The rhythmic pitter-patter of liquid echoed from above. Leng Xianye looked up to see the grapes beginning to rupture.
The grapes in this display hall were different from those outside; every drop of their juice was several times more corrosive. The floor behind them, now riddled with pitted hollows, was a testament to that. If they delayed any longer, they would both be dissolved.
Leng Xianye felt a strange sensation. Though he hadn't known Xin Ye for long, fighting alongside him gave him a profound sense of security, as if he could trust the man with his life.
If Xin Ye said he could do it, he could.
The black sphere expanded further. Leng Xianye held his breath. "Then let’s begin."
The energy latched onto the green barrier. In an instant, a small section of the vines was devoured, leaving behind only a blurred distortion.
Without hesitation, Xin Ye lunged forward, thrusting the mirror shard into that blur.
【No one knows where the things devoured by the "Black Box" go, but I do,】 Xun Yin’s voice was gentle, as if he were describing a fairy tale. 【It is the backside of the world. There is no light there, and it cannot be defined by black or white... Before Mirror Image met you, that was where he lived.】
【The mirror shard and the Black Box’s energy are the only two keys that can open the door to that world. Now, you are using Key A to open Door B.】
【And so, that space will burst open.】
the moment the shard touched the distortion, grey matter spilled from the tip of the fragment, followed by a series of exploding sparks.
These sparks didn't harm Xin Ye, but they rapidly ignited the surrounding vines. Soon, a hole large enough for a person to pass through was burned into the wall.
Leng Xianye grabbed Xin Ye’s hand. "Go, now!"
The other three members of the team had been waiting outside, but they hadn't been idle.
Seeing Xin Ye and Leng Xianye emerge, Xing Yue immediately manifested two silk threads and looped them around their waists. "We checked just now—the vines have already crowded into the stairwell. Our only way out is to rappel down from the window."
The Ever-thread was different from the professional ropes used in training, but Xing Yue was experienced. She anchored the other end of the thread to the window frame and was the first to leap out to demonstrate. Xin Ye followed. The team had used the Ever-thread for rappelling many times before; though it had been a while, he was still quite proficient.
Leng Xianye and Tang Qiuqiu went third and fourth. Lian Muyun, who was in the best condition, brought up the rear. Since they were on the twenty-third floor, the fur on Tang Qiuqiu’s ears stood on end as he slid down clutching the silk.
The moment everyone hit the ground, they sprinted away from the building. Once they reached a safe distance, Xing Yue frowned at Xin Ye. "Your face..."
Mirror Image emerged from the shard, carrying emergency medical supplies. "Don't move. Let me wipe that juice off your face."
Only then did Xin Ye feel the stinging pain. He forced a smile, though it tugged at his skin. "It’s fine. Just a bit of scarring."
Although the charred sections of the vines didn't leak, the green vines had sprayed restorative plant juices when the Black Box devoured the core. As Xin Ye had rushed through the gap, some of the flying droplets had inevitably splashed onto him.
After his wounds were treated, Xin Ye pulled out his communicator. "I assume this counts as mission accomplished?"
Lian Muyun looked through the scope of his sniper rifle, observing the Sparrow Vines on the building's exterior. "The leaves at the tips are turning scorched yellow. According to botany class, that should mean they're done for."
"Good." Xin Ye transmitted the mission completion report back to the Seventh Branch.
The pace of the mission had been so intense that time seemed to vanish, but it was already six in the evening. Considering the distance, the team agreed not to return to the Seventh Branch immediately. Instead, they found a relatively safe abandoned residential area to set up camp.
Lian Muyun had originally suggested a low-rise building, but when Xin Ye pulled a portable tent and compressed biscuits out of the mirror shard, Lian Muyun immediately started helping him pitch the tent.
Lian Muyun, who had only brought a few bottles of water, looked at him with wide-eyed wonder. "Brother, how are you so well-prepared for everything?"
Xin Ye looked at Lian Muyun with the gaze of a weary mother looking at a foolish son. "Brother, why is your gear so pathetic?"
Following his old habits, Xin Ye had only brought two tents: a small one for Xing Yue and a larger one for the three men, with one person rotating out for night watch.
Leng Xianye took the first watch. Lian Muyun rambled to Xin Ye for a long time before finally falling asleep. Once the tent was quiet, Xin Ye closed his eyes and asked in his mind, *Are you there?*
Xun Yin replied instantly: 【When I’m not here, time is essentially paused on your end. So don't worry—whenever you look for me, I’ll be here.】
【So, have you made up your mind? Will you cooperate with me?】
Recalling the day's events, Xin Ye sighed silently. *You’re giving me a slap and then a candy.*
【That’s not how you should put it, Brother Ye. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.】
Knowing he already had his answer, Xin Ye asked one last question. *I promise this is my final doubt... I want to know, does that world where the apocalypse ended still exist? Is everyone doing well?*
Xun Yin hadn't expected this question, but he answered earnestly: 【It exists. Everyone is very happy. The "you" in that world didn't disappear either; he’s become a little layabout who enjoys life.】
Xin Ye touched the bandage on his face and curled his lips into a smile. *That’s good.*
"I agree... I’ll cooperate with you."
Xun Yin stared at the blinking cursor at the end of the sentence for a long time before replying: 【Good.】
*Then let’s end the chat here for tonight. Good ni—*
【Don't sleep yet, don't sleep, Brother Ye!】 Xun Yin began typing furiously. 【I haven't padded out today's plot yet. If you sleep, who’s going to carry the scene?】
Xin Ye: *You motherf—*
A rustling sound came from beside him. Soon, a small cat scurried over to his side. "Xin Ye-meow... Sorry, after turning into a cat, I can't seem to stop meowing-meow."
Xin Ye picked Tang Qiuqiu up and placed him on his lap. "What is it?"
The kitten’s face bore a dead-serious expression. "There are sparrows nearby-meow."
Xin Ye glanced at Lian Muyun, who was sleeping like a log. "Let's talk outside."
He carried the feline Tang Qiuqiu out of the tent. The night was silent, with cold moonlight bathing the abandoned buildings and streets. Aside from them, there wasn't a single sign of life.
"They aren't within visual range yet-meow," Tang Qiuqiu said, twitching his ears and sniffing the air. "But I’m certain they’re coming. I can smell the sourness of the grapes-meow."
Having just reached a cooperation agreement, Xin Ye decided to make full use of Xun Yin’s functions. *Are there many sparrows?*
【Not many. You and Tang Qiuqiu are more than enough to handle them.】
He decided immediately. "The sparrows are easy. Tell Leng Xianye to stay alert; let the other two keep sleeping."
Leng Xianye had chosen the rooftop of a nearby three-story building for his watch. Tang Qiuqiu shifted back into human form and went up with Xin Ye, only to find two people on the roof.
Leng Xianye and Xing Yue were sitting side by side, shoulders touching, talking about something.
Hearing footsteps, Xing Yue turned back in surprise. "It’s not time for the shift change yet. Why are you two here?"
Xin Ye already had his dagger in hand. "Qiuqiu says there are sparrows nearby. Looks like we’re working the midnight shift. Sorry for interrupting your chat."
Leng Xianye’s face remained stoic. "We weren't chatting. We were doing a summary of today's mission."
When Xun Yin typed out this line for Leng Xianye, he felt deeply wronged. The hundreds of words of dialogue he had just written were entirely about the two characters reflecting on their performance. After all, given the performance-based distribution of the day's work, if Xing Yue could still find the time to flirt with Leng Xianye, it would be completely out of character.
A cat’s intuition regarding sparrows was always precise. Almost as soon as they had readied their weapons, the sound of chirping drifted from the distance. The disorganized flock of sparrows, upon spotting the culprits who had destroyed the Sparrow Vines, immediately swerved and swarmed toward them.
As an A-rank ability, the Ever-thread had an immense range. Under Xing Yue’s conscious control, the woven net trapped every purplish-red sparrow within it, dragging them onto the rooftop.
Once the targets were caught, the cleanup was simple. However, due to the sheer numbers, Xin Ye summoned Mirror Image to help.
Watching the mixture of sparrow blood and grape juice coat the floor, Xin Ye once again realized the importance of good equipment. The soles of Tang Qiuqiu’s shoes were slightly dissolved, much to his distress. Xin Ye patted his shoulder. "It’s okay. We’ll get you better ones when we get back."
Because of their previous conversation, Xing Yue had learned about the sparrow dissections from Leng Xianye. She was braver than most girls; instead of feeling disgusted, she wanted to try dissecting a couple herself.
And that was when she found the problem.
"Didn't you say they were full of threads? Why is there metal inside these...?"
As the primary witnesses, Xin Ye and Leng Xianye immediately leaned in to confirm, dissecting a few more for comparison.
Compared to the sparrow corpses found in the skyscraper, these sparrows not only contained a small metal sphere, but their internal organs were also more vibrantly colored. If they weren't mistaken, these sparrows had died just now—killed by them.
The ever-pensive Leng Xianye immediately thought of the contract he had photographed. He pulled up the image for everyone to see. "Xin Ye and I found a contract regarding the construction of a laboratory inside that building. Could it be related to this?"
Tang Qiuqiu’s cat ears popped out again, fur bristling. "You mean... the creation of these sparrows is related to human experimentation? But there was no information about the experiment's contents in the file..."
"What are you guys—shouting about up there—"
Downstairs, Lian Muyun had finally been woken by the sparrows. His usual difficulty with waking up had delayed his exit from the tent. "Why are you having a meeting in the middle of the night—holy crap! That’s a lot of blood!"
When he ran up and saw the carpet of sparrow corpses, his face paled.
However, just as Lian Muyun was about to grab Leng Xianye to discuss the situation, he was interrupted by Xin Ye.
Perhaps it was their imagination, but Xin Ye’s voice seemed to tremble slightly. "These aren't things that ability users of our rank should be concerned with. Just take the photos and records, and we’ll report it to the branch when we get back."
"It’s about time for the shift change, right? Leng Xianye, go back and rest. I’ll take the watch."
These matters were indeed outside their jurisdiction, so they did as Xin Ye said. Only Leng Xianye lingered, looking at Xin Ye with a hesitant expression for a long time before finally heading downstairs without a word.
Once everyone was gone, Xin Ye breathed a sigh of relief. He had just been forcibly controlled by Xun Yin to say those words. He asked: *Is this a trap you set?*
The last time they completed this mission, this had never happened.
Xun Yin spun around in his swivel chair. 【Who knows? I just plant foreshadowing wherever I feel like it. Maybe I’ll forget about it later.】
*Liar. I won't forget. I took notes.*
The next day, Xin Ye’s team returned to the Seventh Branch, becoming the first team to complete their mission and return safely.
***
