He drank it

Pushing open the heavy soundproof door, there was only one person in the monitoring room.

Bai Xu sat in the main seat of the circular control console, with dozens of segmented screens in front of him, displaying complex data streams, real-time monitoring images of various copy entrances, and intelligence summaries from within the organization.

Hearing the door open, Bai Xu didn't turn around, but simply spoke in a low voice, slightly hoarse from staying up all night: "Didn't I tell you to go and rest? I'll handle the data analysis and the contingency plan for the next instance."

He thought it was a member on duty or the vice-captain, Bai Jin.

Only when that unique and undeniable aura drew near did Bai Xu abruptly turn his head.

"It's you?" A hint of surprise flashed in Bai Xu's eyes when he saw Shi Mo, but he quickly regained his composure, though his brow twitched almost imperceptibly. "Not satisfied with the new room?"

His gaze swept quickly over Shi Mo. The other man seemed to have just taken a shower, with a few strands of slightly damp white hair casually hanging over his forehead. He was wearing simple dark-colored loungewear, which made his skin appear even paler. His heterochromatic eyes looked like two silent gems in the dimly lit monitoring room.

Shi Mo did not answer the question about the room.

He walked directly to Bai Xu's side, so close that he could almost feel the heat emanating from the other person, a mixture of faint caffeine and electronic device scents.

His gaze swept across the dazzling screens, finally settling on Bai Xu, especially lingering for a moment on those slightly dimmed green eyes and thin, slightly pursed lips.

A thought naturally arose. He possessed his own "system," with various ways to improve, even some involving "cheating."

But what about Bai Xu?

This man, who can be considered one of the best in humanity from any perspective, has to rely on his own perseverance to hone himself bit by bit in the face of life and death, shoulder the responsibility of the entire team, and stay up all night here analyzing data and calculating life and death.

It's a bit... a pity. Or rather, in Shi Mo's view, it's somewhat of a "waste" to let such talent and hard work be slowed down due to resource constraints.

He didn't feel like he was giving alms or showing pity; rather, he saw a work of art that could have been more perfect but was slightly lacking in paint, and he happened to have extra paint that he didn't need.

Without much thought, Shi Mo flipped his wrist, and the special potion [Source of Power], which had been stored in a corner of the system space, appeared in his hand. The crystal-clear potion rippled within the small glass bottle, emitting a faint glow of energy.

He casually handed the medicine to Bai Xu, his fingertips almost touching the back of Bai Xu's hand resting on the control panel.

Bai Xu reacted quickly, instinctively taking a slight step back before reaching out to catch it. The cool touch of the glass bottle startled him slightly; it seemed as if a trace of Shi Mo's slightly cool body temperature still lingered on the bottle.

He looked down at the small bottle in his hand, his brows furrowing, his eyes filled with scrutiny and doubt: "What is this?" He lowered his voice, his green eyes lifting to stare intently at Shi Mo.

"I drank it." Shi Mo said concisely and calmly, but his eyes were fixed on Bai Xu.

Bai Xu's brows furrowed even more.

He could sense the pure and gentle energy fluctuations within the potion bottle; it was definitely no ordinary item. However, Shi Mo's actions were too abrupt, and his motives remained a mystery.

"Shi Mo, I need to know what this is." Bai Xu's tone was insistent, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the bottle. "An unknown substance potion, I can't..."

"Good stuff." Shi Mo interrupted him, his tone still flat, yet carrying a strange persuasiveness. He leaned slightly closer, almost able to see his own reflection in Bai Xu's eyes. "It's good for your health."

His gaze met Bai Xu's calmly; his left red eye was as deep as a pool of blood, and his right golden eye was as indifferent as the blazing sun, yet it seemed to hold some indescribable focus.

A brief silence fell over the monitoring room, broken only by the faint hum of the machines and the almost imperceptible yet real exchange of breaths between the two people.

Bai Xu's fingertips tightened and loosened on the smooth bottle.

His rational alarm was screaming, but something deeper—perhaps the subtle sensation brought about by the 'rules' skill, perhaps his complex and indescribable curiosity and exploration of Shi Mo, or perhaps the subtle and imperceptible strangeness brought about by the close proximity between the two of them at this moment—caused a crack in his vigilance.

He wanted to know what Shi Mo was trying to do, and what the effects of this potion were. More importantly, Shi Mo's eyes, though still lacking warmth, were not malicious, and even... had an almost blatant "use it if I give it to you" implication.

The hesitation lasted only a few seconds.

Bai Xu took a deep breath, as if he had made a decision, or perhaps given up some kind of resistance. He asked no more questions, flicked the cork off the bottle with his thumb, tilted his head back, and drank the crystal-clear liquid in one gulp. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down with each swallow, forming a clear silhouette in the dim blue light of the screen.

The medicine tasted cool and tasteless upon entering his mouth. But the next second, a gentle yet powerful surge of heat suddenly exploded from his stomach, rapidly spreading to his limbs and bones, even making his ears feel slightly hot.

Bai Xu let out a muffled groan, his body tensing almost imperceptibly for a moment. He felt all the muscle fibers in his body trembling slightly, and an unprecedented sense of fullness and power surged up, as if an invisible shackle had been removed.

He subconsciously clenched his fist, and could clearly feel that the strength in his arm had increased compared to before, which also made his mind, which had been a little groggy from staying up all night, much clearer.

He looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with undisguised shock, as he stared at Shi Mo, whose expression remained calm but whose gaze seemed to flicker slightly at his physical reaction: "This is... a strength enhancement potion? Where did you get it? Something that can directly boost basic attributes..." His voice was slightly rapid with excitement and disbelief, and his breathing was somewhat unsteady.

This thing is priceless! Shi Mo just... gave it to him like that?

"You're welcome." Shi Mo interrupted him again, her tone completely flat, as if she had just given him a piece of candy, not a priceless attribute potion.

Before Bai Xu could fully recover from his shock and complex emotions, his gaze fell on the simple yet clearly custom-made laptop next to Bai Xu.

Then, before Bai Xu could react, Shi Mo very naturally reached over Bai Xu's shoulder and picked up the computer. His arm almost brushed past Bai Xu's ear, creating a slight breeze and a refreshing scent.

"Eh? You..." Bai Xu was stunned. His body stiffened instinctively because of Shi Mo's sudden approach. He then turned his head and looked at Shi Mo's profile, which was very close to his.

Shi Mo picked up the laptop, tapped it casually a couple of times with his fingertips, then turned and walked out of the monitoring room, leaving Bai Xu with only a back view of flowing white hair and a lazy gait, along with a light, casual remark: "Can I borrow this to play with?"

Bai Xu watched him leave with his personal computer (which contained no absolute secrets, but a lot of personal records and analysis drafts), opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

He simply sighed softly and shook his head, the heat in his ears still lingering, while the newly gained power within him continued to surge clearly.

What could he do? Force it back? Putting aside the question of whether he could win in a fight, he had just received such a valuable and direct "gift," and now he was going to turn on him over a computer? What's more... when that guy took the computer, there was no curiosity about the secrets in his eyes at all, only a kind of pure boredom and casual "looking for something to do."

Looking at the empty doorway, Bai Xu withdrew his gaze and turned back to the monitor screen in front of him, but his eyes were somewhat unfocused, and his fingertips unconsciously traced the edge of the control panel that Shi Mo's fingers had almost touched earlier.

Shi Mo, meanwhile, took the laptop he had swiped and went straight back to his new bedroom.

He leaned comfortably back in his recliner, placed his laptop on his lap, ignored the encrypted folders that required access permissions, and directly connected to the base's open network. Then... he started browsing some meaningless entertainment gossip, and even clicked on a brightly colored, childishly styled casual game. His heterochromatic eyes stared at the screen, and his fingers clumsily operated the controls, as if he was really just using it to kill a tiny bit of boring time in the endless life in the eyes of the Overlord.

"Host...you...you gave him that precious potion?" The system's voice sounded weakly, filled with heartache and confusion. "And...you even 'borrowed' the computer?"

Shi Mo's gaze remained fixed on the game screen as he casually replied, "It's just sitting there anyway." He paused, then added, his voice unusually tinged with a barely perceptible hint of amusement, "Watching him look so surprised yet trying to remain calm is more interesting than the game itself."

system:【……】

It silently pulled up the footage of the two people in close contact in the monitoring room (recorded from the host's perspective). Data analysis showed that the host's bioelectrical signals had extremely small, abnormal fluctuations at that time... It decided to keep quiet and encrypted the record, labeling it as "[Abnormal Host Behavior Logic Sample/To be Observed]".

Meanwhile, Bai Xu in the monitoring room was completely unable to focus on the data on the screen.

He repeatedly felt the growing power within him, and tentatively threw a punch into the air. The sound of the wind it generated was sharper than ever before, and his movements were full of a sense of newfound power.

He opened his personal terminal, pulled up his physical fitness monitoring data, and sure enough, he saw a significant upward slope in the curve representing his strength level.

"Shi Mo..." he murmured the name, his eyes filled with a complex and unreadable expression. The coolness of the medicine bottle and the lingering scent of the other person's presence still seemed to remain on his fingertips.

This "gift" was too heavy and too sudden, so heavy that he didn't know how to define it or how to respond.

More importantly, what purpose lies behind Shi Mo's behavior? Is it truly a matter of doing whatever he wants without caring? Or is it the beginning of some deeper interest that he cannot understand?

Bai Xu leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and tried to calm his somewhat chaotic emotions. He also tried to use the divine contract "Future Vision" to try and glimpse a fragment of the future related to this moment.

However, all that could be seen was a blurry turbulent flow of light and shadow. Everything about Shi Mo remained the biggest variable, elusive yet seemingly possessing some kind of... attraction.

All he knew was that ever since Shi Mo joined the Seventh Sequence, his originally clear, tense trajectory, centered on survival and duty, seemed to be quietly being swayed by some indescribable force.

The culprit, meanwhile, was nestled in a comfortable recliner, glancing almost imperceptibly at the "Game Over" message that popped up on his computer screen. He seemed genuinely annoyed by the game's ridiculous design, before closing the page without hesitation and moving on to the next pointless link.