Chapter 103: The World’s Polarity

The narrator's denials only reinforced Feng Qi's suspicion.

The narrator must have existed in the real world all along, simply choosing to remain silent.

[Please don't jump to malicious conclusions. Your distrust deeply disappoints me!]

Feng Qi: ...

Ignoring the narrator's protests, Feng Qi mulled over the possibility. If the interface from the Dream Realm could manifest in reality, then it stood to reason that the narrator could as well. After all, the narrator wasn't a physical entity and should logically be able to accompany him beyond the Dream Realm.

Maybe it was just shirking its responsibilities, choosing not to show up.

[Stop indulging your malicious imagination. Do I seem like the kind of system that would skip work? Do you think I need a few extra days off?]

"Absolutely."

[He~tui!]

Glancing down at the gorilla-like domain creature, Feng Qi couldn't help but feel it was a waste.

If Suction Cup were here, this would have made a great snack.

Unfortunately, the abandoned hospital where Suction Cup might be was still a long way off, and there was no way to bring the creature there. Resigned, he let the thought go.

Not long after the battle, the muscle mass covering his body began to dissolve, dissipating into a blood mist carried off by the wind. The wave of weakness that followed urged him to keep moving.

With his Blood Source ability depleted, encountering another domain creature would be a death sentence. As such, Feng Qi advanced with heightened caution.

Whenever he needed to traverse difficult terrain, he no longer recklessly exposed himself. Instead, he carefully observed his surroundings before proceeding.

At one point, he climbed a tall building to check on Little Black's position.

As expected, Little Black was as relentless as ever, steadfastly tracking him down.

Feng Qi could only sigh. Little Black was like a tenacious leech, never losing his trail.

Fighting it was impossible, and outrunning it was equally hopeless. Compared to the relentless killing machine in Terminator, Little Black was even more fearsome.

On the way to the abandoned hospital, Feng Qi encountered several more domain creatures.

Thankfully, he had been vigilant and spotted them from a distance, allowing him to detour safely.

Following the principle of cherishing his life and avoiding domain monsters, he managed to make it through unscathed, though not without anxiety.

After several hours of travel, he finally arrived at the abandoned hospital.

From a distance, he could see a small figure crouched on the rooftop, gazing motionlessly at the blood-red moon.

Relief washed over him at the sight of Suction Cup. A sense of security filled his heart.

[Auto-attach combat weapon detected. Would you like to equip it now?]

Feng Qi: ...

Now that Suction Cup was here, he no longer worried about nearby domain creatures. Approaching the building, he looked up and called out, "Suction Cup, come down!"

Hearing his shout, Suction Cup slowly lowered her gaze before leaping gracefully from the rooftop.

Landing lightly, she darted forward with startling speed, knocking Feng Qi to the ground before latching firmly onto his chest.

Rubbing Suction Cup's head, Feng Qi couldn't help but smile.

[Auto-attach combat weapon equipped. Please bind with a blood seal, or the weapon may escape.]

Ignoring the narrator's antics, Feng Qi stood up and headed into the abandoned hospital with Suction Cup.

Within this hospital lay a metal secret door, but he had no idea how to open it.

While he might be powerless to unlock it, Suction Cup was a different story. Feng Qi was confident that her abilities could smash through the mysterious material of the door, granting him access to the secrets hidden within the Crimson Research Institute's underground base.

The interior of the hospital was overgrown with weeds, and even the walls were covered in moss.

Not bothering to search for the door himself, Feng Qi said, "Narrator, locate the secret door."

[Ding! Secret door detected approximately 20 meters ahead in the left corridor.]

Following the narrator's directions, Feng Qi reached the left hallway and cleared away the overgrown vegetation to reveal the familiar black door.

At its center, a small light flickered intermittently.

Standing before the door, Feng Qi clenched his fist and delivered a heavy punch.

The impact didn't even scratch the surface. Instead, pain shot up his arm, making him grimace.

[Please acknowledge your own limitations and refrain from actions that insult your intelligence. If other systems saw this, I'd die of embarrassment!]

Feng Qi: ...

Realizing brute force wouldn't work, he turned his gaze to Suction Cup, still attached to his chest.

Placing her on the ground, he pointed at the door and mimed a punching motion. "Suction Cup, smash it!"

Suction Cup stared blankly at Feng Qi, seemingly unable to comprehend the gesture.

"Throw a punch. Break this door."

To demonstrate, Feng Qi repeated the motion.

This time, Suction Cup finally reacted.

She slowly raised her small fist, and under Feng Qi's expectant gaze, lightly tapped the door.

[Hahaha! I can't hold it in anymore. That was perfect! Full marks for execution!]

Feng Qi: ...

Looking at Suction Cup's blank expression, Feng Qi felt utterly defeated.

Taking a deep breath, he stood up, clenched his fist, and decided to show her how it was done.

This time, he didn't hold back, delivering a full-force punch to the door. His expression contorted in pain as he realized the door was as unyielding as ever.

"Suction Cup, do it like I just did. Smash it!"

Suction Cup stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly leapt back onto his chest, reattaching herself firmly.

[Excellent work!]

Feng Qi: ...

Her reaction left him completely at a loss.

How could he get Suction Cup to break down the door?

As he pondered, a new plan began to take shape in his mind.

Feng Qi knew Suction Cup's combat mode was often triggered when he was attacked. This gave him an idea.

With a plan forming, he began searching the area for small domain-derived creatures, like bugs or spiders.

After some effort, his persistence paid off. He found a tiny insect, blood-red in color, roughly the size of a pinky nail. The strength it displayed while struggling in his grasp surprised him—it almost escaped his grip.

Bringing the crimson bug back to the secret door, Feng Qi released it and extended his hand toward it.

As expected, the bug opened its mouth and bit down hard, tearing a chunk of flesh from his finger.

This act instantly triggered Suction Cup. Her eyes lit up with glimmers of starlight, which quickly transformed into a swirling, dazzling galaxy.

But instead of attacking the bug immediately, Suction Cup first pushed Feng Qi's hand aside. Then, with a decisive punch, she struck down.

Before her fist even reached the door, the pressure of the superheated air obliterated the crimson bug into nothingness.

When her punch connected with the door, the resulting shockwave sent Feng Qi flying several meters back. The decayed walls nearby couldn't withstand the impact either, collapsing into rubble in an instant. The area was transformed into a wasteland of debris.

Curled into a defensive position, Feng Qi shielded his head to avoid being crushed by falling stones. It was his first time experiencing the full force of Suction Cup's punch up close, and it left him utterly stunned.

Now he understood why no domain creature could survive Suction Cup's attacks. The impact felt like a missile strike, and even the residual force was lethally destructive.

Once the collapse subsided, Feng Qi stood up amidst the ruins. Suction Cup wasted no time, leaping back onto his chest and reattaching herself.

Brushing aside the rubble, he uncovered the twisted and deformed secret door. Its sheer weight shocked him—it took all his strength just to nudge it slightly.

Beyond the door lay a downward-sloping metal passageway.

Stepping into the corridor, motion-activated lights illuminated the way.

Walking a few dozen meters further, he emerged into an underground plaza roughly the size of a school field. The space was lined with dozens of iron doors, and overhead, countless lights projected a breathtaking star map.

The plaza's center was empty, devoid of any equipment resembling a database. However, at the far corner, Feng Qi spotted an elevator that seemingly led to another floor below.

[I suspect the design blueprints for this underground plaza were the same as those used for Star City's underground shelter.]

"Agreed."

Though some details differed, the overall layout bore a striking resemblance to the Star City shelter.

With anticipation building, Feng Qi walked toward the iron doors along the perimeter.

Fortunately, these doors weren't made of the same impenetrable material as the outer door. A single swing of the spiked mace was enough to break them open.

Entering the first room, the motion-activated lights illuminated the interior.

The room was about 500 square meters in size. Rows of nutrient pods lined the walls, still filled with a greenish liquid that emitted a foul stench.

At the far end of the room stood an operating table, covered with surgical tools of various types. Though ancient, none of the instruments showed any signs of rust—likely crafted from materials unique to the domain fields.

Examining the room further, Feng Qi discovered several of the nutrient pods contained embryonic domain creatures.

However, the creatures were long dead. The tubes connecting them to the pods had decayed and crumbled at the slightest touch.

This was clearly a laboratory dedicated to studying domain creatures.

After a thorough search, Feng Qi left the room and moved to the next door, once again breaking it open with the mace.

This room was smaller but packed with stacks of paper documents.

Most of the documents had decayed beyond recognition, their text illegible and disintegrating at a touch. However, some were made of special materials that had preserved them well.

The sight puzzled Feng Qi.

With interconnected networks capable of permanently storing information, why resort to paper records?

Then a thought struck him.

Was it a security measure? Networks might not be entirely safe. If the Crimson Research Institute was truly aligned with humanity and aware of external infiltration, this method of preservation made sense.

Recalling the Institute's stringent recruitment process—which required extensive vetting and rejected all academy graduates—Feng Qi felt his hypothesis might be correct.

Picking up a document, he opened it to the first page but quickly set it aside.

The content was dense with biological research data, completely incomprehensible to him.

As he continued searching, one document caught his eye.

Its title read: "The Final Stage of Human Evolution (Concept)".

Opening the file, the contents made Feng Qi furrow his brows.

Most of the document was speculative, but it conveyed one critical piece of information.

The endpoint of human cultivation would result in the formation of a crystal within the body. The structure of this crystal was strikingly similar to that of domain creatures.

"So, if humans keep getting stronger, they'll eventually develop rune crystals in their bodies, just like domain creatures?" Feng Qi muttered.

[I'm not sure, but after the revival of spiritual energy, human evolution does mirror that of domain creatures. Both rely on absorbing spiritual energy from the environment to enhance their bloodline strength, so this conclusion seems plausible.]

Feng Qi nodded at the narrator's response.

But when he reached page 37, his expression froze.

The document stated:

"Domain creatures and humans are like two extremes. The final stage of evolution for domain creatures is to dissolve their rune crystals, while for humans, it is to generate them.

"Perhaps the world is the same—there is a bright side, but also a dark side. Domain creatures may originate from an unexplored shadow world, which is the true source of all calamities."

Feng Qi read the passage over and over, feeling a chill run down his spine.