After bidding farewell to Wang Jinsheng, Feng Qi returned to Star City Academy.
The days that followed were consumed by relentless study. Apart from class hours, he allowed himself no rest.
During this time, Wei Wei contacted him through the network.
To assist Feng Qi in his studies, the Crimson Research Institute created a detailed study plan for him.
The plan meticulously listed which books to start with and how to proceed systematically.
With this study plan, his learning efficiency improved dramatically.
Time flew by like a fleeting horse.
In the blink of an eye, a year had passed.
During this year, Bai Fusheng summoned him several times, trying to persuade him to join Tiger Soul Research Institute, arguing that it was a waste of his talent and time to dedicate himself to something "meaningless."
Feng Qi knew Bai Fusheng's concern stemmed from care.
But Bai Fusheng didn't understand that what he was doing now was the most meaningful thing for this sacrificial timeline.
His silence during these discussions wasn't due to a lack of words but because explaining would be too complicated.
After several failed attempts to change Feng Qi's mind, Bai Fusheng could only sigh and let it go.
Finally, Feng Qi faced the first round of assessments for the Institute of Technological Research.
The first round was conducted online and covered foundational knowledge.
For this initial test, Feng Qi felt no anxiety.
After a year of hard work, he was confident he would pass the foundational assessment.
Half an hour after the exam ended, the results were released.
As he had anticipated, he scored 278 out of 300, easily clearing the first round.
Passing the test didn't mean he relaxed. He dived back into studying immediately.
There were still multiple rounds of assessments ahead, and while he was confident in his foundation, he knew he had much to learn to succeed in the subsequent rounds.
Half a month later, the second round of tests arrived.
Because the Institute of Technological Research was located in Future City—far from many urban centers—test centers were set up in various cities.
In Star City, the designated test center was Star City High School No. 2.
That morning, Feng Qi had a quick breakfast and hurried to the testing site.
This round of exams was significantly more challenging than the first. However, thanks to the study plan the Crimson Research Institute had tailored for him, he passed smoothly.
Next came the third, fourth, and fifth rounds.
Feng Qi cleared the first four rounds without issue but stumbled in the fifth.
When he saw the words "Not Passed" on his online results, he didn't feel discouraged. Instead, he bowed his head and returned to his studies.
If not this year, then next.
During this time, the Crimson Research Institute sent him a revised study plan, and he immersed himself in learning once more.
Time passed like the changing of the seasons.
Spring turned to autumn, and another year slipped away.
In the library and on the campus track, Feng Qi's figure could often be seen, diligently studying.
He reapplied for the Institute of Technological Research entrance exams.
This time, he passed all five rounds with exceptional scores, earning his acceptance.
When he saw the acceptance letter, Feng Qi finally smiled.
The goal he had worked so hard to achieve had borne fruit—even though he knew it meant walking into hell.
Despite Bai Fusheng's regret and his students' misunderstanding, he resigned from his teaching position at Star City Academy and embarked on the path to Future City.
The journey from Star City to Future City was long and crossed a series of mountain ranges, but a direct underground tunnel connected the two cities.
To reach the tunnel, he first had to go to the Star City subway station.
On the day he left Star City Academy, a light drizzle fell from the sky. Lin Ran, Mo Fei, and other friends came to see him off.
Listening to their well-wishes, he responded with a warm smile.
No one knew he was walking into an abyss—and no one needed to know.
As he boarded the car, he looked back at the shrinking figures in the rearview mirror, suppressing the ache in his heart.
At the subway station, he stood by the yellow warning line, his luggage in hand, quietly waiting for the train to arrive.
Moments later, the subway pulled into the station, but no one disembarked.
Years ago, Star City had sent over a hundred thousand warriors to defend Future City from domain invasions. Of those, fewer than three thousand returned.
Since then, an empty subway train traveled from Future City to Star City at midnight every day, symbolically ferrying the souls of those who had never returned.
As he waited silently, the doors opened, and Feng Qi stepped inside.
The steel doors closed, and as the train sped forward, his vision blurred.
Future City lay nestled in the mountains, its climate cold and damp.
Despite its inhospitable environment, it was known as the City of Technology.
It housed not only the Institute of Technological Research but also the Future Academy and other institutions that were dream destinations for students.
After half a day of travel, the subway finally arrived.
As he exited the station, he saw countless magnetic levitation cars darting between towering skyscrapers, their sleek designs a testament to the city's advanced technology.
Pulling out his phone, he hailed a cab.
In response, one of the hovering vehicles in the air turned and landed smoothly in front of him.
The door slid open, and Feng Qi stepped inside.
A green light scanned him, and a synthesized voice announced:
"Identity verified. Destination confirmed: Institute of Technological Research. Proceed?"
"Proceed," Feng Qi replied.
"Destination confirmed. This journey is provided by Haohan Corporation, Magnetic Levitation A2123. Have a pleasant trip."
As the car ascended into the air and joined the flow of traffic, Feng Qi gazed out at Future City below.
Having spent his entire life in Star City, he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
After an hour and twenty-three minutes, the car landed in a remote area of the city.
Paying the fare, Feng Qi stepped out to find himself standing before a miniature city enclosed by metal walls.
Surveillance cameras dotted the perimeter, and drones patrolled overhead.
The sight resembled something out of a sci-fi movie, leaving him awestruck.
At the entrance of the Institute of Technological Research, he placed his acceptance letter in the scanner.
A green light scanned the document and then swept over him. Moments later, the metal gates opened.
Stepping inside, he didn't look back.
There was no turning back on this path.
Time passed swiftly, years slipping by like sand through fingers.
By the third year at the Institute of Technological Research, Feng Qi had turned 23.
He had risen from being an entry-level assistant to becoming a researcher at the Starry Sky Branch of the Institute.
Despite his promotion, he never stopped studying. His goal was clear: to one day break into the Institute's core circle.
For three years, he endured and planted seeds for his future.
To his colleagues, Feng Qi seemed like a man filled with negativity, always lamenting the injustices of the world and often railing against the system, wishing it could all be overturned and rebuilt.
Yet, his work was flawless, marked by an uncompromising pursuit of perfection.
What others took a month to complete, Feng Qi finished in half the time, tirelessly working through the night.
During this period, he maintained contact with Mo Fei from the Viper Branch.
Mo Fei had come to know Feng Qi's secret and often shared his research results to help bolster Feng Qi's credentials.
The shadow of his early demise spurred Feng Qi on, a constant reminder that drove him to work without rest.
Frequently, Feng Qi wrote emails to his future self. These messages didn't dwell on the hardships and bitterness of his life but instead brimmed with hope and encouragement.
This sacrificial timeline left no one to shoulder his burdens.
He had to hide his vulnerabilities and carry the weight alone, ensuring the future version of himself could find the strength to continue.
Through relentless effort, he was promoted to the core team of the Starry Sky Branch. This gave him access to parts of the Institute's sensitive projects.
But even that wasn't enough for Feng Qi.
Finally, at the age of 29, he received an opportunity to join the Institute's core circle.
The shadowy figure he'd glimpsed in Le Ping'an's memory fragments appeared before him, offering a chance to create the ideal human society Feng Qi supposedly desired.
When approached, Feng Qi acted with caution, expressing doubt and even reaching for the alarm system in the room.
He had rehearsed this scene countless times in his mind, and his performance thoroughly satisfied the shadow.
What followed was a series of coercive negotiations. The shadow's words carried an almost hypnotic quality, tugging at his buried desires and aspirations.
Feng Qi played along, transforming his apparent resistance into reluctant agreement.
In the end, he accepted the shadow's conditions.
For safety, the shadow implanted a psychic mark within Feng Qi.
This mark, much like the one on Le Ping'an, didn't provide surveillance but gave the shadow complete control over Feng Qi's life and death.
If activated, the mark would cause his body to disintegrate into particles of spiritual energy.
Additionally, Feng Qi could also trigger the mark himself as a means of self-destruction in a dire situation.
To further ensure control, the shadow gave him a bottle of white pills.
These pills required regular consumption. Missing a dose would subject him to unbearable physical and psychological torment.
Feng Qi accepted all of it without hesitation.
Falling into the abyss was the fate of this sacrificial timeline. There was nothing he couldn't forfeit.
In the days that followed, Feng Qi gained access to some of the core secrets of the Institute of Technological Research.
As Mo Fei had predicted, the Institute's psychic energy technology was highly advanced, far beyond what had been disclosed to the public.
This technology had the potential to propel human civilization forward.
But the Institute chose to suppress it, claiming the technology was not yet mature.
As for Spiritual-Energy Nanobot research, his clearance level was still too low to gain access.
Determined to climb higher, Feng Qi worked with a near-maniacal intensity.
During this time, he discovered a horrifying secret: the Institute was conducting experiments to develop a "super virus" capable of exterminating humanity.
Using human DNA samples, they sought to engineer a virus that targeted only humans.
The experimental facility housed numerous live test subjects, including homeless individuals and kidnapped geniuses.
Feng Qi was assigned to this project.
He participated with a calm demeanor, even volunteering for additional tasks.
His apparent ruthlessness earned the admiration of the domain forces controlling the Institute.
Among his fellow "traitors," his actions were so extreme that even they found it hard to stomach.
But Feng Qi concealed his anguish deep within, never letting it show.
Through relentless effort, he edged closer to the Institute's inner circle and to the moment when he could enact his plans against Tiger Soul Research Institute.
One day, during a rare long holiday, Feng Qi returned to Star City.
He met Wei Wei at a café near Star City Academy.
By this time, Feng Qi had become a middle-aged man, his face lined with exhaustion.
In contrast, Wei Wei remained radiant and youthful, her face glowing with confidence.
Looking at Feng Qi's bloodshot eyes, a stark reminder of his overwork, Wei Wei hesitated before softly saying:
"It must be painful, isn't it?"
At that moment, the man whose hands were stained with the blood of countless comrades, who was known within the Institute's core circle as a "demon," broke down.
To the astonishment of nearby onlookers, Feng Qi curled up and began to cry, unable to hold back his grief any longer.
None of what he had done was by choice, but out of necessity.
The bitterness of his journey was something only Wei Wei could understand.
This brief return felt like a rat crawling out of the sewers for a glimpse of the world's bright lights, only to scurry back into the filth.
In the days that followed, Feng Qi returned to his cold and ruthless persona, earning him the nickname "demon" once more.
And so, his journey continued, unrelenting.