Chapter 113: Exploring the Breath of Life

After reading through the email contents, Feng Qi finally uncovered the secrets of the Crimson Research Institute.

It turned out that the institute had gathered a group of unsung heroes, individuals who were willing to sacrifice themselves to participate in the Rune-Enhanced Human experiments.

These individuals had always stood on humanity's side, never giving up hope.

Having reviewed the email messages, Feng Qi had a rough idea of how the Crimson Research Institute might develop in the future.

The counter-infiltration plan ultimately did not succeed.

Otherwise, the scenes of a devastated human civilization he saw in the future dreamscape would not exist.

He speculated that as the enemy forces lurking in the shadows gradually carried out plans targeting the Crimson Research Institute, the institute's subsequent operations became increasingly precarious.

However, Feng Qi believed the Crimson Research Institute wouldn't fall so easily.

After all, it was one of the few special institutions with the highest level of authority, boasting significant resources. Unless the hidden enemy outright declared total war, the institute couldn't be easily destroyed.

What would likely occur was a prolonged battle, both overt and covert.

Yet, the enemy held the advantage of secrecy, putting the Crimson Research Institute at a constant disadvantage in their resistance efforts.

Thinking about this, Feng Qi suddenly recalled his previous review of the future database. One detail stuck with him: Wei Wei being labeled a "traitor to humanity."

Now, he suspected that Wei Wei might have been exposed during a future mission, potentially compromising critical information about the Crimson Research Institute. As a result, she might have chosen self-sacrifice to protect the institute.

"Or perhaps," the narrator speculated, "the hidden forces obtained critical information related to the institute through her. To protect itself, the Crimson Research Institute might have chosen to sacrifice her, cutting off any exposed vulnerabilities."

"And Wei Wei, knowing this, accepted it without hesitation—sacrificing herself to ensure the institute's survival, shouldering all the blame publicly."

Listening to the narrator's analysis, Feng Qi couldn't help but sigh.

No matter the cause, Wei Wei's fate was destined to end in tragedy.

A life devoted to the future of humanity, only to become a "villain" scorned by the public in the end.

"Isn't this what you, too, have experienced?" the narrator continued. "You must understand that the path to a brighter future is paved with thorns and struggles. Yet humanity's greatest strength lies in its noble stance against despair. There will always be those unwilling to surrender, no matter how faint the hope... Wei Wei was like this, and so are you."

Feng Qi shook his head with a wry smile.

"Don't try to comfort me. I'm not that fragile."

"Good to hear. Now that you know the Crimson Research Institute is an ally, perhaps you can consider collaborating with them. For instance, Mo Fei's 'Brain in a Vat' proposal—maybe the institute can help you realize it."

"After all, biological science is their specialty. Who knows? Maybe in the future, you'll discover your own brain stored in their underground facility."

"But if this plan is implemented, my future self will suffer for it."

"Your future self is still you. The decisions would align. If one day it's your turn to sacrifice yourself, you wouldn't hesitate. So there's no need for guilt. It's all for the future... Of course, if it really bothers you, you could always bow to your future self a few times in apology."

Feng Qi: …

"Maybe I can at least secure a high-level access account from the Crimson Research Institute."

"Exactly. As long as the institute endures until the Star City Shelter is established, they can certainly help you acquire access. If the institute falls to the enemy before that point, then all bets are off. Either way, this is a timeline worth exploring."

"Fair enough," Feng Qi nodded in agreement.

"Enough chatter. Little Black is already on its way. It's about time to leave. This session of reviewing emails took way too long."

Prompted by the narrator's reminder, Feng Qi glanced at the time in the corner of the screen. Without hesitation, he stepped into the metallic corridor and began walking.

Though his strength had significantly increased with the addition of the Blood Source and Malice abilities, he understood his limits. Against Little Black, his power was still far from sufficient.

Following the upward-sloping metallic passage, he left the underground shelter of Star City and returned to the surface.

Scanning his surroundings, Feng Qi turned eastward, striding onward. Along the way, he couldn't help but ask:

"Hey, narrator, you've been guiding me east all this time. What's out there?"

"I didn't answer before because you were too weak. Just reaching the ruins of the city would've been a struggle. But now, maybe it's worth trying."

"To the east, I sense a faint trace of life and numerous energy nodes farther beyond. One of these traces of life stands out—it feels out of place in this world. Even I can't fully grasp what it is."

"Out of place with the world?"

Feng Qi was momentarily stunned by this revelation, pondering whether the faint trace of life the narrator mentioned could be a human survivor.

This world had long been overtaken by domain fields. A life force so distinct from the domain fields must surely belong to an original inhabitant of the world.

Thinking of this, he asked:

"Is it far from my current position?"

"As for the energy nodes, they're far beyond your current capability. You'd have to deal with Little Black first to reach them. But the faint life force might be within reach. You could give it a try."

"Then let's give it a try." Feng Qi nodded decisively.

Having made his decision, he began running toward the direction of the city ruins.

While telekinetic flight was undoubtedly fast, it wasn't sustainable. This time, he opted for a different approach. As he sprinted, his thoughts guided his telekinetic energy to emerge from his body. It formed an invisible force at his back, propelling him forward like a jet engine.

This method consumed much less mental energy while significantly enhancing his running speed, making him much faster than before.

"Ah, Qi, clever as ever! You figured out a new way to use telekinesis so quickly."

"I've always been this smart."

"Of course, just like me."

"Shut up, will you?"

With his improved speed, Feng Qi reached the city ruins in half the usual time. He slowed his pace as he approached.

Surveying his surroundings, he couldn't help but anticipate encountering the crimson-eyed creature again. After all, killing it would further enhance his mental strength.

"Forget it," the narrator interjected, "even if you run into it, you can't beat it. Do you think you'll get lucky and have someone else do the hard work every time?"

"Take my advice and turn back while you still can. Let's go for the 'Iron Muscles and Steel Fists' route—smashing mountains and cracking the earth with one punch, vanquishing enemies with sheer brute force."

Feng Qi felt exasperated by the commentary.

"Why can't I combine physical cultivation with spell techniques? Can't I train both paths?"

"Dual cultivation? Let me imagine that… Hmm… Why am I picturing a buff guy wielding a glowing magic wand? Demons and monsters, begone! He~tui! No dual cultivation for you! Magic would only taint you."

Feng Qi: …

Feeling slightly disturbed, Feng Qi retorted, "Stop grossing me out. When I said dual cultivation, I meant training in both combat and techniques—not the bizarre image you just described."

"He~tui! Disgusting!"

"You're the one conjuring up disgusting images!" Feng Qi snapped back.

Even as he argued with the narrator, Feng Qi remained vigilant, carefully observing his surroundings.

The further east he traveled, the more frequently domain creatures appeared.

While he felt confident in his ability to defend himself, Feng Qi decided to tread carefully until he could retrieve Suction Cup.

Following familiar routes, he pressed on, choosing to avoid encounters with domain creatures whenever he could. Preserving his life-saving abilities was a top priority for now.

His target was the "faint life force" the narrator had mentioned, and time was of the essence.

Even with Suction Cup helping to delay time in the future dreamscape, finding that faint life force in the limited window remained uncertain.

As he progressed, Feng Qi took every opportunity to harvest spirit plants along the way, following the narrator's guidance to collect and store them within his body.

These spirit plants would aid Suction Cup in recovering her strength, thereby extending his future dreamscape duration.

After several hours of travel, Feng Qi arrived at the abandoned hospital zone.

Slowing his pace, he began to search for any signs of Suction Cup.

He circled the vicinity of the abandoned hospital before stepping inside.

As soon as he entered, he saw Suction Cup squatting in the middle of the room, staring blankly at the floor.

Suction Cup seemed to sense Feng Qi's presence. She looked up suddenly, her grayish-white eyes locking onto his.

Their gazes met briefly before Feng Qi broke into a grin.

"Suction Cup, I brought something tasty for you. Ready to head out?"

The words had barely left his mouth when Suction Cup bolted toward him, knocking him backward and sending him sprawling onto the ground.

Picking himself up, Feng Qi looked down at the goofy Suction Cup and reached out to pat her head.

This version of Suction Cup's creation had some connections to his future self.

After all, in this timeline, he had served as Wei Wei's assistant for a period, likely contributing to Mu Qing's cloning and replication experiments.

"Tsk tsk, shameless much? You think fetching Wei Wei coffee counts as contributing to Suction Cup's creation? He~tui!"

Feng Qi: …

"Not dignifying that with a response."

Ignoring the narrator's jabs, Feng Qi turned his attention back to Suction Cup. He reached into his chest cavity and pulled out a fragrant spirit plant, holding it out for her.

"Here, eat this."

Suction Cup sniffed the plant curiously before taking a big bite.

Her grayish eyes lit up with a glimmer of starry light as she eagerly devoured the rest of the plant.

After feeding her four spirit plants he had collected along the way, Feng Qi decided to continue eastward with Suction Cup by his side.

This time, he had no intention of returning to the Star City Shelter. His focus was on exploring the eastern direction to locate the faint life force the narrator had detected.

The outcome was uncertain, and time was tight.

For this reason, Feng Qi even postponed exploring the Crimson Research Institute's second subterranean lab.

Before setting out, Feng Qi climbed to the top of a nearby high-rise to assess Little Black's current location.

Under normal circumstances, Little Black would never be far behind him.

Unless he found a way to delay Little Black's pursuit, his eastern exploration would be cut short.

Suction Cup would serve as his ultimate shield on this journey. Without her protection, he knew he likely wouldn't survive long enough to accomplish his goals.

Having pinpointed Little Black's position, Feng Qi scanned the nearby area for domain creatures.

With the narrator's assistance, he quickly identified a suitable distraction for Little Black.

The target was an elemental lifeform emanating crackling arcs of electricity.

Its body was almost transparent, with a glowing blue energy core clearly visible within. It was crouched in a corner of the street, surrounded by electric currents, exuding a dangerous aura.

Satisfied with his choice, Feng Qi leaped from the high-rise without hesitation.

As he neared the ground, telekinetic energy emerged from his body to cushion his descent, allowing him to land softly.

"Not bad!" he said with a grin, dispersing the energy as his feet touched the ground.

"Bah! Landing without leaving a dramatic crater? No masculinity at all!"

Feng Qi: …