Ling Cage, pick up Lu Mingfei at the start.

Lu Mingfei never imagined that such an unreal place could exist on this wasteland ravaged by the Mana ecosystem.

The transport vehicle slowly came to a stop. He jumped off the vehicle and was greeted by an amusement park that seemed to have been forgotten by time.

The castle's spires, their paint peeling off, stood silently in the twilight. The giant Ferris wheel was frozen in time as a rusted silhouette. The dust-covered carousel horses still maintained their proud, galloping posture. The roller coaster tracks, like a sleeping steel python, meandered and coiled.

All the vibrant colors exude an eerie and sorrowful beauty amidst the decay.

"You mean, the shielding tower... is built here?" Lu Mingfei's eyes widened as he looked incredulously into the depths of the park.

This was far from the image he had of important facilities being heavily guarded and covered with barbed wire.

"The location is suitable, and it makes the best use of the resources." Bai Yuekui said succinctly, and took the lead in walking into the garden.

She pointed to the top of the towering drop tower. "Why not use the existing high ground?"

Looking up, Lu Mingfei saw that the top of the drop tower had been fitted with some unfamiliar metal components that gleamed with a cold, hard luster in the setting sun.

"I thought places like this would be surrounded by barbed wire and have machine guns set up."

"Those things can't prevent real trouble." Bai Yuekui didn't even turn his head. "Remember what Xia Dou said this morning about the cause of the malfunction?"

"Mana bio-corrosion...transformer?"

"That's right. As for what it is, you'll see for yourself in a bit." As she spoke, she walked toward Fang Yuan and Amuer, who had arrived earlier, and began to talk in hushed tones.

Lu Mingfei was captivated by the dreamlike yet dilapidated scene. The last time he went to an amusement park was when his uncle and aunt took him there during his elementary school years, a rare occasion when they did so. His memory of it was already hazy.

"Hey, Xu Tong," he nudged the person next to him with his elbow, "Can these big guys... still move?"

"Sure, why not? The power supply isn't interrupted." Xu Tong crossed her arms, glanced at him sideways, and deliberately dragged out her words, "It's just that..."

"But what?"

With a soft "thump," Xu Tong flicked Lu Mingfei's forehead with her finger: "We're here to work, not for a spring outing! What else can you think about besides playing and eating?"

"Ouch!" Lu Mingfei grimaced, clutching his forehead.

"Hahaha—" Maido and Xiadou next to them laughed out loud without any restraint.

Xu Tong shook his head helplessly, turned around and walked towards the base of the drop tower: "Come on! Maybe we'll have time to show you something after the equipment is replaced."

The group arrived at the bottom of the drop tower. Shan Da waved to Mai Duo: "Mai Duo, I'll leave the middle section to you; I'll go up and handle the top."

"Coming!" Maido ran over.

At this moment, the drop tower's seating platform slowly descended, emitting a slight mechanical hum. It was now serving as a temporary elevator.

Lu Mingfei was wondering who was controlling things when he glanced around and saw Fang Yuan busy at the control panel in the control room not far away, playfully giving him an "OK" sign.

"Don't just stand there, Lu Mingfei!" Xu Tong turned around and saw Lu Mingfei looking around again, so she grabbed him and pulled him over.

Reaching a metal support at the bottom of the drop tower, Lu Mingfei pointed to a series of fleshy, tumor-like objects resembling thornless red lychees clinging to it and asked, "What are these things?"

Bai Yuekui's cold voice came from above: "Clean up the debris on the tower as soon as possible and replace the equipment. There are new interns today, so everyone be on high alert."

A newcomer? Lu Mingfei subconsciously looked at Shan Shihui and Jiang Ya beside him. Hmm, they definitely weren't talking about me.

"What are you looking at? You're a newbie too." Xu Tong said, shoving a camera into Lu Mingfei's hand. "Hold it tight and film well. This is for archiving as teaching material."

Lu Mingfei quickly raised the camera and aimed it at Xu Tong.

"This mana plant is called 'eye tumor'." Xu Tong pulled out a uniquely shaped spray gun and aimed it at the tumors. "They originally grow inside the ground vines. Once mature, they launch themselves out like cannonballs, finding a suitable environment to land and grow into mana flowers, releasing spores. The spores then turn into these things." He pulled the trigger, and a sticky, transparent liquid covered the surface of the eye tumors. "So, the first step is to spray a protective gel to prevent them from spraying spores randomly when stimulated."

After completing this step, Xu Tong switched to a high-tech firearm equipped with a resonant generator and activated it about ten centimeters from the eye tumor. The device deployed a planar force field, emitting a low hum. "Then, using the resonant gun, adjust the output frequency to synchronize it with the biorhythms inside the eye tumor..."

Before the words were finished, a series of soft "poof poof poof" sounds were heard, and the previously still eye tumors suddenly cracked open, revealing murky and eerie eyes! Then, the tumors burst open one after another, and dark green mucus with a slightly fishy smell splattered everywhere.

"Holy crap!" Lu Mingfei's stomach churned, his facial muscles contorted, and he almost threw the camera away.

The visual impact was comparable to the pop-up ads from some unhealthy websites he saw after spending the night in an illegal internet cafe.

"Ugh—" Jiang Ya next to her couldn't help but gag.

"I'll do it! You guys have no mental fortitude!" Seeing this, Shan Hui took the opportunity to snatch the camera from Lu Mingfei.

Just as Lu Mingfei was about to snatch it back—disgusting as it was, he couldn't lose face—Bai Yuekui's voice came from above again: "Lu Mingfei, you come up too, observe and learn more."

"Oh, it's here!" Lu Mingfei immediately gave up the argument and jogged toward the "Explorer" that had landed again.

Two people were already waiting beside the platform. One was Xia Dou fiddling with the controller, and the other was...

She stood quietly against the fairytale backdrop of the amusement park, yet she herself resembled a warmly painted oil painting. Her abundant golden hair, like flowing sunlight, accentuated her bright eyes that sparkled with curiosity and intelligence.

A simple light-colored shirt and brown vest outlined her clean lines, while the necklace with a deep blue gemstone set at the neckline added a touch of calm mystery to her.

Beautiful, truly beautiful. This was the highest praise Lu Mingfei could instantly glean from his limited vocabulary. But his mind raced, and he realized he didn't recognize the person.

Although he looked somewhat familiar... he was probably a resident of the village he had never met before.

"Hello, Lu Mingfei." The woman smiled and extended her hand, her demeanor graceful and poised.

"Hello!" Lu Mingfei quickly reached out to shake hands; the touch was slightly cool. The other person's natural attitude made him feel a little flattered, yet also a little confused. Are we that close?

"It seems you don't know me yet," the woman smiled and introduced herself, "My name is Tasia."

Lu Mingfei nodded, thinking to himself, "Of course I don't know. I'm either being trained by Boss Bai or staying home playing games."

How do you know me?

"Ha, you're quite the 'celebrity' in the village," Tasia blinked. "A transmigrator from another world, and a 'neighbor' of Boss Bai. It's hard not to know you."

Lu Mingfei scratched his head, a little embarrassed. Did he really become that famous?

The Explorer landed smoothly in front of them. The three stepped onto the platform.

In the control room, Fang Yuan shouted energetically, "Equipment secured! 'Explorer', take off again!"

"Sister Fangyuan is always so energetic." Xia Dou sat on the edge of the platform, swinging her legs, completely oblivious to the gradually rising ground beneath her feet.

"Yes," Tasia said, sitting gracefully on the edge, her posture relaxed. "Speaking of which, she and You Feng have been married for quite a few years now, haven't they? How come they still don't have children?"

"I don't know about that," Xia Dou said, fiddling with her gear without looking up. "My sister keeps saying she wants another one, but nothing's happened yet."

Hearing the two women start discussing having children, Lu Mingfei suddenly felt superfluous.

He tried to imitate them by sitting on the edge, but after glancing at the rapidly shrinking ground, he wisely shifted his position back and gripped the railing tightly.

He secretly glanced at Tasia and Xia Dou, who were chatting and laughing, and wondered to himself: Aren't these two girls afraid of heights?

"Hey, I heard your potential hasn't awakened yet?" Tasia suddenly leaned closer and asked, her faintly fragrant blonde hair almost brushing against Lu Mingfei's face.

Unlike his familiar interactions with Bai Yuekui and Xia Dou, the sudden approach of a beautiful stranger made Lu Mingfei instantly stiffen, his heart skipping a beat. "Ah? This... not yet."

"Oh? Isn't there a rumor that you have that 'three forbidden zones'?" Tasia asked curiously.

"That's really not my potential," Lu Mingfei said with a wry smile. "I don't even know what that thing is or if it's still working."

"It is a bit strange. But it's okay, you will definitely awaken." Tasia patted his shoulder, her tone confident.

Then, she took out a futuristic-looking metal disc that shimmered with a soft, ethereal blue light and placed it beside her.

"What is this? It looks pretty high-end." Lu Mingfei's attention was drawn to it.

"This one," Tasia smiled mysteriously, "is called 'The Great Disappearance.' I'll demonstrate it for you sometime."

"Wow! Magic? Is that potential too?"

"Hmm, there's another one in the village who can generate electricity."

Lu Mingfei was dumbfounded: "You guys... this is too amazing. I wonder what my potential is."

He couldn't help but dream of having something that was invulnerable to bullets or that emitted lasers from its eyes...

"Haha, maybe it'll be a surprise. As long as it's not the appendix," Tasia said with a mischievous smile.

"Appendix? What's the deal with that?"

"Do you know where the main ingredient of the antidote pills in the village comes from?"

"Where did it come from?"

"Xu Tong's awakened potential is related to the appendix, which caused the production of a special bacterial flora in his body that can adapt to bromine mist."

"What? The Invulnerable Body? Wait, bacteria? Could it be..." Lu Mingfei thought of a possibility and understood why Sui Xing hesitated when taking the antidote pill, and why his stomach began to feel uncomfortable.

"You guessed right!" Tasia added with a smile, "It was extracted and cultured from Xu Tong's... well, his metabolic products."

"Oh dear! Tasia! We still have dinner tonight!" Xia Dou poked Tasia's waist with her finger, unable to bear it any longer.

"Alright, alright, I won't tease him anymore." Tasia laughed and dodged away, then reached out to tickle Xia Dou.

"Hey, Chagai's helping out too?" Tasia noticed Madonna cleaning the wiring on the central structure of the drop tower and called out to her.

"It? I'll be grateful if it doesn't cause any trouble." Maido sighed and flicked the baby eagle that was perched on her shoulder, trying to peck at the tool with its beak.

The "Explorer" had now risen to the top platform. Lu Mingfei saw Bai Yuekui and Shan Da working diligently.

"Perfect timing! Lu Mingfei, hand me that marrow crystal!" Shan Da, covered in sweat, pointed to a device emitting a faint glow next to him.

"Here it comes!" Lu Mingfei quickly picked up the heavy device and carefully handed it over.

"Shandong, how exactly does this shielding tower work?" he asked, seizing the opportunity.

"Well... the principle is quite complicated," Shan Da said vaguely while skillfully installing the myelin crystal. "It's probably about using a plasma ring to amplify a specific signal, right? You'll have to ask Boss Bai for details; she's the core of the technology."

Lu Mingfei said "Oh" and then moved closer to Bai Yuekui.

She was intently typing code rapidly on her portable terminal, the screen's light reflecting off her focused profile.

"Give me water." Bai Yuekui stretched out his hand without turning his head.

Lu Mingfei quickly unscrewed the lid of the thermos and handed it over with both hands.

Bai Yuekui took the drink and kept his eyes glued to the screen.

Standing to the side, watching everyone busy at their respective posts, Lu Mingfei felt a little lost and couldn't help but ask again, "Boss Bai, when exactly will I awaken my potential?"

"We need a catalyst." Bai Yuekui's fingers never stopped moving, his tone calm. "If you're in a hurry, you can wait for the next 'Artificial Awakening'."

"This can be artificially awakened?" Lu Mingfei exclaimed in surprise.

"Hmm. You'll understand once I take you to experience it next time."

Lu Mingfei's heart was filled with anticipation. He began to let his imagination run wild, wondering what kind of cool abilities he would gain. Would he be able to dismantle mechs with his bare hands, or shoot lasers from his eyes? As he thought about it, a smile involuntarily crept onto his face.

The sun finally sank completely below the horizon, and night quickly spread across the sky like ink.

As the light faded, an invisible pressure quietly spread.

The amusement park lights were not lit; in the deathly silence, only the howling wind could be heard.

Bai Yuekui leaned against the railing of the top-floor platform, his brows slightly furrowed, his keen senses as taut as a taut string.

Lu Mingfei also felt a strange palpitation, as if countless tiny footsteps were surging from the darkness in the distance, converging on the cold tracks of the roller coaster towards their location.

A chill ran down his spine; if it wasn't human... then it could only be...

"Something's wrong. Everyone, enter Return to Origin state!" Bai Yuekui's calm voice broke the silence, carrying an unquestionable tone of command.

She picked up the communicator: "Maido, how's the progress?"

"Welding has started!" Maido's voice was accompanied by the crackling sound of electricity.

Immediately afterward, Xu Tong's voice came through: "Boss Bai, there are too many! We can't locate each Spirit Seed individually!"

"Lu Mingfei, go assist in replacing the plasma ring." Bai Yuekui's speech quickened, his instructions clear. "The Devouring Beast horde is approaching. There are no Mana Flowers here to provide resurrection energy. Once the battle begins, attack their vitals directly!"

Her gaze fell upon the roller coaster track in the distance, which coiled like a giant black python: "The horde is mainly coming from the track. Protect the interns. Hold your ground and await reinforcements until the shielding tower restarts!"

Just then, from the woods below came the cracking sound of branches snapping under the weight of a large body. A huge and ferocious silhouette slowly emerged from the darkness.

It was a Devouring Beast, far larger than an ordinary snake-dog, with a more twisted and terrifying appearance. Its sharp, beak-like mouth opened and closed, dripping thick saliva.

Several scarlet eyes were irregularly distributed on its head, gleaming with pure malice and hunger. Its spine, covered with bone spurs and a thick layer of keratin, bulged high, causing the ground to tremble slightly with each step.

It raised its head, and all those scarlet eyes locked onto the faint light at the top of the drop tower, and the people beneath that light...

As Lu Mingfei watched the giant Devouring Beast slowly approaching, he felt his throat go dry.

He prayed silently, hoping that he could get through the night peacefully and that he wouldn't actually have to use the "last words" he had recorded that morning.