After I stopped trying, a rich woman trained me into a demon emperor.

The patterns covering it were exactly the same as the engravings on the headless infant bone in the evidence box.

These patterns are a kind of reading array. As long as you walk through them, your cultivation level, bloodline, and even karma will be clearly detected and eventually become nourishment for the Emperor's son sample.

Zhou Ran glanced at it once and then turned her face away.

"I'm not leaving."

The owl's professional smile remained unchanged.

"Men, this is standard procedure."

A lawyer stepped forward and raised the terminal in his hand.

"According to Article 17, Paragraph 3 of the White Pagoda Island Autonomy Treaty, visitors who refuse the purification procedure will be considered illegal intruders, and we have the right to..."

Zhou Ran raised his right hand, and the illusory image of a bone pen emerged from his fingertips.

The brushstroke swept through the air, and six large black and gold characters appeared out of thin air, embedding themselves into the wall above the passageway:

Sampling is prohibited during business meetings.

The imperial bone patterns inside the wall were struck by these six words, causing them to flash with light before going completely dark.

All the sensors in the entire corridor are malfunctioning.

The guide light flashed twice and then switched to normal lighting.

That so-called purification passage is now no different from an ordinary corridor.

The owl's beak twitched slightly.

The four lawyers all looked down. On the terminal screen, the status bar for the "Purification Agreement" had changed from "Pending Execution" to "Redefined: Business Reception Process".

Zhou Ran collected the phantom image of the White Bone Brush.

"I only discuss business, I don't accompany people for medical checkups."

The leader of the legal team took a deep breath, suppressing his astonishment, and tried to regain control of the situation.

"Men, even if the purification process is skipped, according to Article 21 of the White Tower Island Autonomy Treaty, the takeover by external organizations still requires the joint authorization of the core shareholders of White Tower..."

Chen Ya stepped forward.

She opened the silver briefcase and pulled out a stack of documents.

"Shenghui Global Equity Retrospective Report"

She handed over the documents.

"For the past eleven years, White Tower Island has received between US$370 million and US$520 million annually in 'technical service fees' from Sheng Hui Asia. This money is paid through the maintenance account of your underground cold chain channel."

The lawyer took the documents, and after flipping through only two pages, his fingertips could no longer suppress the trembling of the pages.

Chen Ya continued:

"Shenghui's assets in Asia have been fully acquired by Qinghui Medical Trust."

As the recipient of Sheng Hui's funds, the support chain of Baita Island is also included in Qing Hui's recovery scope.

She took a neatly bound document from the bottom of the briefcase.

The cover is printed with the black and gold seal of the Third Court of the Underworld.

"This is a decree from the underworld seeking reimbursement."

The eleven cases of human experimentation resulting in death linked to White Pagoda Island bring the total number of deaths to 879.

She gently placed the order for reimbursement in front of her legal team.

"You are receiving us within the scope of our claims for compensation, not by offering us charity."

The lead lawyer's lips tightened. "Ms. Chen Ya, the autonomy of White Tower Island..."

Chen Ya interrupted him directly.

"Autonomy is predicated on sovereignty and independence. Forty percent of your operating funds come from Sheng Hui, which is a criminal organization."

You either need to prove you have nothing to do with Sheng Hui, or you need to accept my audit.

"Choose one of the two, now."

The legal team fell silent.

The owl glanced at the communicator behind it, as if waiting for instructions.

The atmosphere was tense when Chen Ya took out the Imperial Bone Evidence Box from her briefcase and placed it on the ground between herself and her legal team.

The three characters on the outer wall of the box glowed faintly.

Wait. Trial. Kill.

Almost at the same moment the box hit the ground, a whole row of motion-sensor lights above the door at the end of the corridor turned green.

A line of text then appeared on the display screen on the door frame:

Biometric authentication complete.

[Identity: The Emperor's backup plan.]

[Permission level: High priority inherits from observed objects.]

[Access: Accessibility throughout the entire region.]

The professional smile on Owl's face vanished completely, and she subconsciously gripped the terminal in her hand until her knuckles turned white.

She glanced down at the terminal on her wrist; the information displayed matched the information on the door frame.

This is not a permission she has to change.

This is the island's underlying system, a judgment made by the Imperial Bone Pattern itself.

The owl raised its head and looked at Chen Ya again. The arrogance in its eyes had disappeared, replaced by a hint of wariness.

"Ms. Chen Ya..." Her tone softened, "Your permissions do indeed cover the entire domain. But what about your accompanying personnel..."

Chen Ya didn't look at her.

"They are my team."

She closed the briefcase and picked it up.

"Accessible to all, regardless of who is present."

The owl opened its beak, as if to say something. But then another line of text appeared on the display screen on the doorframe:

[Accompanying personnel: They have been included in the high-priority observation and protection scope.]

Please do not disturb.

This was added by the system itself.

The owl swallowed the words that were on the tip of its tongue and took a step back. The legal team dared not utter another word.

Qin San walked past and glanced at the terminal in the lawyer's hand.

"Which article of the treaty was it again?" he asked casually.

The lawyer gripped the terminal tightly and didn't reply.

Passing through this door, the corridor widens.

The floor was black marble, the walls were white alloy, and a round, cool-toned light fixture was embedded in the ceiling every three meters. The overall style of the place resembled a hybrid of a high-end private hospital and a military base.

Every so often, a gate would appear on the wall.

The sensor light above the gate turned green automatically as Chen Ya passed by, and the gate slid open silently.

There was no obstruction whatsoever.

The island was welcoming her.

Xu Youwei walked in the middle of the group. Her gaze kept sweeping across the wall.

The silver eye in the palm was nailed shut by a broken hairpin, but it was trembling slightly.

A thrill of sensing one's own kind.

"There's something watching me from inside," she whispered to Zhou Ran.

Zhou Ran didn't turn around.

"several?"

Xu Youwei closed her eyes briefly. Her silver eyes rolled once beneath the bandages.

"At least sixteen locations, hidden inside the walls."

The worms on Xiao Rou's collar were also flapping their wings.

She tilted her head slightly, as if listening to something.

"More than just surveillance."

Xiaorou spoke softly. "These walls themselves are alive; there's a layer of biological tissue beneath the alloy surface. It's some kind of culture medium."

Qin San:

"Is the entire tower a petri dish?"

Xiao Rou nodded.

"Or rather, the entire tower is incubating something."

The group walked to the end of the corridor.

A circular hall appeared before us.

The hall is about thirty meters in diameter, with a very high dome and a huge spherical lamp hanging in the center.

The cold white light illuminated the entire space without a single shadow.

A long table was placed in the hall.

Three people were sitting at one end of the long table.

On the left is a middle-aged man in a gray suit, expressionless, with a laptop spread out in front of him.

White Tower Legal Director

On the right is a woman in her early thirties wearing a white coat, with large eyes, but a lifeless look in them.

Chief person in charge of biological experiments.

In the middle is an old man wearing a white robe.

He looked to be over seventy years old, his skin covered with spots, but he sat upright like a pine tree, exuding a kind of antiquated majesty.