Shi Jingxian’s left wrist was grabbed, and he instinctively tensed his back.

“Can you give me a chance?” he heard Lan Luohai say, “In the future, I want to take care of you.”

“……”

This sentence was like a bolt of lightning, cutting through the chaotic thoughts in Shi Jingxian’s mind with a sharp white light. He suddenly came to his senses.

From the first time he met this prince of the Core Country, Shi Jingxian noticed the stark differences from the task storyline. Lan Luohai’s extraordinary strength, his special attraction to Yuan Xiao, and the ultimately changed fate made Shi Jingxian suspicious more than once.

If it weren’t for the certainty that the main system would only deploy one Restorer on a task planet at a time, Shi Jingxian would have thought Lan Luohai was also here for a task.

After ruling out the possibility of him being a fellow Restorer, as the task progressed, Shi Jingxian developed another hypothesis. And now, facing such a gentle and considerate Lan Luohai, Shi Jingxian had a vague feeling that his premonition might be coming true.

“Your Highness.”

Trying to ignore the emotional impact of having his left wrist held, Shi Jingxian spoke solemnly.

“Thank you for your concern. Over these days, you’ve provided me with a lot of indispensable help. I have no way to repay Your Highness’s kindness, but if there’s anything you need in the future, as long as it’s within my ability, I will never refuse.”

Since taking over Ji Xuanran’s body, Shi Jingxian had always kept one thing in mind.

This is an S-level task.

He continuously improved Ji Xuanran’s abilities and level, expanded his social network, and established his own intelligence network in different places to respond to all changes in time. Not only that, but Shi Jingxian was also much more cautious in this task than before. He could have used harsher methods to prolong Yuan Xiao’s suffering, but for the sake of safety, he ultimately chose to directly eliminate him.

Even Yuan Xiao’s two ordinary parents, who were swollen beyond recognition, he kept an eye on to confirm their deaths.

Facing Lan Luohai, the biggest variable in this task, Shi Jingxian never completely let down his guard.

A nearly perfect character, who appreciates the original body so much, provided him with so much help, and even helped him deal with the most crucial scumbag. Such a person suddenly appeared in an S-level task with geometrically increasing difficulty—

Shi Jingxian was really worried that Lan Luohai might be an ultimate boss even harder to deal with than Yuan Xiao.

If the task is not completed, even a ninety percent repair progress could end up in total failure. Moreover, the punishment for task failure and the high penalty points are secondary. Once the task fails, Ji Xuanran’s collapsing spirit can only completely disintegrate.

Now, Lan Luohai even said, “I want to take care of you.” Shi Jingxian’s first reaction was those eight big words—

Out of the wolf’s den, into the tiger’s mouth.

In such a critical decision, Shi Jingxian really didn’t dare to be careless.

He continued to answer in as calm and natural a tone as possible: “However, Your Highness’s words just now were indeed too heavy. In life, who can achieve everything smoothly without any setbacks? After experiencing so much, I’m not as fragile as Your Highness imagines.”

“Besides, my current gains are already quite abundant.”

The implication was that he didn’t need Lan Luohai as an extra prize.

At dusk, the sky changed rapidly. While they were talking, the light inside the car, which hadn’t been turned on, grew dimmer, making it even harder for Shi Jingxian to see Lan Luohai’s expression.

The other party didn’t speak, and the car fell into a brief silence.

The soundless air seemed to stagnate, exerting pressure on people invisibly. In the enclosed space, even the light breathing sounded deafening.

After saying what needed to be said, Shi Jingxian wasn’t too worried. He had considered Lan Luohai’s reaction and even imagined the worst outcome—the car they were in hadn’t left the Eastern City Research Institute yet, and under such conditions, it wouldn’t be difficult for Shi Jingxian to instantly summon the Split Tooth Fruit from the institute.

Fortunately, the worst-case scenario didn’t happen.

With a soft “buzz,” the dashboard instruments in the car lit up.

The person in the driver’s seat reached out to set the automatic route, and the sparse, thin light cast a shadow on his face, projecting a dim and unclear image.

“Let’s head back to the underground research institute first.”

Lan Luohai’s voice was lower, but other than that, his tone was still relatively normal.

“Okay.”

Shi Jingxian naturally wouldn’t object.

The two returned to the underground research institute, where the investigation progress was relatively smooth. Although there were restrictions set by Yuan Xiao everywhere, under Lan Luohai’s violent cracking, these restrictions didn’t hold up for long.

However, aside from a few books, there wasn’t much of value here. Yuan Xiao had conducted many experiments on these pharmacists, but most were violent attempts without leaving any experimental process. Moreover, to hide his tracks, Yuan Xiao hadn’t contacted his subordinates. Besides the kidnapped pharmacists and Yuan’s parents, there were only two or three ordinary people with restricted freedom serving as cleaners and caregivers. To investigate accomplices, they would have to look elsewhere.

After tidying up the research institute, the team rested nearby for a night. Early the next morning, they prepared to set off for the Maze Area where the Mincent family tomb was located.

Fendelin eventually agreed to join them, but his mood was noticeably low, with a furrowed brow throughout the journey. Shi Jingxian originally wanted to chat with him about the Mincent family, but seeing his lack of interest, he ultimately decided against it.

The Maze Area is located in Country C, and the team’s main route from Country A passed through the Core Country. With Lan Luohai present, the team’s border crossing was smooth. When entering Country C, they encountered no resistance.

Over twenty years ago, Country C suffered a catastrophe of epic proportions. At that time, an enraged high-level plant suddenly invaded the Imperial City of Country C, directly entering the palace and slaughtering the then-royal family and most of the nobility.

After this battle, Country C was severely weakened, and the royal bloodline dwindled. Without the protection of the royal family, the country gradually declined. In recent years, the rise of bounty teams has brought some liveliness back to the area.

As a result, Country C has become the most loosely managed and free region on the continent. The group entered the Maze Area without any obstruction.

The Maze Area is located in a vast mountain forest, and its characteristics are very distinct. Before truly entering the area, a thin mist already permeated the air. The closer they got, the denser the mist became. Eventually, the milky white fog engulfed everything, and the surroundings were almost at the point where one couldn’t see their hand in front of their face.

This situation was basically the same as when Ji Xuanran first came here. The team had prepared fog-dispersing agents in advance. With two high-level alchemists present, there was no worry about the effectiveness and quantity of the agents. After generously spraying the agents, their visibility was finally extended to about two meters.

Although the surroundings were still ordinary mountain forests, the presence of the dense fog made everything seem unusual. The subordinates who came with Lan Luohai were all battle-hardened veterans, and they naturally sensed the eerie atmosphere here. They immediately heightened their vigilance, wary of potential dangers.

Not long after, the team encountered a rift at the end of the mountain path. The rift was deep, and with the fog obstructing the view, it was impossible to see the full extent below. Only a faint, almost wailing wind could be heard.

The road was flanked by jagged rocks, leaving the rift as the only direction to go. However, there were no bridges over the rift, only a few vines that could barely be climbed across, looking precarious and dangerous.

Just as the group was about to take out their tools, Shi Jingxian suddenly asked a question.

“Where do you see the vines?”

He remembered Ji Xuanran’s rather special eyes.

“Ten steps to your left.”

Hearing this voice, Shi Jingxian realized that the person speaking to him was Lan Luohai.

Since their conversation at Fendelin’s research institute door that night, their exchanges had noticeably decreased.

But now, Lan Luohai’s expression and tone were very natural. Seeing Shi Jingxian turn back, he even asked a question.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing,” Shi Jingxian responded, “No, it’s about the vines.”

He pointed to the position in front of him: “I see the vines here.”

Upon hearing this, many in the team looked at the rift. They carefully compared and finally discovered that each person saw the vines in different positions.

This bizarre phenomenon immediately heightened the tension. Vision is one of the most relied-upon senses for humans. Once vision becomes problematic, people face severe psychological pressure and may even start doubting everything.

Shi Jingxian didn’t let this panic spread for long. He carefully compared Ji Xuanran’s memories and ultimately decided to follow his line of sight.

When Yuan Xiao’s team came here, the person responsible for clearing the fog was also Ji Xuanran. However, the road conditions were different at that time, and they didn’t encounter a rift. Ji Xuanran didn’t even know that others saw different things from him and led the team smoothly to the area where the fog dissipated. After that, he was attacked and knocked unconscious.

Shi Jingxian explained the situation, expecting everyone to be happy to have a solution. Unexpectedly, the first person to oppose him was Lan Luohai.

“No, you don’t have field experience. It’s too dangerous to lead the way.”

Fendelin, standing nearby, also disagreed: “Exploring requires skill; it’s not something that can be done easily.”

But Shi Jingxian had a different opinion: “I should be the only one seeing the correct path here. I just asked, and others see overlapping vine positions, but no one sees the same as I do. If we choose other ways to cross at other positions, who knows what dangers might arise.”

To strengthen his argument, he cited his successful example: “When Yuan Xiao’s team came, I was the one clearing the way. At that time, I wasn’t even a mid-level alchemist, yet I successfully led them to find the path…”

Lan Luohai, standing nearby, couldn’t bear it any longer: “That’s because Yuan Xiao didn’t care about your safety, but we do!”

His rare intense tone left Shi Jingxian momentarily stunned.

Shi Jingxian looked back and saw that the other party had already turned his head away, not looking at him. The golden hair behind him formed a stiff arc, as cold as Lan Luohai’s stern profile.

Shi Jingxian suddenly thought of a question.

After that conversation in the car, did the prince think… that he was being compared to Yuan Xiao?