued about what was up with the dying wish above the dead fatty's head, which had looked so out of place among the other corpses.
If he fulfilled that dying wish, what would he obtain?
Ever since becoming an Extraordinary, he hadn't had the chance to fulfill any new dying wishes.
Yet Bai Zhou knew that this was likely his fastest shortcut to growing stronger.
Even in a single night, a tremendous change capable of deciding life and death was possible!
Having set a simple goal, Bai Zhou was brimming with drive.
...However, Crow seemed to hold a different view.
"The Reflected Ruin Realm?"
Crow was at a loss for words.
Rubbing her forehead, she looked at Bai Zhou with a hint of helplessness.
"You seem to harbor some misconceptions about the Reflected Ruin Realm."
"...The Reflected Ruin Realm isn't a place where you can just make a trip and pick up a harvest."
Bai Zhou blinked.
*Is that so?*
Crow said:
"I think you should have noticed by now that the so-called Reflected Ruin Realm is actually Tinghai City magnified countless times... yet uncanny and distorted."
"Because you entered the Reflected Ruin Realm from Tinghai City, where you went was [Reflected Tinghai]."
"To put it simply, it's the reflection of current civilization on the reverse side of Blue Star."
"Reflected cities, along with the vast, mist-draped wilds between them, form the Reflected Ruin Realm we see."
"—Wancheng is a stronghold that the Blood Worship Cult established on the fringes of 'Reflected Tinghai.'"
Bai Zhou: "...?"
What was Crow talking about?
Why couldn't he understand a word?
What did she mean... a reflection of Tinghai City?
You mean that metropolis outside, full of skyscrapers?
—Are you sure that's what the Reflected Ruin Realm looks like?
"The fact that you ran into danger the moment you entered last time is proof enough of how perilous that place is," Crow warned Bai Zhou solemnly.
"Most resources are monopolized by the authorities, and other resource sites are fraught with peril. Most Extraordinaries explore in teams."
"Otherwise, you can only wander around trying your luck."
"With time so tight, I really don't recommend pinning your hopes on a place of pure luck like the Reflected Ruin Realm."
"If someone from the authorities spots you in there, it could bring even more trouble!"
"..."
His clear eyes blinked repeatedly.
Bai Zhou was growing genuinely more confused the more he listened.
Where were these people monopolizing resources, forming teams, or officials who might discover him...
In that desolate wasteland of ruins where birds wouldn't even deign to shit,
apart from monsters and corpses, Bai Zhou hadn't seen a single living soul.
...Something seemed terribly wrong.
Only at this moment did Bai Zhou finally realize—
there seemed to be a massive discrepancy between his perception and Crow's.
"Then the pre-civilization legacies you mentioned before..." Bai Zhou asked tentatively.
"—You're actually thinking about that?"
Crow's ruby-like eyes widened slightly.
She couldn't help shooting Bai Zhou an exasperated glare:
"Even if the Extraordinary knowledge from *Holy Oath Slash* guided you to pick up a shattered, entry-level Extraordinary weapon the first time you set foot in the Reflected Ruin Realm..."
"Perhaps that bout of good luck gave you an illusion."
"—In reality, though, that is an exceedingly low-probability event."
"You can't expect to strike it rich by scouring an elementary school flea market for antique gold."
Crow suddenly felt there was a rather substantial gap in her special training.
She really needed to properly educate Bai Zhou on the law of the jungle in the Reflected Ruin Realm.
That sprawling metropolis, filled with uncanny distortions, was a veritable "dark forest."
With a *whoosh*—
A flame ignited in her palm, shaping itself out of thin air.
Tiers of flame-sculpted towers rose from her cupped hand.
Then, using the foundations as a dividing line, another set of high-rises appeared symmetrically underneath.
The blazing firelight illuminated Crow's helpless face:
"Tinghai City beneath our feet rests on the surface of Blue Star, while [Reflected Tinghai] lies on the reverse side of Blue Star—yet on the superficial layer of that reverse side!"
"It is the convergence of the ends Tinghai City has met over several centuries."
"All things of Tinghai City that have passed away in the era of our present civilization echo there in various forms."
As she spoke, the flaming city in Crow's hands collapsed with a rumble.
A new city rose from the ruins.
A new symmetrical reflection of fire manifested once again.
"Whenever a new era of civilization arrives, its reflection appears on the surface of the Reflected Ruin Realm, burying the traces of the previous civilization in the deep layers below."
"Isn't history always like this? A new civilization is invariably built upon the ruins of past civilizations."
"As history marches forward and civilizations cycle, ancient and unknowable pre-civilizations are buried layer by layer beneath the civilization of our era."
With a sudden rumble,
chaotic flames intertwined beneath the reflection of the skyscrapers, tangling into an indecipherable, unknowable mass.
—Symbolizing the many pre-civilizations suppressed and buried deep below [Reflected Tinghai].
At this moment, Crow spoke again:
"These deep layers of the past are utterly buried, beyond anyone's ability to probe, gradually eroding as time slips away."
"Occasionally, relics or specters of pre-civilizations—or even an entire [Ruin]..."
"Unwilling to be worn away just like that, will 'overflow' from beneath the deep layers and manifest on the surface layer of the Ruin Realm—"
"Becoming our greatest opportunities, as well as our greatest perils!"
"Every occurrence of this nature is accompanied by bloody, ruthless conflict."
Crow spread her hands. "After all, there are too many monks and too little gruel."
"It's just that your mechanical spear-gun was low in grade and severely shattered..."
"It likely didn't cause much of a stir when it overflowed from below, which was why it lay inconspicuously by the roadside, letting you pick up a bargain."
"—And now, you're hoping for another stroke of luck like that?"
"I'm not trying to pour cold water on you, but..."
Crow shook her head impassively.
—Yet Bai Zhou, standing opposite her, had grown completely dazed listening to all this.
*So... your so-called excavations and research into pre-civilization relics...*
*are all just waiting for things to 'overflow' onto the surface on their own?*
*So, your Reflected Ruin Realm looks like this?*
*Then where am I?*
*—Where the fuck am I?!*
On the surface, his face was taut in thought, but inside, Bai Zhou's mind was a tempest of chaos.
He understood.
Bai Zhou finally understood...
The place he went to wasn't some "remote corner" of the Reflected Ruin Realm as he had assumed.
—He hadn't been going to the Reflected Ruin Realm at all!
Or rather, not the Reflected Ruin Realm that everyone else knew!
Because they could only operate on the surface layer of the Reflected Ruin Realm, passively waiting for pre-civilization ruins or relics to bubble up.
—Bai Zhou, however, was different.
They were not the same. He was different from anyone else.
—He was alone in the "deep layers"!
Like a lonely patient, he was entirely by himself in the buried, unknowable deep layers of the Ruin Realm that Crow spoke of.
Or rather...
he was directly inside a pre-civilization.
—What in the world did this mean?
"I think... maybe..."
Bai Zhou took a deep breath, forcefully subduing the pounding in his chest, and looked at Crow.
"Maybe my luck really is good enough that I'll run into something that 'overflowed' again?"
He continued, "As long as I keep safety in mind, taking a look around the Ruin Realm won't hurt, will it?"
"That's true," Crow's expression softened. "Just don't pin too much hope on it."
"Mm..."
Bai Zhou nodded slowly.
*Thump, thump, thump!*
His heart was pounding so hard it threatened to burst from his chest, yet his face remained completely composed.
No bloody skirmishes, no law of the jungle.
Unbeknownst to anyone, Bai Zhou had an entire pre-civilization ruin all to himself.
While every Extraordinary was bickering and battling on the "first layer"... Bai Zhou was all alone in the depths of some unknown layer.
—So, I've been "adventuring" solo in the deep strata of history?
—Exploring alone within the mysterious "Zhuluoji," whose full scope I haven't even glimpsed yet?
Even up to this moment, Bai Zhou wondered if Crow was playing a joke on him, feeling as though he were lost in a trance.
...Because if that were true, wasn't he just a bit too extraordinary?
Where others could go, Bai Zhou could go as well;
as long as he didn't use the pass and entered through a standard ritual, he should be able to reach the surface layer where Extraordinaries gathered.
Yet the places others couldn't reach, places beyond their imagination... he had already spent time exploring.
—Truly without bounds, truly unrestricted!
It felt as if, starting from the day Wancheng was shattered,
Bai Zhou had become an entirely different person.
What Adjutant Han, what Major...
None of them seemed capable of imparting any fear or pressure to Bai Zhou anymore.
They knew nothing about Bai Zhou.
Even Bai Zhou couldn't see through himself anymore.
That mediocre Bai Zhou who grew up struggling, fretting over an empty stomach,
seemed to have quietly vanished long ago.
Replacing him was someone...
Bai Zhou suddenly recalled the words Crow had spoken to him when he advanced to [Adventurer]—
"Congratulations, Destined Bai Zhou!"
He slowly clenched his fist, gripping tight the lines representing destiny in his palm.
As if holding fate in his grasp, a subtle confidence welled up from within.
So—
"Destiny" really was on his side all along...
Chapter 31