Chapter 8: Civilization Among Us All, Environmental Protection Depends on Everyone

Exiting the Huatuan Biological Laboratory, Ren Jie walked wearily toward his home in District 69. Along the way, towering white spires rose throughout Jincheng, slender and soaring over a thousand meters high. At the pinnacle of each white tower sat a massive sphere, glowing with a pulsating crimson light.

From a bird’s-eye view over Jincheng, these white towers resembled divine spears thrust into the earth by celestial beings.

These white towers were official defensive installations against major magical disasters. When a high-level magical catastrophe erupted and could not be suppressed promptly, the white towers in the affected area would activate, forming a protective barrier to contain the disaster within a specific zone, preventing further spread and minimizing damage to the city and its inhabitants.

The Sentry Hall affectionately dubbed these white towers “matchsticks,” becoming a striking feature of the Spark City skyline. Yet no one wished to see these matchsticks ignited.

Under the constant threat of magical disasters, the thirty-three Spark Cities of the Greater Xia Kingdom had long established comprehensive defense measures to safeguard their people.

As Ren Jie walked, he simultaneously checked the Mirror Lake space. With just a thought, his consciousness could now enter this space. Only now did he find time to examine it thoroughly.

Upon the Demonic Tree, the main branch of the Flame Demon continued to burn fiercely, its demonic fruits blazing hot. Soon, Ren Jie noticed that not all Flame Demon branches were lit—only the main trunk burned, while hundreds of subsidiary branches extending from it remained unlit, as if locked.

If Ren Jie's analysis was correct, this main branch represented the Flame Demon. Could these unlit offshoots symbolize its abilities? After all, each level and stage of a genetic warrior granted a skill slot, and a demon contract holder was essentially a genetic warrior.

Moreover, the Demonic Tree had not just one main branch like the Flame Demon; there were thousands. Ren Jie had only unlocked a small fraction of the Demonic Tree so far.

He touched the Demonic Tree again but received no response. He suspected it was because he was still in the awakening phase, not having formally entered the first stage of enlightenment. Perhaps only then would something change.

Ren Jie’s gaze shifted to the surface of Mirror Lake. Previously, wisps of white mist had floated above the water but had been absorbed by the Demonic Tree. Now, several new tendrils of white mist appeared again.

At this moment, the Flame Demon fruit was absorbing the mist above the lake.

Recalling what Noyan had told him, Ren Jie’s expression grew strange. It seemed he wasn’t unique—could this white mist actually be…?

Suddenly, he was startled to see several new wisps of white mist emerge out of thin air above Mirror Lake.

Before Ren Jie could figure out what was happening, the noise from the outside world tugged his awareness back to reality.

“He’s going to jump! I really think he’s going to jump!”

Only then did Ren Jie realize he had somehow wandered onto the Jinjiang Bridge.

Many onlookers had been stopped outside the police cordon.

On the bridge railing stood a disheveled young man, clutching the railing with one hand and his phone with the other. His face was pale, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his legs trembled uncontrollably.

Ren Jie watched as white mist briefly appeared over the young man’s head and vanished in an instant.

Simultaneously, a wisp of white mist materialized within Mirror Lake’s space.

Ren Jie suddenly recalled that when he had crawled out of the crematorium, he had seen similar white mist rising from above people’s heads. He had thought he was hallucinating then, but apparently not.

Several security officers were earnestly trying to persuade the young man to step down, but he stubbornly refused.

The crowd began to tease loudly:

“Jump already! It’s been two hours—are you going or not? Don’t chicken out, haha!”

“I heard someone was gonna jump, so I took a cab just to watch. Don’t disappoint me now!”

“Hey, brother, don’t rush! Ever heard of one-stop funeral services? Premium cemeteries facing south, you know?”

Not only were they talking, but they were also filming and snapping photos with their phones.

The security officers grew angry:

“If he really jumps, are you responsible for his life? Don’t you have kids?”

“He’s already on the edge—stop egging him on unless you want a visit to the Sentry Hall!”

Ren Jie saw more white mist emerging above the heads of the security officers, joining the mist inside Mirror Lake. The onlookers also emitted faint wisps, though not enough to form a full wisp.

Ren Jie’s eyes brightened; it was time to test his theory.

Pushing past the crowd, he strode forward and stepped inside the police cordon.

The security officers glared:

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“I’m a Sentry Hall officer from the Seventh Brigade. I’m a professional—I’m here to handle this.”

He was an intern, but that counted, right?

The officers’ eyes lit up, as if a savior had arrived.

After all, the Sentry Hall was dedicated to disaster relief and saving lives.

Wang Peng, the young man on the railing, shouted frantically:

“Don’t come any closer! Not even the king himself can stop me today. One more step and I’m jumping!”

He looked down at the river below, his face growing even paler.

Ren Jie casually put his hands in his pockets and said:

“Are you sure? Have you thought this through?”

“The bridge is at least fifty or sixty meters above the water. Jumping down is like hitting a concrete slab—broken bones everywhere, internal bleeding, your head will be crushed flat. Don’t expect anyone to save you.”

“If you die outright, fine. But if you don’t… you’ll spend the rest of your life bedridden.”

Terror flashed in Wang Peng’s eyes as a great amount of white mist poured from above his head. He swallowed hard and shouted:

“Exactly! I want a quick death. Once I’m dead, it’s all over!”

“Don’t try to scare me! I’m not afraid of dying, so what could I fear?”

Ren Jie snorted:

“Oh really? You’re not afraid of dying, yet you’re afraid to live…”

“Fine, jump then. I won’t stop you. But don’t think death ends it. After you die, your phone will be hacked. Your chat logs, photo albums, browser history, bookmarks, and even your computer’s hard drive data will be printed out and shown to your parents…”

“To prove you truly chose to take your own life, and not for other reasons.”

Wang Peng’s eyes widened:

“Huh? R-really?”

The security officers nodded fervently.

Professionals, indeed—a truly ruthless tactic.

Wang Peng was stunned.

“Are you devils? Dead and then socially crucified again?”

“Is it too late to delete it all now? Waiting online, urgent!”

Gritting his teeth, Wang Peng stared at his phone and began deleting records, reluctantly.

Taking this chance, Ren Jie silently crept closer.

Wang Peng caught a glimpse of him and shouted angrily:

“Don’t come any closer! Step back! One more step and I’m really jumping!”

Ren Jie halted, rolling his eyes:

“Bro, if you’re gonna jump, why not pick somewhere other than the river?”

Wang Peng snapped:

“What? I’m already dying—why do I have to pick the place? Why can’t it be the river?”

Ren Jie pointed ahead, and everyone followed his gaze.

On the railing hung a conspicuous sign:

“Please do not dump waste into the river. Civility benefits us all. Environmental protection depends on everyone.”

Wang Peng was baffled.

“What does that mean?”

Ren Jie shrugged:

“You see? No littering in the river.”

The security officers tried to stifle their laughter.

Not littering? Seriously? The guy’s in this state, and now you’re just pushing him further?

Are you devils?

Is this guy really a professional?

Wang Peng’s face twisted in fury:

“Damn it! You… #%?…;# *’☆&℃!”