Not even a hint of relaxed vigilance at the sight of a familiar face; what immediately appeared in the office were Mutated Bullets blasting out from the gun barrel!

The explosion roared, even drowning out the wailing from the corridor.

The bullet cut through the air, Mercury Seal disengaged, and within this ten-step radius, the Aggregated Mutant substance drew a fleeting straight line before shattering against an invisible barrier, rapidly dispersing but failing to contaminate—as if absorbed by something unseen, vanishing without a trace.

Blocked!

Ji Jue frowned—this was the downside of Mutated Bullets, their nature far too unstable. Once the primer ignited upon impact, they would rapidly activate, easily dissipating beyond ten steps, causing no harm. And being essentially ash, they lacked penetration, even bulletproof vests could stop them.

Still, it was his own limited level, unable to stabilize the property to not be ignited by the primer but to quickly trigger and spread once it entered the human body.

At that moment, seeing Ji Jue shoot without hesitation, the suddenly appearing figure screamed, instinctively crouching with arms over their head, their cries even louder than the gunshot.

It pained Ji Jue's ears.

But that equipment did look somewhat familiar...

"Ah, help!" Tong Hua cried out, hugging her head, "It's really me, it's me!"

Seeing that the other party made no other move, a trace of surprise crossed Ji Jue's mind as he stepped forward, crossing the barrier, and pressed the gun against her forehead, firing off questions like a machine gun, "What is Wen Sister's full name?"

"Wen Wen!" Tong Hua blurted out without hesitation.

"Age?"

"26 years old."

"Thre...*cough* third question, who am I?"

"Ji Jue, male, 19 years old, Mechanical Engineering College of Tianmen University, teacher is Master Ye Xian of Tide Sound Workshop, senior sister is Ah Chun..."

"What's in Tong Ting's pocket?"

"All the dried fruits I bought!" Tong Hua cried out, whether from anger or fear.

Seeing the tearful woman before him answer all questions accurately, Ji Jue was taken aback, his eyes widening—Darn, could it really be her?

Had he almost blown the naïve miss of the Tong family's head off? If word got out, and if the Tong family found out...

Should he silence her?

Ji Jue's thoughts raced—I'm the only one who knows. Moreover, here in Time Ruins, as long as the body was disposed of cleanly, no one would be able to find out, and he could just claim he never saw her once outside.

Seemingly sensing the growing danger in Ji Jue's eyes, Tong Hua clutched his legs, weeping bitterly, "Brother Ji Jue, don't kill me, you know me, I respect you the most, I can also make offerings to you! From now on, all my pocket money each month, I'll give to you, wuu wuu wuu, the company bank card PIN is 865..."

Before she could finish, her mouth was clamped shut by Ji Jue.

"Enough, stop freaking speaking."

The last bit of skepticism in his heart finally eased—no one else was there, she was as pathetic as Tong Hua herself.

But Tong Hua grew more panicked, staring at him, "I've given you the money, you wouldn't be after my body, right?"

During the prolonged silence, Ji Jue put away his gun helplessly, sighing deeply.

"Sister, mind checking yourself in the mirror?"

Ji Jue pulled her in front of the bathroom mirror, pointing to the reflection and asked solemnly, "Do I look better than that? Why are you always thinking of taking advantage of others?"

Heh, what a joke she was, absolutely ridiculous!

Fortunately, the water in Time Ruins still worked; at the very least, Ji Jue had checked and determined that it wouldn't cause adverse effects after use.

After Tong Hua finally washed up and composed herself, he sighed and asked the most important question, "Why didn't you show up at first?"

They all knew each other well enough—guarding against others was one thing, but it didn't make sense that she had followed behind for so long without even a hint, right?

"No, big brother, it's not..."

Tong Hua was at a loss, staring blankly at him, hesitating numerous times to speak.

Deep down, she wanted to ask—

"Do you really not realize how scary you look right now?"

"Ah?"

Ji Jue was puzzled, instinctively reaching for his phone and upon not finding it, turned to the mirror.

"Everything seems normal, right?"

In Tong Hua's eyes, that figure shrouded in crimson Fierce Flame, like a skeleton amidst fire, pinched its chin and looked perplexed in the mirror, "What's wrong?"

No need for the ether eye to observe.

At this very moment, with her own bare eyes, Tong Hua could glimpse the horrifying essence nearly bursting forth beneath that tranquil spirit.

It was like a permanent flame left in the soul from the past Inferno Tide disaster.

A mark that could not be erased.

Right now, on Ji Jue's body, the appearance of an ordinary man and a ferocious shape alternated and entwined. Stimulated by the Mutant energies of Time Ruins, countless spark-like lights ascended from within his spirit.

And beneath his feet, the crimson shadow shifted with his movements, extending and retracting uncertainly as if vague figures were struggling out of Hell, reaching out.

Desperate wails.

Okay, no need to speak, you're about to show your true form, right?!

At this moment, without her saying, Ji Jue could also feel that his spiritual essence had been overly active since he entered Time Ruins, as if he had entered a favorable environment, bursting with growth.

But soon, when Ji Jue consciously gathered his spiritual essence, with Spirit First blessing in operation, he returned to stability; all the flesh and spirit on his body came back under control, no longer exuding a frivolous, maniac presence.

And in Tong Hua's eyes, all anomalies had also completely disappeared.

She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Then it suddenly dawned on her...

"Hold on!"

Her eyes widened, accusing angrily, "You shot at me right when we met, were you really trying to kill me?"

Tsk...

That's why I hate sharp-witted brats.

"No way!"

Ji Jue turned around, smiling warmly, "Don't I know you have defensive equipment on you? We used it when we fought the Mutated crowd. I remember it clearly!"

"Really?" Tong Hua was skeptical.

"Really."

Ji Jue nodded, his smile sincere, "I'm just afraid someone might impersonate you, after all, you have to be extra cautious in the Time Ruins. You know I value friends the most. I wouldn't accidentally kill you just to test you, right?"

"…That's true."

Tong Hua nodded in realization, wanting to ask more, but Ji Jue changed the subject: "I've finished my exploration here. Have you found anything?"

In a way, the Time Ruins were like the Melting Furnace, more like a hodgepodge of ministers and servants, a contradiction of existence pieced together with the essence of various Superiors and elements of events.

But since it existed, there necessarily was some sort of logic inside, no matter how twisted that logic might be.

The problem, however, was that Ji Jue wasn't Ether and couldn't just touch a clue and have the answer delivered to him.

But what if Ether was delivered right to his door?

"Pretty much the same."

Tong Hua, drawn into his topic, sighed in frustration, "There's too much Mutant aura, I don't dare look too closely. I can only confirm the direction of suspicion and then carefully investigate the clues…

The only certainty is that the hospital rules are indeed useful. In the Time Ruins, that is the lifesaver for us explorers."

From the moment they entered the Time Ruins, they had been assigned identities—a resident doctor brought into the hospital for labor, at the bottom of the food chain.

Yet even at the bottom of the food chain, they were still part of it. As long as they followed the hospital rules and completed their work, they could ensure their safety.

But the problem was… Neither the so-called 'colleagues' nor the 'patients' were going to wait for them to get comfortable.

Any mistake or inadvertent violation of the rules would cost them.

The hospital would impose a 'fine,' and the patients would demand 'compensation.'

But whether it was fines or compensation, all they had to offer was themselves…

A new doctor, ostracized and coveted by colleagues, wary and coveted by patients, was gradually losing flesh and soul amidst the endless competition and work.

In the end, even their sense of self would be shattered, devoured and assimilated by the eerie hospital, turning indistinguishable, becoming one puppet after another.

"Ah, this is terrible…" Tong Hua sighed in despair.

"What's terrible about that? Isn't that just like reality?" Ji Jue said after listening, patting her shoulder with relief, "Just knowing that hospital rules are a lifesaver is enough.

At least we don't have to worry about our safety for now.

But in the long run, we still need to think of a way to disintegrate the Time Ruins from the inside. Do you have any leads?"

Tong Hua shook her head.

Time Ruins like these usually had a core, serving as the anchor for all the contradictions and warping of the Superior, like the central knot in a tangle of yarn.

It could be a person, or an object, or something else.

Such characters were usually known as 'Lords' by the outsiders, the Chosen Ones. The entire chaotic Time Ruins were built around them, and within the ruins, they often had unimaginable power and strength, formidable opponents.

But also, resolving them meant the Time Ruins would disintegrate on their own.

That was the crux.

"Could it be the dean?" Ji Jue suddenly asked.

He recalled the bloated figure at the front of the conference room, like a grotesquely swollen monster floating on a river...

Tong Hua shook her head, unsure.

The moment the dean appeared, she watched carefully. While very strong and terrifying, there didn't seem to be a deep connection to the entire Time Ruins.

Or perhaps, the critical moment hadn't arrived, so she couldn't yet see the connection.

Or maybe…

"What if the core of the entire Time Ruins, the 'Lord,' is the entire hospital?" she finally raised her most worrying question.

If the entire hospital transformed and mutated into the foundation of the Time Ruins, how would it all end?

Would it be up to the two of them?

One Ember, one Ether, they couldn't demolish it all in a lifetime, could they?

The answer she received was Ji Jue's smile.

"That would actually make things easier."

"I've checked on the way here. The hospital is actually very high standard, and the departments are very comprehensive," Ji Jue said. "From what I know, such hospitals are usually equipped with an oxygen preparation room."

Not just an oxygen preparation room.

The water supply here was clearly still flowing, clearly abundant. As long as there was water, they didn't need to worry about the source of oxygen. And with water and electricity, that meant... there was gas.

With Non-attack in hand, Ji Jue was effectively a mobile workshop.

If necessary, he could even blow the entire hospital sky high...

His smile became increasingly joyful, but it set Tong Hua on edge.

Then, they heard footsteps at the end of the hallway.

Tong Hua froze for a moment, tensing.

But as Ji Jue realized who was coming, his expression changed dramatically, and he leaped up, stepping on the table to reach the stiff, lifeless remains of Zhao Zhou, yanking him up.

Then, in a panic... he started to strip off his clothes!

Moving incredibly fast!

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