"Thank you. If you weren’t here, I might have been stuck in that hellish place." Zhou Liang was taken aback by this: "Chief Cheng, you know each other?" Ali, whose mind was already muddled, now felt even more confused, staring blankly at the two "White Owls." Cheng Jiashu shrugged casually, pointing to Fang Cheng: "Allow me to introduce him. This is my distant cousin. We share close family ties and are mentally connected." "With abilities like mine, it’s easy to lose direction in unstable spaces like these. I need someone closely related by blood as an ’anchor point’ to precisely locate and complete space jumps." This explanation made sense, reminding Zhou Liang of what Captain Gao had mentioned. When the Smiling Demon uses his abilities, he needs a living person as a coordinate, and this explanation seemed somewhat plausible. "So there’s no need to worry. He’s just here to lend a small hand for this mission." Cheng Jiashu had apparently sensed the tense atmosphere earlier and added this to ease the scene. Then he turned to Fang Cheng, smiling: "Cousin, don’t you think so?" Just lending a small hand? The violent scene of this "cousin" charging into the monster group and wreaking havoc flashed in Ali and others’ minds, seemingly far from just "helping." That looked more like pure slaughter, or in trendy youthful terms, just like leveling up by fighting mobs in a game. Fang Cheng quietly watched Cheng Jiashu, his red eyes slightly flickering behind the mask. Knowing Cheng Jiashu probably recognized his true identity. His smooth words helped both sides and explained why he suddenly established a Spiritual Link with him. Despite having many doubts, he didn’t expose them, responding lightly with a "Hmm." With Cheng Jiashu’s few words, the originally tense atmosphere finally eased. Since they were "people from the same side," things were much easier. "So... Chief Cheng, was the mission successful? Did you get the secret files..." Ali couldn’t help but ask. Cheng Jiashu took a military encrypted USB from Cui Xiuying’s hand and casually tossed it to Zhou Liang. "Here are the research materials you need, containing all the evidence of Noah Organization’s human experiments since World War II." Zhou Liang instinctively caught the USB, feeling its cold touch. He clutched the small object, bearing the fates of countless lives and the honor of the Special Search Team, feeling momentarily dazed. "I’ve also brought the person you asked for." After speaking, Cheng Jiashu gestured behind him: "Next step is figuring out how to safely leave this building." Fang Cheng’s gaze fell on Cui Xiuying and the unconscious Shijima Gorou following Cheng Jiashu. His mind couldn’t help replaying the scene from half a year ago, when he and Shijima Gorou faced off in a courtyard. Back then, this karate expert was so spirited, regarded as a formidable opponent. Now, he had become a ghostly figure, looking weak and worn. Fang Cheng subtly shook his head. Thoughts returned to the note passed through Xiao Shuai and Cui Xiuying’s response: "Mr. Zhen Dao left the hospital to continue treatment here and will undergo a life-threatening major surgery tonight." This smart woman had clearly guessed something from that probing sentence. To ask "Where is Shijima Gorou" implied she was either a familiar face who had interacted with him before in East Capital or an expert from Shijima Gorou’s family who had come from Japan. Thus, she had reversed the probing, revealing crucial information as if signaling for help. At this moment, Cui Xiuying also noticed Fang Cheng’s gaze. The ferocious mask made her uneasy. But for some reason, those scarlet eyes gave her a familiar feeling, as if she had seen them somewhere before. "Chief Cheng, things are bad on our end." Zhou Liang put away the USB, solemnly began detailing: "We’re trapped. This building feels like a haunted maze; no matter how we walk, we always loop back to the starting point." "It should be the ’Inner World’." Experienced Ayang chimed in, adding: "I encountered a similar situation during a mission. This space overlaps with reality, where physical laws are distorted. If we don’t find the correct exit, we’ll remain trapped here with the monsters forever." "Your suspicion is correct." Cheng Jiashu nodded slightly, clearly aware of this long ago. Check latest chapters at 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥 "We tried before, climbing upstairs, and could only reach the 86th floor at most." Zhou Liang continued: "Beyond it lies only gray mist and darkness, passing through leads back to the 84th floor." "But if we head downwards, it seems endless, as if the stairwell deepens layer by layer, gradually heading into Hell." "Still, no matter what, we eventually return to the 84th floor." As Zhou Liang recounted the Special Search Team’s predicament, Fang Cheng, having considered it, also began to share his unique experience: "I climbed up the exterior of the Noah Building, got devoured by a spreading gray mist when reaching the 83rd floor, then kept circling between the 83rd and 86th floors." Despite the simplicity of his words, the information revealed made Zhou Liang and others’ hearts clench. Climbing by hand up a building over eighty floors on a rainy night? What kind of monster-level physical strength does this person possess? Fang Cheng ignored their shock. Outwardly looking calm, inside he was feeling a bit anxious. While waiting outside the building, Fang Cheng sensed a faint signal of cry for help from the internal informant Xu Hao via the Spiritual Link. The signal was intermittent, filled with fear and despair. The previously infallible Spiritual Resonance ability felt smothered, almost failing due to the thick layer of mist. Now, hearing Ayang speak of the Inner World, he was finally certain that it must be the gray mist blocking perception. What happened to Xu Hao? Is he still alive? This thought kept running through Fang Cheng’s mind. Back then, Xu Hao agreed to be the internal informant with the only condition being ensuring his life safety. Fang Cheng made a serious vow for this. As long as Xu Hao didn’t betray him, he would definitely try his best to save him. If the vow broke, he would lose all strength and face a terrible fate. Whether the vow would truly fulfil, Fang Cheng didn’t care. What he cared about was fulfilling his promise! The current matter of dealing with Noah Organization was secondary; rescuing people from the top-floor conference room was the primary goal of his visit. Cheng Jiashu listened and nodded: "Yes, we escaped the lab encountering the same gray mist." "Floors 86 and 87 form the core experimental area of Noah Pharmaceutical." Cui Xiuying, pale and weak, interjected: "Especially the 87th floor, the highest-security area, where all human experiments occur." "We... escaped from there, questioning whether the weird gray mist is related." Upon hearing this, Cheng Jiashu’s expression instantly grew serious, seemingly recalling an astonishing scene. "In the deepest part of an 87th-floor laboratory, I saw something." "It was a gigantic red eye, immersed in a massive container. I suspect it’s the source of forming this ’Inner World.’ Turning to look at Cui Xiuying behind him, his eyes carried an investigative sense: "Miss Cui, do you have any information about this red eye to share?" Cui Xiuying shook her head blankly: "I don’t know a thing about such an object. But I do know that the secret project behind that door was established only five months ago." "Also completely isolated, only accessible to our Gene Engineering department’s director, chief researcher, and some mysterious top leaders." "It’s said they’re researching an unearthed biological sample from the ice layers below the Himalayas."