Chapter 436: Locked in the Small Black Room

Ying Duo sat on the chair at the exact center of the room; the chair was iron-made and welded directly to the floor.

His hands were locked in a pair of shackles, the shackles' surface etched with dense rune circuits that emitted a faint red glow in the darkness.

Ying Duo tried moving his fingers—he could move them—but when he tried to mobilize his internal energy, the rune circuits seemed to come alive, an invisible force surged from the shackles into his arm, preventing any action.

It's a joke—facing a group of elite monsters over level thirty, Ying Duo thought he could still compete, but a level sixty boss was truly unbeatable.

This time he was truly beaten into submission.

Yang Yixie glanced at the Rollback Item in his backpack, with no immediate plan to use it.

To be safe, they even made him wear a Restraint Suit.

From head to toe, even his proud Ying Guang Lu hair was forcibly stuffed into the Restraint Suit, completely covered.

All his skills requiring energy activation turned gray, but the Game Backpack icon remained lit, and everything inside was still there—

Guns, explosives, potions, and Play Life's poker cards were arranged slot by slot.

Although these handcuffs sealed his skills, the backpack wasn't banned—he could simply store the shackles inside, since using the Game Backpack consumes no mana.

Ying Duo quickly suppressed that thought; there was no rush, it wasn't the time yet.

His surroundings were pitch black; since gaining this Ying Guang Lu hair, Yang Yixie had long gone without encountering such quiet darkness.

Probably the designers of the isolation chamber thought darkness would impose psychological pressure on prisoners, blur their sense of time, and even make them break down faster.

These meant little to Ying Duo—lack of light? His eyes were filled with Ying Guang Lu, so he could use this chance to rest his eyes.

The Team Channel was also open there; after being knocked out and detained, Ying Duo had asked Fang Zhiyan for the time via the Team Channel.

Bai Mu Yun had long been kicked out by him, not in the Party Status, since Fang Zhiyan was a useful tool; Bai Mu Yun's presence had become a liability instead.

Play Life twitched a few times in the poker cards, trying to get out, but Ying Duo pressed it back.

He was almost waiting to fall asleep inside, but so much time had passed that Ying Duo still had no intention of letting him out.

Play Life had several attempts to slip out, each time Ying Duo forcibly pressed it back.

Ying Duo was captured, but with Fang Zhiyan's protection; if Play Life were gone, it would truly be gone.

Play Life seemed to finally grasp that the plan had gone drastically awry—aside from its initial activity, it had become much quieter afterward.

Yang Yixie wondered—would Fang Zhiyan come to rescue him? He should.

He had already been frantically calling his teacher on the Team Channel to come rescue him; he would decide whether to use the Rollback Item based on the outcome.

Although his freedom appeared completely restricted, he knew things were far from being that dire.

In his view, being apprehended by the Field Operations Department and thrown into the small black room was hardly not a test.

To test Fang Zhiyan's bottom line, to test the Dome's tolerance of him, to test how much his chips were worth.

The results weren't out yet; no rush.

——————————————

In the Dome Field Operations Department chief's office, Han Huan stood before the desk, his overcoat taken off and draped over the chair back, wearing only a shirt and vest, with the cuff buttons undone to reveal a section of his wrist.

He tossed the stack of photos onto the desk; they slid a bit across the smooth surface before stopping.

Fang Zhiyan sat in the chair opposite his desk, still wearing a white coat, clearly having come straight from the laboratory.

His gaze fell on the photos on the desk; the first, taken outside the Dome Headquarters, showed a fairly regular round hole in the gray-white outer wall, its edges scorched black.

The second was a surveillance screenshot from the hallway, showing fallen Field Operations Department members strewn across the floor; the third was a close‑up of Ying Duo, his Ying Guang Lu hair blazing bright under the lights, his hand still gripping the murder weapon.

"Look at this," Han Huan pointed at the first photo with his finger, "the deputy chief of your beloved, he blew a hole in the Dome Headquarters."

Fang Zhiyan lifted the teacup and took a sip; the tea had long gone cold, and he hadn't been summoned as a guest.

Han Huan had come to confront him and demand answers.

Fang Zhiyan set the cup back on the desk, where its base met the surface with a soft click.

"Hasn't it been contained enough? Perhaps you should go see the state of Tianmian City."

Han Huan's finger paused; he lifted his gaze, and the two locked eyes.

Han Huan sat in his own executive chair, his blond hair making him look nowhere near his actual age.

"The point isn't what weapon he used," he said sternly, "the point is that he opened fire on the Field Operations Department personnel inside the Dome Headquarters."

"Director Fang, what your new student did today would be enough to be treated as treason in any department."

Whether it was converting the broadcast room into a karaoke, or the assault on the Field Operations Department members, or even Han Huan personally going over after worrying about greater losses, only then did they manage to apprehend him and lock him in the small black room.

"But he isn't from any department," Fang Zhiyan replied with a smile, "he's from the Mutation Department."

Han Huan said that, if there were a way to block Ying Duo's 【Teleport】, they could naturally intercept those Undead as well—it was merely Han Huan pointing his sword at Ying Duo.

But upon further thought, what Ying Duo had done....

Hmm, no wonder Han Huan lost his composure, turning his spear on a child.

Fang Zhiyan chuckled, deciding to pull out the all‑excuse that let Ying Duo get by in Tianmian City for so long.

"Maybe that kid's brain is a bit off—he misjudged his opponent."

Han Huan wouldn't buy that—who doesn't know that the Mutation Department's members are basically all lunatics these days?

After all, if we say that, aside from researchers, does Fang Zhiyan's Mutation Department have any normal people at all?

But even if others are mentally ill, they can still distinguish right from wrong.

How come your student, Director Fang, has to be special?

Han Huan saw Fang Zhiyan's intention to protect him; although he secretly marveled at how crucial Ying Duo was to Fang Zhiyan—truly to this extent—he still couldn't help feeling uneasy.

Abnormality often signals anomaly; moreover, Fang Zhiyan is no longer confined to the lab—his reach is extending outward, and Han Huan has long entertained the idea of eliminating him.

But...

If Fang Zhiyan is determined to protect Ying Duo, he isn't unwilling to back down.

Once the interests are satisfied, everything can be discussed.