“Buzz!”

A powerful, irresistible binding force instantly penetrated the fusion crown and fiercely acted upon Pei Du! This force was not an attack, but rather carried a cold, overbearing sense of control! Like invisible shackles, it instantly imprisoned his body, delaying his evasive movement by a fatal moment!

Misunderstanding! A fatal misunderstanding!

In Pei Du's fragmented memories, forcibly invaded by the Master's will and interfered with by Xu Shuangyao, "control" was his deepest fear! It was the Fungus Dome, it was Xu Shuangyao, it was the fundamental intention of that damned "Mirror Image" project towards him, the "carrier"! At this moment, at this critical juncture of life and death, this sudden, cold, forced restraint was like a spark that ignited a barrel of explosives!

“Puff!”

The poisonous blade grazed Pei Du's waist and ribs, leaving behind a trail of blood and a burning sting! The intense pain combined with the icy feeling of control completely detonated the rage and suspicion that had been suppressed to the extreme in Pei Du's heart!

"you--!!!"

Pei Du turned his head abruptly, his bloodshot eyes, almost completely devoured by the violent flames, fixed on Xu Shuangyao, who was clutching her head, bleeding profusely, her eyes dazed! The lingering thought of "forced suppression" in the symbiotic connection was like the most vicious accusation!

All the doubts! All the distrust! All the anger at being used as a test subject, deceived, and manipulated! At this moment, it erupted like a volcano!

"You and the Fungus Master—!" Pei Du's voice was hoarse and distorted, like the roar of a devil from hell, and every word was filled with overwhelming hatred, "It's all the same—!!!"

"Everyone wants to control me--!!!"

The cold accusation exploded like thunder in the dark green world!

Before he finished speaking, Pei Du's only remaining left hand, which had just recovered from the forced delay, was driven by rage. Enveloped in the dark red energy that had not yet completely dissipated, with a sharp whistle that tore through the air, it fiercely grabbed at the collapsed and mentally broken Xu Shuangyao! His target was her fragile neck!

Betrayal! Complete betrayal! He no longer believed in any explanation! He wanted to tear apart the source of these shackles!

"Huh?!" Xu Shuangyao looked up blankly, her face bleeding from all seven orifices, a picture of confusion and bewilderment. She didn't even fully comprehend what was happening. She only saw the hand carrying destructive energy reaching towards her! The coldness of death instantly froze her mind!

At this critical moment!

"call out--!"

A cold, animated vine covered in silicon scales, like a long-prepared venomous snake, suddenly shot out from the shadow of a giant root nearby! With lightning speed, the vine precisely wrapped around Pei Du's wrist as he reached for Xu Shuangyao's! The powerful force instantly stopped his attack!

It’s the plant network! It doesn’t allow the “tools” under the agreement to kill each other before achieving their goals!

“Get out of here!” Pei Du roared furiously, trying to break free from the vines! All he could see was Xu Shuangyao’s face, the one he hated so much!

However, at this moment of extreme chaos—

“Ho ho ho…ho ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!”

A mad, twisted laugh, thick as phlegm, suddenly erupted from not far away! It was the fungal leader, whose neck had been torn by the dark red energy and whose life was rapidly fading! His crimson eye stared intently at the furious Pei Du and the mentally broken Xu Shuangyao, filled with resentment, mockery, and a sense of extreme pleasure before death!

"Argue...argue...tear...you fools!" He used up his last bit of strength and roared like a broken gong, each word frothing with blood. "The...truth...is...dirtier...than you think...hahahaha!"

His eyes swept over Xu Shuangyao with deep malice:

"'Creator'... do you think... 'Mirror Image'... is really your... 'failure'?... Ho ho... naive!"

"The Fungus Dome... the higher-ups... have long known... about his 'flaw'... instability... bombs... hehe..." He pointed at Pei Du, "They... allowed... you to experiment... just waiting... for him... to lose control... and be destroyed... or... be devoured... by the Fungus Master... and activate... the 'key'... hahaha!"

"That 'empty shell'..." The leader turned his gaze towards the throne with a strange enthusiasm, "It has long been... moved... to... the... core... of... the throne... waiting... for... 'fuel'... Hehe... You... are all... being used... pawns... pathetic... worms... Hahaha!"

The laughter stopped abruptly!

The monstrous body of the fungal leader collapsed to the ground with a crash! The dark red energy burning at his neck completely devoured his last remaining vitality. He died, carrying a malicious laugh and a secret that could tear everything apart.

A dying gift!

The leader's roar before his death was like the most vicious curse, slamming heavily into Pei Du and Xu Shuangyao's confused consciousness!

Did the Junqiu executives already know Pei Du's "flaws" but allowed the experiment? Did they treat him as a bomb that could go haywire? Or perhaps a sacrifice to activate the "key"?

Has the "mirror image" clone already been transferred to the throne core? Waiting for "fuel"?

Are all of them just pitiful pawns being used in a higher-level chess game?

This information was like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting the already raging rage and suspicion in Pei Du's heart! He suddenly looked at Xu Shuangyao, the violence in his eyes almost tangible! It was her! She was the one who orchestrated all this! She had turned him into a pawn!

Xu Shuangyao was completely stunned! The leader's words were like an icy key, instantly unlocking a deliberately sealed, fear-filled corner deep within her memory! Blurred, overlooked details—the unusual attitudes of some high-level officials during early project approvals, the illogical allocation of key resources, an accidentally intercepted encrypted communication fragment—flashed and reassembled like shattered lenses in her chaotic mind! Could it be... could it be that there was a deeper conspiracy behind the "Mirror Project"? Was she... was she being used, too?!

"You..." Pei Du stared at Xu Shuangyao's dazed face. That expression, in his eyes, was tantamount to acquiescence! The raging rage of being deceived, exploited, used as a pawn and fuel, mixed with the excruciating pain of his body and the lingering whispers of the Fungus Master's will, instantly overwhelmed his last shred of sanity!

“Ughh ...

He let out a roar that was completely inhuman, filled with a desire for destruction! His left hand, entangled in the vines, erupted with terrifying power. Dark red energy surged wildly, actually breaking the tough silicon vines into pieces!

The left hand broke free, and with the tragic determination to die together, it grabbed Xu Shuangyao again! This time, the killing intent was overwhelming!

The bond of trust was completely broken by the Wild Fang leader's vicious "gift" at the end of his life and his uncontrolled rage! The seeds of suspicion had grown into poisonous thorns that devoured everything!