Chapter 83
In the long corridor outside the ward, the fluorescent lights hummed faintly overhead. Yu Zhi walked at an unhurried pace, one hand tucked casually into his pocket while the other flicked through the system interface floating before his eyes.
He was counting his gains.
The dungeon completion reward: a tidy sum of universal coins and a blind box.
The bounty from the pollution creatures Fu Suxi had eliminated.
Fifty thousand universal coins earned by deliberately baiting Fu Suxi into using his deprivation ability.
And most satisfying of all—both of his arms had been completely restored.
Fu Suxi hadn’t managed to steal his ability. On the contrary, Yu Zhi had even managed to probe the limitations behind that deprivation power.
The more he thought about it, the clearer the conclusion became.
Profit.
Massive profit.
The corners of Yu Zhi’s mouth lifted before he even realized it. A bright, unconcealed smile spread slowly across his face, like someone savoring an especially successful gamble.
The livestream audience seemed to read his mind immediately. Comments began surging across the screen.
[User “I Have a Home” admires your petty triumph.]
[User “Strongest King” urges you to open the invitation letter immediately.]
[User “Pizza Heart” laments that your snake-like cruelty returns fully loaded.]
[User “Scarecrow’s Straw” viciously curses you: misfortune comes in pairs.]
Yu Zhi’s eyes skimmed lazily over the barrage.
His smile widened.
“Little Grass,” he said casually, his tone almost idle, “although I gained quite a lot today…”
He paused deliberately.
“I also lost something.”
The barrage paused for half a beat.
Yu Zhi’s eyes curved with amusement.
“My worries.”
[User “Scarecrow’s Straw” curses you hysterically and rage-quits the stream.]
Inside the elevator, the metallic doors slid shut with a soft thud.
After speaking briefly with Lu Liming and encountering Doctor Qi downstairs, Yu Zhi headed straight for the therapy floor.
The elevator hummed quietly as it rose.
Doctor Qi walked beside him and asked in a calm, professional tone, “Do you prefer conversational therapy or independent meditation?”
“Conversational,” Yu Zhi answered without hesitation.
A moment later, he was guided into a therapy room.
The space had been carefully arranged to feel warm and non-threatening. Soft sunlight streamed in through tall windows, falling across pale wooden floors and comfortable chairs. The air carried the faint fragrance of flowers mixed with the subtle warmth of sunlit dust drifting lazily through the light.
The moment Yu Zhi stepped inside, the tension in his shoulders eased slightly.
The therapist waiting for him looked to be in his early thirties. He wore casual clothes rather than a lab coat, giving him the air of an approachable older neighbor rather than a clinical professional.
“Mr. Yu,” the therapist said with a polite smile, gesturing toward the chair opposite him. “Please, have a seat.”
Yu Zhi sat down.
The therapist folded his hands lightly and spoke in a gentle voice.
“Would you like to talk about what happened in the pollution zone today?”
Yu Zhi shook his head.
“I’d rather talk about something else.”
“Of course.”
The therapist remained relaxed. In the bureau, Yu Zhi was well-known—not only for his combat capabilities, but also for the rumors surrounding his complicated relationships and unpredictable temperament. It wouldn’t have surprised him if Yu Zhi wanted to discuss workplace pressure or personal entanglements.
Instead, Yu Zhi asked calmly,
“What is the system?”
The therapist blinked.
“I’m sorry?”
“The system,” Yu Zhi repeated clearly. “The livestream. The barrage. What are they?”
For a brief moment, the room fell silent.
The therapist’s expression froze before he forced it back into composure.
“…That remains an unsolved mystery,” he finally said.
Yu Zhi tilted his head slightly, studying him.
“Then more specifically—what has the system helped the Operations Bureau accomplish?”
The silence this time lasted longer.
The therapist shifted slightly in his seat.
“I… don’t have clearance for that information,” he said after a pause. “My responsibility here is only mental regulation.”
Yu Zhi hummed quietly.
“Are all therapists ability users?”
“Yes,” the therapist replied. “Mental-type abilities.”
Yu Zhi lowered his gaze to the teacup resting between his fingers. The steam curled slowly upward.
“What are abilities?” he asked.
The therapist nearly lost his composure.
Ninety minutes later, Yu Zhi stepped out of the therapy room.
During that time, he had been given a broad overview of the bureau’s history.
Sixteen years since its establishment.
Three major branches.
The combat department serving as its central pillar.
Pollution incidents rising and falling in waves over the years.
Everything sounded orderly. Logical. Complete.
Yet several things were conspicuously absent.
No mention of artificial pollution sources.
No mention of biotechnology corporations.
No hint of the truth Yu Zhi already knew.
Chen Tingting and Jiang Shengnan had both become pollution sources before the apocalypse.
Both incidents occurred in S City.
Both right under the nose of the Operations Bureau.
And yet—No one here seemed to know anything.
Either they were lying.
Or they truly had no idea.
Neither possibility was comforting.
Both were terrifying.
Yu Zhi returned to his room.
The door closed softly behind him. The space was quiet.
After making sure Fu Suxi wasn’t around, he headed toward the bathroom to shower.
Just as he reached for the faucet, a system notification appeared.
[The following content may involve personal privacy. Continue livestream?]
The barrage instantly exploded with excitement.
Yu Zhi didn’t even glance at it.
“Close it.”
[Closing livestream…]
The floating icon shifted.
“Live” quietly turned to “Offline.”
Yu Zhi set his clean clothes aside, then sat down on the closed toilet lid. With a slow breath, he opened his inventory.
It wasn’t that he had forgotten about the invitation letter.
He simply didn’t want the viewers seeing it yet.
His gaze settled on the item.
Item: A mysterious invitation letter.
Function: Mysterious and invitational.
Description:
Hello? It’s me. The invitation.
Can you see me? I said I’m the invitation.
Why aren’t you responding? I am the invitation!
“….”
Yu Zhi stared at the description for a moment before silently taking the item out.
A pure white envelope appeared in his hand.
It was sealed with wax.
Red and black wax formed an intricate emblem—an eye.
The sclera was blood-red.
The pupil was a deep crimson that bordered on black.
Thin, vein-like patterns threaded through the wax in delicate detail, so vivid that it almost looked alive.
Like a freshly severed eyeball pressed directly into the seal.
Yu Zhi frowned faintly.
He broke the wax.
Inside the envelope was a single sheet of paper.
He unfolded it.
The moment his eyes landed on the bold black sentence written across the page—His pupils contracted sharply.
Do you want to escape the missions?
The bathroom seemed to fall completely still.
Yu Zhi stared at the line of text.
Escape. Not complete.
Not win. Escape.
For the first time since the apocalypse began, something colder than danger brushed lightly across the back of his neck.
Because that sentence—Meant someone knew he had never chosen this.
