Malin walked to the still-standing wall and glanced at the TV hanging on it. This thing was obviously no longer usable, but looking at the damaged furniture and everything in front of him, Malin still felt dazed. For a fleeting moment, the living room transformed into its former state; everything returned to its most beautiful time. The sofa was once again covered in leather, steam rose from the mugs on the coffee table, and in the kitchen that had become a relic of the past, a woman was singing loudly. Meanwhile, the daughter of this home walked in from outside the door; she couldn’t see Malin and Mushroom, so she ran past her sister with her younger brother, standing in front of the kitchen. In an instant, it vanished; everything returned to its original appearance. Malin, holding Mushroom, jumped up to the second floor. There was no sign of anyone living here either, and as they walked along, it was evident that this area had been thoroughly evacuated. Malin found a still-working stasis field in a small room. From it, he retrieved a small notebook. Malin opened it, wrapped in paper, and although he couldn’t see the cover, he thought it must be a diary. He opened the first page. · Professor Snape is a scruffy man. His black hair seems like it has never been groomed. This middle-aged man never seems to have thought about how to take care of his face, and dressing up and makeup are important for a man, but he seems to never care. The handwritten content on this page was all about describing the appearance of a middle-aged professor named Snape. Malin wondered why the owner of this diary would go to such great lengths to describe someone; surely it wasn’t out of love. But it was quite interesting. This should be the girl’s diary, and the phrases she used to describe the professor were very diverse, with no repetition. This gave Malin strong confidence in this girl becoming a novelist—after all, using filler in such a refreshingly unconventional way made Malin feel what it means to be appealing to both refined tastes and common enjoyment. Malin flipped through a few pages, hoping to see some different content. · Today is the second semester. Platform Nine and Three-Quarters is no longer an unfamiliar term. I returned to the academy with my luggage and met a professor. I must admit, he is a charming gentleman. His black long hair was tied into a small ponytail at the back of his head, and his spirited eyes combined with a pair of long-framed glasses made up the charm belonging to a middle-aged man. His straight nose, thinly pursed lips, enchanting Adam’s apple, and black suit emphasized his image as a professor. He looked a bit weathered, but isn’t weathering the best proof of a gentleman? I thought to myself, this truly is a charming professor, with a name that stunned us sophomores. Malin was silent for a moment, tearing off the wrapping paper of the small notebook. The cover stated the actual use of this notebook. Harry Potter and Professor Snape. Something completely different in style, with a touch of simplicity and vigor. Malin threw the small notebook back into the stasis field. Crossing his arms and holding Mushroom, Malin leaped out of the window. The young creature in his arms didn’t know what had happened to its new owner, but only Malin knew. Offering a big reward for a pair of eyes that didn’t read that small notebook just now. After finishing his complaints, Malin, holding Mushroom, arrived at the place where the spirits had surrounded before. It was an intersection with nothing around it, which made Malin very curious. Eventually, he focused his attention on his feet. This manhole cover appeared in Malin’s eyes. With a hint of hesitation, Malin reached out, and Spiritual Energy gently lifted the manhole cover. Looking down from here, the passage was quite large. The weight of the manhole cover was also considerable. After thinking for a moment, Malin looked at the small sapling nearby. In the next second, the sapling uprooted, grew limbs, and jumped down beside the manhole cover. Not even two seconds later, gunfire sounded from below, accompanied by the light and shadow of tracer rounds whizzing by. The gunfire lasted a while until the small tree guardian Malin had summoned tied up several rebels below and dragged them out of the underground tunnel. In front of Malin appeared an old man, a middle-aged woman, and two teenage boys. They wore very shabby mismatched clothes, and the weapons in their hands were made from various pipes and nuts. The fact that these objects could even be used astonished Malin. But more than Malin’s curiosity, the four survivors were nearly driven insane—Malin was dressed in attire that, in their view, should never have appeared here, with beautiful little leather shoes, a cool hat, and plain glasses. Most remarkable was that this child, holding the young spirit, had just commanded the monster that bound them. "That’s a monster! I’m going to fight him to the death!" The old man struggled desperately, his fingers repeatedly trying to pull the ring on his chest. So, the tree guardian thoughtfully removed the box with the ring from his chest and handed it to Malin. "Mushroom, stay by my feet and don’t wander off." Placing Mushroom on the ground, Malin took the box and pulled the ring. Oh, a fish bombing tool. As the internals of the box in his hand started working, Malin nodded and then tossed the box into the air. The two adults and two teenagers watched as the box flew higher, farther, and faster until it became invisible. Throwing the ring aside, Malin picked up Mushroom and looked at the four of them, speaking first in English: "Good afternoon, what are your names, and to which base or survivor camp do you belong?" To Malin, the appearance of these people suddenly made Malin realize a problem—in such a dangerously changed world, if the surface was no longer suitable for human habitation, might humans advance underground? After all, living underground wasn’t impossible, and the presence of these people made Malin understand one thing—it was indeed possible to live underground, whether in subway stations or sewers, and the existence of these living people was the evidence. "Zoe." The little girl in the group was the first to answer. Her peer observed her for a while, seemingly thinking she would be harmed for giving her name. But when Malin handed out a piece of jerky and had the tree guardian untie her, the boy chose to state his name: "Louis." Malin, therefore, also gave him food and granted him freedom. The two children devoured the jerky, looking at Malin with eyes full of longing. At this point, even the dullest person could understand who stood before them—just being able to produce jerky out of empty air was a transcendent ability they couldn’t hope to match. Malin smiled and pulled out two cans of meat for them, teaching them how to open the cans. Then, the black woman among the two adults, who hadn’t spoken yet, spoke: "My name is Rochelle, Your esteemed Transcendent, could you also give me something to eat, please?" "No problem, Ms. Rochelle, both your freedom and your can are here." Malin smiled as he freed her and also gave her a piece of jerky and a can. The woman ate somewhat elegantly, but it was evident she was really hungry...everyone was the same. "I am Bill, sir." Finally, the old man in the group also chose to submit to Malin. Malin could feel his sincerity, so he had the tree guardian release him. Malin handed him food and even gave him a little flask. The old man curiously opened the small flask, and the moment he smelled the alcohol, his eyes widened. He carefully put away the small flask and looked at Malin: "I heard stories from my father about the time before the Great Catastrophe. He said that before the Great Catastrophe, everyone lived like a human being, not like us, barely surviving on subway moss and artificial meat." "Why did you come to the surface?" Malin asked. Bill didn’t speak; he just shoved the jerky into his mouth. "Our lord requires fresh meat to celebrate his rule. Whoever brings back fresh meat first can earn the position of knight," Rochelle answered promptly. Now Malin understood why Bill had treated a piece of jerky so viciously. To hell with the rule. Malin laughed and took out four more cans. While Malin didn’t like living this kind of life, at least the feudal system was somewhat better than the slave state Jason and others had discovered. Though the improvement was limited, it was at least progress. And humans live, do they not, for progress?