He is the leader of the Tantric sect in Chagdu.

Can malice be transported?

Like a physical entity, it flows between the domes of the nest through those shape-shifting purifiers... and then pours down like rain onto a despised land through a crack in the sky.

It's incomprehensible, even unimaginable.

For the next half hour, the entire bar hall became dim, the light was murky, and the air was sticky and humid, as if you were on an endless sea, with a fishy smell mixed with the stench of decay filling your nostrils.

Ai Yi remained huddled in the corner, motionless, while Nie leaned against him, lost in thought, the bloodlust in his eyes dim and colorless.

Virtue covered his face with his hat, so his expression couldn't be seen.

On the other side, Sherlock had already lit countless cigarettes, each containing a stimulant. The smoke filled most of the space and smelled pungent, but no one cared at the moment.

Only Lin seemed to be in stable condition—she was also the only ordinary person in the team. Because she was not yet a qualified person and had no adaptability to the mysterious, she was not significantly affected by the rain of filth.

In her own words, she was just feeling a little tired, so Ai sent her to observe the rain.

"Why isn't it over yet...?"

The filthy rain still surged at the ends of the earth, like giant waves in a storm, with dense bubbles rising and falling on the surface, stretching far and wide into the unreachable depths.

The water flowed through the soil above, like thick blood.

The sound of rain was still deafening.

"It's been half an hour already, ugh, when will this ever end..."

Sherlock's agitated and furious shouts echoed through the hall; he was making a great effort to control the emotions rising from his red liquid.

But when Ai inadvertently saw his eyes—in that dark gaze, an almost solidified violence and madness was assaulting his pupils, yet was firmly suppressed within the vessel by Sherlock's will.

The malice he was incited to was violence.

As for Ai, after escaping his initial fear, he was enveloped by a negative and depressed atmosphere, and could only shrink into a corner and isolate himself. Unexplained sadness and depression, accompanied by the listless thought of "maybe I should just die," floated in the red liquid.

I'm so sad, I want to die.

His unfocused pupils stared at the ceiling, and then he heard Nie's insecure, muffled whisper in his ear: "Brother..."

"Yes, I'm here... It's alright, it's alright."

Ai looked at her teammates with pleading eyes and saw Sherlock with red eyes chewing up cigarette butts, while Veltin was slumped in the booth, trembling.

He silently pulled his head back—he'd better just bear with it a little longer.

.

"How did they all become useless in the blink of an eye?" Lin looked at her teammates, who were all slumped over in the room, and sighed, "This is so unreliable. A bunch of main characters with their faces on the side have to rely on me, a background character, to carry the team..."

This toy car fleet would disband without me.

They borrowed a pistol from Virtue and herded all the original inhabitants of the bar into the warehouse and locked them up. Although ordinary people would hardly pose a threat to Ai and the others, it was still better to be cautious.

Another reason was that Lin was also afraid that Sherlock, with his fierce look, would tear these people apart; that guy looked terrifying, like he was about to eat people.

Nothing went wrong along the way; the foundation's name was so well-known that everyone cooperated.

Before long, Lin successfully cleaned up the bar lobby, ensuring that her unreliable teammates wouldn't be disturbed before the rain stopped.

What should we do next?

Feeling utterly bored, Lin found a seat at the bar and sighed. As an ordinary office worker, what happened today had seriously impacted her worldview, which she had upheld for nearly thirty years, as well as her stable and reliable mental state.

She had been holding her breath, and that bastard fox had forced her to flee to the outskirts of the city—a place she had never thought she would ever come to. Although she wasn't yet on the city's wanted list, she was only one step away from becoming a real fugitive.

"No matter how you look at it, it's an undeserved disaster..."

Lin went around to the front desk, poured herself a glass of industrial liquor mixed with artificial coloring, tilted her head back, and gulped it down in one go without even blushing.

To be honest, this thing is pretty cool.

Lin swirled the glass, staring blankly at the bright, thick liquid that resembled syrup.

She remembered that the fox was also a drunkard. She had tried to treat him to a few meals before, but he always refused with various excuses. The day after he refused, usually before dawn, this bastard would come back to the office reeking of alcohol and use a lot of unconventional methods to get Lin to clock in and do his work for him, while he would stay at his workstation and sleep all day.

The absolute master of slacking off—just thinking about this made Lin grit her teeth.

However, it was only at those times that Ai would grant his coworkers some of their less-than-serious wishes, such as letting them touch his ears. If he was in a particularly good mood, Ai would even let them touch his tail.

Lin can still recall that scene vividly: a hungover gray fox arrogantly stood on her desk, wagging its bushy tail, and launched an auction across the office—"Anyone want to pet my fox tail? Starting bid: clock in for me for a day... Someone said two days! Once... Three days! Once, twice..."

She touched the fox's tail; it was incredibly soft and had a fragrant, sun-like scent. The moment she buried her face in it, she felt energized, as if taking a breath of it would prolong her life, making her feel like she could work another twenty night shifts.

Later, she paid a heavy price for it by "working a week in lieu of a job"—and her desire for the fox's tail wasn't as strong anymore.

Recalling this incident, Lin felt like she was about to get a fever again.

However, it was because of that experience that this guy became so eager to use his own labor, and he liked to try to gain favor with Lin and get her for free.

Gradually, the two became familiar coworkers. After a few drinks, they finally managed to get the "rich older sister" that the fox was dating in the city out of his mouth by taking advantage of his drinking capacity and getting some information out of her.

Accidentally revealing Dudu's existence was one of Ai Yi's biggest mistakes in the three months since she traveled through time. For a long time, Lin kept a close eye on her, fearing that her image at the company would be shaken.

In fact, Lin initially thought that the two were a couple who had already committed adultery, or at the very least, a "friends-on-sex" relationship. However, after some subtle probing, she discovered that this scoundrel was surprisingly innocent and engaging in platonic social interaction in a decadent place like the Nest City, which was a great pity.

Later, Ai discovered that Lin was also a seemingly noisy but actually soft-hearted bully at home, which made Ai become arrogant again.

The two maintained a strange distance in their relationship—no matter how harshly Lin cursed, Ai Yi would just ignore it, and they almost became drinking buddies.

Lin originally thought that, aside from their private lives, she and this fox knew each other almost inside and out.

Unexpectedly, he had a hidden skill – he was secretly an urban superpowered individual, just like Batman from a certain Vice City.

Lin felt deceived: Damn it, who is he pretending to be, this gloomy, overworked office worker?!

Yesterday, this guy used a tearful act to morally blackmail her, causing Lin to spend the entire afternoon helping him finish his work. In the evening, she was dragged into acting like a fugitive, looking as pathetic and resentful as a child.

Looking at Ai, she was accompanied by a seemingly very capable young girl who seemed quite at ease in her negotiations with some "foundation".

Lin then realized: This guy is actually destined to be a protagonist!

The more I think about it, the angrier I get.

"The fox ruined my hard-earned wealth." She slammed her head against the table, shivering from the stench of the greasy black wood, reflecting on how she seemed to fit in with the group, but was actually completely out of place.

Everyone else is a protagonist, possessing magical abilities that he can't even understand. The 27-year-old office worker, whose ideals haven't faded, feels that his passion has nowhere to go, but when his emotions sink, he feels afraid and uneasy.

Lin was also confused about whether she wanted to explore that unknown world. She was now only one step away from the mysterious realm. Although Ai had recruited her, it was only a recruitment and she hadn't been told anything about the secrets. As for Veltin and the other two, they had already accepted Lin as a "qualified person" and wouldn't bother to take care of her thoughts.

The more Lin thought about it, the more she felt that her fantastical journey, which had just begun, was about to end.

"The fox ruined my peaceful and joyful life."

Approaching thirty should be a time of reflection, but Lin felt like she was almost back in her adolescence. A certain sensitive and delicate mindset won the revival match and regained control of Lin's consciousness—she felt restless: the anxiety of possibly being abandoned by the team at any moment, and the imbalance of the cognitive gap between herself and her peers.

I want to be straightforward, but I'm afraid of being isolated. I'm filled with curiosity and longing for the mysterious world, yet I hesitate because of my fear of the unknown.

This is so agonizing... I feel like ants are crawling all over my body!

"Wow--"

The cawing of crows rang in her ears, and Lin scratched the back of her neck in annoyance—it was really itchy there, and quite itchy.

"..."

What's going on? Why is it getting itchier and itchier...?

Suddenly, a jolt like an electric shock spread through her body. Something seemed to be crawling along her neck, a strange sensation like tentacles brushing against her skin. Lin jumped up the next instant: "Holy crap, are there really ants crawling on me?"

She swept all her long hair forward, shook it vigorously twice, and ran her hand down her neck to her back—"Nothing there?"

"What's wrong?"

Ai, who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead, weakly glanced in their direction. Seeing Lin jumping around like she was possessed, she couldn't help but ask worriedly, "You're showing symptoms too?"

-wrong!

"No, it's nothing." Lin smiled sheepishly, casually flipping her hair back. "There were bugs flying around here... I chased them away."

"This is underground... there are bound to be little bugs." After saying this, Ai continued to close her eyes and pretend to be dead.

The sound of rain outside had begun to subside, as if it had changed from a downpour to a moderate rain. The sound was no longer so noisy and chaotic, and surprisingly, it sounded more tranquil.

The enclosed environment and the steady sound of rain made the entire bar fall into an abrupt silence. Lin could hear her heart pounding violently.

She tidied her hair again, making sure it completely covered the back of her neck.

Surely no one saw it?

Lin nervously looked around and noticed that the strange crow standing on the bar had inexplicably stared at her. It flapped its wings, tilted its head, and stared intently at the woman in front of it with its two black eyes. Lin smiled at it.

"I touched something..."

After confirming that no one was paying attention to her unusual behavior, Lin carefully touched the back of her head, a few centimeters below—yes, there was a hard nodule that had grown there at some point. The protrusion was very small, and she could feel strange and eerie textures, like many complex layers of overlapping structures.

It's still very itchy, and it's even starting to hurt a little.

What is this...?

Lin felt a chill run down her spine and repeatedly checked the shape of the hard lump: it was about the size of a coin, with smooth and regular edges, and the texture was not like skin, but rather like some kind of shell—the surface was cool and the fine bumps spread out into some kind of strange pattern.

Like...

A scale.

Do I have scales?

Genetic mutation...or degradation?

"Where did I get the scale gene from!" Lin knew her body quite well. As a salaryman who valued her life, she had already spent a fortune on a full "sexual characteristic test"—she had no scale gene whatsoever.

Besides, she's already 27 years old; she can't possibly go through a second growth spurt, can she?

Lin swallowed hard, sensing that the situation was a bit delicate—if it were two days earlier, she would definitely be busy arranging the check-up by now, but after experiencing so many things, her mindset had changed a little.

Or... should we leave it for now and see how it goes?

It's just a scale; even if it's a genetic mutation, it's not life-threatening.

Silently comforting herself, Lin began to consider whether to tell Ai and the others about this. Now was definitely not a good time. Perhaps she could wait until her body underwent some changes before seeking help from her seniors, Virtue and the other two.

Just keep things stable for now.

Lin loosened her clenched fist, which was already soaked with sweat. She checked several times to make sure that her hair could completely cover the lump before slowly standing up.

The polluted rain has gradually stopped and is coming to an end.

Ai slowly got up from the floor, stretching her stiff body, then brushed the dust off Nie's knees and shook her head: "Looks like it's over?"

Sunny days always follow rainy days—after several climaxes, negative emotions dissipated quickly like morning mist, the red liquid gradually returned to normal, and the low pressure in the space was finally broken.

The atmosphere gradually lightened.

Sherlock looked at the completely empty pipe and let out a long sigh of relief. For a pure combat-oriented mystic like him, malice had a more intense and unbearable effect on him than on others, but fortunately he had survived it.

"Set off?"

He winked at Virtin, who was stretching, and after dawdling for so long, it was finally time to do the main quest—in the days following the rainstorm, the new wave of malice had not yet reached a significant scale, making it the best time to explore the outskirts.

"Could you wait a moment?" Ai asked softly, pointing to the crow standing on the bar counter. "I want to take this bird with me. Give me some time to talk to it."

He also secretly sent Lin a private message: "Find a way to get them both away first..."

I still have some things to do here.

"Let's go down to the ground and check the situation first."

Lynn reacted quickly, pulling Virtin towards the elevator and taking Sherlock along as well. She turned back and winked at Ai, "You hurry up and follow too."

"receive."

The reliable Lin pulled the two bewildered people out of the bar, and Ai sighed softly.

He patted Nie on the shoulder, his gentle expression slowly fading, the tenderness from a few seconds ago completely gone.

High school student Eileen has left the stage; now it's time to enter the dirty world of adults.

"nirvana."

Its upright frame gradually dissolved into red liquid, and its height collapsed almost instantly. Gray, wide ears silently emerged from its head, and its fluffy tail swayed rhythmically behind it.

The next moment, invisible thin wings sprouted from Ai's abdomen, and amidst the sound of flapping wings, a strange indifference seeped into her azure eyes.

"The Moth's Imitation: Gray"

After disguising yourself, learn to imitate.

Not long ago, Ai Yi startled the doorkeeper with this gesture.

He stepped on the silent domain beneath his feet, ensuring that this place was completely under the control of Nirvana's will, and that not a single sound would be heard.

Ai stood in front of the door of the bar's warehouse.

The dress, which had originally fit him fairly well, now looked like a long gown that almost dragged on the ground in contrast to his petite frame—he didn't care and gently pushed open the warehouse door.

The people who were being held here like pigs for meat all turned their gazes toward him.

Confused, shocked, at a loss.

Ai looked around at everyone present and frowned slightly—their performances were all too mediocre.

It seems like nobody recognizes me.

His brows quickly relaxed again—that was great, it meant that these guys in front of him were really just a bunch of nobody who had nothing to do with the Mirror of Radiance, so even if they were all used as test subjects, there would be no real loss.

Ai smiled:

Good evening, everyone!

-Who are you?

Everyone was uneasy. A little child suddenly appearing in front of them, bypassing those damned Foundation agents at the door—it was just too bizarre.

Where did he come from?

Surrounded by wary gazes, Ai tilted her head and clapped lightly, drawing everyone's attention to herself.

He squinted, his voice soft yet clear:

"Let's make a deal."

—Refusal is not permitted.