Chapter 54: The Secret Room

The alley was deep and dark. Zhao Kuo even spotted a few opossums, the size of small kittens, crouched in the corner. They weren't afraid of humans, their red eyes staring straight at them.

"What happened earlier is a common occurrence. To them, we at the bottom are probably even lower than rats," Qiong En suddenly said, his tone calm, as if stating a fact.

As he spoke, he stopped in front of a door.

The door looked ordinary, but as Qiong En manipulated it, the surface transformed, revealing a keypad.

Qiong En didn't try to hide his actions from Zhao Kuo and entered the password.

With a sound, the door slowly opened.

Inside was a bright laboratory. An elderly man with graying hair, wearing a white lab coat, sat in a swivel chair with his back to the door, seemingly conducting an experiment.

"Doctor, I've brought them," Qiong En said, his tone clearly respectful toward the Doctor.

"Ah, Qiong En. Good, good that you've brought them. Crimina's here too. Alright, you two can leave now. I have some things to discuss with our guests."

The Doctor turned around slowly. It was clear that he was in his seventies, with age spots on his face, a sign of declining health.

"Understood." Although Qiong En was the leader of the Blaze Gang, he obeyed the Doctor's words without question. He then led his sister out of the alley.

On the street, Crimina shook off her brother's hand and said angrily, "I don't understand why the Doctor values that outsider so much. He's even giving them your potion—the advanced one! You've been holding off on using the evolution potion, waiting for the advanced one, haven't you? After all you've done for the Blaze Gang!"

Facing his sister's Questioning, Qiong En patted her head. "The Doctor's decisions are always right. It's just a potion. If it can help us overthrow the upper class's rule, what does it matter if I don't get it?"

"But…"

"Enough. No more 'buts,' Crimina. I usually let you have your little tantrums, but I hope you'll respect the Doctor's decisions. We've waited too long for this day. If anything goes wrong because of you, I…"

Qiong En looked at his sister, unable to bring himself to finish the sentence.

Seeing her brother's expression, Crimina softened. "Alright, I get it. What's for dinner tonight? How about dried rat stir-fry? It's been a while since we've had fresh vegetables."

"Sure," Qiong En said, relieved as his sister's anger subsided.

Back in the laboratory, the Doctor pointed to a stool. "Take a seat. I still have some experiments to finish. Just give me a moment."

With that, he turned back to his work without waiting for a response.

Zhao Kuo didn't sit down. Instead, he began to look around the laboratory.

It was more advanced than he had imagined, equipped with various instruments and even an optical microscope, which seemed to have a high magnification.

On the wall were several large tubes containing some unidentified objects.

"Those are mutated human organs," the Doctor said suddenly, having finished his experiment and now standing behind Zhao Kuo.

Zhao Kuo was startled. With his potential perception, he hadn't sensed the old man's approach. This Doctor was clearly no ordinary person.

Zhao Kuo turned around calmly. "Mutated? From the potions?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Do you know why the factory area has eight floors while the upper class only has six? It's because the factory area is slightly radioactive. Working there for too long causes certain parts of the body to mutate."

"I've been trying to develop a drug to counteract this radiation, but unfortunately, I haven't had much success."

So that's why… Zhao Kuo had been wondering why the upper class only occupied six floors while the factory area had eight. It didn't align with the resource distribution of a dystopian society.

He had initially thought the larger factory area was due to the upper class's high demand for industrial products. He hadn't considered radiation.

Before Zhao Kuo could speak, the Doctor continued, "Actually, the lower four floors also have radiation, but it's much weaker. People usually die from other causes before their bodies can mutate."

"Did Qiong En tell you this place is called Tomorrow City?" the Doctor suddenly asked.

Zhao Kuo hesitated, then nodded. From the system's hint, he knew this place wasn't called Tomorrow City Station but Eternal Station.

The Doctor smiled. "Actually, it's called Eternal City, symbolizing the upper class's eternal rule over the lower class. Qiong En is dedicated to overthrowing this malformation rule, so he doesn't like the name Eternal City and私自 renamed it Tomorrow City. He didn't mean to deceive you."

So that's the case… Zhao Kuo narrowed his eyes. Was the Doctor explaining this to win his trust?

Zhao Kuo wasn't sure, but regardless, he wasn't going to let his guard down easily.

In the subway world, trust was a luxury, especially in unfamiliar environments.

Seeing this, the Doctor pressed a button on his hand.

The wall containing the mutated organs suddenly rotated, revealing a small room inside.

"I know you have many questions and suspicions, but I've been waiting for this day my entire life. Come in," the Doctor said as he walked inside.

Zhao Kuo hesitated for a moment, then followed.

Tang Yingying, seeing this, wanted to follow as well, but Zhao Kuo shook his head, signaling her to stay outside.

If something went wrong, Tang Yingjing could serve as backup. Zhao Kuo still didn't fully trust the Blaze Gang and remained vigilant.

Having been with Zhao Kuo for so long, Tang Yingying immediately understood his meaning and stayed put, summoning her plush crocodile and bunny for protection.

Fortunately, the small room held no danger. Instead, it displayed some ancient-looking mural.

"My name is Al Darich. I was originally the heir of the upper-class Darich family. These murals were once stored in the Darich family's museum, along with this book…" The Doctor pointed to an old,Old, worn books in the center of the room.

Zhao Kuo looked at the murals, which depicted scenes of battles—not ordinary ones, but ones filled with fantastical elements.

There were enormous creatures and strange magic, among other things.

The Doctor gently touched the murals. "I used to think the contents of these murals were fake. But after finding this book, I realized everything depicted here actually happened. And these people with magical powers were called… players."

"In the history of Eternal City, five groups of players have come. Some brought hope to the lower class, while others brought despair."

"Perhaps this time, it's the upper class's turn to feel the wrath of the lower class."