While being pressured to sign the confidentiality agreement, Xie Yunqing tried repeatedly to ask Will about Jiang Fanxing, but the man dodged every question with evasive tactics. Xie Yunqing nearly laughed in frustration, thinking to himself that Will’s behavior was a confession in itself.
Initially, he had not been certain if the person they were tracking now was the same green-skinned individual they had encountered in the previous rift. But now, he was convinced: the Mr. Jiang from the last world and the Mr. Niu of this world were one and the same. His camouflage was far too amateurish; in Xie Yunqing’s eyes, the man was riddled with flaws. Their height, build, and vocal characteristics were strikingly similar. Furthermore, their shared preference for masks and gloves, suggesting a distaste for physical contact with strangers, served as corroborating evidence.
The man’s abilities, however, were bizarrely inconsistent. In the previous world, he could manipulate water, whereas here, he possessed a strange set of reproductive organs. Xie Yunqing could not fathom the connection, save for the fact that the man seemed to use his unique abilities to resolve the crisis of whichever rift world he entered. Just as he had used his water-manipulation ability to hydrate those dying of thirst in the last world, he was now sacrificing his own anatomy to break the infertility curse of this one. Though the outcome remained to be seen, Xie Yunqing had a premonition that the man’s claims were true. A different ability for every world sounded like a fairy tale, but the facts staring him in the face left him no choice but to believe.
Consequently, he became even more determined to recruit Jiang Fanxing. Unfortunately, Will kept a tight guard, offering no opportunity for a meeting.
In his hotel room, Jiang Fanxing had no idea Xie Yunqing was fixated on him. At that moment, a strange thought crossed his mind.
“110, I should be able to exchange for more reproductive organs, and it should not cost any exchange coins, right?”
“Of course, host.”
Each exchanged biological structure could remain active on the host for one day; if he wished to maintain it, he could simply re-exchange it for free.
Jiang Fanxing mused, “So, for every day I stay in this world, I could essentially produce a set of these organs?” It was practically a system bug.
110 sensed his dangerous line of thinking and hurriedly warned him, “Host, 110 advises you against doing that. This world is unique. 110 had to report the situation to the Exchange System just to get approval for you to loan out biological structures; such a thing is forbidden in other worlds. Moreover, producing a constant stream of reproductive organs would lead the humans of this world to harbor wicked intentions toward you, resulting in dire consequences.”
If the host were to expose this unique ability, he would likely be detained and never allowed to leave. As for what they would use him for, naturally, he would become a perpetual donor of cheap, safe reproductive organs for every man and woman who desired children. As long as every couple possessed these organs, the world would rapidly exit the apocalypse and enter an era of explosive population growth. The organs provided by the system guaranteed function even in the bodies of those near death. To maximize the number of newborns, people would undoubtedly begin exploiting the dying. Compared to the current pace, where humanity would recover over many generations, most people would surely choose the short-term, rapid-growth path.
Jiang Fanxing was not intimidated. “As long as the volunteer couple conceives successfully, I can leave this world, right? Even if I produce more organs and draw the attention of those with ulterior motives, I will be gone in less than a month. What does it matter?”
110 fell silent for a moment. Instead of arguing, it stated a conclusion derived from multiple simulations: “Host, you will not do that.”
Jiang Fanxing was surprised, his eyebrows arching with curiosity. “Why do you think that?”
110 replied firmly, “You are not a person who sacrifices for others. If it were not to satisfy your own inner needs, you would not be performing these system tasks. The tasks themselves are not mandatory for you; you could walk away at any moment. Strangers hold no importance to you.”
Jiang Fanxing smiled. He was not embarrassed at being seen through; rather, he was in a good mood. “You are right. I certainly will not do it.” It had only been a passing thought. Yet, the smile in his eyes deepened. 110 might not have realized it, but it had begun to worry about his safety. This meant turning 110 against its mentor was only a matter of time. When the scoundrel system finally showed up, he would have an unforgettable gift ready for it. Indeed, he was not only indifferent to life but also held deep grudges.
The following days passed quickly. Thanks to Will, no one disturbed him. Jiang Fanxing was far from idle. He had acquired countless vials of serum from Will, and after confirming with 110 that they were harmless, he drank 16 vials, one per day. Beauty serums for whitening, spot removal, and hair care showed immediate results. Standing before the mirror, Jiang Fanxing felt as though he were glowing. He had always been vain, and seeing his attractiveness climb to a new level put him in an excellent mood.
As for the medicinal serums, he had thus far only taken one for mental recovery and one for skin repair. The former left him feeling vibrant and clear-headed, ideal for students before an exam, or perhaps for overworked office staff. The latter showed no obvious effects until he tested them by slicing his fingertip with a small knife. The blood that welled up stopped, and the wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. “These serums are truly impressive.”
The serums had clear advantages, but also drawbacks. For instance, he had taken the energy recovery serum four days ago; he felt rejuvenated for three days, but by the fourth, it had no effect. The others were too risky to experiment with blindly. Take the cancer-treatment serum, for example: its biggest flaw was that the course of treatment could not be interrupted. If a patient stopped midway, they would die instantly. Jiang Fanxing preferred to call it a poison-to-fight-poison serum rather than a cure. Healthy people could not take it, and cancer patients could not stop taking it once they started. Furthermore, they were rare and expensive. Jiang Fanxing only had four, which was the entirety of Will’s inventory. Will had warned him that the raw materials were in short supply, and it would be three months before more could be produced. Since he would be long gone by then, these four vials were priceless. He locked them away in his capsule home, terrified of losing them.
While Jiang Fanxing was enjoying his haul, Xie Yunqing and his team were far from happy. A dark cloud hung over them: could they ever leave this world? The uncertainty left them anxious and restless.
Zhou Peng was the first to snap. “We have been here for over two weeks, and we have done absolutely nothing! In the last world, we only left because we helped solve their crisis! But we are useless here; we cannot help at all. Maybe I should offer myself as a stud for the women here and see if I can get them pregnant!”
Lin Zihan, already anxious, was shocked by the outburst. “Zhou Peng, have you lost your mind? How could you say such a thing? Do you think they would even look at you?” The youngest people in this world were over a hundred years old; to them, their team was practically great-great-grandchildren. Xie Yunqing and Zhang Zhiyuan stared at Zhou Peng in disbelief.
Zhou Peng began rubbing his head frantically, his composure shattering. His eyes bloodshot, he let out an eerie, manic laugh. “Hahaha! Dead or alive, it is all the same, but I want to die happily!” He shoved past the three of them, stumbling toward Will Technology.
Xie Yunqing prepared to pursue him, but Lin Zihan and Zhang Zhiyuan blocked his path, having made up their minds. Lin Zihan pleaded, “Captain, do not be angry. Zhou Peng is fine, and nothing bad happened. Give him another chance.”
Zhang Zhiyuan added, “It was a small matter. Let us all take a step back.”
Xie Yunqing looked at the three of them, feeling a headache coming on. This world was peaceful, but if they remained this undisciplined, they would eventually pay a price. Yet, he knew that if he humiliated Zhou Peng now, it would only alienate the other two members, making them even less obedient.
He looked deeply at the three of them. “Let this be the last time.” He would not let Zhou Peng’s insubordination slide; if they returned to reality, he would ensure the man faced the consequences. After settling the matter, Lin Zihan pleaded, “Captain, let us go inside.” She wanted to see the beauty serums and their price tags, even if just to let the idea go. Xie Yunqing nodded in agreement.
Before they could reach the door, they bumped into Anelina and Robin.
Anelina muttered, “Those reproductive organs must be mine. I will be the first person in this world to become pregnant.”
Robin whispered, “Just wait. We are going to find Will’s parents and stop them from proceeding with the surgery.”
Xie Yunqing had excellent hearing. After catching the word pregnancy, he immediately became alert. “Wait.”