Walking on the speckled jade tiles, Bai Ming faced blinding lights, mirror-like walls, endless corridors, and cameras watching from every corner.

Just from these details, it was clear the institute’s director must be a cleanliness-obsessed neat freak and a surveillance-obsessed voyeur.

Though called a "research institute," it defied expectations. Normally, places tied to "research" or "experiments" would hit your nose with strong medicinal or chemical smells the moment you stepped inside.

But here? Only a faint jasmine scent lingered. Not even a trace of blood—the smell that usually put Bai Ming on high alert.

"Just watched too many movies," he thought, scratching the back of his head as he felt his way forward.

...

Inside a room, before the monitors.

"Boss, he’s here."

"Huh? Already? So Niu Yong got taken down by this kid too?"

"Looks like it."

"Hmm. Interesting. Good—makes him valuable for the experiment. Keep monitoring. Report anything unusual."

"Yes, sir."

...

Searching was Bai Ming’s least favorite task. Even indoors, it felt pointless.

"They already know I’m here," he mused. From the start, he’d entered the institute unchallenged—doors opened freely. Now, it was about how they’d handle him inside. Or rather, capture him alive.

Such a bold idea made Bai Ming marvel at their audacity. They seemed to know only his basic background, not his true nature.

Then they shouldn’t have provoked him—the one person they never should have messed with.

"So, in a place like this, besides exploiting my unfamiliarity with the layout, you also want to use me as a test subject?" Glancing at the ceiling vent, Bai Ming grasped his situation. This was like inviting the wolf into the trap. The entire institute had become a massive experimental stage. Equipment and subject were ready. Only the project’s start remained.

"Then let me use a simpler method to flush you out."

【Potential Ignition 15%】

He crouched slightly, clenched his fists, held his breath, and focused. With a powerful punch, he slammed the right wall.

"If you won’t come out," a sharp crack spiderwebbed across the surface, "I’ll force you out."

The next second, a violent explosion tore through the institute. In less than a heartbeat, half the so-called "large research facility" collapsed into rubble.