Mr. Zhongli, we can't slack off anymore!

Before the traveler arrived, there was a brief interlude, a glimmer of hope, when Sysos was first injected with that disorienting and disruptive drug and thrown into this dark cell like a bag of garbage.

It was during a time when he was in a daze, suffering, and almost completely sinking into despair, that a scholar of the biophilosophy, who was also wearing a white coat but whose temperament was completely different from those fanatics, sneaked in under the pretext of patrolling or checking.

The man moved hastily, his eyes filled with long-suppressed fear and a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve. He quickly injected the dying Sysos with a clear-colored antidote and urgently asked him in his ear if he was sent by the disciplinary officer.

According to the scholar's intermittent account, he was originally a top scholar in the biological theory school who was highly accomplished and focused on the study of snake toxicology. However, during an academic exchange, he was deceived by his colleagues under the pretext of "conducting groundbreaking research together," and from then on, he embarked on a path of no return.

He was forced to leave the Confession House and wandered between deserts and rainforests. What he saw was either cold experimental data and unethical operations, or the panic of evading the pursuit of disciplinary officials.

He had long been fed up with this life of constant anxiety and torment of his conscience, and deep down he longed to get back on track.

However, he dared not escape alone. Because all the scholars who had previously attempted to flee had been caught and brought back, and their fate… was to become the most cruel…

The most inhumane live experimental subjects, like those twisted "rat people" outside the door, or like what he later encountered.

When Cethos, the "suspected disciplinary agent spy," was thrown in, he saw hope—an opportunity to expose the madness and evil here and bring outside rescue.

He helped Sysos stabilize his condition temporarily and regain some of his senses. He eagerly told Sysos as much as possible about the fanatical experiments being conducted in the stronghold under the guise of "evolution" and "transcendence," as well as the absurd theories and cruel methods behind them, and begged him to take the message out and deliver it to the disciplinary officer.

Unfortunately, their secret contact and escape plan were eventually discovered. A fanatical colleague, equally immersed in the "great cause," betrayed him, revealing his wavering and intentions to the core planners of the stronghold.

As punishment, and also as a means of "making use of waste" and "deterring others," this scholar, who originally only sought academic breakthroughs but went astray, was pushed onto the experimental table by his former colleagues.

They used forbidden technology to transform him into a twisted monster, half-human and half-snake with limbs that turned into a snake's tail—a creature he had once studied all his life, which had now become a nightmare form he could not escape.

……

“He also told me,” Sysos’s voice sounded heavy in the dim light as he glanced at the snake-tailed body lying in the doorway, its fate unknown, “that he was different from those completely mad scholars. His initial desire was truly just to seek academic breakthroughs. He said… his junior in the Council of the Church, Ranger Tinari, could testify to his character and academic aspirations. Before he disappeared, he had even collaborated with Tinari on certain projects.”

Should Tinari vouch for him? That would be a very reasonable request. Tinari was highly regarded within the Biological School and the Forest Ranger system, and his testimony carried considerable weight.

"Yes, I know him." The traveler nodded. Indeed, in her previous reincarnations, she had heard that a highly respected scholar from the Order of the Order, specializing in snake venom serum preparation, had suddenly disappeared, seemingly causing a minor stir. It seemed that this was most likely the man before her. She just hadn't expected that their reunion would be under these circumstances.

"Huh? You don't... know Tinari too, do you?" Sesos turned to look at the traveler with some surprise.

This "merchant" lady from Liyue seems to have a surprisingly wide network of connections.

"Yes, we met. We met during... a time loop." The traveler continued her increasingly "skilled" lie without changing her expression: "Perhaps because I was one of the 'heroes' who resolved that time loop incident, the relevant memories were specially preserved."

"The time loop... did you solve it?" Sesos's eyes widened, and his gaze toward the traveler held not only surprise but also a deep sense of inquiry and admiration: "So Miss Lu Ren is much more capable than I imagined... It seems I'll have to start calling you 'Boss' from now on."

He spoke half-jokingly and half-seriously, then, with a hint of curiosity, lowered his voice and asked mysteriously, "So...did you know me in the cycle of time?"

"No," the traveler replied succinctly and definitively, ending his slightly expectant hypothesis. She turned her gaze back to the serpent-tailed scholar on the ground and asked, "Is he...dead?"

Snakes are very good at playing dead.

“He’s not dead yet.” Sesos shook his head, his tone complicated. “At least he was alive before I lost consciousness. He vaguely said that he was still adjusting to the modifications and accidentally… licked his newly grown fangs, and was knocked unconscious by the residual venom. But, given his current condition and the lack of any treatment, he’s probably… not far from death.”

The physiological disorders, toxic effects, and harsh environment resulting from the modification are all potentially fatal.

He was knocked unconscious by his own venom?

The traveler's lips twitched slightly.

This is truly... a bit too "careless." It seems that even top scholars would be at a loss when faced with such a forced physical mutation.

She crouched down and examined it more closely. Although its limbs had been transformed into a snake's tail, the main structure of its torso and head still retained human characteristics. Its breathing was extremely weak, and its pulse was almost imperceptible, but there was indeed a flicker of life.

“Hmm… the main body is still a person, so it should… be repairable.” The traveler made a preliminary assessment, his tone as if he were evaluating a damaged piece of equipment: “But now is not the time. Let’s deal with that ‘monster’ at the end of the corridor first, make sure the environment is safe, and then think of a way to save him.”

She decided to temporarily "place" the unfortunate scholar here and prioritize more pressing and threatening targets.

“Repair?” Upon hearing this, Cysos’s expression turned somewhat strange. He scratched his head, seemingly unable to associate the word “repair” with a living person who had been transformed into a half-human, half-snake and was on the verge of death.

This "boss's" choice of words and way of thinking are indeed beyond the reach of ordinary people.

*

Without further delay, the two, guided by Cysos and supported by the traveler, stepped once again into the deep corridor filled with the sounds of frantic collisions and roars.

The sounds kept coming from behind the iron gates on both sides, pounding on the eardrums and testing the resilience of the nerves.

In reality, the corridor is not as long and endless as it appears. This is a visual illusion created by scholars of the "Ingenious Theory" using optical principles and special building materials, intended to exert psychological pressure on intruders or prisoners, while also allowing for the placement of more "rooms" within a limited space.

The real end is not far away.

Sure enough, after walking for a short while, the passage that seemed to stretch on endlessly came to an abrupt end.

At the end of the corridor stood a door that was completely different from the surroundings. It looked more like a huge, solid mirror embedded in the rock wall, with a heavy metal frame around its edges. The mirror reflected the flickering light and shadows in the corridor and the blurry figures of the two people in the dim light.

The traveler released Cethos's hand, stepped forward, and carefully reached out to touch the metal protrusion next to the cold mirror that resembled a doorknob.

Just as her fingertips were about to touch...

boom!

A muffled, loud bang suddenly came from inside the "mirror door".

It was more like some incredibly heavy behemoth that slammed violently into the door!

The immense impact caused the heavy mirrored door panel to vibrate violently, and countless radial cracks instantly appeared on the mirror surface, like ice flowers blooming in an instant, with a continuous series of fine "crackling" sounds.

There's really no need to guess what's inside.

Soon, a dark red, viscous liquid began to seep out from the edge of the door frame, meandering down the door panel and pooling on the cold ground, where it continued to expand.

The fresh smell of blood immediately overwhelmed the stale odor that had been lingering in the corridor.

"Be careful." Sesos withdrew his arm from the traveler's shoulder for support and barely managed to stand firm. "It's inside."

The traveler's heart skipped a beat at the sudden, violent, and bloody "welcome ceremony."

She took a deep breath to calm herself, and without hesitation, she activated her rock elemental power twice in succession. The pale golden shield around her flashed continuously, becoming more solid and thick, almost turning into a translucent amber crystal that tightly enveloped her.

Now... the shield should be thick enough.

She silently calculated in her mind, as long as it wasn't Zhongli who rushed out... everything should be fine, right?

Cysus thoughtfully took on the arduous task of opening this dangerous door, grasping the twisted metal handle and slowly pulling it outwards.

The door hinges emitted a labored groan.

As the gap in the door widened, the broken mirror on the door panel also moved, and the "things" that had adhered to the inside of the mirror due to the impact slowly slid down...

It was a body that was no longer human, like a "human pancake" flattened by a tremendous force, its flesh, bones, and clothing completely mixed together, pressed tightly against the inside of the door. As the door was pulled open, this gruesome corpse lost its support, slid softly and with a sticky sound off the door, and landed with a "plop" in the pool of blood at the doorway. Its original shape was almost unrecognizable, with only some fragments of cloth and twisted limb outlines reminding one that this was once a human being.

Sesos's gaze fell on the gruesome corpse. He squinted, trying to make out a few pieces of dark fabric that were still recognizable as original from the blood and gore—they seemed to be fragments of a high-ranking scholar's robe.

His face showed no fear or disgust. Instead, after a very brief silence, he spoke to the traveler in a low voice, almost with a dark sense of humor: "At least... there's some 'good news.' Seno, it seems we don't need to waste any more effort interrogating the 'mastermind' here. Probably..." His gaze followed the widening crack in the door, warily sweeping over the dark space behind it, filled with a heavy atmosphere of blood and violence. His voice gradually lowered, carrying a complex mix of understanding and gravity:

"The entire criminal gang doesn't even need to be interrogated, right?"