The atmosphere was momentarily heavy.

The ability to steal "dye" from people, causing memory loss and bodily mutations, including but not limited to: cancer of the tissues, dementia, schizophrenia, and they appear and disappear without a trace, often haunting the Flower Street.

Xu Xiaoyou silently summed up the key information in her heart.

Flower Street, similar to the Red Light District of Nest City, becomes lively every night, brightly lit, and even renowned artists with social standing are occasionally scandalized for visiting Flower Street, under the guise of seeking a new place for artistic creation to unleash inspiration.

Speaking of which, from Empress Park to the Dream of the Black Swan apartment, the nearest Rose Street seems to be just two streets away.

In the chilly underground passage, dim incandescent lights cast mottled spots of light, footsteps echoed in the empty corridor, large areas of peeling paint covered the walls with ancient stains, a layer of gray dust covered the surface of the fire equipment, and in the corner, a half-human-tall green plant was a rare splash of color in this gray world.

The solid concrete floor was illuminated by faint light, reflecting a bluish sheen, with rows of cells neatly aligned on both sides, spanning two floors, densely packed cells were embedded like grids into the walls.

Looking around, behind the iron bars were faces filled with mental fatigue and despondent spirits.

She and Bai Nian'an's silhouettes passed through the narrow corridor, followed by two Tuners, their heavy footsteps echoing in the space.

The sound of footsteps reached into the cells, and a prisoner, eyes shining, rushed to the iron bars, reaching out:

"I'm innocent, I'm innocent! Let me out, let me out!"

His cries quickly evoked empathy in the other inmates, all reaching out through the iron bars like zombies in a movie, a chaotic scene.

"I'm innocent too, I was merely indulging in artistic creation, I needed bright red paint, I only drained the blood from five people, what did I do wrong?"

"I'm innocent, I didn't hurt anyone else, I just loved her too much, sculpted my rib into a necklace for her."

"I had no canvas, couldn't afford it... I just peeled off the skin of a few people, I'll repent, please let me out..."

Hearing this, Xu Xiaoyou's mouth twitched involuntarily.

So this small Tuning Institute held so many insane artists.

"They're all Ascetic Sect lunatics, don't mind them."

Bai Nian'an had long since gotten used to it, ignoring the wailing lamentations, and continued forward with a resolute gaze.

"Behave all of you!" The Tuner swung the riot control stick hard against the iron bars, a dizzying hum resounded, finally quieting the prisoners down.

Xu Xiaoyou stopped in front of a cell with iron bars.

In the cell on the right was an old man, hair graying at the temples, sporting a dirty and scruffy beard, wearing a red flat-topped hat and artist's smock, squatting on the bed, watching her with deep, dark eyes.

He was biting on a paintbrush, occasionally producing a 'creak' sound from his mouth.

This old man seemed to be one of the few normal people in the cell.

Just as Xu Xiaoyou wondered what reason this man had for being locked up here, the old man flashed a mouthful of yellow teeth: "That little sun hairpin on your head looks lovely, mind if I savor it?"

...

After passing through the underground passage and stepping up a flight of stairs, they finally arrived in the interrogation room.

The harsh white light was blinding, and Xu Xiaoyou shielded her eyes with her hand.

The two Tuners opened the recording device, then stood solemnly behind the partition.

Xu Xiaoyou sat in the chair, feeling uneasy under the stern gaze of two pairs of eyes.

Bai Nian'an softly reassured her, drawing the blinds, revealing the nighttime view of the city outside.

Under the dense steel sky, heavy snow was falling.

"Whether it's supernatural creatures or the Ascetic Sect, they've been quite active these past few months," she said.

Bai Nian'an poured two cups of hot tea from the teapot, pushing one toward Xu Xiaoyou: "Drink it to warm up."

The refreshing aroma of tea was invigorating.

Xu Xiaoyou unobtrusively lifted her teacup, blowing lightly a few times before taking a small sip, her gaze slightly lowered.

Bai Nian'an observed the girl's expression, also sipping some tea, until the aroma filled the interrogation room, she sat opposite Xu Xiaoyou.

Space twisted, and that peculiarly shaped creature appeared again at her back left, after casting a golden beam, it sank into slumber.

Bai Nian'an flipped open the notebook in front of her, twirling the pen in her hand, and said:

"Xiaomi is my Mimicry, if you lie in the following session, it will immediately sound an alarm."

"You said you were attacked by a supernatural creature, right?" Bai Nian'an asked.

"Yes."

As before, Xiaomi had no reaction to this question.

"Do you remember the time of the attack?"

Xu Xiaoyou thought for a moment, then nodded: "Ten twenty-three at night."

"You remember even that?" Bai Nian'an was somewhat surprised.

"I'm quite sensitive to time," Xu Xiaoyou explained. "Because of my line of work."

Bai Nian'an didn't rush to question about the supernatural, instead asking, "Your personal work? What's your profession..."

"Media company agent."

"In the security booth's media company?" Bai Nian'an raised an eyebrow slightly. "Do you have any signed artists?"

"You've already met her," Xu Xiaoyou replied.

Bai Nian'an recalled the blue-haired girl from before: "She's quite brave."

Thinking about Tang Xin, Bai Nian'an focused closely on Xu Xiaoyou's eyes, puzzled as to why the blue-haired girl had insisted so firmly on blocking their entry before.

"She's rather stubborn," Xu Xiaoyou added.

Bai Nian'an's expression softened a bit: "Did you get a good look at the supernatural creature that attacked you?"

Scenes from that moment flashed in Xu Xiaoyou's mind; that white silhouette, those red eyes filled with endless hatred.

She had too many doubts, why had Corrupt Nest City turned into a real-life Purgatory, what had Anya gone through in the favorability plot [Trial of Iron and Blood]?

What did loss of control signify?

Angelina's character card did not dissipate after shattering, instead transforming into a completely white card with the pattern of the Other Shore Flower, apart from exuding a withering, corrupt aura, it was no different from the gold-lined card, except all of Angelina's stats were now '???', unviewable.

The attribute points previously transferred to her hadn't disappeared either.

That heart that blocked out the sky, those armored monsters roaming the earth...

Although the heart and the monsters appeared quite different from her memory of Lane Five, the aura was indelibly familiar, there was no mistaking it.

The eerie heart shattered under a single shot, all the Dissectors turned into a stinking pool of blood, the entire Lane Five should have been thoroughly cleaned out by Bai Youyou, why did it reappear in Corrupt Nest City?

Suddenly, something struck her, her heart skipped a beat, as if struck heavily.

How long did this [Trial of Iron and Blood] last for Anya, anyway?

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