No strange things are allowed to evolve!

Then he opened his fist, turned it into a palm, and slowly stretched it out towards the many craftsmen below.

"What you love is your life!"

His voice was magnetic and passionate.

As if by magic, all the craftsmen trembled with excitement, their excitement reaching a fever pitch...

......

That night.

The four-man team looked disheveled.

Now almost everyone is dressed in tattered clothes.

BaWang and Little Bear Hard Candy had several more wounds, which had now been patched up.

They completed a total of eight jobs today that were either dangerous or detrimental to their mental health.

The good news is, we don't need to do these things tomorrow.

The bad news is that because all the work to be done can't be finished in one day, and other things need to be done tomorrow, it will be several days before we can get back to these tasks.

"Suddenly, I realize that improved perception isn't necessarily a good thing," Little Bear sighed.

While this may help them avoid misfortune and attract good fortune, in most cases, because of their sense of smell and touch, they are also more likely to experience unimaginable physical and mental torment.

For example, cleaning work in unknown areas.

Who would have thought that the castle wasn't actually open to all visitors?

Who could have imagined that in those unknown areas, there were so many charred corpses, burned to a crisp, showing no signs of decay even after so many years?

That's true, since they're all dried out.

This is only a portion of the charred corpses that can be seen, presumably only those that were less severely scorched.

Further out, you can even clearly feel that the ground becomes uneven and as if it has been raised.

It goes without saying what they are stepping on at this moment.

not long ago.

"That's enough for today, go back and rest." Seeing how capable they were, the head maid's attitude became slightly more human: "You're lucky, no one has been penalized today."

The four of them breathed a slight sigh of relief.

But that's normal.

They were all Level 3 Evolvers, stuck on the edge of the hatchery's acceptance level. Even though their stats had been confiscated, their vision and mental fortitude remained. Even in this extreme environment, with the added bonus of teamwork, it wasn't impossible for them to barely complete these chores.

They had by then returned to their residence.

The initial spawn point.

The environment was harsh, but still much better than the places they had worked before.

And now they know how those human-shaped marks came about on the walls of the prison cells that had been converted into residences.

"So, do you think that room on the fourth floor might be where our bodies are?" the Overlord asked.

He was referring to the gate he passed while walking three giant leeches that were fed with blood, which was a warning not to approach.

"No way?" Little Bear recalled, "No matter what, the door is too big, and the room behind it must be big too. There's only five bodies, there's no need to make such a big place to store them, right?"

Wang Tiezhu clearly shared the same thought: "If it's because we were warned not to approach, there are many other places we've been told not to enter. Why do you specifically think it's that place?"

"Hmm... how should I put it..."

The overlord looked somewhat embarrassed.

However, he eventually told the truth.

"I can smell my hormones coming from inside."

"Hormones?" The other three were puzzled.

The overlord gritted his teeth.

"It started when I was about sixteen or seventeen. Every time I came out of the gym, I would have a rather peculiar smell. At first, I could wash it off, but later, the smell became stronger and stronger."

In the end, I even felt like I was completely soaked in the smell; I could smell it all the time, and I couldn't wash it off no matter what I did, not even with scented shower gel or perfume.

After a moment of silence, the three broke the deadlock with a gummy bear.

"Isn't that just body odor?"

"No, it's not body odor!" The tyrant was as serious as Copernicus trying to prove the heliocentric theory to the church: "If it were body odor, others would be able to smell it, but I can smell this odor myself, so it's definitely not body odor!"

The little gummy bear pondered for a moment: "Didn't you just say it had a special flavor? So it's actually just a stinky smell, right?"

"Are you going to die or not?"

"Alright." Snow King stopped the two of them from fighting. Of course, it was Little Bear Hard Candy who was being teased by Overlord. "What Overlord is talking about is not body odor, but pheromones. Only specific people can recognize and smell that kind of scent."

"Look at how well he speaks." Bawang glared at Little Bear Hard Candy.

Wang Tiezhu's heart ignited with anticipation: "So, this must be it?"

“In the secure data, the location of the physical body changes every time, so I’m not sure either.” Snow King nodded: “If Overlord’s intuition is correct, it should be there.”

"Okay, the improvement in perception is still useful." Little Bear changed his tune at the right time.

"So, assuming that's the place we're looking for, the only remaining question is how to get through that suspicious door," Snow King said, lost in thought.

But the more she thought about it, the deeper her brows furrowed.

They all discovered an important problem.

Even if the warnings are ignored, how can the heavy iron chains and padlocks hanging on the gate be opened?

But how can one do these things without being discovered?

You should know that there are guards everywhere in the castle.

How terrifying are the guards?

To put it simply, a single head maid could completely subdue those worms that posed such a great threat to them.

They witnessed a worm that tried to squeeze out while they were away from the silk-gathering area being kicked back by the head maid.

The head maid warned them not to try to provoke the guards who were far more dangerous than she was.

Clearly, the four of them couldn't afford to provoke the guards.

The situation seemed to have reached a dead end.

"If all else fails..." Ba Wang hardened his heart: "I'll distract the guards while you guys figure out how to open the door."

Little Bear shook his head: "You really think highly of us. Such a big lock, there's no way you could open it without a key, right?"

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Ba Wang asked, feeling quite annoyed.

Just then.

"You've made progress so quickly."

All four of them were taken aback.

A voice that's both strange and familiar... Could it be...?

They looked toward the doorway, where a familiar figure stood in the shadows.

"However, could you please keep your voices down next time you plot something?"

Jiang Shu walked into the small room and looked down at his companions who were sitting cross-legged on the floor.

Like a grade-level director on patrol.

“I could hear your voices in the hallway.”

Chapter Twenty-Three: Jiang Shu's Difficulties

"So, you've found where our bodies are stored?"

Jiang Shu, who overheard part of the conversation, was somewhat surprised.

As expected of a Level 3 Evolver, he is indeed powerful; he can solve difficult problems smoothly even though he is just a slave.

They originally wanted to appear as kings and save their companions from dire straits, but they didn't expect that the others had already solved most of the problems themselves.

It seems I still have a lot to learn. There are many hidden talents among the evolved beings, so it would be better to be more humble in the future.

As the saying goes, humility leads to progress, while pride leads to decline. If you want to progress quickly, you must curb your past arrogant habits.

"It's you!" Snow King exclaimed with delight.

But in an instant, she suppressed the surprise on her face and cautiously looked behind Jiang Shu.

"Don't worry, there's no one else here."

Jiang Shu offered a reassuring remark and then prepared to sit down next to his companions and join them.

But he had only just squatted down when he noticed something, so he stood up again, took two steps back, and sat down against the wall.

"I'll sit here."

"What's wrong?" the four asked, puzzled.

"Can't you smell the stench on yourselves?" Jiang Shu pinched her nose. "What on earth have you been doing?"

"Uh..."

Several people looked embarrassed, with Wang Tiezhu being the most embarrassed.

"There's no way around it, those jobs..."

The overlord only spoke halfway through his sentence before deciding he no longer wanted to recall those events.

"And you? They didn't do anything to you, did they?" Xue Wang asked Jiang Shu.

"I'm alright, I can barely hold on," Jiang Shu replied casually.

"It seems your situation isn't too optimistic either," Snow King sighed.

They thought that Jiang Shu, who was chosen as an apprentice, would have a better experience than them, but upon closer examination, it became clear that since they were all of the same kind, the workshop's dolls must be just like the head maid.

How can doing things for them be any good?

"It's okay." Seeing that Jiang Shu was also having a hard time, the friendly little gummy bear felt a little better and came over to comfort her, "Although you didn't find anything, it's already very difficult to be alive. Don't worry, we are a team, and we will share our findings with you. Don't worry that we will abandon you."

Ba Wang patted Jiang Shu on the shoulder.

Having always been straightforward and having endured a whole day of torment, he no longer cared about the minor frictions from their initial encounter.

"Not bad, only level one, but you've done a great job surviving on your own until now."

All that's left in Ba Wang's mind now is the thought, "It's good to be alive."

For Wang Tiezhu, who suffers from social anxiety, Jiang Shu and she were still strangers, but even so, she nodded to express her goodwill.

Looking at the four people's reactions, Jiang Shu seemed to be deep in thought.

It seems that the world of evolved beings is not as terrifying as they imagined.

There are good people out there too.

Thinking of this, Jiang Shu lowered his guard a little: "I might be able to think of a way to solve the problem you just mentioned."

"real or fake?"

Little Bear was a little skeptical: "Aren't you barely able to protect yourself?"

Ba Wang chimed in, "Level 1 newbies should just stay in the back and not take any risks that could get them caught."

Xue Wang also solemnly reminded Jiang Shu: "The situation is very complicated right now. Don't do anything rash. Just make sure you are safe first. We'll figure out the rest."

"Safety first." Wang Tiezhu quietly poked Jiang Shu's arm with his finger.

Jiang Shu felt that his companions seemed to have misunderstood something.

“It’s not worth the risk.” Jiang Shu shook his head, reassuring his companions, “I won’t personally intervene.”

Snow King asked, puzzled, "Then who do you want to help?"

In fact, what she really meant to say was, "Then who can you get to help you? Who will help you?"

But such words can be somewhat discouraging for a newcomer who wants to contribute.