The council watched the arriving cage, examining the man who regained his consciousness.

Why did they have to make things so complicated for the existing couple? All of it was because of this man, Xuan Mu.

It had been Xuan Mu's idea to send Guan Fei to the same world as Bing Shi.

In the past, he and Bing Shi put a lot of emphasis on their private life and safety, and someone decided to leak everything; every dirty secret about Bing Shi and her family, who didn't have the cleanest records.

Xuan Mu was cautious of Guan Fei, wanting to eliminate the trouble she could cause. Bing Shi was against it, thinking that he was getting paranoid over her safety, which he truly was.

Blame it on his nth sense or so, but when it came to Bing Shi, he could feel danger coming her direction miles away. Didn't his nightmares become a reality? She was inhumanly tortured in the past. And someone truly stole her away from him (his other lifetimes).

After the HQ gave him the basic information regarding soul energy, Xuan Mu made a deal with the HQ. He suggested they send his soulmate with him together with Bing Shi's mission. (Like this, they'd gain energy from the soulmate bond.)

If it didn't work out with Guan Fei (which didn't because Guan Fei decided to abandon her mission), Xuan Mu'd help Bing Shi finish her mission three times faster.

What he was afraid of was the time for him to retain these particular memories.

Xuan Mu put all his trust in Bing Shi, to prove to the HQ that there was no point in locking his memories when sooner or later, he'd recall them. If not all, at least some.

The mission took longer than he predicted. That veteran host, Guan Fei, was either too sharp, too fearful, or too prideful.

Guan Fei had a reason to hate Bing Shi due to her heightened senses and loathing for white lotuses. His wife had a hard time getting attached to someone. She couldn't help the thoughts of taking advantage of other people, and her feelings weren't the most genuine.

Bing Shi didn't make friends, but allies. She would try to compensate for it by treating everyone nicely, which could sometimes be misunderstood as two-faced.

Xuan Mu on the other hand saw it as her being a professional, similar to a stewardess who had to keep her conduct despite a passenger being an āss.

· · ──────── · ⊱❈⊰· ──────── · ·

Xuan Mu stared at his surroundings with eyes like hollows of madness. "What was the cause of my fatal insomnias?" he asked, making the ring on his left hand vanish.

"Two possible reasons," an arbitrator explained. "Either your soul was trying to break the bond with your soulmate, or your body couldn't handle the power of your soul."

Just like human bodies, souls could evolve too. With the difference that souls were less predictable.

The stakes were turned over. He was able to sever the bond with his soulmate, so throwing him into the reincarnation cycle without another soulmate would equal an even bigger loss for the HQ (his unique soul might break again).

The HQ was considered giving Xuan Mu responsibility for systems and the Host's missions, given his skills. It would help manage their vast network of operations. But that would mean Xuan Mu would have to stay back at the HQ, which he would never agree to.

He had his own ideas, which they agreed to consider only after evaluating his and Bing Shi's performance.

Both passed.

All of this was for Xuan Mu to be able to get transferred to the same world as Bing Shi with the body of his choice, for his Bing Shi to have something nice to look at.

What were the chances of him being transferred into a cripple or a woman? Without Guan Fei? High. (He didn't want Bing Shi to sacrifice her points for his ticket. He was sure that she would find a better use of them.)

The headquarters was now considering a new role for Xuan Mu.

Except for the trial F-ranked worlds, the headquarters couldn't operate the world remotely in real-time. This meant that they couldn't make instant changes or get immediate updates from other dimensions.

For example, Kuro would always have to leave the world when it wanted to inform them of something. A time warp complicated not only the physical laws governing a space but also the logistics and decision-making processes.

It would take time before Xuan Mu could comprehend the vast information and find a solution to this problem. During that time, he'd be transferred to the same world as Bing Shi. He'd obtain his separate tasks and a body of his choice. (His body choices would be more restricted compared to hers.)

"From today onwards, you shall serve as the Proxy for both the Dimensional Abyss and System Headquarters," the arbitrator proclaimed. "Your custom-built Apparatus has been equipped with all the essential information you'll require for your research."

Standing up, the metal bars around Xuan Mu vanished. Turning his right hand around, a complicated tattoo wrapped itself around his fingers, hand, and wrist.

As he touched his thumb to his ring finger, a mental display unfolded before him, revealing details about the advanced powers embedded in his tattoo, "And my wife?" he inquired.

"She's well," came the brief reply.

Before Xuan Mu could probe further, he found himself abruptly transported to a barren chamber.

(Mr. Jelly): Their design team is exceptional. I'm sure you would like to meet them one day.

No response.

Xuan Mu's hand tightened into a fist.

Something was amiss, either with Bing Shi or Kuro.

'Bing Shi...' Gritting his teeth, Xuan Mu chose a body and waited to be transmigrated, not expecting the immediate transmigration that followed. The last time, he had to wait for Bing Shi to choose her body first.

· · ──────── · ⊱❈⊰· ──────── · ·

Upon Xuan Mu's arrival in the new realm, one question hung in the air at the HQ.

They could never lock his memories forever.

Was it the ability that came with his unique soul?

Thinking that he already retained all of his memories, they didn't pursue the issue further.

Regardless...

There was still one lifetime of memories left, which was hiding itself from Xuan Mu's consciousness.

· · ──────── · ⊱❈⊰· ──────── · ·

° Her fourth lifetime...

° Inside the Institute of Applied Physics and Engineering...

° Before the finals, a group of freshmen in formal suits and dresses waited in front of the classroom nervously.

° "I'm going to fail thermodynamics. I'm going to fail thermodynamics..." One student mumbled under his nose as he went through his notes, "What's the need for all these abstractions and strange hypothetical processes? Like why reversible heat transfer via infinite heat reservoirs?"

° "Hi guys," a girl's voice called out, carrying a backpack. She neared the group and checked the number of the classroom while taking out her calculator, "I wrote all the equations at the back of my calculator. Do you think I'll be found out?"

° The students looked at the unfamiliar face. Wearing a pair of black-rimmed specs, the girl was clothed in a simple yet formal blue dress.

° The classes were often mixed up, and not everyone attended the lecture, so not everyone recognized each other. She could also be a distant learning student who only arrived to take the exams.

° "Mr. Wan cares about his research more than teaching; I heard that he always read books during the exams." A male student showed off his cheat sheet. He was going to attach a paper harmonica under the desk.

° "Looks like lots of work was spent on it." Xue Bi [: Subi] examined the content of his cheat sheet while trying to explain the other student's issue, "Reversible heat..."

° Most people had one or two tricks up their sleeves. Not holding back, some started to share their findings. They found out that they began to understand and remember the concept more by teaching others rather than listening to boring lectures.

° "Mr. Wan told me to open the class for you." Interrupting the stressed students, a cleaner took out a bundle of keys and opened the classroom for the kids, "You can get inside first."

° While the students seated themselves behind the desks, they tried to cram the last knowledge into their heads, except one male.

° Sitting in the front row, Lu Kai supported his chin on his palm as he stared at the entrance tiredly. Looking younger than most students, his prominent, dark under-eye circles indicated that he probably skipped a few days of sleep in order to study like everyone else.

· · ──────── · ⊱❈⊰· ──────── · ·

° Every student wanted to cough up a river of blood when the examiner finally appeared and started to check their IDs and attendance.

° It was HER—the same gal who'd once inquired about her cheat sheets getting caught!

° This time, she was also wearing a white coat. But wait, there was more! She's got two gigantic Bullmastiffs trailing behind her like they were auditioning for a mob movie.

° Who allowed her to bring dogs inside? Wait! Sweat poured down their foreheads. They were doomed. She knew where they hid all their cheat sheets! This teacher was a devil's incarnation in a white coat!