Chapter Ninety-Six: One Third of the Truth

“What did you find?” In Room 8, hearing Su Mang’s voice, Fang Tang hurried over.

Su Mang was crouched in front of a cabinet, sifting through documents, while Xie Ling and Liu Xu were also searching intently.

“We’ve discovered the identity of the Fallen One on the fourth floor,” Xie Ling announced excitedly, handing a report to Fang Tang.

“Who is it?”

“Niu Ben,” Su Mang replied, standing and stretching, her graceful form faintly outlined.

“Niu Ben and Zhao Mingyu colluded together, deceiving both superiors and subordinates. Zhou Bukou wanted to expose their crimes to Li Cheng, and when Niu Ben and Zhao Mingyu realized the threat, they decided to silence Zhou Bukou.

One night, as Zhou Bukou was inspecting the experimental subjects, he vanished without a trace. Each of the two suspects thought the other had acted, but they tacitly agreed to tell Li Cheng that Zhou Bukou had run away.

But what they didn’t expect was that Zhou Bukou had been taken into the mirror world by Chu Chu, who had not yet fully turned evil. One night, Zhou Bukou returned from the mirror world and told Li Cheng and Tang Yu everything.

Head Nurse Cui Qian, eavesdropping outside, hurried to inform Niu Ben and Zhao Mingyu.

The two, upon hearing the news, panicked. Knowing how formidable Li Cheng and Tang Yu were, Zhao Mingyu used his sequence talent to escape, while Niu Ben set the building ablaze, hoping to destroy the evidence.

The fire raged. Li Cheng and Tang Yu were powerless to stop it. Niu Ben perished in the flames.”

As Su Mang speculated, she handed the documents to Xu Lin and Ta Meng, who had just entered.

Fang Tang noticed that most of the information was miscellaneous notes and illustrations, lacking any direct evidence.

“You deduced all this from just these documents?”

Su Mang smiled and nodded. “Before I came to the Underworld, I was a psychology graduate, a behavioral crime analyst. As long as these pieces are brought together, the truth can be reconstructed…”

She paused, then continued, “But a deduction is only a deduction. The real reason remains unknown. What is certain, though, is that this room was the source of the fire.”

Fang Tang hadn’t expected Su Mang to be so capable, and a sense of admiration rose within him—for Liu Yiran, in particular.

To find such talent—what a remarkable captain!

[I really like this beautiful woman… Could you tell her I love her? Thanks, old pal!]

[My esteemed Eye has to praise this big sister; with only these clues, she’s deduced a third of the truth. She’s truly outstanding—you should learn from her.

But what you see is only the surface, and even that is only what others allow you to see. The fourth floor holds no further value. Prepare yourselves for the final trial.]

The Eye’s sudden message left Fang Tang full of confusion.

What does that mean?

Is there more hidden in this building?

Before Fang Tang could figure it out, the faces of those in the room changed dramatically.

Fang Tang’s figure flickered, and he instantly appeared in the hallway.

At the far end, from Room 2, a large figure emerged.

The body was charred black, the cracked skin still flickering with embers.

[Honestly, none of the Fallen in this building deserve sympathy—not even the experimental subjects.

The most evil of all stands before you now, as that woman deduced: this Fallen is Niu Ben. In life, his sequence talent was Iron Guardian—the same as yours.

Fifth-level Fallen. Rare mutation: Full-body Carbonization, Iron Severing. Perfect mutation: Endless Vengeance.]

“A fifth-level Fallen!” Xu Lin’s expression turned grave as he drew two short blades from his belt.

Ta Meng strode forward, standing between the group and the Fallen.

Fang Tang patted Ta Meng’s arm. “You can’t stop him. I have Iron Guardian—I’ll handle this.”

“You?” Ta Meng looked doubtful.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Fang Tang; it was just that Fang Tang was only a third-level evolver, and facing a fifth-level Fallen, he’d likely be crushed.

“Let him go,” Liu Yiran said, approaching, breathing heavily, his steps unsteady.

Using sequence talents took its toll—one always paid with their attributes.

If Fang Tang and the others hadn’t solved the mystery of the fourth floor, Liu Yiran might have been exhausted to death by endless waves of the Fallen.

Fang Tang nodded. Drawing the Great Xia Dragonfinch, he clad himself in molten armor and vanished from sight.

Watching the shadow fade, Xu Lin clicked his tongue. “Extreme Shadow, Iron Guardian—both are high-level sequence talents. How does a third-level evolver possess so many sequences?”

“The Underworld Store,” Liu Yiran replied with a smile, accepting the chair Su Mang offered.

“?”

Xu Lin, Ta Meng, and Su Mang exchanged glances, a trace of distaste in their eyes.

Su Mang sighed softly. “With a teammate this good, why buy sequences at the Underworld Store? Within the Gate of Evolution, there’s a chance to unlock new ones.”

“Heh.” Liu Yiran chuckled lightly. “All our sequences were purchased from the Guardian Corps. They’re not much different from those in the Underworld Store. There’s no need for you to be like this.”

“In essence, it’s the same, but… never mind.” Xu Lin seemed about to say more, then shook his head in frustration.

Xie Ling and Liu Xu listened, puzzled.

“Is there something wrong with the sequences from the Underworld Store?” Xie Ling asked, curious.

Su Mang hugged her, ruffling her hair with a smile. “You’ll understand in time. Just remember: don’t buy sequences from the Underworld Store again. If you need something, ask the captain to see what the Guardian Corps have.”

“Oh!” Xie Ling nodded, half understanding.

Liu Xu asked, “How do you buy sequences from the Guardian Corps?”

“Points… After this area is explored, the Explorers’ Headquarters will give you a commission. You use money to buy points from the Guardian Corps,” Liu Yiran explained, eyes never leaving Fang Tang, an intense light flashing in his narrowed gaze.

Xu Lin watched Fang Tang as well, looking surprised.

“His combat instincts are incredible!”

Ta Meng scratched his head, puzzled. “How can you tell?”

Xu Lin didn’t answer, but turned to Liu Yiran.

A satisfied smile played on Liu Yiran’s lips. “It’s not just battle instinct—it’s adaptability. Third-level against fifth-level, even with advanced sequences, you can’t bridge the gap easily.

When he first engaged the Fallen, his responses were clumsy, barely able to cope.

But in just this short time, he’s adapted to the Fallen’s attacks and is now searching for openings to strike a fatal blow.”

“So you’re quite pleased with this new teammate,” Su Mang remarked, folding her arms, one hand supporting her chin, eyes thoughtful as she studied Liu Yiran. “Is that why you brought a newcomer into a moderately twisted zone?”

“How else to know if he’s worthy of our team?” Liu Yiran made no secret of his intent, speaking openly even in front of Xie Ling and Liu Xu.

At last, he sighed deeply, his smile turning cold.

“In the last operation, our squad lost four members. I don’t ever want that to happen again.”