The end of the world is approaching, I'm handing myself over to the country.

Zhou Jian paused for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

"I stealthily returned to the grove of trees where we had met before."

"The place we used to live in has been completely destroyed."

He added, "In the inner circle, the earth is riddled with fine, deep cracks that spread in all directions."

"The outer ring looks like it was broken in half by something hammering it, with wood chips everywhere."

Zhou Jian raised his head and looked directly at Chi Zhengyang.

"I've never seen that kind of destruction before; it doesn't belong to any known ability."

"So I guess either Zhang Heng did something after we separated, or a powerful monster came by."

"The only thing I'm certain of is that what could have caused that scene...could never have been human!"

"Personally, I would prefer the former."

After Zhou Jian finished speaking, the office fell into a long silence.

"Just speculation? Without any substantial evidence?" Chi Zhengyang slowly repeated the word.

Zhou Jian nodded, his expression resolute.

"Just a guess."

Chi Zhengyang closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were in a bottomless, icy pool.

He did not question Zhou Jian's judgment.

After a long pause, he slowly nodded: "You did very well."

"The situation is indeed not optimistic, and any abnormality deserves to be taken seriously."

His words affirmed Zhou Jian's actions.

Zhou Jian's tense body finally relaxed slightly.

Chi Zhengyang turned around and went back behind his desk.

"Turn around," Chi Zhengyang said.

Zhou Jian quickly did as instructed.

Seeing this, Chi Zhengyang didn't hesitate. His fingers flew across the keyboard, bringing up a file locked by a triple top-secret protocol.

The file title consists of only two characters.

[Torrent]

He opened the file, and a list appeared.

That was the top-secret list of players who were the first to enter "Wasteland Era" as Zhou Jian had mentioned.

After entering the quick search command, a piece of information finally appeared in front of him.

Zhang Heng.

The light from the computer screen reflected on Chi Zhengyang's face, creating an uneven interplay of light and shadow.

He didn't turn around, but calmly tapped the keyboard once.

The "Fire Seed" file was instantly closed, plunging the screen into complete darkness.

The office was deathly silent.

The chill emanating from Chi Zhengyang gradually subsided as the document was closed.

He turned his chair to face Zhou Jian, who was still standing upright.

"There is indeed such a person."

Chi Zhengyang's calm voice broke the silence.

"You're overthinking it."

As soon as he finished speaking, the invisible pressure vanished.

Zhou Jian's taut back finally relaxed a little.

He exhaled a breath of stale air, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

Perhaps it really was just an accident.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Chi."

His voice was a little dry.

"Maybe I've been under too much stress lately."

Chi Zhengyang neither agreed nor disagreed, but simply nodded slightly.

"Go back and get some rest."

"Yes."

Zhou Jian responded and turned to walk towards the office door.

The office returned to its usual tranquility.

Chi Zhengyang leaned back in his chair, his fingertips tapping unconsciously on the table, as if he were thinking about something.

Zhou Jian had already reached the doorway.

His hand was already on the cold metal doorknob.

With just a slight turn, he could leave this suffocating room.

However, his movements came to an abrupt halt the moment he touched the doorknob.

He felt as if he were nailed to the spot.

Chi Zhengyang's knocking stopped.

He looked up at the stiff figure standing at the door.

"What's wrong?"

"Is there anything else?"

Zhou Jian slowly, inch by inch, turned around.

He didn't come back; he just stood a dozen steps away, watching Chi Zhengyang from a distance.

"Lao Chi."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear.

"I want to see a picture of that person."

Chi Zhengyang fell silent.

He neither agreed nor refused, but simply looked at Zhou Jian quietly.

The silent standoff made the air thick and sticky.

Zhou Jian's personality is one of absolute obedience.

He never questions orders, let alone makes requests that exceed his authority.

But this time, he did not back down.

Zhang Heng's words and actions were indeed those of a normal person.

But at this moment, Zhou Jian wanted to trust his own conscience more.

To hell with all that bullshit evidence!

"I must see it with my own eyes!"

Zhou Jian spoke again, each word ringing with conviction.

He wouldn't feel at ease unless he could confirm it with his own eyes.

Chi Zhengyang's fingertips hovered over the keyboard for a long time: "You've crossed the line."

Zhou Jian stood at attention and saluted: "Elder Chi, I must confirm this personally!"

"If my guess is wrong, I'm willing to accept any punishment!"

Chi Zhengyang just watched Zhou Jian quietly.

In the end, he pressed it anyway.

"come over."

His words were brief and cold.

"But you can only see this one document."

Zhou Jian walked quickly back to his desk.

Chi Zhengyang didn't let him get close, but simply turned the monitor slightly at an angle.

The screen lit up again, and the document locked by the triple confidentiality protocol was brought up.

On Zhang Heng's profile page, a standard one-inch ID photo was clearly displayed in front of Zhou Jian.

The man in the photo is in his early twenties, with an average appearance; the kind of person you wouldn't notice in a crowd.

Zhou Jian's gaze was fixed on that photograph.

Just one glance.

The temperature in the office seemed to be completely sucked away in that instant.

Zhou Jian's body jolted violently.

He suddenly raised his head and stared directly into Chi Zhengyang's eyes.

"No! It wasn't him!"

The four words sounded like a roar squeezed out from the depths of a throat.

"It's not this person!"

He suddenly took a step back, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying.

"The Zhang Heng I know doesn't look like this!"

Zhou Jian's arm hairs stood on end.

Staring intently at the screen.

Chi Zhengyang confirmed repeatedly that there was only one person named Zhang Heng on the list, and there was no other one.

"My guess was right!"

Zhou Jian raised his head, forcing himself to stand up straight: "Elder Chi, my guess was correct!"

"He's definitely not human! This isn't him, he's a monster! He's Ainz Ooal Gown!"

Zhou Jian practically gritted his teeth as he uttered the last two words.

Then, he poured out everything that had happened in those days, in great detail.

This includes how they first met, and later, the ring Zhang Heng gave him that saved him, and the doubts that arose in his heart.

To the final test.

Zhou Jian spoke quickly, but his words were clear and logical.

He himself never imagined that one day he would be able to explain something so clearly.

Chi Zhengyang didn't interrupt him, but listened quietly.

After Zhou Jian finished speaking, the office fell into that suffocating silence once again.

"The Ainz Ooal Gown you're talking about..."

Chi Zhengyang finally spoke, his words slow and each one carrying a chilling undertone.

"He not only has a complete understanding of human social habits, but also knows the Wasteland Era inside and out?"

A calm voice is a thousand times more terrifying than a roar.

An unknown, non-human life form capable of disguising itself as a human.

He even perfectly disguised himself as a human.

They even knew everything about "Wasteland Era," which they saw as their hope...