This is the central street in Moon City.
Due to limited spending power and few travelers, there are no commercial pedestrian streets here, only a few slightly taller cement office buildings.
It is evident that these office buildings once housed many small companies and offices, but now they are largely empty.
Making a business in Moon City basically invovles losing money; even the Mercury Group bears substantial losses and risks just to establish a hotel here.
The office buildings standing in the city center are mostly restricted, with only the ground floors rented out cheaply, housing some eateries and massage shops.
When Luo Di first arrived, he was even handed a small card, and the person even made further attempts to pull and touch him, which were promptly dissuaded with a stern glance.
According to the address on the card, he found the only fully rented cement office building, ten stories high with every floor lit up, indicating "work in progress".
Moreover, the shops on the first floor of this building are all closed off completely, with something seemingly hidden behind the fully rolled-down shutters.
The residents living here seem to know something as well, keeping away from the building; even when needing to pass by, they would opt to walk on the opposite side of the street to avoid this building.
Equally strange is that
this building has no security measures set up, no stationed security guards, and no surveillance cameras; just standing in the city center unapproached, even the Pseudo-People steer clear of it.
Luo Di is currently waiting for the traffic light.
Just by stepping over the crosswalk in front of him, he will reach this peculiar building, also the address on the business card.
As the traffic light changes,
he steps towards the building.
This action immediately draws the attention of passersby and customers at nearby shops, who momentarily stop what they’re doing, casting surprised glances.
Among them, some hidden Pseudo-People are also present.
Luo Di pays no attention to the staring crowd; he simply walks across the pedestrian crossing at his own pace.
The moment he steps onto the curb across the street,
a buzzing sound rings in his mind.
Accompanied by a sensation of passing through a thin membrane, a vague spiritual membrane.
In an instant, the various faint sounds from the street corners that were previously audible are completely blocked out.
Everything becomes quiet, and even the scenery of the street behind him blurs, leaving only the cement building in front of him unchanged.
The feeling of being watched crawls over his entire body like a reptile.
Luo Di can distinctly feel someone on the top floor of the building observing him, an intuitive peering straight into his thoughts, no wonder no one dares to come near this place.
"Every closed shopfront here is set with a Barrier... being used as a warehouse to store something?"
Luo Di arrives at the only main entrance of this building,
which does not have glorious doors and lobby structure like Mercury Hotel.
There’s just a small door, leading to a long, straight corridor that ends at the far end, with tungsten filament bulbs which have been hanging for years providing faint yellow light.
The straight corridor has no compartments on either side.
Only at the end, there are elevators and staircases on both sides.
Luo Di intended to take the elevator directly to the top floor, but seeing that the elevator door had a maintenance sign, he turned towards the nearby staircase.
And the structure of the staircase is strange indeed.
It does not lead directly to the top floor, but only to the second floor.
As Luo Di ascends the stairs, his spine oddly begins to wriggle slightly, as if sensing something enticing.
And Luo Di himself hears a sound, similar to the one heard in the Fighting Hall arena, a sound of intense flesh-to-flesh collision.
Pushing open the second-floor partition door.
A strong scent of blood and sweat hits him.
The entire large open space turns out to be structured as a gymnasium, dominated by boxing rings besides various heavy-duty equipment.
Bodybuilders akin to those on TV shows gather here, some so muscular they look like giant bears, with biceps larger than some people’s heads.
A few are engaged in extreme weightlifting, flaunting protein powders, even performing injections of substances on-site.
Most are gathered around the boxing ring.
The fight taking place on the ring is not just simple sparring or boxing but a real combat necessitating the activation of the Cornered system. While avoiding critical hits and aiming to stop at the point, bloody splatters are common.
As soon as one contestant can no longer hold up, another immediately takes their place.
These muscular men continuously undergo violent training, and their postures and displayed strength are even stronger and more aggressive than the Murderer group from the orphanage.
These men are what’s known as Moon City inspectors, each holding multiple pituitary resources.
They are more brutal and savage than ordinary City Investigators, all being physical ability users at the body system level, even giving Luo Di a sense of being among the Murderer group.
With Luo Di’s arrival,
the action on the ring slowly stops, be it the combatants, those waiting, or the muscle-bound men lifting weights, all stop their activities and turn their gaze.
Casting a very strange friendly look, instantly wiping away the previously existing Killing Intent.
One of the muscular behemoths closest to him very gentlemanly makes an inviting gesture, pointing to the staircase across this floor.
"Mr. Luo Di, the Venerable is waiting for you on the top floor! Please go up the stairs, and if you are interested in our training room, you are welcome to come over anytime after the conversation."
As Luo Di crossed the gym, these people still made no movements, maintaining their gaze, following him with their eyes.
Only when Luo Di entered the staircase and headed to the third floor did they re-enter their training state.
The staircase on the opposite side remained limited to going up only one floor.
When Luo Di pushed open the door on the third floor, he was confronted with a modern medical area, where a few investigators were receiving treatment, even undergoing some physical modifications.
The staircase leading to the next floor was still located opposite, requiring Luo Di to cross the entire floor.
Similar to the situation in the gym, these people stopped their work upon seeing Luo Di’s arrival, giving him friendly gazes.
Luo Di also figured out that the malfunction of the elevator was probably intentional.
The Venerable wanted him to understand the structure and status of the entire investigative group floor by floor.
First floor - Warehouse
Second floor - Fitness Training
Third floor - Medical Repair
Fourth and fifth floors - Pituitary Research, Integration, and Implantation
Fifth and sixth floors - Document Management Area
Seventh floor - Surveillance Room (cameras throughout Moon City are networked with the servers here)
Eighth floor - Meeting Room
Ninth floor - Intermediate Layer
As Luo Di approached the top floor, that familiar walnut clashing sound echoed in his ears again.
The discomfort caused by the sound, and the feeling of his brain being probed grew stronger.
Luo Di placed his left hand on his face.
"Torture Device Construction - Jaw Splitter"
The Hell torture device engulfed his skull, the searing heat burning away all external perceptions approaching; that prying sensation disappeared immediately, and Luo Di’s mind became clear, no longer producing any ringing in his ears.
The door on the top floor opened by itself.
This was a pure white space devoid of any furnishings, with a scent in the air, a brain scent processed to lessen the pungency.
The smell originated from the floor and walls of the room.
Luo Di then turned to look at the pure white wall beside him, under the white paint were buried shallow brain grooves; upon close observation, one could even sense the wall’s liveliness and movements.
As Luo Di completely stepped into the Meditation Room located on the top floor, his brain also received some kind of nourishment, his pituitary as if lying on a soft bed it had never experienced before, obtaining the most comfortable sleep.
The previously encountered Venerable stood at the very center.
It was Benjamin Stewart.
The chief responsible officer of the Moon City inspection group, Special Commissioner dispatched from the Capital City.
He was chewing on the same walnut-like snacks, holding the walnuts in his hand while waiting for Luo Di’s arrival.
The pure white suit he wore at this moment appeared different, displaying patterns similar to brain grooves.
With a wave of his hand.
A table and two chairs grew from the ground, maintaining their liveliness.
It was then that Luo Di realized the room was not just utilizing a brain membrane coating; it itself was a huge Cornered Tool.
Since he chose to come here, Luo Di did not reject the environment and went forward to take a seat.
"The brain~ the most successful structure in human evolution.
It determines that we can easily stand at the top of the food chain without needing physical superiority.
Even the formation and influence of the Corners start with our brains.
This organ also represents the biggest difference between individuals. Even among Pseudo-People, the brain often determines the quality of their pituitary, the expression of fear, and the depth of connection with the Corner.
In my view, Mr. Di, apart from keeping up with physical exercises, should also strengthen training his brain. After all, Connectors like you are very few nationwide.
Great to have you here, this is a meeting gift, if Mr. Di likes, please accept it.
It will provide good nourishment for your brain, for your pituitary related to the Cthulhu Myth."
Benjamin gently pushed a metal box over, containing the same kind of snacks; even through the sealed lid, a strong scent could be smelled.
Seeing Luo Di making no move, Benjamin did not insist. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the N0velFire.ɴet
"Then, let’s get straight to the point, and talk about the orphanage and matters between you and me."