The researcher’s words made Jiang Yuan breathe a sigh of relief.

He knew it! He was as normal as normal could be. How could he possibly have anything to do with some future archvillain and great criminal?

Almost every criminal in history had shown all kinds of troubling tendencies as a teenager, or even as a child. He hadn’t shown any at all!

“When can I go back?”

“Tomorrow at the earliest. You won’t be imprisoned, but you won’t be free of supervision, either. It’s a necessary safety measure, and I hope you understand. Also, don’t get your hopes up too soon. No one can say what the future holds.”

“People a hundred years ago couldn’t have imagined that a failed art student would start the Second World War. Until your suspicions have been completely cleared, you’ll remain under supervision.”

“All right…I understand. This is a decision that affects the fate of humanity, after all. I wouldn’t be surprised if you killed the three of us outright to prevent any future trouble. Better safe than sorry. What you’re doing is already very humane.”

Jiang Yuan was being remarkably mature. These past three days had really forced him to grow up.

“That’s a good answer. One of the other two is still raving and cursing, while the other has shut down completely and refuses to cooperate with any examinations. Their behavior has only delayed the time when they’ll be allowed to leave.”

“And you’ll be setting an example for them.”

The researcher smiled at Jiang Yuan. The words left Jiang Yuan feeling uneasy.

“You mean I’m just here to show them what happens, so they’ll behave.”

“In any case, I can only give you one piece of advice: once you’re released, you can do nothing at all if you like, but you absolutely cannot make a mistake. The state has vouched for you and restored your reputation, but the public has very little patience for you. Every mistake you make will be blown out of proportion.”

The researcher didn’t answer Jiang Yuan’s question directly, but Jiang Yuan understood well enough. Of the three, he’d behaved the best and was under the least suspicion. That was why he’d been allowed his freedom again so soon.

Jiang Yuan knew perfectly well that he’d already been lucky. He didn’t dare ask for anything more.

All he had to do was prove, with everything he had, that he wasn’t Codename Jiang—that terrifying criminal.

“What should I do when I get back?”

“Go to class as usual and wait for the special training facility for Espers to be built. Your ordinary lives are already on a countdown, so enjoy the next few days while you can. Of course, if you don’t want to go to class and would rather stay home playing games, that’s fine too.”

With that, the researcher stood up to leave.

“Oh, right. You should meet your assigned monitor tomorrow. They’ll stay by your side around the clock and keep an eye on what you do. I hope you don’t mind. Your freedom and privacy haven’t really been restored yet, after all.”

“Whatever…”

Jiang Yuan couldn’t be bothered to argue. It wasn’t as if that would change anything. He just hoped his monitor would be a normal person, not someone who treated him like some heinous criminal and made trouble for him at every turn.

“Then I hope that one day you can clear your name completely—or earn the world’s acceptance.”

The researcher gave Jiang Yuan a smile, then left the small room and closed the door behind them. Jiang Yuan was left alone in the cramped room, sighing.

Being watched, stripped of his freedom, and deprived of privacy—it was harsh, but this was already the best outcome he could’ve hoped for.

Jiang Yuan lay back down on the narrow, hard bed and closed his eyes, ready to sleep and greet a brighter tomorrow. But sleep wouldn’t come. Images from the future kept replaying in his mind.

Especially the side profile, eight-tenths like his own, standing among countless monsters like a god.

“Codename Jiang…”

“Why did he do that?”

Jiang Yuan couldn’t help wondering. At least the other criminals had acted for their own gain, but what was the point of destroying the world? Codename Jiang’s reason for doing it was a mystery. He was just like those villains in a lousy script who destroyed things for the sake of destruction.

Or had the people from the future hidden some crucial information?

Unable to make sense of any of it, Jiang Yuan eventually drifted off to sleep.

Early the next morning, they woke Jiang Yuan and forced him to put on monitoring equipment before allowing him to leave the underground base.

A wristband and a collar. He was also told that the collar contained a poisonous compound in a quantity sufficient to kill him a hundred thousand times over. If even a little of it entered his bloodstream, he’d be put down on the spot.

And the carotid artery…

Led straight to the brain!

Once that compound was released, there’d be no chance of survival.

Jiang Yuan stood in the elevator, waiting for it to rise to the surface, with two fully armed soldiers behind him. He touched the collar they’d forced onto him. It felt awful.

But the physical discomfort was the least of it. The real problem was the humiliation.

The thing bound him like a dog collar, constantly reminding him that his freedom no longer belonged to him.

When the elevator reached the top and brought him back to the surface, the moment Jiang Yuan saw sunlight, it felt as if he’d been away for ages. His nose stung, and he nearly burst into tears. Maybe this was how criminals felt when they were released.

They took him to a barracks. The two soldiers left as soon as they’d brought him there, with no intention of sticking around. Jiang Yuan hesitated for a moment, then slowly reached out and opened the door. His assigned monitor was waiting inside.

But…

The small barracks room held only a girl who didn’t look very old. She wore a T-shirt and a short skirt, and her hair was a little long, with a bow headband at the back. She was playing on her phone. Only when someone came in did she look up and study Jiang Yuan for a few moments.

Her gaze had a strangely oppressive force to it. She didn’t look very old, but surely she hadn’t wandered into a place like this by mistake, had she?

“You’re one of the three main suspects?”

She asked outright, full of hostility.

“Technically, I’m the least suspicious one.”

Jiang Yuan frowned. He hadn’t expected his monitor to be a girl even younger than him. He’d thought they’d send a mature man.

He really couldn’t understand what the higher-ups were thinking. If she was going to watch him around the clock, then there’d obviously be times when he needed to use the bathroom, sleep, or shower. Shouldn’t they have sent someone of the same sex?

“I don’t care how suspicious you are. I’m not here to play guessing games. To me, you’re Codename Jiang.”

With that, she put down her phone and looked ready to get up. But the instant she set it down, her body became a blur, impossible to follow, and she appeared right in front of Jiang Yuan.

She even grabbed him by the throat!

“Did you watch that footage of the future on TV carefully? In the scene where Codename Jiang appeared, the corpse in the second row on the left was me. I was broken and mangled, tossed there like garbage!”

Her expression was cold, her murderous intent unmistakable. Jiang Yuan was so terrified that his legs nearly gave out beneath him.

“I…I’m not Codename Jiang…”

“You could be!”

“But it’s only a possibility…”

“Rule out every possibility, and then it won’t be possible. From now on, I’ll look for every suspicious thing about you and report it. You’d better try your best not to get killed by me.”

With that, she smiled sweetly and let go of Jiang Yuan. At first glance, the smile looked pretty cute, but it was ice-cold.

Jiang Yuan was speechless. He couldn’t think of anything to argue or plead with her about. Just imagining spending every hour of every day with someone like this sent a chill down his spine.