“Hold on tight.”

Phil was carrying Shen Qingshu bridal style, running through the backstage of the Silvertree Grand Theater at extreme speed, closing in on Gu Xinglan’s tracked location.

She had chosen this method purely because Shen Qingshu couldn’t keep up with her pace, and leaving her alone was too dangerous, so she had no choice but to carry her along.

Although it was difficult not to feel a bit distracted while holding Shen Qingshu, the situation was urgent, so she couldn’t afford to dwell on it.

Cradled in Phil’s arms, Shen Qingshu felt the embrace surrounding her.

Shen Qingshu was not someone used to letting her mind go blank; even when resting, she was more accustomed to taking out a book to read.

But for some reason, despite being surrounded by danger, Shen Qingshu was uncharacteristically distracted, and a flurry of thoughts began to surface.

…If she told the version of herself from two years ago, who had just joined SAVE, about this current situation, she surely wouldn’t have believed it, right?

“I won’t accept anyone’s help; that will only make me weaker.”

Shen Qingshu knew exactly what she would have said.

Back then, having left her family all alone, she was filled with distrust toward the world and had no one to lean on.

The her of that time surely could never have imagined that she would find a sense of belonging and people to trust here in Team 7; she certainly couldn’t have imagined that she would ever be held by someone like this.

Though… perhaps it was even harder to imagine that Lin Han actually had a side like this.

And judging strictly by appearances, she was currently being carried bridal-style by a girl even more petite than herself…

But… it felt… quite nice.

Shen Qingshu looked up, gazing at the face that was completely different from the Lin Han in her memory. She silently repeated the name “Phil” in her heart, as if trying to savor its flavor.

“What is it?”

“Nothing…”

Shaking her head gently, Shen Qingshu snuggled into Phil’s arms like a cat to find a more comfortable position. She suddenly found herself enjoying this feeling of letting her mind go blank and her thoughts drift aimlessly.

An indefinable emotion originated in her brain, flowed through her torso, and then surged toward her limbs like a warm current.

It took a long while before Shen Qingshu realized that this emotion might be “relief.”

—Relief, huh…

“You said you are a devil now… Are all devils in the world like you?”

“Hard to say. I’m probably the bottom of the barrel among devils. What kind of devil is as helpful as me? Even angels can’t manage this. A devil like me must be losing a fortune on every deal.”

Facing her former team member, Phil seemed a bit more relaxed than she had been with Monica. she could say any kind of nonsense and didn’t have to worry about maintaining the image of a devil.

Her entire image had been discarded back when she was a corporate slave in the office!

“Then, how can I make sure you don’t lose out?”

Shen Qingshu seemed to be asking this very seriously.

“…It was just a joke.”

“I see.”

Shen Qingshu lowered her head, lost in thought.

After turning another corridor, Phil put Shen Qingshu down and stopped in front of a half-open door.

She first used her threads to probe inside, confirming there were no mutants or suspicious devices before pushing open the door and leading Shen Qingshu inside.

This appeared to be some kind of small lounge.

The room wasn’t large, containing a long sofa, a water dispenser, and a few coats left behind by staff members.

Phil let go of Shen Qingshu’s hand.

“Stay here for now.”

Shen Qingshu looked at her.

Phil explained, “Those mutants outside aren’t particularly strong, but they’re still a threat to you.

Besides, the place I’m going next will likely be dangerous as well, and I won’t be able to look after you the whole time.”

Shen Qingshu didn’t argue. She gave a soft “mm” and sat down on the sofa.

Phil looked down at the Mumyo Kanesada in her hand and handed the sword back to Shen Qingshu.

“Also, I’m returning this to you.”

Shen Qingshu took the sword, her eyebrows arching slightly.

“I don’t feel anything while holding this sword, so it seems I’m not that ‘destined person’ or whatever. Rather than carrying it around everywhere, it’s better to leave it with you for self-defense.”

Phil paused, then added, “At least it’s hard. If you run into danger, you can use it like a club and perform craniotomies on people.”

Shen Qingshu gave another “mm.”

Finally, Phil set up several extremely fine mana threads around Shen Qingshu. If anyone else touched them, Phil would sense it immediately.

There was nothing left to say. Phil turned to leave.

But after taking just one step, she stopped.

…This wouldn’t do.

It still wasn’t safe enough.

Even with a thirty-million-dollar “club” in hand, Shen Qingshu wouldn’t be able to handle even a random mutant.

What if Shen Qingshu ran into danger and Phil couldn’t make it back in time?

Shen Qingshu noticed Phil’s hesitation and asked, “What is it?”

Phil turned her head, and for the first time, a light that Shen Qingshu could not decipher flickered in her crimson eyes.

“Shen Qingshu.”

She rarely addressed her by her full name so seriously. Shen Qingshu sensed something, and her expression shifted slightly.

“Are you willing to sign a contract with me?”

The room fell silent for a few seconds; even the sound of their breathing seemed to grow distant.

“A… contract?” Shen Qingshu repeated softly.

Phil leaned down, bringing her face close to Shen Qingshu’s, so close that Shen Qingshu could see her own reflection in the surface of those gemstone-like eyes.

“Yes, a contract.”

Silver-white hair brushed past Shen Qingshu’s eyes; they were close enough to feel their breaths intertwining.

“You give your soul to me, and I give my power to you.”

Phil imitated the way the “Phil” she had seen in the game space spoke. Without any particular reason, she did it instinctively, as if it were only natural.

“Once the contract is signed, I will take over your body and fight for you whenever you need help. In exchange, you must offer up your power and your soul.”

At that moment, Shen Qingshu finally realized that there was a fundamental and existential difference between the girl before her and Lin Han.

She had never seen anyone whose voice alone was so beautiful that it made one instinctively want to agree to everything she said.

Nor had she ever seen anyone whose mere proximity, whose facial beauty, could even make those who looked upon it feel lightheaded and dizzy.

The girl was a devil, the serpent in the Garden of Eden who tempted others to eat the forbidden fruit.

But…

“Alright.”

Shen Qingshu’s expression was as calm as ever, but Phil could see the trust in her eyes.

“You’re doing this because you actually want to protect me when I’m in danger, right?”
Having her inner thoughts seen through by Shen Qingshu as usual, Phil gave a wry smile and retreated to her original position.

“You’re really no fun, are you?”

Then, the silver-haired devil lightly snapped her fingers, just as she had when signing the contract with Monica.

“In that case, the contract is established.”

Shen Qingshu didn’t feel anything special; she only felt a brief lapse in concentration, but otherwise, nothing had changed.

The only difference was that she could feel a faint, ethereal connection being established with the girl before her.

On the other side, lines of text emerged, twisting into view within Phil’s vision—

Following this, on Phil’s own panel, under the [Soul Feedback] entry, more appeared—

Looking at this long string of text, Phil stood rooted to the spot.

What is this… Did I pull an SSR? Why are there so many abilities?

Monica’s panel wasn’t nearly this luxurious!

But what did the crossed-out “Mage” on the panel mean, and what was the “Arcane Blood Covenant”?

“What’s wrong?”

Thinking something had gone wrong with the contract, Shen Qingshu asked in confusion.

“It’s nothing.”

Phil shook her head. Now wasn’t the time to think about these things. She then put on her usual, effortless smile.

“Well, I’m off.”

Shen Qingshu nodded silently. Watching Phil’s back, she suddenly said softly:

“Don’t you dare die.”

Without turning back, Phil used the ability she had just snatched from Shen Qingshu to sense the girl’s emotions.

It was “concern.”

‘This is quite convenient; now I won’t have to guess the meaning behind Shen Qingshu’s expressions anymore.’

With that thought, Phil left the room.

When Phil stepped into the room where the tracker placed Gu Xinglan, before she could even take in the scene, a crisp voice rang out—

“My lab is quite lively today.”

“First, a little mouse broke in, and now, even such a distinguished guest has graced me with her presence.”

In the center of the room, a pink-haired girl in an oversized white lab coat stood before a row of instruments, her back to Phil.

Hearing the door open, she turned around unhurriedly with a harmless smile on her face, she was the very same person who had hosted the auction on stage earlier.

Phil’s gaze instantly turned cold.

But a second later, her attention shifted past the pink-haired girl to the incubation pod behind her.

Within the transparent pod, a pale golden liquid flowed slowly. A small figure was curled up inside, eyes tightly shut…

It was Xiao Rou.

Nearby, Gu Xinglan lay on the floor. There were visible bloodstains on her body, and though her breathing was faint, she was still alive.

The Doctor followed her gaze and, as if realizing something, a look of understanding dawned on her face.

“Oh? Judging by your expression, is the one on the floor a friend of yours?”

She then raised a hand and pointed toward the incubation pod.

“Or is it her?” The Doctor blinked and said in surprise, “Surely it can’t be both?”

The Doctor continued talking to herself, a look of very sincere apology appearing on her face.

“If I really am right, then I feel quite sorry. However, my experiment cannot be stopped, so I’ll just have to ask them to endure a little hardship.”

She raised her hand and pointed lightly at herself.

“You might not know this, but I’m known as The Doctor in the underworld. I suppose you could say I’m quite a cold-hearted person.”

Watching the pink-haired girl who called herself The Doctor talking to herself, Phil’s heart actually calmed down.

When her anger reached its peak, she found she no longer wanted to shout.

She simply watched The Doctor, searching for a flaw.

Searching for a chance to kill The Doctor in an instant without harming Xiao Rou or Gu Xinglan.

The Doctor seemed completely unaware of Phil’s killing intent, or perhaps, even if she had noticed, she simply didn’t care.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she clapped her hands.

“Ah, that’s right.”

“Since you’ve been coming to find me one after another today, it seems a group of people have also arrived at the hospital I run.”

The Doctor wore a curious expression.

“Why don’t you take a look and see if they’re your companions as well?”

As she finished speaking, a screen on the wall lit up.

The footage was a bit shaky, appearing to be surveillance from some underground space.

On the screen, several members of the Special Operations Division stood with Monica. Their expressions were grave, and they all bore various degrees of injury.

Facing them were nearly a dozen low-level Mutants held by chains. Holding the leashes of those Mutants was a tall man with a terrifying, iron-cast jaw.

Phil had seen his face in the SAVE files, Rust Jaw.

But what truly made Phil’s pupils contract wasn’t Rust Jaw.

It was the other person standing beside him.

Phil could not possibly mistake that face.

Zhou Ran…?

Why?

Watching Phil’s reaction, the Doctor laughed delightedly.

“It looks like you know them.”

Ten minutes ago, in the basement of Kiang Wu Hospital.

Monica looked at the scene before her in disbelief.

Just a few minutes prior, they had thought the operation was going almost too smoothly. Zhao Chenfeng had led the team to a secret passage deep within the hospital that led underground.

At the end of the passage was a massive underground space.

Inside were abandoned hospital beds, vials containing traces of pale gold liquid, a large number of imprisoned civilians, and many failed mutants that had not been moved in time.

They had finally found the evidence. After all, this hospital was managed by the Radiant Foundation; as long as they sent this information back to W City, all the cover-ups in X City would be rendered meaningless.

However, before they could transmit the intel, an attack occurred.

Moreover, the attacker was someone no one could have expected…

Zhou Ran.

The member of Team 7 who had helped everyone carry their luggage, who had a somewhat goofy smile, and who was always brimming with energy.

He struck from behind with incredible speed.

Caught completely off guard, the long-prepared assault quickly brought them all down.

Only then did everyone finally see what Zhou Ran looked like now.

His body had swelled, the veins on his arms bulging, and something seemed to be wriggling beneath his skin. His eyes were blood-red, his teeth had grown sharp, and his entire being exuded an aura identical to that of the Mutants.

Zhao Chenfeng propped himself up with his blade and looked up with difficulty.

“Zhou Ran… why?”

Zhou Ran just stood there, expressionless. After a few seconds, he said in a low voice, “You can’t investigate any further. Forget everything here… I—I can send you back to the surface.”

Just then, however, the sound of chains dragging across the ground echoed from the darkness.

Clang.

Clang.

Rust Jaw emerged into the underground space, leading a group of low-growling, mindless Mutants.

The metal structure on his lower jaw glinted coldly in the dim light. When he spoke, his voice was as raspy as metal scraping against metal.

“Send them back?” Rust Jaw laughed. “No. Kill them.”

Zhou Ran’s expression shifted instantly.

Rust Jaw looked at him, his voice cold with command.

“Scorching Blood, I order you to kill them immediately. This isn’t an amusement park; you don’t get to come and go as you please.”

“But… I…”

Zhou Ran’s shoulders trembled slightly, and his fists clenched instinctively.

“You’d better think this through. If you don’t do as I say, then your brother…”

Zhou Ran’s breath hitched, and he closed his eyes.

For a long, long time…

When he opened them again, the pain on his face had vanished, replaced by a near-mechanical calm.

“…I understand.”

Step by step, he walked toward Zhao Chenfeng.

Zhao Chenfeng tried to stand up, but his injuries were more severe than he had imagined; his body merely swayed before he collapsed back onto his knees.

Zhou Ran stopped in front of him and looked down at him.

“Captain Zhao… I’m sorry.”

With that, he raised his fist high.

Rust Jaw watched this scene with satisfaction.

Zhao Chenfeng took a deep breath, bracing himself for the impact of the punch.

But suddenly, he froze.

He saw that Zhou Ran was crying.

Tears streamed down that nearly mutated face, mixing with sweat, making him look wretched and pathetic.

“I’m… I’m sorry…”

Zhou Ran squeezed out a smile that looked worse than weeping, his eyes shimmering with agonizing pain.

In the next second, Zhou Ran abruptly redirected his fist!

Carrying a force that seemed capable of pulverizing everything in its path, his fist smashed violently toward Rust Jaw!

Boom!

The explosion was so loud that it sent a shockwave through the eardrums of everyone present!

However, Rust Jaw merely raised a single hand and caught Zhou Ran’s fist firmly.

A violent shockwave kicked up the surrounding dust, and chains clattered loudly, but Rust Jaw stood his ground without retreating even half a step.

“I suppose this was to be expected? I knew this day would come; I even suggested the Doctor get rid of a traitor like you a long time ago.”

Rust Jaw looked at Zhou Ran, his voice devoid of surprise, carrying only mockery.

“But you really were willing to abandon your brother, weren’t you?”

Zhou Ran didn’t answer. He simply bit down until his lip bled and threw punch after punch.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The force of his punches tore through Rust Jaw’s coat, revealing the skin beneath.

No, it could no longer be called skin. Beneath the fabric, Rust Jaw’s chest and arms gleamed with a metallic luster, as if completely encased in some kind of hardened steel.

“After the failure of the last mission, the Doctor gave me another evolution.”

Rust Jaw bared his teeth in a cold, menacing grin.

“You didn’t think you were still a match for me, did you?”

With those words, he seized Zhou Ran’s wrist with one hand and squeezed hard.

Crack.

The sound of snapping bone rang out clearly.

Then, as if tossing aside a bag of trash, Rust Jaw violently hurled Zhou Ran away.

Zhou Ran smashed through a row of laboratory equipment and slammed heavily onto the floor. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his fate unknown…

Inside the laboratory.

The Doctor was watching as if she were viewing a rather interesting documentary, clicking her tongue in wonder.

“He really did betray us.”

She stroked her chin, her tone even carrying a hint of pleasant surprise.

“Based on my estimates, the probability of him ultimately betraying us didn’t exceed thirty-seven percent. But then again, not everything can be calculated, wouldn’t you agree?”

The Doctor turned to look at Phil, her brilliant gold eyes filled with interest and delight.

“That’s why humans are so interesting,” she said with a smile.

And what responded to her—

Was Phil’s towering killing intent and massive telekinetic power!

The invisible telekinesis erupted in an instant. The tables, chairs, and instruments in the laboratory all let out the piercing screech of twisting metal, as if an invisible giant hand had seized the entire room.

The walls began to shake.

The air turned stagnant.

The floor continued to crack.

And while all this was happening, Phil had already appeared before the Doctor.

“Are you done talking?”

Phil spoke her first words to the Doctor so far:

“I think trying to reason with someone like you would be monotonous and dull… Let’s just use violence instead.”