Chen Nan’s frantic explanations earned him no kindness from Ning Xuan. She glared at him with a stony face. "You had this all planned out. Since you were so thorough, why didn’t you tell me sooner?"

"What? You’re telling me all this now, and you expect me to be grateful?" Ning Xuan slapped away Chen Nan’s outstretched hand!

"I didn’t dare tell you! The rules here offer no protection or special treatment for women. If you looked up this place on the Star Network, all you’d find is how much women fear it!" Chen Nan answered helplessly.

On the Star Network, women who had been to Extreme Cold City had posted about their experiences, describing it as a wicked place for trafficking and brutalizing women. From then on, women in the Federation grew pale at its very mention.

Extreme Cold City is not on D618 Planet. In reality, no one knows its true coordinates. The Metal Plate in Chen Nan’s hand was the key to get there. The city restricts entry based on Spiritual Power Level—those S-Class and above cannot enter. It operates under a set of rules entirely different from the Federation.

According to popular speculation, Extreme Cold City is an independent space, much like a Secret Realm. Though no one knows how this space was formed, it has existed for hundreds, if not thousands, of years and is extremely stable.

The space containing Extreme Cold City is vast, but only the area behind the large white gate is designated as the residential and trade district. This is an absolutely safe zone under the City Lord’s protection, and here, everyone must obey the rules set by the City Lord.

The other regions are adventure zones for resource gathering. These vast areas boast diverse terrains, climates, and environments, and are incredibly rich in resources. In the adventure zones, there are no rules. The strong are revered, and power is paramount.

The adventure zones are divided into four tiers based on their danger level: C, B, A, and S. The higher the danger level, the more precious the resources. Adventurers can enter zones corresponding to their own strength and Level to hunt Exotic Beasts and acquire resources!

After acquiring resources, adventurers can return to the safe zone to trade, buying useful medicine, weapons, or other resources for themselves.

However, no resources acquired here can be taken out. Besides people, everything that comes in stays in. You can bring any supplies you want when you enter, but when you leave, you can take nothing with you but yourself!

Here, the Star Network has no coverage, and personal Light Computers are unusable.

The year Chen Nan turned 23, he acquired a token to Extreme Cold City. Since then, he has come here every year to kill Exotic Beasts in the adventure zones and earn money. With his savings, he bought a house in the residential district! He loves coming here to vacation and relax. Only here, and on the battlefield, can he escape his father’s control and enjoy some personal freedom.

Chen Nan led Ning Xuan to the front of a courtyard. He took out the Metal Plate and scanned the gate from a distance. The eggshell-like doors slid open with a SWISH, and a bright, cheerful child’s voice rang out, "Welcome home, Master!"

Ning Xuan stepped inside. The courtyard was small, no more than twenty square meters. It was bare but spotless. The space above the yard was transparent, but it was clear that part of the eggshell-like gate structure formed a roof over the entire courtyard.

Buildings lined three sides of the courtyard. The one directly ahead was a domed structure, built as a single, seamless piece; it was impossible to tell what building materials were used. The buildings on either side were like wings to the main house and were significantly shorter.

Just as they stepped inside, Chen Nan moved to help Ning Xuan remove her cloak, only for her to kick him squarely in the knee. Chen Nan cried out and collapsed, landing on his knees. But even while kneeling, he was still shameless, wrapping his arms around Ning Xuan’s waist. "Contractor, the school’s security system is too weak! There are too many people, too many strangers who can get close to you there. I can’t screen every single one of them, which means I can’t guarantee your safety!"

Ning Xuan quietly uttered a single word, "Scram!"

Chen Nan’s grip only tightened. "No!"

Ning Xuan summoned the Ghost-faced Red Vine. With a sickening SQUELCH, the tips of the thorny, Black-red Vine pierced the backs of Chen Nan’s hands. He cried out in pain and was forced to release her. The two vines then separated, lifted him high above her head, and left him hanging in the air.

Ning Xuan felt around on Chen Nan’s body and pulled off the Metal Plate. She walked toward the main gate, but no matter how many times she tried to scan it, the gate wouldn’t open. Just then, Chen Nan sucked in a sharp breath and said, "Contractor, that Identity Recognition Card is bound to me. No one else can use it!"

Ning Xuan threw the plate to the ground in frustration. "How long do you plan on keeping me here?"

"Contractor, how would I dare control you? I’ve only brought you to a safe place to awaken your Companion Spirit. As soon as you do, I’ll take you away from here!" ’But last time, the precursor symptoms of her awakening were far too violent. Even though they subsided somehow, that reaction was clearly very wrong.’

’Because of that hidden danger, if someone hiding in the shadows wanted to harm her by tampering with her food or taking advantage of her condition, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to protect her fully.’

"I helped you calm your rampant spiritual power, purged the spiritual toxins from your body, and solved your latent problem. You’ve helped me and saved me in return. But now, you’ve ignored my wishes and dragged me here. I don’t care what your reasons are, I will never forgive you!"

"Once I awaken my Companion Spirit, we’re going our separate ways. We’ll be even, with no ties between us!" ’The fact that the Contractors matched to her by the five mainframes had all rejected her was a thorn in Ning Xuan’s side, so she had long since researched how to dissolve the forced contracts. For those who had already established a spiritual connection, the link would naturally fade if they were separated for long enough. For those who had not, their Contractor simply needed to form a spiritual connection with someone whose spiritual power was stronger than hers to automatically override the forced contract. As for her, the Contractor, once she reached S-Class, she could apply to the matching center to dissolve the contracts. The condition was that the mainframes would then match her with an equal number of new Contractors!’

Having said her piece, Ning Xuan retracted the vines and lowered Chen Nan to the floor. ’Whether Chen Nan is telling the truth or not, I need to focus on getting stronger and awaken my Companion Spirit as soon as possible. Once I reach S-Class, I’ll terminate all of these forced contracts with every last one of those Contractors!’

But just as Ning Xuan turned away, Chen Nan lunged, scooping her up and charging into the bedroom. By the time Ning Xuan processed what was happening, he was already unfastening her clothes. The fury Ning Xuan had been holding back instantly erupted. Rage flooded her senses, blood surged through her veins, her temperature spiked, and her heart began to pound violently. It was that feeling again—as if she were about to burst into flames, every cell in her body screaming for annihilation.