By the time Mu Ran emerged from Xu Qing’s office, evening had already fallen.
Following an evaluation by a professional doctor and a battery of instrumental tests, the youth’s inherent harmlessness was confirmed. Zou Yicheng, who had been standing guard the entire time, finally lowered his guard. He stepped into a corner to send off a few messages before returning to Mu Ran’s side.
"Are you hungry? I’ll take you to get something to eat first."
Mu Ran’s eyes lit up instantly. "Are we going to see him now?"
The reason for his excitement was that the trajectory of this experiment had been utterly baffling. However, reaching this stage meant they had finally returned to a familiar procedure. Generally speaking, once things reached this point—no matter how long they had been delayed—the experiment was nearing its conclusion.
*The next step must be taking me to see the System one last time. We’ll just exchange a few words, and that’ll be it!*
Thinking of this, Mu Ran suppressed his joy and spoke earnestly to Zou Yicheng, who was patiently awaiting his reply. "No need. Just take me to him directly."
To his surprise, Zou Yicheng merely chuckled and patted his head, saying warmly, "You’ll be staying here for the next few days. Spend some time with Dr. Xu." *Once Dr. Xu has helped fade your psychological trauma, we can find a new guardian to look after you.*
Of course, he didn't voice the second half of that thought; after all, everything required a step-by-step approach.
He saw the youth’s eyes widen in an instant, round and clear like a cat’s, as he looked up with a gaze filled with deep confusion.
"Then... I don't need to go see him?"
"Of course not. All you need to do now is get some good rest here."
Zou Yicheng gave the youth a gentle smile and turned to leave, intending to pack some food and bring it back for him.
Suddenly, his sleeve was gripped with surprising force. He heard the youth’s voice, faint and trembling.
"Is it... already over?"
*He really is just a child,* Zou Yicheng thought. *Even though he’s been maintaining such a calm and well-behaved front, the psychological pressure must have been immense.*
"Yes. Rest well."
*Now that he’s certain the nightmare is over, he finally can’t hold it back anymore.*
With this thought, Zou Yicheng placed his hand over the youth’s hand that was clutching his hem, giving it a gentle, encouraging pat.
That hand slowly slid away as if losing all its strength. Zou Yicheng gave a slight nod toward the rotating miniature camera by the door and then stepped out.
Left standing there, Mu Ran stared blankly at his own hand, his mind in utter turmoil.
*What? Over?*
*No, then why hasn't the experiment stopped?*
*The System is locked up and I’ve been settled in—in your eyes, shouldn't this matter be finished?*
Mu Ran immediately contacted the System to report his situation, sending three consecutive "panda head" emojis to express his sheer bewilderment.
At Xu Qing’s invitation, Mu Ran returned to the sofa in the small room and sat down. The projection in the room had even been switched to a lighthearted entertainment program.
Fortunately, Xu Qing left and closed the door after delivering some fruit; otherwise, Mu Ran felt he truly wouldn't be able to keep up the act.
During his anxious wait, Mu Ran finally received a call request from the System ten minutes later.
"It seems we have encountered the legendary 'Protagonist Group,'" the System said, getting straight to the point as soon as the call connected.
The Protagonist Group was the last thing those conducting experiments across time and space wanted to encounter. Protagonists often possessed the ability to ignore interference. Words that were meant to be heard only by selected bystanders during the experiment would reach their ears without any of the intended hallucinatory effects.
The most terrifying part was that while ordinary bystanders wouldn't delve into the root causes behind an experiment—for instance, in a script like this, an average person would think the matter "over" after taking them to the police station and finishing a statement—the experiment would then be judged as complete. Once an experiment ended, those memories would gradually fade.
However, due to their unique settings, Protagonist Groups tended to over-analyze and connect dots that weren't there. Consequently, even if a matter seemed resolved to a normal person, in their eyes, it was merely the tip of the iceberg of some grand conspiracy. Once an experiment began, it could not be forcibly terminated unless one was willing to admit the mission was a failure.
"A high-tier world actually has things like Protagonist Groups? I guess a promotion really isn't that easy to get..." Mu Ran was shocked.
"The advice from the seniors is to quickly identify the points they are suspicious of and perform a reasonably logical explanation for those doubts." The System ignored the emotionally charged interjections in the records, sharing the information he had gathered word for word with Mu Ran.
"The points they are suspicious of...?" Mu Ran fell into deep thought.
"In all likelihood, we need to gather intelligence and perform an improvised scene," the System said.
*Dammit, those dozens of bystanders before didn't suspect a thing. You protagonists, what is there to be so suspicious about!* Mu Ran’s mood was complicated.
*I just hope they aren't imagining something too outrageous.*
***
Seven or eight team members had already gathered in the meeting room.
"Captain Zuo, what’s your take on the person you brought in?"
Zuo Xiu was slumped listlessly in his chair, his head tilted all the way back in relaxation, his fingers resting on the armrests curling involuntarily.
Anyone looking at him could tell he had overused his abilities again. They couldn't help but be surprised. "No way... that guy actually managed to tire Captain Zuo out this much? What, is he one of those people on the wanted list from the neighboring city?"
"No, a fresh face."
If it weren't for that, he wouldn't have thought this was just a simple case of overtime and let his guard down after subduing the man. Zuo Xiu gritted his teeth inwardly, opened his eyes, and looked toward the technical analyst, Guang Rui, who was buried in data across from him. "Did the scene survey find any residual ability traces?"
Guang Rui lifted his rather pale face; his overly long hair looked messy, as if it hadn't been groomed in a long time. He was currently frowning as he analyzed the data sent from the scene. Hearing the captain’s question, he immediately pulled up several charts and projected them into the air.
"None. We only collected Captain Zuo’s psionic energy and Sister Bai’s at the scene. Based on the currently known information, no other energy existed at the site."
"Uh... Brother Rui means there was no energy that we can *currently* detect." Out of some private thought, an assistant nearby added in a low voice.
Guang Rui glanced at him and rebuked him quietly, "Even the instruments created by Director Bai didn't detect anything. What other energy could there be? Don't keep projecting your own fantasies into reality."
The assistant didn't argue, simply nodding and retreating silently into the corner.
"It looks like the Records Department is going to have a massive headache then." Zuo Xiu watched this minor squabble without offering an opinion, merely nodding toward Guang Rui. "Go take a look at the footage from the scene first."
When the two returned, Guang Rui’s attitude had done a complete 180-degree turn.
"Captain! Can I go see that man right now?"
Sitting to the side, Zuo Xiu smirked. "Yo, don't you feel like you've been slapped in the face?"
"Tch, being convinced by facts isn't a slap in the face. It’s not like some flamboyant third-rate novel." Guang Rui pushed past Liang Guang to join the discussion group, impatient to share the details he had discovered.
The smile on Liang Guang’s face faded naturally.
He stood in the corner, maintaining his usual silence amidst the group’s discussion.
After all...
His fingers twitched slightly.
He was the only ordinary human here.
***
"Do you all think this person was caught on purpose?" Zuo Xiu asked, his eyes half-lidded as he recalled every detail of the scene.
"Hard to say, but I feel he should have had the ability to escape at the time," Bai Yu was the first to answer, and others began to offer their own thoughts.
"True, especially with those kinds of methods..."
"Didn't Sister Bai and Captain Zuo go to interrogate him together? With the two of them cooperating, is there still intel they can't pry out?"
"Don't even mention it. That guy refuses to answer any question directly; he doesn't react to the questions at all! What’s even scarier is that he actually managed to pry some information out of *us* instead!"
"...Good grief, just how resilient is this man’s mind?"
"So for now, no one is allowed to see him alone. We can't get any intel out of him for the time being, so we can only leave him there for a few days and see."
Bai Yu stepped in to end the tangent at the right time. "Alright, alright, don't get sidetracked. What are we actually discussing here?"
"Ahem, my guess is... could he have been wary of the child Sister Bai was looking after at the time?"
"But the Lab just sent over the results. Those two aren't blood-related."
Bai Yu was somewhat surprised. "No blood relation?"
Thinking back to the things the young man had said while "teaching" the youth, Bai Yu suddenly spotted a blind spot.
*If that’s the case, what was all that talk about 'bloodlines' the young man kept mentioning?*
Bai Yu hurried to share this point with those around her.
What no one noticed was that when Bai Yu uttered the word "bloodline," someone’s breath hitched for a split second.
*Could it be... the things mentioned in that book are true?*
***
In the early hours of the morning.
The System was awakened by a low whisper transmitted into his ear.
His eyes opened lazily, without a trace of sleepiness or confusion in their depths.
"Hello, sir. I wish to know certain things."
The voice used a voice changer, and the person behind it was trembling slightly. The System quickly made an assessment and was about to answer when he was met with a nervous interruption from the other side.
"Sorry, I can't guarantee whether you are being monitored right now, so I hope you will just give simple responses."
"If... if your answers satisfy me, I might be able to help you leave this place." The words, hesitant at first, grew steadily firmer as the speaker’s intent deepened.
As if intrigued, the System propped himself up slightly. The bands on his limbs emitted a blue light as they shifted with his movement.
"Mm, alright." His voice was somewhat raspy from the long period without water, yet it carried a calm indifference, as if everything were within his grasp.
For a moment, the person on the other end thought the current situation had been calculated by the young man, before shaking off the suspicion with a shiver.
*If that were true... encountering Captain Zuo, showing a weakness, guiding everyone’s analysis, and then waiting for me to take the bait... what kind of intelligence gathering and psychological manipulation would it take to achieve such a sequence of events?*
*No, it must be a coincidence. Just a coincidence.*
*This is... my opportunity.*
The other side fell silent for a moment, but the System was in no hurry to urge them.
It was the perfect time for the System to contact Mu Ran.
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
主角团 | Protagonist Group | A common trope in system/transmigration novels referring to the main characters of a world who possess "plot armor" or special insight.
灵能 | Psionic Energy | The supernatural or psychic power used by characters in this futuristic setting.
熊猫头 | Panda Head | A popular Chinese internet meme featuring a realistic panda face on a line-drawing body, often used as chat stickers to express various emotions.
凡人 | Ordinary Human | Refers to a person without supernatural powers (psionic energy) in a world where such powers exist.
机遇 | Opportunity | Often used in a "fated" or "lucky break" sense, similar to a "fortuitous encounter" in cultivation novels.
血脉 | Bloodline | Refers to hereditary power or lineage; the System used this as a fake explanation for Mu Ran's status.
