Even if he was lying on his side on the hard bed, Ruan Xian could feel the darkness and cramping of this small room. The hard plank bed under him smelt of decaying wood, and the air was like water soaked in iron filings, cold and sticky, full of rust. There were no false windows in the small room, except for the ventilator rumbling in the corner of the room, which was very close to a deeply buried coffin.

The smell of earth and roots comes from all directions. And the living creature closest to him is evaluating the person "Ruan Xian" in a tone of disapproval.

Ruan Xian felt very strange right now. Staring at those golden eyes, in a trance, he only felt that he was in the same room with a beast. It was not hungry at this time, and was even willing to turn over to reveal its soft, furry belly.

However, he couldn't read the mind of this beast named "Tang Yibu" like he could read humans. This second it was obedient and cute, but Ruan Xian was sure - once the beast felt danger, the next second it would raise its claws and tear its throat with the tips of its claws.

"Chi Lei and Guan Haiming both spoke highly of him." Ruan Xian cautiously continued this dangerous topic.

"Chi Lei is a mechanic, and Guan Haiming is a researcher. It's not surprising that these people think highly of him. After all, Ruan Xian has intelligence on par with mul-01. In their eyes, he is considered a 'god' in a certain sense. From a standpoint, Ruan Xian has also been committed to helping humans deal with mul-01." Tang Yibu moved his fingertips all the way, from between his eyebrows to his cheeks, and finally stopped at Ruan Xian's neck. "...you're nervous."

"Yes. According to what you said, I was a prop set up by Ruan Xian. You don't seem to like Ruan Xian." Ruan Xian didn't move. He chose his sentences, avoiding outright lies.

"It doesn't count. I don't care about his behavior, I just make an evaluation that is closest to the facts." Tang Yibu shook his head, "Cooperation is cooperation. At least Ruan Xian will not set the task of 'assisting the master' for you, we have no fundamental conflict of interest.”

Ruan Xian breathed a sigh of relief.

A series of icy beeps suddenly cut through the darkness, and Tang Yibu opened his cuffs, revealing the metal wristband on his wrist. A small light screen is projected in the air, and simple communication symbols rotate in the center of the light screen.

"231, come to my office. Temporary data correction." Guan Haiming's voice came from the light screen. Before Tang Yibu could answer, the call was unilaterally cut off.

"Exactly, get some parts from him, and the hacker terminal you requested can be completed." Tang Yibu stood up. "...But a lot of data is limited to Guan Haiming's office. If you want to access the complete database, you'd better start near his office."

"...You know what's going on here." Ruan Xian said as calmly as possible.

Tang Yibu stopped at the door.

"After all, you're pretty sure you're keeping me safe, and you're not worried about what I'm finding out from the data."

"I do know the truth." Tang Yibu pulled the door open a small crack, and dim yellow light shone through the crack, illuminating half of his face. "I think you have also discovered that this is not the Taoyuan Township that humans think. I will take you out of this sanctuary in the near future."

"What if I don't want to go?" Ruan Xian squeezed the sheet in his hand and sat up.

"You will leave with me. Whether you want to save humanity, or you want to save yourself."

Tang Yibu showed a big smile, it was not the bright fake smile he used to use, but there was not much warmth in it. "Don't look at me like that, I don't want to be the one delivering bad news. Besides, we both know each other, you can't take my word for it."

"……"indeed so. Ruan Xian looked away.

"You have given your price, and I will also show my sincerity. Since you are determined to find out about Zhang Yazhe, no matter what your plan is, I will fully cooperate with you - use your talents to discover the truth. It won't take long."

The android approached from the door, put his hands on Ruan Xian's shoulders, and his golden eyes had a terrifying sense of purity.

"Let's get along well, Mr. Ruan."

Tang Yibu didn't come back all night, and Ruan Xian didn't close his eyes for a long time. When the bell rang, symbolizing the dawn, he fell asleep for a while.

He dragged himself out of bed forcibly, turned on the lights in the room, and the mirror already showed today's arrangements. This is the same as the observation room I lived in before.

[Ruan Lijie please reflect in the shelter for 24 hours, and the rest of the team members will perform their tasks normally. Assemble at Huya Hill near the wild cemetery at 13:00 today, and expect to meet and return at 19:00. Recover at least 4 pieces of Hexagonal Armor per player. The wild cemetery is a signal blind area. Members are requested to increase the concentration of auxiliary chips in the body, assist the shelter to narrow the positioning range, and ensure that the memory backup is complete. 】

Bright blue text flashed on the mirror, and after the instruction was Zhang Yazhe's signature.

This is the beginning of the confinement. Ruan Xian turned off the instructions on the mirror, turned on the faucet, and poured cold water on his cheeks.

[Xiao Ruan, please go to Guan Haiming to get the "Explorer Basic Regulations and Analysis of Typical Cases", and read it today. I'll be back to check. Zhang Yazhe stayed. 】After crossing out the public instruction, another private message slowly surfaced on the mirror.

Ruan Xian spit out the mouthwash, hung his fingertips over Zhang Yazhe's name for a few seconds, and closed the message box again.

[Mr. Ruan, please come to the restaurant before 9:00, I will wait for you there. ] Immediately after, a bright red message surfaced, it overbearingly covered the operation interface, there was no signature, but there was a big smiley symbol at the end of the sentence.

Tang Yibu's news.

Ruan Xian rolled his eyes, put on his shelter uniform, and stepped out of the small room. There were still machines piled up in a mess in the hall, and the other three rooms were empty. Eighty percent of the rest of Zhang Yazhe's team had already gone out to prepare for the task. He closed the door gently and walked around to the restaurant.

Tang Yibu was waiting for him at a table where a hot breakfast was placed.

The android handed over a metal wristband, his eyes gleaming: "I received this in your name, and the communication restrictions have been modified. In theory, as long as the band and loopholes are identified, it can be connected to any facility - but it After all, there is a limit to the performance, please also pay attention.”

"thanks."

"And it doesn't have any hacks on it." The sly android blinked. "Do you need it? Or do you prefer to make one yourself?"

"No need to try, I can do it myself." Ruan Xian put down the hard-boiled egg in his hand, put the metal wrist ring on his hand, and called out the light screen like other people.

Tang Yibu nodded: "By the way, applying for it costs all of your contribution points. This is your last normal breakfast. Only free nutritional supplements are left."

"...I hope you can discuss it with me in advance next time."

"It doesn't change your decision."

"But this will change the way we get along." Ruan Xian took a deep breath, the smile on his face twitched a few times. The lack of sleep made him not have the strength to make any obvious protests - in the end, Mr. Ruan picked up the only sweet potato left on the table, stared at Tang Yibu's eyes, and ate it slowly with a firm expression. got it.

Tang Yibu looked a little heartbroken: "I see."

"Very good." Ruan Xian took out the hard-boiled egg from his pocket as if by magic, "Take it."

"I prefer sweet potatoes." Tang Yibu carefully peeled the eggshell.

"...don't pick."

everything's ready. On the grounds of receiving the "Explorer's Basic Regulations and Analysis of Typical Cases", Ruan Xian went straight to Guan Haiming, but unfortunately he could not find the opportunity to access the database.

There were guests in Guan Haiming's room, and the corridor was too conspicuous - he met Zhang Yazhe and Chi Lei head on.

"Come to borrow a book?" Zhang Yazhe's tone was still a little stiff.

"Yeah." Ruan Xian nodded honestly.

"Well, when Xiao Ding finishes injecting the auxiliary chip, Guan Haiming will be fine." Zhang Yazhe's eyes were a little more relieved. "Don't go in now, Xiaoguan doesn't like too many people in the room."

Chi Lei snorted with a homemade cigarette in his mouth. His cigarette was not lit, and no one wanted to speak.

"Recently, I have an assistant position here." Guan Haiming's voice came from the soundproof door, as clearly as if it was right next to his ear. "Xiao Ding, stop being an explorer, I'll give you a higher reward."

"Thank you, but I still like being an explorer." Ding Zepeng's voice was the same as before, revealing a sunny smile.

"Since you're not interested in these, why are you running to me every day?" Guan Haiming's voice sounded a little unpleasant.

"Because you're hiding from people, Haiming, but I think you kind of want to talk to people... Oh, take it easy, don't hold my arm—"

"Every time you come back from a mission, you will get hurt, so let me take it easy? To be a qualified explorer, you are still a little more tender." Guan Haiming's voice was a little colder. "That Ruan Lijie has good physical fitness. He is eight years older than you, and he wants to be an explorer wholeheartedly. With him on his back, you can consider returning and preparing for a few more years."

"How can it be, Brother Ruan is still a newcomer... Hey, Haiming! It really hurts! Anyway, I just want to be an explorer, what can you do with me?"

"What should I do? I can wash your recent memory. Anyway, your auxiliary chip has not been broken, and the black box has a backup of all your memories. You can start from scratch as an assistant for a few months, and I will restore it to you when the time comes... Considering your age, I don't think Zhang Yazhe will have much opinion."

"Guan Haiming, I'm going to be angry!" The smile in Xiao Ding's voice disappeared. "I'm not doing it for pay. You know that I'm suitable for this job. Explorers can help everyone to the maximum, and the parts I bring back are the most and the best. How can you—"

"...Sorry. The chip has been injected, let's go."

"Well, hey, I'm not really angry...Haiming, don't look like that."

"Let's go." Guan Haiming repeated coldly.

The door opened, and Ding Zepeng came out a little aggrieved. As soon as he went out, he saw Ruan Xian and smiled bitterly. "Brother Ruan, you are coming to see Haiming... er, it's better to go in later."

He was right. Ruan Xian nodded quietly while listening to Guan Haiming kicking things randomly in the room.

After simply saying goodbye to Ruan Xian, Zhang Yazhe and others disappeared at the end of the corridor. Ruan Xian stopped at the door for a moment. A suppressed roar of pain came from the door, like some kind of wounded animal.

And the people outside the soundproof door come and go, and the people who are eager to talk know nothing about it.

He didn't even come in to borrow the book in the end.

"Can't break Haiming's firewall?" Seeing Ruan Xian returning to his room early, Tang Yibu was a little surprised. "Of course, if you ask me for help—"

"I don't need such deep data for the time being." Ruan Xian sat back on the bed and exhaled the light screen.

Although the firewall is also set up, the shallow data of the shelter is not difficult to obtain. Ruan Xian spent ten minutes to understand the programming language of the firewall, and then cracked it with ease.

"Oops." Seeing the string of numbers jumping out, Tang Yibu got closer.

"At the beginning of last year, the total number of explorers was 96, with 8 new in one year and 14 deaths. The death rate is the highest of all occupations in the Vault. But..."

Ruan Xian waved his hand, and the images of all the death reports flew off the screen and spread out in the nearby air.

“…There are two general characteristics of these deaths. First, the vast majority of the deaths have 'witnesses.' Second, the deceased are often incompetent.”

Ruan Xian bit his lips. He seemed to have touched the edge of the truth. It was cold and sharp, and it had stabbed his fingers.

He waved again, and more death reports flew out, crowding the small room.

"This is all the deaths recorded in all the refugees, a total of 127 people, and the deceased are basically the most ordinary people. There is only one death record for people with outstanding abilities - they died of myocardial infarction while eating, and died in front of everyone."

No matter how dangerous the work is, those outstanding elites have gone through countless crises as if they were deeply blessed by fate.

But is that really a blessing? This complete refuge has been running silently for many years. Is it true that only Zhang Yazhe was manipulated by unknown forces, and he happened to bump into him?

How many people died silently and were replaced by "self" who didn't know where they came from?

Ruan Xian let those death cases hang in the air, as if insisting on tearing open an unbearable wound, he summoned a screen of data again.

"These deaths should have kept the Vault's workforce down." His voice trembled slightly. "But there will always be new survivors found, or transferred from other shelters. The population here has been maintained at a relatively stable value... stable too much."

For some reason, he suddenly remembered the fish tank at his adoptive mother's house.

Beautiful fish tank, full of all kinds of beautiful fish. He was particularly fond of one of the little golden fishes that sucked the tank walls, was a delightful creature, and helped clear the water of moss and algae.

One day it died.

"Just buy another one." In his memory, some elderly adoptive mothers touched his head. "Grandma promises the new one will be the same as the old one, okay?"

Ruan Xian stretched out a hand and stroked the rough wall of the shelter. Then he slowly turned around and turned his back to the death report that filled the space.

【You will leave with me. Whether you want to save humanity, or you want to save yourself. ] The android said so last night.

Now he only lacks one piece of evidence.

"Tang Yibu... I need your cooperation." Ruan Xian said again, although the soles of his feet were on a solid floor, he seemed to be stepping on the void.

"What's your plan?"

"I don't think I can stop Zhang Yazhe and the others from saving Tian He." Unless they make their own speculations, how many people are willing to accept such absurd and lack of evidence "truth"?

"Same feeling."

"...so I'm going to join them."

"It's useless."

"I know." Ruan Xian clasped his arms, "Staying here won't solve any problems, but at least before I leave, I..."

Tang Yibu took a few steps closer, opened his arms boldly, hugged him with a snap, and brought his lips to his ear."You found out sooner than I thought. It's okay, I said, I'll give you my full support."

"...Thank you." Although it wasn't a heart-to-heart hug, he really needed a little warmth right now.

"Then can you share the sweet potatoes with me next time?"

"..."