A Predicament

Xia Fan could not help rubbing his forehead. Even if the Escape Tower stopped operating, humanity could continue to multiply and survive, but once the protective ring failed, the situation would be entirely different.

He suddenly thought of another question. "What about when this world was first established? They couldn't possibly have dragged a group of people from Earth over as fuel, could they?"

"This is the flaw in the term 'soul.'" Thought Control gave a soft laugh. "Apart from fused lifeforms like you, once a person dies, they are dead. The qi they gathered does not mean that person's consciousness still endures. Even the Escape Committee would not use lesser lifeforms as fuel, much less natural humans. Your question actually has a simple answer: fused lifeforms serve as guides, just as Qi Sense Users wield magical artifacts."

"Like me?" Xia Fan was slightly taken aback.

"You are still far from meeting the requirements," Thought Control replied. "Just as a Chaos entity's power far surpasses that of a minor Evil Spirit, the closer a consciousness comes to humanity's boundary, the more qi it can transform. But such fused entities can also easily cross that boundary and become another kind of existence, so you had better not lightly attempt to take that step."

"But you said I would become that sort of monster sooner or later..."

"Because expecting humans to restrain their curiosity is unrealistic to begin with. Before that happens, I still hope you will give more thought to this world."

Xia Fan looked toward Thought Control, surprise appearing on his face.

She raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled. "What is it? Is there something strange on my face?"

"I never expected you to care about this world," he said with feeling. "I thought you cared about nothing besides carrying out