The Whole Story

The waiter's words were a roundabout way of explaining the relationship between Dr. Lin and Dr. Zhao.

They weren't ordinary "family"; they were closer than that—two entities split from the mental psyche of the same individual.

This was the "unstable mental state" the waiter had mentioned earlier.

However, this also raised a question: should an individual born from a mental split also be counted as "family"?

Ren Yi hadn't forgotten that there was a rule in the 【Basic Code of Conduct for Alliance Citizens】:

【Please maintain good family relationships. Do not leave home without permission, abandon family members, replace family members, damage family members, or create imitation family members.】

So, apparently, "splitting family members" wasn't included in the prohibited clauses?

Then again, looking at the current situation, the Heart Fiend family didn't seem to take "maintaining good family relationships" seriously at all.

Regardless, as family, it was certainly impossible for Dr. Lin and Dr. Zhao to actually kill each other.

But that wasn't the most pressing matter at hand.

Ren Yi stared at the waiter with an expressionless face.

Since the two Anomalies over there couldn't be separated for the time being, then ganging up on someone was a perfectly acceptable alternative.

Indeed, even without his brother stepping in, Ren Yi had his own ways to tip the scales.

He still had a free hired hand.

"Mr. Staff Member of the entertainment city," Ren Yi began in a cold, extremely formal tone. "As a customer, my 'property' has been infringed upon. I demand that you handle this immediately."

【Acts of violence, coercion, or fraud against other customers or their property are strictly prohibited. If you encounter such an incident, please seek help from nearby staff immediately; we will protect your legitimate rights and interests.】

Ren Yi keenly caught the moment the waiter's exaggerated smile flattened. He paused for a second, then smiled.

The suspicion in his heart was instantly confirmed.

"So, it really was him," Ren Yi said, his lips curling upward.

"I beg your pardon?" The waiter seemed intent on making a final struggle. "Are you saying someone infringed upon your property?"

"Naturally, it was this Dr. Zhao who is spreading 'despair' contamination," Ren Yi replied, his smile widening.

"His contamination caused my property—that gambler from just now—to die. Mr. Staff Member, surely you aren't going to deny that?"

"Please follow the rules and protect my legitimate rights immediately!"

Yes, although it seemed like a leap in logic, Dr. Zhao was indeed the master of that despair contamination and the culprit behind the old gambler's death.

This involved the issue of "ownership" and "execution rights" regarding "stowaways," a grey area unique to permanent Instances.

Firstly, "stowaways"—Participants who arrived in the Alliance by accident—were like banknotes spat out by a malfunctioning ATM.

The banknotes were in the hands of the person at the machine, but they still belonged to the bank. If the person simply took them, the bank would hold them accountable.

Similarly, the stowaways were in the hands of the entertainment city, but they actually belonged to the Alliance.

Therefore, once a stowaway arrived at the entertainment city, the city held "ownership," but not the "execution rights."

The entertainment city had previously revealed that the Alliance specifically dispatched staff to handle this matter, conducting periodic cleanups of the stowaways.

As a side note, this job was clearly a cushy position with perks, because the staff member could obviously skim a little off the top for themselves. It was likely a highly sought-after post.

Since the entertainment city had stated from the beginning that it would not take initiative against stowaways, and other Anomalies had no right to act, the contamination rooted deep within the stowaway's body must have come from this "staff member."

Thus, the conclusion was that the "despair contamination" came from an "Alliance Staff member."

As for why he was certain that person was Dr. Zhao, it was initially just Ren Yi's guess, but seeing the waiter's reaction now, it was practically set in stone.

Thinking back, where was the last time he had seen the words "Alliance Staff"?

A long-buried memory suddenly surged to the surface.

On the second day after Ren Yi had awakened, because he had broken a chair at home, Ren Man had to take him to a furniture store to buy a new one.

Before they left, his brother had shown him a rule slip.

The 【Public Conduct Guidelines】, or more precisely, the 【Wenning City Public Conduct Guidelines】.

The core of these rules was to regulate Anomalies so they wouldn't manifest "forms that do not conform to human cognition" in public, so as not to affect the "children" who hadn't awakened yet.

One of the rules stated:

【If you discover a "child" suspected of experiencing cognitive anomalies, please maintain observation and immediately contact the nearest "Alliance Staff member." Do not intervene without authorization.】

And shortly after that, Ren Yi had indeed encountered a "child" with cognitive anomalies.

So, who was the "Alliance Staff member" who came to handle that emergency back then?

It was Dr. Lin.

Very well. Based on the high probability that such perk-filled positions were hereditary within families, it was perfectly reasonable to guess that Dr. Zhao was also an "Alliance Staff member."

Of course, this had all been Ren Yi's speculation, but with the waiter's current reaction, he was now completely certain.

So, the origin and development of today's events were as follows:

Dr. Zhao was an Alliance Staff member who usually relied on "kickbacks" from the entertainment city to reap benefits, so he was very familiar with the place.

This might even be why he could collaborate with the entertainment city to set a trap for Dr. Lin, forcing Dr. Lin to work there for a period to pay off a debt.

However, due to Ren Yi's series of actions, the stowaways were able to re-enter the entertainment city to participate in gambling.

Consequently, their "ownership" had shifted to Ren Yi, while the "execution rights" remained with the entertainment city.

When the waiter said earlier, "It wasn't going into my mouth anyway," he was actually hinting to Ren Yi that "this thing was supposed to go into someone else's mouth."

But since what was originally in someone else's pot had ended up in Ren Yi's bowl—and it was all within the rules—the entertainment city naturally had no objections.

Just as Dr. Zhao was happily waiting for a new round of "offerings," he suddenly realized that his cooked duck had flown away.

So he came to the entertainment city to find the reason, to see who was snatching his food. During that time, he might have even had some discussions with the entertainment city.

He just didn't know how it happened, but Dr. Zhao seemed to have some missing information.

Ren Yi glanced at the waiter, who had already resigned himself to fate and was now summoning other staff to handle the scuffle on the floor.

Was there another guy fanning the flames?

The relationships between these characters seemed to have become quite complicated.

He hadn't fully cleared up the specific timeline yet, but he could guess most of it.

In short, Dr. Zhao had likely learned that "Dr. Lin brought a friend to the entertainment city" and that "the brat Dr. Lin brought was the one snatching the food."

But he hadn't had time to find Dr. Lin directly. Instead, while observing his "stolen food"—the stowaways who had re-entered the casino—he had encountered Ren Yi first.

Given Dr. Zhao's personality, meeting a "relative's brat" naturally meant he had to play with him first.

Ren Yi looked again at the two identical Anomalies tangled in a fight on the ground.

In the end, things had turned out like this.