As if the wind and frost deliberately avoided him.

The Spire‍‌⁠‍‍‍‌⁠‌​‌​‍​‌⁠​⁠​⁠​‌‍‍ and the Main City gradually vanished in the distance. Among the clouds, the other two aircraft quickly became black dots, disappearing into the horizon.

Jiang Xiao retracted his gaze from the porthole. “Mis hoped humanity could get a moment’s respite after the Molly crisis was resolved. But I didn’t expect to encounter three high-level members receiving forbidden-level missions right after I returned.”

“The few districts near the Main City have indeed been calm for the past six months or so.” Qin Zhilu sized him up. “The extreme cold test just ended. After arriving in District 99, focus on recovering first. Don’t be rash.”

“Yes.”

Jiang Xiao had just come from Brain. His body was exhausted, but his spirit was full. Those arrogant and crazed red eyes, after having been tempered by snowstorm, were brighter than before.

He had gained a chilling aura, no longer so aggressive, but his presence was stronger.

[Jiang Xiao

Distortion Type: Red Spitting Cobra, Crimson Octopus, Poppy, Arctic Willow

Ladder Rank: No. 298

Genetic Entropy: 120872 (Four Aberrations)

Combat Specialty: Strangulation, Venom, Tentacle Combat, Healing Loss of Control, Cryo Combat

Comprehensive Combat Record: 43.85 million]

An Yu stared blankly at his panel data.

Jiang Xiao pursed his lips self-consciously. “The missions in the Equality Zone weren’t recognized by the Spire, so my combat record increased very little. In fact, I haven’t stopped fighting these past few months. Please believe in my abilities.”

After he spoke, the only response was the faint white noise of the cabin.

Jiang Xiao stared at An Yu. “Do you have nothing to say to me?”

An Yu looked up from the screen. “I have… Your genetic entropy has actually reached 120,000.”

Jiang Xiao let out a breath of relief upon hearing this and raised his eyebrows. “Indeed. I hadn’t expected the fourth aberration to bring such a leap…”

“Too aberrant,” An Yu commented. “High aberration level is one thing, but your four aberration sources are completely unrelated, and your abilities are bizarre. You are practically…”

He hesitated for a good while, but still couldn’t hold back. “…practically a complete genetic garbage can.”

Those chilling red eyes lost focus for a moment. Jiang Xiao murmured, “I hadn’t expected that evaluation of my genetic entropy… Am I very repulsive to you?”

“Not really,” An Yu shook his head. “But I need to get used to it.”

Qin Zhilu spoke up, explaining, “Aberration made Corner irritable. Before, it was only obvious in his Advent state, but now his daily life is gradually merging with his Advent state.” He pondered for a moment. “Or perhaps what irritates him isn’t aberration itself, but chaos. His aversion to chaos is growing stronger.”

An Yu turned his head to look at Qin Zhilu. “Is that so?”

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An Yu nodded thoughtfully beside him. After a moment, he added in a low voice, “But you don’t make me uncomfortable, Commander. Even though your genetic entropy is the most terrifying.”

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Jiang Xiao, who had been apprehensive, suddenly showed a confused expression. His gaze flickered back and forth between Qin Zhilu and An Yu. Until Qin Zhilu glanced at him, “What’s wrong?”

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He looked out the window as he spoke, seeming to give a casual command, but his gaze was exceptionally cold and heavy.

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Black Tower’s additional monitoring hadn’t plunged them into darkness. Quite the contrary, they used the Main City’s attention to secure all kinds of resources. The entire Bait City brimmed with vigorous energy.

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Qin Zhilu’s thick, tough military boots crunched on the snow. He glanced at An Yu’s thin clothes. “District 99’s industries are simple but stable. The young and able-bodied mainly make a living by hunting and gathering resources that power the Dome. These are heavy manual labor jobs, which indirectly supports the inner city’s catering industry—” His voice paused. “Didn’t I tell you to order cold-proof clothing? Aren’t you cold?”

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An Yu hesitated. “Are you angry?”

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An Yu was also staring at his own terminal. They had passed dozens of people on the way, but his terminal remained silent.

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A neon sign tube bent into the four large characters “Sienna’s Bar” glowed on a gunmetal gray metal plaque. Below it was the owner Sienna’s signature and a drawing of a cowboy hat studded with rivets. Sienna hadn’t shown up for several days straight, but the bar was still bustling. The staff were long used to their boss’ carefree ways and had no idea she was actually missing this entire time.

“Kaos?” Qin Zhilu’s steps faltered slightly. “What about his father?”

“Also missing,” Jiang Xiao lowered his voice. “Quite a few people from the garrison have gone missing, including Colonel Disf. Black Tower said there weren’t many usable people left, otherwise they wouldn’t have entrusted such an important mission to him.”

An Yu gathered the trench coat tighter, looking down at the data on his terminal.

Kaos was in his early twenties, low-ranked, with a mediocre track record, mainly responsible for trivial tasks like communications liaison. There were few idle people in the District 99 garrison; his enlistment was likely due to his father’s influence. His father, Disf, nearly fifty, was one of the officers responsible for secretly transferring high-risk individuals after that super-grade snowstorm. He remained in District 99 after the disaster, spending over twenty years building up this garrison force, knowing everything about this land after the disaster like the back of his hand.

Jiang Xiao forced a smile. “Kaos really isn’t very capable, but because he’s the Colonel’s son, the people of District 99 are very friendly to him. It can provide some convenience for us.”

Qin Zhilu nodded and instructed, “His father is missing; he will be in danger sooner or later. Keep an eye on him.”

Fragments of ice swirled in the District 99 wind. They walked down a street. Frost had practically crawled all over Qin Zhilu and Jiang Xiao, but An Yu was fine. He was clearly wearing a black trench coat, but only a few water stains clung to the fabric, as if the wind and frost deliberately avoided him.

Jiang Xiao stood under the bar’s eaves, stomping his feet hard. Before pushing the door open, he asked in a low voice, “Since I joined this mission, can I learn something about the situation in District 95 back then?”

An Yu subconsciously glanced at Qin Zhilu, but Qin Zhilu showed little reaction, only saying flatly, “The Super-Aberrant in District 95 was very combat-oriented. If the one here really is a similar entity as expected, you should keep your distance and avoid being swallowed by it.”

Jiang Xiao’s hand paused. He asked, shocked, “That thing in District 95 can swallow Protectors?”

Qin Zhilu didn’t say anything else. He reached out, pulled the door open, and stepped aside to let An Yu enter first.

The bar was noisy. Three fireplaces burned fiercely, making the whole space hot and dry. Customers hung their heavy cotton coats on the wall. Frost and snow melted into water droplets, then quickly evaporated. This place was different from the bars in the Main City. No one cared about music. Able-bodied men gathered together, talking loudly, washing down large chunks of roasted meat and white buns with strong liquor. The cheap, plain, bagged Corner bread was also popular. They’d slice it open, stuff a few pieces of meat inside, rub some salt on it, and shove it into their mouths.

Those big guys were almost twice An Yu’s size. An Yu was squeezed back and forth, but the terminal in his pocket remained quiet.

A young man with blond hair sat alone by the bar. Qin Zhilu touched An Yu’s elbow, indicating he should go over.

Kaos’ gaze swept over the three of them, finally landing on Qin Zhilu. He jumped down from the high stool and said in a low voice, “Commander Law, hello.”

He was very short. Qin Zhilu could only lower his head to look at him. “How’s the situation with the missing garrison personnel?”

“Still no word from my father. Several more people lost contact this afternoon. The garrison’s severely undermanned. Fortunately, the first round of covert investigation throughout the city has been completed.” Kaos let out a breath, trying hard to smooth his furrowed brow. “The terminals haven’t detected any individuals with abnormal genetic entropy anywhere in the city, but the abnormal frequency detected by drones in the airspace is still surging. Besides Sienna and her Partner, the missing are all garrison personnel. The residents here are all normal.”

Jiang Xiao immediately asked, “Where was Sienna last seen?”

“Right in this bar. On nights she doesn’t go out, she will always hang out here. A few colleagues and I were also here that day. It had been an unremarkable evening.”

“No rush.” Qin Zhilu looked up towards the second floor of the tavern. “The intel said there are places to stay here?”

Kaos nodded. “Many people will eat and drink here until the next day and go straight to work. There are a few rooms upstairs, provided free for regulars. But the rooms at the garrison center have already been prepared. Where do the three of you want to stay?”

Jiang Xiao glanced at Qin Zhilu. “You two stay here tonight. I’ll go to the garrison center.”

Kaos nodded obediently. “Then I’ll go check if there are any empty rooms first.”

An Yu watched his retreating profile as he ran upstairs. His father’s disappearance had clearly hit him hard. His blond hair was messy. After leaving the group, his eyes became vacant. There were dark circles under his eyes too; he was clearly pushing himself to work.