"Of course, it’s controlled by Zuo Bai," Feng Yuhuai proudly lifted her chin in her heart, "My boyfriend’s taste wouldn’t be that twisted."

However, she showed a hesitant expression on her face, twirling her hair ends with her fingertips: "It should be... Mask, right?"

Feng Mu squinted slightly behind his glasses:

"So, sister also agrees with the media’s conclusion?"

An inexplicable chill rose in Feng Yuhuai’s heart, not strong but noticeable.

She anxiously furrowed her brow, mentally cursing about which monster was thinking of her again.

She suppressed her unease and said softly:

"It’s not agreeing, but... when enough people believe in a statement, it naturally becomes the truth, doesn’t it?"

These words were flawless, even Feng Mu couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows, wanting to applaud Feng Yuhuai.

One can only say, Feng Yuhuai is indeed the daughter who makes their father proud, she truly has the "Detective" blood flowing in her.

Feng Mu secretly admired in his heart:

"Alas, I can no longer call her the foolish Imoto, but the clever Imoto."

On the TV, the discussion had entered a heated phase.

The elderly professor spoke in a hoarse voice, each pause carrying the weight of academic authority:

"...When Dr. Zuo won the ’New Star Award’ back then, the committee especially praised him for his break-the-mold research courage.

As a ’New Star Award’ winner, facing the suddenly appearing unknown monster, Dr. Zuo chose to pursue research, which precisely demonstrates the intrinsic exploratory instinct of a top-notch scientist.

As for the body modifications..."

The old professor suddenly raised his voice:

"Isn’t this the purest spirit of scientific dedication?! For Lower City to catch up with Upper City, we need more pioneers like Zuo Bai who dare to ’test the limits with their bodies’."

The old professor slammed the table heavily, his tone suddenly becoming passionate:

"Only then can our Lower City society develop faster, and the Lower City People have a bright future like Upper City."

The young scholar stood up abruptly, eyes burning with anger behind his glasses:

"Professor, your passionate speech is moving, but science requires evidence!"

He projected a patent document:

"There’s no empirical evidence proving that [Mask] can control monsters. But here it’s clearly recorded that Eternal Life Technology’s laboratories had applied for multiple gene modification patents two years ago!"

The young scholar suddenly stood up, his voice filled with suppressed rage:

"So I seriously suspect that Zuo Bai has taken the entire Eighth Academy as his laboratory, and the ’scientific spirit’ you speak of is a hotbed for creating human monsters when lacking regulation!"

The studio lights cast a shadow of gloom over his excited face:

"Unconstrained science is the monster humanity should fear the most!"

The real-time polling data at the bottom of the screen began to fluctuate violently.

Feng Mu casually turned off the TV; there was no need to watch further. Both he and the clever Imoto already had their final answers in mind.

The dull sound of chopping meat came from the kitchen, mechanical and regular.

The greasy aroma of poor-quality synthetic oil mixed with the pungent smell of artificial flavor drifted into the living room, causing Feng Mu’s stomach to twitch as a conditioned reflex.

His Adam’s apple moved with difficulty; he no longer ate this kind of delicately manufactured food from an industrial assembly line.

Feng Mu slightly furrowed his brow, a strong feeling of nausea welling up inside him, but he suppressed it with great willpower.

After all, it was the last dinner his mother had painstakingly prepared; tonight, Feng Mu was willing to make an exception for his family and force himself to eat.

It must be said, for this family dinner, he had truly made countless efforts both openly and secretly.

Feng Mu licked his dry lips and cast his gaze towards the entrance: "The meal is almost ready... why hasn’t father come home yet?"

Feng Yuhuai sniffed and sighed as well: "Yeah, dinner’s ready, why isn’t Dad back yet?"

.....

In Luo Ji’s rental room, the curtains were tightly drawn, the only light source coming from the old TV.

The blue glow of the TV screen illuminated the tense faces of three people.

Suddenly, Cuicui sprang up from the sofa like a spring, grabbing the remote on the coffee table and slamming her thumb on the power button.

With a "snap," the room was plunged into darkness, leaving only the sound of their rapid breathing echoing in the confined space.

"What the hell is going on?"

Cuicui’s voice was squeezed out from between gritted teeth, her hand holding the remote trembling slightly with force,

"A whole two-hour special report, and not a single shot of Feng Yuhuai?!"

Zhang Liyou wasn’t surprised by this outcome, she said coldly:

"I checked Light Prism TV Station’s official website; the explanation is that the live signal was interrupted at the time."

"Bullshit!"

Cuicui punched the sofa’s backrest, her angry voice trembling,

"If it was being broadcast live, then there must have been reporters sneaking shots in the well at that time. Even if the live signal cut off, the cameras should still be running, right?"

She turned to point at the black TV screen, eyes reddening,

"And now? They’d rather repeatedly analyze Zuo Bai and that so-called [Mask] than release the full footage... isn’t the footage the truth itself?"

Zhang Liyou, however, remained much calmer, saying:

"Either they really didn’t capture it, or it can’t be aired."

Zhang Liyou offered two possibilities, but she already had an inclination, thus she sneered:

"Someone is protecting Feng Yuhuai, this monster. I remember her mentioning her father is a captain at the Patrol Office."

Cuicui’s face turned ashen, her head drooping in despair, feeling the world to be far too dark.

Luo Ji sat silently in the corner, eyes wide open and hollow.

In the dim light, the surface of his pupils was covered with cobweb-like cracks, like a mirror about to shatter, eerily unsettling.

He anxiously rubbed his eyes and finally spoke hoarsely: "A captain at the Patrol Office... can indeed shield a daughter, but....."

He raised his head, the cracked pupils glimmering in the shadows,

"It’s still far from being able to influence a TV station, right?"

Zhang Liyou and Cuicui pondered over his words and then nodded together.

Zhang Liyou furrowed her brows, looking at Luo Ji and asked: "Do you mean...?"

Ever since dropping out, Luo Ji had developed a deeper understanding of the rules governing the world, far beyond that of two first-year female students in this regard.

He slowly raised a finger: "There’s definitely someone protecting Feng Yuhuai, but....."

He raised a second finger: "There’s definitely more than just a Patrol Office captain involved, there must be even more formidable figures behind it."

Cuicui hurriedly asked, "So who could it be, why would everyone cover for a... a man-eating monster in human skin?"