Clutching the vial of Evolution Source Blood, a thought flashed unbidden across Gu Ning's mind—something he had asked Qin twelve hours ago:
How to kill Bloodhand Goron quickly, without causing trouble.
It was a difficult task. The safest method was poison, but as a Mutant, Goron's body instinctively rejected anything foreign that didn't contribute to evolution.
In simpler terms—Mutants had maxed-out poison resistance.
Fortunately, Qin had provided a solution: Catalyzed Blood.
It was a refined essence of Gu Ning's own blood, infused with the power of the Evolution Source Blood. Bloodhand Goron's evolved instincts wouldn't reject it—in fact, his body would welcome and eagerly absorb it.
Qin had even enhanced the Catalyzed Blood with a trace amount of Blood Thistle Toxin. Gu Ning injected it into Goron at the perfect moment and left quietly.
Goron's death didn't leave behind a treasure chest—only 3,000 psionic points. But Gu Ning didn't care. His real objective had already been achieved.
As for how Gu Ning had predicted the main quest of the Scorpion Squad?
It seemed difficult, but it was just a matter of step-by-step deduction.
First, Gu Ning and the Scorpion Squad were almost certainly enemies—this much was evident from Gu Ning's trial mission: the second vial of Source Blood he needed was in the hands of the Scorpion Squad.
Given that, the Will of the Spirit Realm was likely to place Gu Ning and the Scorpion Squad in opposing factions within the same region. And since Gu Ning had entered the plane earlier and was at a major disadvantage, he had priority in choosing his position.
Especially after he eliminated the Blood Ring faction's leader, Goron, which threw the power balance in the Brandon Northlands into chaos. The Scorpion Squad, arriving later, would almost certainly be assigned to the Blood Ring faction to restore balance—a 99% probability.
Once Gu Ning confirmed their faction, he considered their possible main quest. That is—he tried to anticipate the adjustments the Spirit Realm's Will would make.
With the Blood Ring faction in disarray and no leader in the Northlands, the Scorpion Squad couldn't even trigger a secondary main quest. A faction without a leader couldn't function. That's why Gu Ning chose to capture Goron rather than kill him immediately—to force the Will to issue the Scorpion Squad a mission: rescue Bloodhand Goron.
He'd set the stage early. Everything after that followed naturally.
"You really wanted this?"Qin appeared silently behind Gu Ning.
"This is the 'mysterious substance' you mentioned. It has another name—Evolution Source Blood," Gu Ning replied, turning to face her.
Qin carefully took the test tube from his hands, studying the shimmering liquid. "Evolution Source Blood. A fitting name... So, will you finally tell me who you really are?"
Having witnessed the Scorpion Squad's exile, Qin was bound to be suspicious of Gu Ning's identity.
Gu Ning sighed softly. "I'm sorry. I can't tell you anything directly."
But Qin didn't get angry—because his words already revealed a lot.
She blinked and said, "So it's not that you don't want to tell me—it's that you're not allowed to, right? I have to guess it on my own...?"
Gu Ning silently praised her insight. She was right—the Will of the Spirit Realm strictly prohibited Awakened ones from revealing the real world to natives. Eight hundred years into the Psionic Era, this was a widely known taboo.
Qin's brown eyes locked on Gu Ning. "I've heard rumors of visitors from other worlds. Are you... like those three people? From somewhere else entirely?"
Gu Ning didn't answer. But his silence said everything.
"Your world must be fascinating..."Qin's eyes softened with longing. "I wish I could see it someday."
Gu Ning stayed silent.
"Enough daydreaming! Come with me!" Qin returned the vial and smiled. "I still owe you a promise, don't I?"
Just then, the Spirit Realm's system chimed:
[Main Quest II: Sever the Bloodhand – Completed. You have gained an additional 8 days, 11 hours, 58 minutes, and 54 seconds of free exploration time. Your total free time is now: 8 days, 23 hours, 32 minutes, and 28 seconds. This time will activate after all residency periods are complete.][Based on your mission contribution, you've earned: 100 Merit Points and the qualification to fuse with Evolution Source Blood.]
Gu Ning had previously arranged with Qin: once he acquired the second vial, she would assist with the fusion.
Sitting at the lab bench, Gu Ning felt a strange déjà vu—almost like he was back in hospital ward 3072. But this time, the doctor wasn't Director Zhao—it was Qin, a native scholar of the Spirit Realm.
Qin seemed to be in a good mood, humming a Nordic-style tune as she prepared.
"Qin, you don't have to be upset," Gu Ning said suddenly.
"I'm not upset," she replied, shooting him a glance. "I'm doing great."
Gu Ning continued, "Thank you—for speaking on my behalf to the Duke, and for helping with Goron. Whether it was capturing him alive or killing him later, you were helping me all along."
Qin paused, then tossed aside a feathered quill. Her face turned cold.
"Yeah, I helped you. And what did I get? A brilliant test subject. A man smarter than me. And don't even get me started on the fact you could disappear at any moment—I sure got a lot out of this, huh?"
So that was it—Qin was upset about Gu Ning's otherworldly origin. It meant he could leave her world, Plague of Flesh: Origin, at any time.
"I didn't mean to deceive you," Gu Ning said calmly. "It's not like I had a choice. Besides, haven't you kept more secrets from me?"
Qin's cold expression faded, replaced with curiosity. "Oh? What have I been hiding?"
Gu Ning took a deep breath. "You're from the Blood Ring."
"You're from the Blood Ring."
As Gu Ning spoke, all curiosity drained from Qin's face, replaced by seriousness.
"Do you know what you're saying?" she asked slowly, seated at the lab bench.
"I do."
"Then prove it."
"Oh, I have plenty of proof," Gu Ning replied. "Your mastery of flesh alchemy. Your knowledge of Blood Ring fortresses. Your unusual relationship with Duke William..."
"Keep going," she said, narrowing her eyes and folding her arms neatly in front of her—like a schoolgirl. Perhaps annoyed by their weight, she rested her breasts on the table as well, an almost indecent sight from Gu Ning's vantage point.
"Let's start with flesh alchemy. The first time you saw me, before even examining my body, you noticed my abnormal physique. Even the Duke's court sorcerer, Master Garan, couldn't manage that."
"That alone is flimsy," Qin countered. "Maybe I'm just naturally gifted."
"It's not just that. Your knowledge of Falling Stars, your understanding of Source Blood, and your familiarity with the Blood Ring's control sigils—none of those can be explained away as talent.
"You've almost certainly seen Princess Christina—the ultimate host—with your own eyes, perhaps even studied her firsthand. I'd bet you were one of the alchemists called in by Gustav to diagnose her..."
Gu Ning trailed off, as a system notification appeared:
[Brandon Court Advisor Qin's affection for you has dramatically increased! Current affection level: Admiration.]
"Well, well... why stop now?" Qin teased, eyes twinkling. "Mr. All-Knowing Dio, why not take a guess—who am I really? Guess right, and you'll get a prize..."
She leaned closer, her breath sweet like ripe peaches.
"With your connection to Duke William, it's obvious. Ivette not recognizing you surprised me, but... it's not impossible."
Gu Ning leaned back awkwardly. "Qin... you're crowding me."
That one word—Qin—was enough to make her pause.
"Fine!" she huffed, crossing her arms. "So, what is it you want from me? A guy like you doesn't flaunt his feathers for fun like some hormonal peacock."
"I want you to fuse the Source Blood for me—without sabotage," Gu Ning said plainly.
Qin didn't deny it. "You got me. I was planning to do something. You'd still fuse with the blood—but you'd become a Mutant. Then I'd use a Blood Ring sigil to make you my slave."
A chill ran down Gu Ning's spine. A Trial Participant who lost free will couldn't return to the real world. Her plan was viable—and dangerous.
"Hey, I only promised to help you fuse the blood and unlock your power," Qin added. "You promised to be my test subject—but you didn't follow through. So I figured: why not take what I'm owed?"
Then she stared at him with mischief in her eyes. "So, clever Mr. Dio... how are you going to convince me not to?"
Technically, Gu Ning hadn't broken his word—he never said how long he'd be a test subject. But if he said that out loud, it'd blow the whole deal.
"Qin, you already know where I come from. Aren't you curious—how did I successfully fuse my first vial of Source Blood?"
"You had someone from your world help you," she guessed, frowning.
"Correct. But they didn't use flesh alchemy. They used a completely different technology."
Her eyes lit up.
Gu Ning lowered his voice. "Use a stone from another mountain to polish jade. If you turn me into a mindless servant, I'll be nothing more than a puppet. But if you help me fuse the blood properly—let me return freely—you'll gain access to an entire world's worth of knowledge."
"A whole world's worth, huh?"Qin grinned. "Tempting. But still not quite worth what I'd lose."
Gu Ning felt a pang of helplessness. She was the best choice to perform the fusion—and he'd tried everything to persuade her.
Then Qin traced a finger over his chest. "So, to make up for my loss... I want one more promise from you."
"What kind of promise?" Gu Ning asked.
She leaned in, eyes gleaming."I want you to make me your slave—after you fuse the second vial of Source Blood."